Fantreffen in Bad Salzungen on 24-05-2008

Ok, is about more than two months since I visited Germany, I was waiting my partner dj-andy could make a report about the show here, but it seems he didn't have time enough. So how an important event, I guess so important to Andy and me, can be forgotten?. In our blog we need to talk about it for sure. I am making a special moment to write it, looking the videos I could remember something and I decided to do it now because I need to remember, so here comes my report (sorry if is very very late and my not so good english).

I live in a country in South America miles far away from Germany, but a serie of reasons made me promise myself to make all my efforts in order to go to this fantreffen in Bad Salzungen. Chances to make it possible were very few, however there are a time when all things happen in a good way for someone. I also was specially lucky with the help of my friends in Germany, nice people who I always will be grateful. Yeah, I arrived to Germany on 23 May, then of a terrible travel of 17 hours, but the emotion was bigger than my fears, I couldn't even eat or sleep during these days. Here comes a big summary about my adventure this day when I met with SIB and of course with my partner dj-andy as well.

That day Andy arrived first than all of us to Bad Salzungen, I had first to overcome some problems with the change of air, and an accident that broke my glasses (fortunately nobody noticed that). There in the KW70 I was enclosed by my friend in his car!!! grrrrr... he forgot me inside!! 😁, when he saw this and let me free, finally I could get out and look the place around... I was officially in the party!!. I started to recognize some of the fans, this guy is Falk, this other is Marek, this is dj-andy… hey this is my partner xD, he stared at me so shy for a second through the roofs of the cars… haha, it's always crazy when someone meet with people who first knew by Internet, one never know how is the other one until the mystery is revealed... My german friends also were talking with other friendly fans, but unknow people to me, big problem the language, otherwise I could enter in the conversation (maybe)… but... Oh damn! I forgot the picture I wanted Michael can sign to me... I made it in Lima and wanted to go back to the Hotel so I could bring it... anyway the show didn't start yet, but nobody could help me... I was sad, one chance like this is something unique, I thought.
  
All started time later of what was scheduled. The place inside was like a theater, despite all was different, starting with the weather... and people... and language, (I am an alien, I am a legal alien ♫), I really didn't feel too much outside, music was the reason, this thing so familiar to me. DJ Maik (sorry if I wrote it wrong) was who played the music, and these tracks made me feel in home. When he said the show will start in 15 min, I thought again, I can go to the hotel... maybe is my last chance... so I was walking quickly to the door but… I couldn't imagine a big impact was near to happen. Yeah Mr. Michael Scholz was next to the door... he was standing there like a normal person... OMG is he?? Is really him?? Finally!!... just few meters in front of me, he stared me for a moment, and this reduced me totally because I didn't know what to do... behind him appeared Detlef... what a shock!. I was intimidated to an unexpected level... I still can remember... what I don't remember is what happened then!!. Detlef hugged me and I didn’t know if I was dreaming again, Michael said something like “such a surprise” (sorry I have bad ear for English)… anyway the only really surprised was I for this improvised attention that I never expected… Detlef at my right, Michael at my left… definitely I was in heaven…there was someone who was shooting me with his camera… I think this also made me feel extra nervous, I hate to be catched by cameras. Actually I don’t know how I did to not collapse of emotion in this moment, but fortunately Detlef brought me some champagne, it made me back a little to reality..  Michael said me, “look all this guys and girls here, everybody know you Mrs. Robota” nice déjà vu of my school times, yeah everybody know me and don't know me at the same time... this was a really special moment that gave me happiness and made me feel proud until now. 

I must say, I don’t think any other can understand my feelings in this moment, is not the same for a local guy, a german follower of a german group, than for a southamerican person who had to make a really effort crossing an ocean only to be there, to know SIB guys was very important to me, much more important than to know Modern Talking some years ago,  maybe the reason was that I felt it like a goal with a special mission, it becomes more relevant then.

 
I could also get a picture with Mark Ashley... , during this time dj-andy got to record a short video to Michael sending greetings to all the SIB fans.

We were waiting for a while and then finally Mark Ashley came to stage. He was talking many minutes about his productions and his new album, I can’t tell too much because my understanding of german was very limited. Then finally Detlef and Michael came to stage, both without instruments, Mark kissed Michael (!) and then the music started. The first song was “Jeannie Moviestar", this excellent track of their limited edition fan CD. Despite the playback, they also made us hear their voices live, this was awesome. Before the second song, Detlef said something to Michael… they sang “Back to Summer 97” then. Michael sings always with soul and Detlef was touching the air… The next song was “Marilyn’s Dream”, after this, Michael spoke a little about Rolf, "he was part of the choir, he was part of the composition of the songs, and this day would be his birthday" so he asked a pause… a little silence happened into the place…. It's always the same tradition everywhere like a sign of respect, actually I thought this would be a real minute (60 seconds) of silence, but was quite short… I think Michael said, "life goes on…" and they continued with the show… Emotive moment, that only recalled me how much I regret I couldn’t travel before… the day when Thomas Widrat invited me to Essen 2006 in our SIB-lings chat... but was impossible... I couldn't know Rolf :( …. Life can goes on, but is never the same, we think we have time but we never have time. 
Mark Ashley was impatient to announce the next song, Michael said many thanks… and the public applauded. “Gimme Gimme Money” was the next song. SIB guys have my respect on don't give up and continue despite of all....  A strong song now, one of my favorites, then Michael went out of the stage, "wo ist Michael??" (he was under the blue light and I guess this was not comfortable for him), and Detlef started to make striptease… haha, not really, he just made some fun, “Lonely Nights in Avalon” was played, Detlef was kidding with Mark, now I understand why people says he is funny. I found that many people was recording the concert, a lot of cameras between the public… I wanted to take a picture....

And that was my unique picture of the show! *LOL*. I trusted my other friends could give me their pictures then. 
After this song, Detlef and Michael let Mark alone in the stage some seconds, then Detlef came back with some water… he gave it Mark too.. "vodka??" (water in russian), but we are not russians (fortunately)… The next song didn’t come, the DJ had some problems but finally, yeah! “High in the sky”, I could feel the power of their voices, they sang it live completely… When the song was near to end, I found that my camera was almost without battery… oh no… I was hopping it could reach the end of the song… then, don’t know... and in fact, it died when the song ended… Fortunately this was also the end of the show… they went out of the stage and the DJ put some eurodisco music… was this all?? No!, this was just the first break of the show. My partner dj-andy brought me an idea, sure!!. I could again reload my battery, I connected it to an electric source in the wall of the place, yeah!! .

This was a free time for chillin', and there were many fans talking around. For a moment I was a little lonely because I only could look them talking… (what else could I do?), waiting that my battery get totally reloaded… and suddenly Detlef appeared… he talked with some fans, then he looked at me and tried to talk me… I am not sure what he asked me, - "what are you doing?", "I am loading my battery…" I answered him; it seems was funny for him, "and where is Michael?", I asked him, I guess he understood me only the last word, then he took my camera and disconnected it from the source, took my hand and dragged me with him… I was totally scared!, we crossed all the place that was filled by some fans watching that scene... I didn’t know where we were going… then I understood, we were now in the backstage, and there were Mark Ashley and Michael together with other people, my first thinking was... what the hell am I doing here??!!, Detlef sent me with Michael (wie immer / as always), because he thought we could talk better (?)… Michael is a cultivate man, he knows German, English, some Spanish, even he told me about the story of the descendants of Tupac Amaru…(??) something that I totally forgot since the school… I saw they were able to talk with me… I noticed also another man was staring me with strange attention all time... who was him?, another one stared me in not so friendly way too... (later I knew was the famous Arne). I felt me really in panic and not welcome by them. I wanted to go back with my friends, or the room really seemed for me very little, very very little… but Michael there spoke me so openly, like a friend of all life… Despite the chaos, he made me feel safe and I could make him some fast questions, actually I had a lot… but don’t know... I also thought that maybe I was disturbing there… I felt me a little guilty and I tried to escape, near the door, a guy catched me and asked me, "are you here just for SIB?", I only wondered me who is him? And why he is asking me that?, - "of course and because my friends too", -I answered him… , -"but who are you?", -I tried to ask him but I realized that he was not able to understand anything from me… ok egal, "bye", but before to leave I could hear Mark Ashley was singing, I couldn't avoid my curiosity and I tried to check a second… but I made a mistake… damn!!, this weird german rooms with their weird big buttons…I don’t know how I turned off the lights by mistake, oh no!... I felt so fool… was an embarrassing moment, funny too. Mark Ashley quickly ran to me. I thought he would scream me furious or something like that, but he only said he could sing specially for me… I don’t know if he got to understand that was just an accident, but if he wanted to sing me… was ok for me :)  



I could record some of his songs in acapella with my little camera. Finally I got to leave and I was free, I could breath!!. In other circumstances maybe I could enjoy more all this, but despite the chaos… was an interesting experience. I continued trying to reload my camera…. It loaded only the half, then the show started again.

Now the guys came in again on stage, also Mark Ashley. This time Detlef had a guitar with him…the first song of this second time was “Cinderella’s Heart” a nice ballad that Mark and Michael continued singing acapella… just for a little moment. The second song was my favorite “Do you remember", this part of the choir I enjoy a lot… ♫♫ Baby can't you see, oh just do you remember, you and me, in that night in December, just for free, baby you took my heart away ♫♫... Mark and Michael again sang in acapella, was wonderful!!. Michael spoke a little then, he gave a thanks to Thomas Widrat… by the way, why he was not there?, I don’t know about it… The next song was played “Heartbreak Boulevard” this song could be a perfect hit 1 of Modern Talking, Detlef was a bit glued in his place under the blue light, I don’t know if the guitar limited him, but it made that Mark Ashley and Michael Scholz get the complete control of the stage as two big stars in duell. “Jeannie Moviestar” again!!. My friends in the public were also recording the show, singing, dancing, there was only joy there. The next one was “King Of Roses", another ballad. Detlef made a signal, we know what it means, is time to use the "candles"…I didn’t care too much with the recording, I was looking them directly with my naked eyes…Next song was other of my favorites, “Operation Love", I couldn’t understand some jokes… and then the summer hit “Magical Moon", is funny how Mark Ashley dance *hihi*, but he never looked so well like together with Systems In Blue there. I also enjoyed this song without care of my videocamera, I mean, was more important for me to look it than recording (something not usual with me). It made me feel a bit weak and not professional, but I was total delighted having SIB so near to me… I know I could down the stairs and go even more more near, but was for me enough privilege and honour, all those german fans have not idea what they have. I paid before about 135 american dollars for a special location in a concert… “central preference” and looked the singer very far and little, here I was for free and more than near, close to SIB!!. The public dancing, the next song was “Never Say Never”, SIB and Mark Ashley sang live, like must to be!!, the final song was “You Kill Me With Your Smile", another great track… My battery died again, but was not problem for me, because the show of SIB was over.

I joined to the public, was time for autographs, I didn't know about this ritual… (there are not a tradition of special autograph time in my land by singers, normally this is something that fans get after a persecution or insistence and oneself have to bring a picture or paper), but my friends seemed experts, they explained me... I thought this is too easy!!, I really wanted to get many, but I only could get one, Detlef drew a heart with an arrow crossed in my autograph and Michael wrote “Querida Ivonne” in spanish hehe, he also sent me a kiss… I melt like a fool, they were so nice, we continued there and also we got to take some photos between us.
 

Then came the third part of the show… not all of my friends were there this time, and I had not more battery for my video camera, so the only that I did was to record all with my photo camera, Mark Ashley was in front of me, really near, I was in the first row and he started to sing. The first song was his hit “When I see the angels Cry”, then the songs: “Vienna By night”, “Dream Of Great Emotion”, “Blue Horizon” and finally “The Fans of Modern Talking”, great great ending, I started to sing this last song.

Despite it seemed they wanted to continue, was too much late already, the show was over. Anyway together with my friends we extended the party in our way, we were waiting first to SIB guys and then for Mark, because we wanted to give them some presents. 
This last moment there with SIB was also memorable, I could give them directly my respect for the great work they were doing, we made us a last picture together, and that was all. I could see them go, but Micha... haha I won’t forget this never, he turned to me a second only to send me a last kiss… the most beautiful scene of my life!!. I still have his spanish words on my mind “no somos extraños”... I am sure the meaning of it is deeper of what it seems, at least it resonates strongly with me. Short time later was also Mark Ashley talking with us and he got to say me "muchas gracias" in spanish.

Then we were talking and listening some rarities related to Modern Talking and Systems In Blue music. Andy and me know this stuff, (we are experts in rarities), but to other fans was not so familiar. I was really exhausted, but I also didn’t want it end. People was leaving one by one everytime and after a time, dj-andy and me were the last persons in the place. He hugged me emotively and I wondered me if we will see us again. This was the end of a great unforgettable day.