in
Bad Segeberg, Germany - 17 May 2008

Oliver, Henry and Phil during "Vera From Veracruz" (courtesy of Radio Nora © - www.radionora.de)

Oliver and Grant during "Vera From Veracruz" (courtesy of Radio Nora © - www.radionora.de)

The audience

As usual... The "Full Monty"...

The "Full Monty"...

The end of the show

The songs that SAILOR played in Bad Segeberg:

A Glass Of Champagne
Wooly Bully
The Old Nickelodeon Sound (shortened)
Vera From Veracruz
The Secretary
Girls Girls Girls
La Cumbia

encores:
Grant's Moment
The Full Monty
Con Te Partirò - Time To Say Goodbye
Champagne Reprise

Before and after the show...

Karsten and Katrin before the concert

A concert review by Katrin Wagner:

Today's concert will be very special because SAILOR will return to the "Kalkbergarena" in Bad Segeberg - the place where Georg, Henry, Phil and Grant celebrated their comeback almost exactly 17 years ago (18 May 1991). It will be the 4th time that SAILOR play in Bad Segeberg since their comeback concert: 1991, 1994, 2003 and 2008!
The journey is a real last-minute-trip today, as we didn't really plan to go to this concert. Health problems and a very long way for a far away and very short concert have originally stopped us from wanting to go. Yet, the thought of missing the anniversary show at this special venue didn't feel too good. Then, just before the big day, Phil invited us to come and asked whether we could film etc. The idea is to meet the boys at their hotel and go to the soundcheck with them so we can get the permission to film. So here we go again...
Karsten was due to pick me up at 7.30 am, but when I text him about half an hour later he's still asleep. I'm not surprised, though. This is my 85th SAILOR show and maybe there were 5 or 6 occasions when we really left on time! But, keeping the golden SAILOR rule number one in mind, "expect the unexpected" (and all these others too!), we're on the way to Northern Germany another half an hour later.
We arrive in Bad Segeberg at about 12.30 pm and drive straight to SAILOR's hotel. It's the same hotel as in 2003, and again the whole place is booked up so that we've decided to drive back home at night. We're told that the boys aren't here yet. So we sit down and wait.
Having waited for a while we begin to wonder: If they get to town rather late they might go to the soundcheck first and only check in at the hotel afterwards. What about the original plan then? And this is excatly what happens...
SAILOR arrive about two hours later, after their soundcheck, and welcome us. Phil and driver/roadie Thomas have made sure that we can get in. We get a blue and an orange wristband. "What do the coulours mean?" "We're not quite sure." Er... ok. But we can drive to the venue with the boys later when they leave to get to their show at about 7.30 pm. That's great! ;-)
Now here comes a situation that has become a common thing after all these years: We have a communication problem, guys! The problem is that when we hear "see you in a bit" at a hotel and when we've come so far to see you, we usually get the impression that there might be a chace to actually see you in the not too distant future. Why not mention that you will all go to bed for a few hours so that we know that sitting at the hotel foyer for 5 hours doesn't make a lot of sense? It's perfectly ok. We just need to know. Please...!
So, without knowing that nothing will be happening in the next 5 (!) hours Karsten and I decide to stay where we are and keep on waiting. Going to the open air venue with our car doesn't make a lot of sense, as the area all around the place will be full already. The doors are opened at 4.30 pm and there will be some 10.000 people there. Going by taxi doesn't make sense either, as we wouldn't be able to get back after the show. (A great big worldwide traffic jam, well remembered from 2003!) At least we find out what the blue and the orange wristbands mean while we wait. We can both go almost everywhere which will be great for video and photos.
At 7.20 pm we're joined by Oliver again. Instead of the needed sleep he found himself drying the floor and carpet of his hotel room for about an hour, having had some major "water problems" (I promised I wouldn't write that he had wet his room ;-)). Henry arrives a little later, followed by Phil, Grant and Thomas, so that we can all get into the van and drive to the venue.
At the backstage area we say goodbye to the boys for the moment and walk to the huge open air arena. We have missed a couple of bands already, but just now the famous German band Spider Murphy Gang is about to start, and as usual they are very good. After a while we decide to go to the very top of the arena to get something to eat (about time since the early breakfast is some 12 hours ago!). Then it's already time for SAILOR. The time schedule is very tight at this show because the venue is in the middle of the town and they have to be finished and silent at 11 pm. So SAILOR get 11 minutes to set their things up and 32 minutes to actually play. Karsten places himself and the camera somewhere on the right side of the hill from where he can see the full stage. I decide to walk around and take some photos from all directions, thanks to my orange wristband. Meanwhile the host of the show explains that the Nickelodeon is a huge heavy instrument which exists since the 70s and has to be packed into lots and lots of boxes, requiring a high security transport. Well, certainly not the current cardboard version standing behind him! I can't help laughing out loud ;-)
SAILOR start their short set with "A Glass Of Champagne", and the audience seems just as enthusiastic as in 1991. As I walk around I see a lot of happy faces, singing and dancing people, and SAILOR seem to get the best reactions of all. I take some great photos as I walk around, get "slightly" annoyed about "Wooly Bully" being in the set while various original SAILOR classics get shortened (or remain unplayed), and then I finally walk down to the press section in front of the stage. My orange wristband lets me in so that I stay there for most of the second half of the show. I meet photographer (and fellow SAILOR fan) Elisabeth down there (déjà-vu from 2003 ;-)) who sees the present SAILOR line-up for the first time today and is impressed with Oliver's voice during "Con Te Partirò". Reactions are the same in the audience behind us. They seem impressed as well.
The show is over much too fast, as ever, and after the "Champagne Reprise" I walk back uphill to Karsten again who has managed to video the whole show despite some mischief-makers. As we walk back upstairs to get a drink we bump into fellow SAILOR fan Thomas Wenzel and his friend Uwe - or they bump into us. Lucky coincidence between all these people! We talk for a few minutes before Karsten and I have to leave so we don't miss the van back to the hotel.
We listen to The Animals from behind the stage while we wait for the SAILORs, and then, just as they are almost ready to leave, The Rubettes start their show as the last band of the evening. "Just one song!" Karsten and I decide and find the way to the press section which, from here, actually leads us underneath the complete stage to get to the front of the stage. Strange! We take some photos of The Rubettes and then quickly leave again... underneath The Rubettes. Very strange!
Meanwhile the boys are waiting and ask if we can help them to carry their many suitcases back to the van. "No problem", we say, not knowing that they haven't just packed their stage outfits and the Nickelodeon but apparenty some heavy stones as well! (Just kidding!) I'm happy to help! And uphill we go...
Back in the van Karsten is haunted by an old problem again, circulatory troubles. They get worse at the hotel, but THANKS to Henry things get better very soon. We spend some time talking to Henry, Oliver and Phil. Grant, who just wanted to bring his bags to his room, doesn't reappear again.
Henry and Phil say good night at 12.30 am, and a little later Karsten and I have to leave to drive back home. Thanks for another special and mad day! Thanks for concert number 85!
Katrin Wagner, 18 May 2008

Concert Photos