Sailor live in Essen 25/10/2008

Event: 18. Oldie Night Live
Location: Grugahalle
Bands: The Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd, SAILOR, Baccara, T-Rex, Hermans Hermits, The Troggs, Eric Faulkner's Bay City Rollers

Photos by: Katrin Wagner, Karsten Wagner, Ursula Porwollik
Video by: Katrin Wagner

Video:
Here are some video-impressions of SAILOR live in Essen, Germany, on 25 October 2008... Check out a short piece of Oliver, Henry, Phil and Grant playing some bits of the "usual suspects" (Girls, Champagne) and the big finale: filmed by Katrin Wagner © www.sailor-music.com

The songs that SAILOR played in Essen:

A Glass Of Champagne
One Drink Too Many
Give Me Shakespeare
The Old Nickelodeon Sound
Vera From Veracruz
Girls Girls Girls
Wooly Bully
Karma Chameleon
The Secretary
La Cumbia

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

Hotel Europa, leave your troubles at the door - A concert review by Katrin Wagner:

It's 8.30 am when my plan for the day gets confused for the first time: Karsten, who was to pick me up in about an hour, texts to say that he's not feeling well so that I hurry to pick him up instead. We reach Essen at midday and look for SAILOR's hotel. But whenever my navigation system tells me that we have "reached the destination" we just can't see a hotel anywhere. After various attempts we finally discover it... it's on the 7th floor of a big car park. Interesting...!
Can this be the right place? Must be... because we find Troggs singer Reg Presley sitting at the foyer as we walk in. SAILOR arrive a little later and seem equally astounded. I remember what Phil told me last year at the concert in Luckenwalde gig: We always meet in the best places! ;-) And we can't help thinking of a certain Noir song: "Hotel Europa - leave your troubles at the door, hotel Europa - you'll be coming back for more".
A little later we're on the way to the Grugahalle. The place is familiar to Karsten and me, as we were here with SAILOR in 2001. Inside the boys start their soundcheck and we simply wait for the opening of the doors in the evening. We hope that we will be able to see some of the other bands - The Troggs or Herman's Hermits for example - as SAILOR are to play at 11 pm. But then, suddenly, their performance is moved to 8.45 pm.
At 6.30 pm we are joined by SAILOR fans Susi and Hilde from Munich and also by Ursula from Bochum in front of the stage. A little later Heiner arrives too, and, just before the beginning of the concert, Andreas joins the crew. And there are even more fellow SAILOR fans! Only Christel has to miss the concert due to a family birthday party, although she only lives about 20 minutes away from here.
The Oldie Night starts at 8 pm with The Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd. Ok - what more could I say except for this: There's a big difference between both incarnations of "The Rubettes" and we do understand the differences. The Rubettes featuring Alan Wiliams are very special to us because of the 2004 Holland tour with SAILOR and other occasions. This incarnation here featuring Bill Hurd used to also feature a certain Paul Da Vinci. He was the studio singer for all the high notes in "Sugar Baby Love", while all other vocals were sung by Alan Wiliams. But Paul Da Vinci left the other Rubettes some years ago. We don't understand that - after this - there still have to be fights about the name at all. But to make a long story short: This show of The Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd that we're just seeing hurds so bad! Aaahh!
Anyway, moving on to MUCH better things, the stage is now set up for SAILOR. The Carboardelodeon was already set up in a very silly angle earlier, so that we can neither see Henry nor Phil - a problem that we share with most people in the audience.
SAILOR's set starts with great sound and a great audience. They play "A Glass Of Champagne", "One Drink Too Many", "Give Me Shakespeare", "The Old Nickelodeon Sound", "Vera From Veracruz", "Girls Girls Girls". Then there is a short period of time when my memory has faded (I seem to have spent them on the floor with my back to the stage?!). Then they play "Karma Chameleon", "The Secretary", "La Cumbia" plus all the usual encores: drum solo, "Full Monty" and an incredible "Con Te Partirò" which makes people all around us cry and applaud and cheer.
After the "Champagne Reprise" the show is finished, much too fast as usual, and we hurry to leave the venue to make sure we don't have to endure the playback show of Baccara. Heiner decides to stay to watch some more bands. The rest of us decides to meet at the hotel. There we're also joined by Christel and spend a lovely couple of hours with the SAILORs and the fellow fans. Phil looks at my silver anchor necklace and notes that his new anchor, which is part of his stage outfit, is a lot bigger than mine. ;-)
Fortunately we can still get drinks at the hotel bar/reception. Again, we try to realise an old idea of mine: I'd like the four SAILORs to say a short message for the fans which I could put on the website as a special video clip. The idea is old, but it has never come true. And it won't today, either. But "maybe next time".
What a special crazy day... Thanks to everybody involved. We had a marvellous time!
Katrin Wagner, 31 October 2008

According to the motto "spontaneous things should be well considered", Hilde and I decided not to miss the allegedly last concert this year at the Grugahalle Essen with SAILOR, so that we booked a flight to Düsseldorf, as I didn't want to drive all the way from Munich to Essen. At this time we were still completely unaware that SAILOR would play an unexpected solo concert in England. Naturally we'd have prefered to see SAILOR solo, rather than sharing them with other bands, but well, things always end up differently than you think...
Full of anticipation we were on our way to the aurport on Saturday morning. Our flight was on time, and so we landed in Düsseldorf before midday, feeling fresh and in good spirits. After a short drive we reached Essen and checked in at our hotel. After a short walk through town we enjoyed a nice meal. Just when I ordered my second glass of Chardonnay, a message from Katrin came through, saying that she and Karsten had arrived in Essen too. I began to laugh and choke with my wine when I read that SAILORs hotel was above a car park and not easy to find. Well, what can I say? Everything about this was said before, but I just need to repeat it: Only the best hotels!!!
After lunch we got back to our hotel, which was fantastic by the way, and then to the Grugahalle. After we arrived there very early, we got to the front of the queue. The waiting fans were in a good mood, in some cases it was even visible for which band they had come here. For example I didn't know that there are "Baccara" - sweat shirts, but now I'm informed! Then, suddenly, a fan had the idea to play a song of his favourite band to all the other waiting people, using his mobile phone. I couldn't believe it when I suddenly heard "Girls Girls Girls" loudly, because I'd have expected him to be a Baccara-fan or something. But things can ve deceiving, and he shortened our waiting time. In the meantime I got a few more messages from Katrin, and then the doors were opened. But being inside the concert hall doesn't mean that you've reached your destination, oh no! Shortly after the admittance we had to line up again in an endless queue (we were in the front, of course), but nobody really knew why.
Then, finally, we could welcome Katrin and Karsten in the first row. Shortly after this we were also joined by Ursula, Heiner and Andreas. There were also some other SAILOR fans near us whom we could regognise due to their SAILOR t-shirts. The mood was great and all in good spirits, only some Baccara fans feared that they couldn't celebrate "their girls" from the front row. We told them that they could get to the very front after SAILOR and all was good.
Katrin already reported on the first band of the evening, but I would like to say that I personally liked them and liked the voice of the singer too.
Then it was already time for SAILOR. What could be reported that wasn't said or written before? The performance was fantastic, and not only the SAILOR fans enjoyed it very much. Also all others sang along loudly during the well-known songs, danced and laughed. SAILOR spread a marvellous mood. Personally I'm most amused about the reactions of people who don't know the end of the SAILOR show yet. During the Full Monty, men seem frightened at first, while ladies seem delighted (seeing the captain's outfits is already good with the ladies), and some of the ladies are disappointed when this part of the show doesn't end as they expect it, while the men then seem relieved. Something for everybody!
"Oliver's song", as I meanwhile call it, as it's at least as good as the original, made the concert hall cry with his voice. It's incredible to see so many people be overwhelmed by their feelings and be carried away by the music and the voice. The applause didn't seem to want to end, and all wanted an encore. But this marvelous show came to an end much too soon.
During the floowing meeting at the hotel with SAILOR we spent the rest of this nice evening with one or two drinks in great company. Personally I was very sad that the idea about the interview didn't come true., but I do hope that Katrin will managed to do this sometime in this life. Fingers crossed!
I will always gladly remember this night. Thanks to all involved!
Susi Akinci

in Essen, Germany - 25 October 2008

The songs that SAILOR played in Essen:

in
Essen, Germany - 25 October 2008