pondělí 25. července 2011

Kärlek - Peace & Love III

It´s raining a little bit and it´s not exactly nice summer weather. Today is The day. We arrived at about 11 am at the venue. Apart from two girls the place is empty. This is the very moment when you realize what Mando Diao do to people. Force them to do crazy stuff. Stuff that they would never do if they didn´t get to know them. Sitting in the mud, not caring about the dirty clothes, the fine rain, the discomfort. Just to be able to stand in the first row. Just to be right there. At the scene of the crime. We did exactly the same. But the waiting is not that long, it´s four hours till the gates open and then two and half an hour till the concert starts. Nothing we hadn´t undergone before. For Mando Diao.

Then the race begins. When I say race I mean it literally. Our little run in Berlin has nothing to do with Borlänge sprint. Nothing can stop us not even the orders: Inte springa! We catch nice place with amazing front view to the stage. It´s nothing but truth. And right at half past five Daniel comes and when he touches the piano whole Dalarna is full of a song with the same name. It´s here and it makes sense. It´s wonderful and powerful. Right now. It´s in the air. Something that gets shape after a few minutes when the rest of the band enter the podium. Love.


For the next ninety minutes the world outside doesn´t exist. There´s no point in nothing but this moment in this place. In Borlänge with Mando Diao.

People around me freak out during the classic ones such as God Knows, Long Before Rock´n´Roll, Sheepdog and of course Dance With Somebody. It surprises me that even in Borlänge people stare at you when you sing the less known songs together with the band. Leave Me Be, Your Lover´s Nerve don´t have so enthusiastic echo, not around me. But I don´t care. At all. There is no one next to me. No audience, no guards in front of me. Not tonight. It´s just that fucking love I feel. Stupid pathetic feeling that fills me every time I see them live. And maybe it´s not that pathetic as I might think. It´s just the truth.


Dance With Somebody surprises again. The energy is contagious. I somehow know that Björn will come down to the audience and the phrase being at the right place in the right time makes today even more sense than before. Well, touching Björn is like going to the church...:)


Nothing ends with the end of the show. The night is young. There is Bob Dylan concert, Twinflower band and also Håkan Hellström that I wanna see just out of pure curiosity. We´re hanging around with our huge flag around us (yeah they didn´t have smaller). Something I would never do. Simply because I´m not that patriotic as it probably seemed at Peace & Love. 
“What´s the name of the country again?”  is the most common comment on our nationality.  We proudly repeat it even there is not that much to be proud of. 


While Bob Dylan sounds from the distance, we´re taking a nap and absorb what has happened this evening. There is so much to happen still. We don´t know it yet. For some people it´s so insignificant, for Mando Diao fans is simply awesome. For me it´s unbelievable. Little senses, huge coincidences and memories to be remembered.

Twinflower band concert is unforgettable especially because of the presence of the whole Mando Diao band among the audience. Now it´s the time when the festival should start not end.  It all happened too fast, as always. On the other hand I feel like I was in Borlänge for years.

We have one more day, the day when the city is left empty, when all the festival visitors are leaving, the streets are sad and everything is closed. Except one little music store. Here we bought Johnossi and Sugarplum Fairy CDs and listened to interesting stories from the store owner.

Now it´s raining a lot. And it´s cold. And I´m tired and hungry. This is the last day. There´s nothing to do in this lonesome dirty town, but for a short brief moment I thought I understood. Following the dreams, however illogical it might seem to the others, is the only meaningful thing I know. I don´t want to change, never. I hope I´ll end up in this lonely rainy street more than once more. 

This also can happen when you follow your dreams. You can meet them by coincidence.

Oh, that rain that’s iching on my skin

Mando played two shows in Spain this weekend. One in Benidorm at LOW COST FESTIVAL and another one in Santander festival. Can´t wait for more photos and reports and videos of course. At the meantime here goes some videos and just a few photos from these two events. 

 
First it´s gonna be Low Cost Festival and MD performing The Band.



Few photos from Santander music festival you can find here.

And wonderful video from the same event, If I Don´t Live Today with Gustaf´s speech about Norway...All my love with you.



Also No More Tears from Spain is worth watching...

On a summer's day

Another video from DTM racing event where Mando Diao played few days ago (or maybe not few days but lots days ago). Dance With Somebody with Ossi Bonde on drums. 
And short backstage video from the same event... unfortunatelly again with German dabing.


neděle 17. července 2011

Hand of God

Really interesting interview with Gustaf, I´ve never seen before. He talks about the band name (and his own:) ), about life in Sweden and another very amusing stuff. Hardly recommended. This is the first part, the second one is easy to find on YouTube.

Anyway

Some stuff from DTM concert in Munich. Mando Diao played there just five songs: God Knows, Gloria, Down In The Past, No More Tears, DWS... The most interesting fact about this mini concert is the fact that Oscar Bonde from Johnossi was the drummer at this show. (Awesome and ....again....awesome.) 





Well it’s easier so

Mando played another show in Locarno few days ago. Photos: here (watch gallery) and here.

úterý 12. července 2011

And I will Borlänge, I will

Hopp - Peace & Love II

That feeling captured me while sitting in the train to Borlänge. If Gustaf hadn´t met Björn, if they hadn´t been so ambitious, if they hadn´t been able to fulfill their dreams, I would not have been sitting here right now, on the train facing the strange city north from Stockholm. The countryside passes by behind the windows. We are here because they broke to the world. Two girls from nowhere, from the same small and insignificant city with almost the same perspective of the future as they had. But they managed to do something more. So much that now we´re going to that unknown city just because of them. That´s the Music. And the message.  
Fem dagar av budskap. 

 
The first day I´m not able to perceive almost anything, after the pretty long way from home all I´m thinking of is the bed. Bed in the 120 year-old house in Dalarna. Then comes Thursday. We saw pretty many great bands, very funny Jared Leto´s show at 30 Seconds to Mars concert and of course we missed a lot. The festival is so huge with so many interesting concerts on way too many stages that it´s impossible to see, hear and visit everything you want to. 

The area reminds me of Sziget festival in Budapest. It´s defnitely not like the classic and for me horrible open air festivals with nothing to do during the day. The whole city IS the festival. And it´s breathtaking. The organization is so precise that we simply had to say: Those Swedes! Can´t imagine something like this working in my homecountry. My city as a place of the music festival. Hell no. Even we have the very same number of inhabitants and even the streets and squares look absolutely the same, there´s no way we could have Peace & Love event there. That´s the huge difference between being stuck in the nightmare and being stuck in the Nightmare. Sweden is … well, Sweden. 

Streets are full of different people, young, old, children even babies, families and even senior people. It´s like it could really work. All together connected by the same thing. Music. And music is everywhere. Even in daytime when the main area hasn´t opened yet, the streets are full of music. People are without barriers, of course. Somehow not in that scary way as always on the open air festivals or at night on the street. Maybe it´s just an illusion but I feel safe here. Even more than I would feel on an empty street in my hometown on Saturday afternoon. I believe in the message of this event. Peace and Love. And Hope. 

 
We´re passing Borlänge streets, taking thousand of photos, discover café Peace&Love and the stage where Carl Norén will play today. Half past 3 pm he starts his show and plays just a few acoustic songs from his solo album. Not more than 20 minutes, which is a shame because I simply love these versions of his songs. Some people are watching from the windows, some are standing right on the square. This show is for free, part of the Peace & Love day party. After the show we sat into Peace&Love café for a beer, which is quite funny because of the ID control and the so high price of this drink. I´ve never spend so much money on one beer. The only positive thing about the Czech Republic. We have damn good beer and damn cheap. Next time I should bring some to Borlänge:) and offer it to the whole Norén´s clan. At least something I´d like to give them for all the music they gave to us. 

It´s the first moment of clearness I have, in P&L café with a beer after meeting Carl Norén. It doesn´t seem like a dream. It seems like reality. Like a real truth. 

Next day like it was something normal, we see him again. Another, this time a regular one, concert of Carl Norén at Athena stage. It´s unforgettable. I hadn´t expected it and it left me breathless. Mats and CJ as a part of the Carl Norén´s performance, one new wonderful song and all the songs I love so much. That´s the way I like it. Thank you for that night. 

 
It´s going to rain and we´re waiting till The Strokes appear. They take their time which I find quite stupid. We´re at the festival, there´s no need to come later. Then finally they arrive with “Is this it” song and fill the whole area with indescribable atmosphere. Another concert that was worth the visit. 

The next day is a big day. Our landlords are making fun of us almost from the very first second we´ve told them that we are here mostly because of Mando Diao. They were definitely glad to hear we know Borlänge band and even more excited we came to see them. The other inhabitants of the house, middle aged couple are even more interested in a funny fact that we are from the country of their favourite beer. (They actually had full refrigerator of Zlatopramen). They all agreed that Mando Diao are worth the visit. Something I had already known. 

The thing I loved most about the whole festival was the tolerance. Another absolutely unacceptable thing in my hometown. The older people tolarate the younger and the young don´t care about the older. The festival is open for everyone. Babies included. And no one stares at you in odd way with the expression: What the fuck are you doing here? And even it´s quite messy after two days in the city, it´s not so disgusting as always. And Borlänge inhabitants make only comments such as how exciting it is and how funny is the fact that Borlänge is suddenly twice as big as always. Not a single trace of hatred or offence. 


It´s Hope that started with Carl Norén at Jussi. And before it all turned into Love, I have to spend another night in our little attic room. Another Borlänge night. It´s July already. The holiday has started. In Borlänge. On the empty street. But that´s another story…and should not have been told to anyone.

pondělí 11. července 2011

Well I waited on the corner of your street

I would but you must wait 'til it gets dark

Další datum a místo přibilo do letního Tour Mando Diao. Tentokrát se jedná o Švýcarské Locarno a festival Moon and Stars. Mando nahrazují Amy Whitehouse a jako speciálního hosta sebou berou jazzového umělce jménem Caro Emerald.

Kde? Locarno, Švýcarsko
Kdy? Pátek 15. 7. 2011
Jak? ticket link

We love to sing songs like that

Chat with Björn and CJ. So true, Björn when you´re speaking about being affraid of turning 30 when you´re 25. Very nice interview. (But it´s only me who finds that question about sharing mics pretty stupid...?) 

neděle 10. července 2011

Jag älskar dig


Mando Diao at Peace & Love, Utopia stage...

When the wall starts falling down?

Mando Diao na festivalu Peace & Love s písní Sweet Jackie od Sugarplum Fairy. Píseň pro Kristiana Gidlunda z SPF. 



Mando Diao playing the Sugarplum Fairy song Sweet Jackie for Kristian...at Peace & Love festival, 2. July 2011. Borlänge. 

sobota 9. července 2011

Mod - Peace & Love I

It could happen that when you follow your dreams you end up on a rainy street somewhere in the city you´ve never thought you would visit. And even it doesn´t make sense at all, you´re in the right place in the right time. You´re exactly where you should be. And there´s no place in the whole world you would like to be more. Because in that moment it´s for sure everything is all right, just like that. Everything is the way it should be. 

 
But let´s take it from the very begining. It´s summer or maybe autumn 2010 and I decided to go to Peace & Love festival to Borlänge. The city where it all started. Their hometown. It was just a joke, an idea, nothing really serious...because honestly...Peace & Love is pretty expensive trip for someone like me from my geographical area.
Anyway the closer was the Peace & Love date, the most obvious it was that it´s gonna happen. Or at least that I will try to realize it. It was like not having another choice. It was like duty to go and see Mando Diao playing in their hometown. To see that city... Just go down the same streets where they used to go, see the same things, touch the buildings, however crazy it might sound. I simply had to do it. Even if that meant to spend hell lot of money and even more energy. 
Most of all, more than the money, patience and organization skills I needed something very special. Something I usually have lack of. Courage. 

I didn´t receive exactly enthusiastic reaction when I told my best friend about my plans. Fortunately as always I began organizing it and my soulmate felt more and more excited about it. That´s how we walk.
Talking about Courage...let me explain. Sweden is pretty far away from the place I live and concerning the fact I´m too scared to fly to undergo two hours in plane I´d rather spend 25 hours in the bus. Then there was the money thing. If I didn´t have my friend I could have just cried while watching livestreams from P&L (not that there were any...). So indebted and crazy. Actually not very people could understand why we wanted to go somewhere to Sweden when we saw this band just month ago in Berlin. Inexplicable but understandable...if you know Mando Diao. 

So here we are, finally with tickets, even though it took about month to resolve the problem with buying it. I tried about four different credit cards, on every single of them (borrowed from my family) P&L took away the amount of money that costs the tickets and then... nothing. No ticket, no money. It was quite scary. After few days the money would be returned, but those few days was days full of permanent fear, what if not? (It wasn´t my money after all.)
The journey, the accommodation, paying the accommodation (yes, me in the bank looked like I was trying to do a bank robbery), paying another accommodation and another...and the last one. Train from Borlänge that was full by the day we finally set together to resolve everything. So another accommodation in Borlänge, another train. It was a lot things that had to be done before leaving. One day you´re doing your school exam you mustn´t fail and another you´re facing Borlänge. On the road towards your dreams. Towards the unknown. As always with Mando Diao. 
 
Brno, Prague, Berlin and Malmö. Changing to another bus to Jönköping where the driver watches very suspicious our tickets. Of course there is a great cooperation between Czech Bohemian lines and Swedish Swebus company  (ironically meant of course).
After 27 hours on the road we´re finally in Stockholm. The serie of coincidences begins. In the hostel we met a receptionist who after hearing what the purpouse of our journey is declaimed that he´s actually from Borlänge and he was one of the first guys that started Peace & Love festival. Then he told us some facts about the festival and gave us the number in case of emergency. The world IS small.
Night in the hostel is horrible. Imagine sleeping in the coffin, or better in the tomb IN the coffin. What´s the point of double-decked beds where the ceiling is practically just few centimetres from the upper bed? 

 
Next morning we´re leaving from the Centralen to Borlänge. When my feet touch the ground for the very first time it´s like a moment of magic. Yes, this is it. The Clean Town from which you want to get away. And I´m here voluntarily. Imagining the moment when someone would travel hours and hours just to see my hometown, exactly the same type of the city as Borlänge. How funny. I´d like to be as strong as Gustaf was. To get away. And then to come back with hate and passion. Then to be able to love that place. 

 
We do a nice sightseeing tour through the city in effort to find the main gate where the tickets are exchanged to strips, with our pretty heavy bags is everything but fun. We give up and wait for our lift. We have accommodation 13 kilometres from Borlänge in a house of some Swedish people we had never met. Now I can say, it was amazing. Nothing but special. Having your own room and bathroom, garden AND a pool. Swimming in Dalarna, just few kilometres from Borlänge. In the woods. Even I was quite scared at first...you never know who you can meet, especially when you are me. For our good it turned to be all right. As one man says everytime I need it: Don´t think twice it´s all right. (Thank you Bob Dylan again...) 


We did it. We are really here. After all, it happened. And when I´m standing before Carl Norén at Borlänge square listening to his songs I realize that now the Courage turned into Hope. And that it´s Hope I need now and that I can find it, of all the places in the world, right here.