underwatour - on tour with my favorite band (part 2)

.. After finding out we got on the guest list for the concert in Paris, we obviously kinda freaked out a little bit before we went back into the car of my friends. Charlotte and I had to leave at about 6am to Brussels where we would have a day off before the concert there, so we decided to stay at her house for one night since she's from Belgium. So at 6am we said Goodbye to Dina and Aileen, already excited to see each other again in Paris and Charlotte and I took a day off at her house with a warm shower, Netflix and proper food.


March 14th - The Neighbourhood in Brussels

After oversleeping a little Charlotte and I left her house around 7:30am to get to Brussels and to the venue. We took the car till Ghent and then from there on the train to Brussels where we arrived around 9am; a little bit later than usually. We walked straight to the venue where they gave us the number 5 and 6 on our hands, so we could leave the venue to eat and stuff without having to worry about our places in line. 

It was a beautiful day and when the Crew arrived the sun was about to come out an we were about to face the first warm day in line. We greeted the Crew and especially the Tour Manager when he arrived. The atmosphre at the venue was pretty chilled because we had wifi and were able to go inside on the toilet the whole day and everyone spoke English to each other since in Belgium they speak different languages, what made it easier for me to get to know people. 

Around lunch time Charlotte and I decided to get some wine to keep us warm. By then we had already made a friend named Camille. She was really funny and that made the waiting a lot easier. All in all I gotta say all the people who were waiting in front of the venue were a lot like us. After we had gotten the wine we all sat outside in the sun, which was slowly coming out by then and talked about series and music while drinking out bottle of wine and sharing food with each other. 

More and more people slowly arrived and the line was getting longer with each minute passing by. About an hour before we were let in everyone got up and stood in front of the door in the right order, even though Charlotte and I were by then some of the first 4 to get in.

When the doors opened we started running like crazy because we were the first ones to be let in and we wanted to get front row middle. But as we arrived inside of the venue we had to realize that some people who have barley been waiting went in through another entrance which was apparently opened too without anyone knowing. So we didnt get front row middle but front row on Zachs side, which was fine too since it was front row. 

The concert started and by that day I knew almost all the lyrics to the songs of 
MOTHXR what made it feel like I was going to two concerts at one day. The opening act finished and the Crew started building up the stage for the nbhd. And then the lights went off and my 4th the nbhd concert of 2016 began. 

They put on a great show and as always I had a lot of fun with the new people I met and the friends I made. We sang along to every song, laughed and screamed. We danced our hearts out and with each minute and song that passed by Charlotte and I got even more excited for the two upcoming concerts. 


When the show ended we went to the Tourbus and just chilled with some people we met during the day in front of the venue until our last train back to Charlottes house left. That night we didn't sleep in the bus but in Charlottes house again since our bus left at 9 in the morning. 



March 15th - The Neighbourhood in Utrecht 

Our Bus to Utrecht left from Brussels at 9am, so we got up early, packed our things and continued our journey through Europe with our favorite Band. 

We arrived in Utrecht around 3 1/2 hours later and immediately went to venue where we got numbers again. This time 7 and 8. But right when we arrived we noticed a different athmosphere. No one talked to each other and everyone just stayed in their group and only talked to other people when they needed stuff to roll their joints. 

After a few hours we decided to get some food so I got Subways and Charlotte got KFC before we finished it and got more food because apparently you're always hungry while waiting for concerts. 

The doors of the venue were pretty big what scared us that everyone would just run inside without anyone watching that we would get in in order or without hurting each other and that was exactly the case. The doors opened around 2 hours before the concert started and everyone just ran inside since there were no barriers to get us in in order, like in Germany. So we ran to where they wanted to scan our tickets and Charlotte and I lost each other. I just tried to get as far as I could into the front. 

There was just one guy checking our tickets so it took a few minutes until he let me in and I could run up the stairs to the second stop where we had to wait until the actual time of the door opening (because they let us in 1 hour before the actual door opening). So we just waited next to about 40 stairs we had to run up an hour later. By then Charlotte and I had also found each other again and when they opened the line everyone just ran up the stairs and there was barley a getting through. No one would watch another and more and more people passed me. I had lost Charlotte again at that time. 

When I went into the hall I looked for Charlotte and screamed her name and when no one would reply I just tried to safe us front row places in case she wasn't in by then. So once again I stood in the front row on Zachs side since everyone who got in before me went straight to the middle. I then messaged Charlotte and found out she was first row on the other side but she came to me then because I always get lost. There were no barriers what means we were standing right next to the stage which was pretty weird because the stage was almost as high as me and short people barley hat a chance to see anything. But since I'm tall, I didnt mind. 

MOTHXR played an amazing show and since they make a similar kind of music like the nbhd people were dancing and clapping hands. But as soon as The Neighbourhood came on the stage everyone freaked out and started singing along like Charlotte and I were already during mothxr.  

When Jesse came on stage he was wearing his sunglasses, sweatpants with Chanel suspenders and a T-Shirt. He looked fabulous as always and immediately started the Show together with Zach, Mikey, Brandon and Jeremy. Jesse danced all over the stage and went crazy, he sang loud and clearly and once again made me realize that his voice in concert is way better than on the records. After the last song the Band walked off the stage and Charlotte and I had to catch our train to Paris for our last concert. 


March 16th - The Neighbourhood in Paris

After a long night on the Bus we arrived Paris around 5:45am. It was still dark outside and I got goosebumps immediately after leaving the bus. It was freezing, I was tired and exhausted from sleeping on the bus for only a few hours the last few days. We got off the bus and everything was still closed. No shops or bars were opened and no one was outside on the street. Charlotte and I didn't know what to do, so we just walked around Paris trying to find a place that is open. After like20 minutes of walking we found the Arc de Triomphe and with it finally a place we recognized. So we sat down and enjoyed the free wifi while waiting for Dina and Aileen to arrive, who arrived about 1 1/2 hour later than us. 

When we got the message of the two girls saying they arrived we immediately went back to the bus station to find them. We went inside the McDonalds near the station, found them and gave each other the biggest hugs ever, as if we hadn't seen each other in years. We were all more excited about the fast that we saw each other again than that we would see the nbhd in Paris together. The two girls finished theif coffee and we decided to go sightseeing since we were on the guest list and didn't have to wait in line. 



Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe, this time all four together. We took some typical tourist photos in front of it and got our first beer out. German beer of course. Cheers on a concert in Paris! After taking pictures there we decided to find the Eiffel Tower and take crew photos there. So we started walking into any kinda direction until we saw the Tower and when we arrived we realized that it isn't as beautiful as we imagined it to be. But anyways, we walked through the Park and started to take pictures. All kind of pictures; selfies, photos with a selfie stick, group pictures, pictures on our own - we just couldn't get enough of it.  

After finishing the first round of photos and opening our first bottle of wine we decided to go pee so we walked until we found a McDonalds where we would chill and enjoy some free wifi before we went back to the Eiffel Tower to find the platform and take photos with the Tower from above. So we went back and took more pictures while drinking more wine. When we had enough of the Eiffel Tour and when the sun slowly came out again we went to get some food and to go pee at McDonalds where I uploaded a picture of all four of us in front of the Tower wearing our the nbhd hoodies. We just randomly sat there when suddelny I got a notification that Zach liked my photo and I almost fell off the chair. I didn't see that coming. 

When Zach liked that picture we decided to immediately go back to the Eiffel Tower and then start going into the direction of the venue since it was about 1 hour and a half away from where we were. We went to the Eiffel Tower and then to the venue passing by some other famous buildings in Paris. It took us about 2 hours instead for 1 1/2 to get to the venue because we stopped at a supermarket to get more food and wine and we were also just really slow walkers. Around noon we arrived at the venue und shortly checked on the line before we went to Starbucks to chill until like an hour before the doors opened. 

At 4:30pm we went to the venue where we met a few Crew member we had talked to before and also the Tour Manager who we had a little chat with just like with the other members of the crew. It was quiet fun because we just talked to them about what we did in Paris the whole day and about just our regular life. 

When the doors opened we got in line in the front and then went to pick up our tickets what took a little because the venue still hadn't gotten the guest list of the band. After we finally got out tickets we went in. Dina and Aileen went up like two stairs to the side and Charlotte and I stood on the side of Zach again somewhere between first and second row. 

I must say, we didn't make a lot of friends in Paris but the crowd was the best crowd of the six concerts I went to. They went crazy, jumped up and down and cheered along to the music whether it was MOTHXR or The NBHD. Everyone had fun, the floor was shaking and I got lost in the echos of the crowd singing along. The Band has also been in a really good mood what made the show even better. The Show ended around 10:15pm what is a usual time for the nbhd to go off the stage. After the Show I got two guitar picks from the Guitar Tech Jon, for being so hardcore on the Tour and it was probably one of the most amazing moments I had on the Tour because I have always wanted to get guitar picks as a memory but I never managed to catch some. The four of us went outside to buy some water for the way home but also for the rest of the night since Charlottes and my bus left at 8am and we didn't have a place to stay at. 


When we came back we immediately sat down on the floor until the Tour Manager came out. We decided to thank him for the Tour and everything he has done for us during the Tour. For not only putting us on the guest list but also for being so kind and loving and treating us like usual people and not like crazy Fans. We went up to hi and he asked us how the show was and we told him that it was one of the best shows we had ever seen of the band and that it was a perfect wa to end the Tour for us. He thanked us too and said it was amazing to have us on the Tour. 

We also told him that we were excited to see him again in summer on the festivals the nbhd will be playing in summer and he asked us if we're planning on going to all of them and if we got our tickets already. I said yes and that I would wish for the tickets for my birthday when he got out his card and gave it to me saying "No. Just send me an E-Mail with your names and the names of the festivals you guys wanna go on this summer and I will arrange it for you. " And in that moment my heart stopped for a second. I never expected that something like that would happen to me, especially not with my favorite band. Alex (The Tour Manager) told us that the crew loves us when we all thanked him and hugged him while telling him how much that means to us and how thankful we are for the whole crew to be so calm and chilled with us. 

So, after seeing my favorite band 6 times, after passing a week with maybe 30 hours of sleep in total, after freezing in front of a new venue every singe day and sleeping on busses every night while living off of chips, bread, cookies and wine, I finally got a reward. My friends and I are put on the guest list for the festivals the nbhd will be playing at this summer, including festivals where they haven't been officially announced yet (find out yourself ;)). 

In that moment I just wanted to cry and scream and faint at the same time. All the pain I felt in my body, all the cold and hunger was gone for a moment and a big smile was formed on my face. We all hugged Alex and then said goodbye to him before we went up to Jon and Tomas to talk to them about the Tour and thank them. We took pictures with the both of them and then Dina and Aileen had to catch their bus at 11:55pm and Charlotte and I just spent the whole nigh walking around in Paris until we were also able to get on out busses at 8am. 


My ride home took me about 20 hours because my second bus had a delay but the whole Tour was more than worth all the struggle and now I'm just waiting for summer to come  so I can see my favorite band again with Charlotte, Dina and Aileen. 

Next time we're gonna do the whole Tour together and go by car instead of busses, so we're more flexible. Until then I'll just go to other concerts and save up money to see my favorite Band for a whole month straight on their next Tour. 


Up next: The 1975 in Hamburg on the 2nd of April.