So... I decided to write a 'little' recap about the Amsterdam show after all.
And then it was Monday again and the show already over a week ago. I really need to sleep, but I also really need to write down what I still remember. Those precious little moments, that will disappear if I don’t put them on paper.
Life is not making things easy on me these last years, so I was beyond happy to learn that I would be able to look forward to another round of QAL. Just the fact that I knew that I would be in the same space as Adam and Queen again made this year a whole lot more bearable. And even more special, I bought tickets for my kids, 7 and 10 years old, I figured that would be a great age for a first concert. And what better first concert than Queen + Adam Lambert?
Life was so hectic that I didn’t even get the joy of really properly looking forward to it, or watching a vid or two. We did listen a lot of Queen in the car while the boys and I were on holiday, and it was so much fun to see them discover their music. But when the week before the show came, I was surprised to realize that QAL was suddenly just a few days away. Then I had the amazing pleasure to spend the weekend before with my lovely friend
freakydeaky , with on Sunday evening a great dinner with Adam fans from around the Netherlands (and Sweden and France), of course with
skaschep and
mireille too!
When I got home from work on Monday the boys were so excited that I could barely contain them. Chatting, jumping, singing, wrestling eachother and generally running around like they just had had a double strong energy infusion. We got dressed in our finest, drove to the venue and got through the security line very smoothly. We smuggled
freakydeaky to our seats (she was actually sitting elsewhere, but I took my youngest son on my lap and then she could have his ‘front row balcony’ great seat). After that we had a bit of a wait, but as it turned out, there is plenty of room to play in the Ziggo Dome. Soon enough, the lights dimmed, and first Frank and then Queen made their thundering entrance.
My youngest immediately started a barrage of questions: What is he saying? Why is Adam wearing a dress? Is that really the red special!? Hey mom, that’s Brian, can you see? When is the robot coming back? What does ‘Somebody’ mean? What is he saying now? And now? Which song are they going to sing next? What time is it? What time is it now? It really is later than I have ever been awake, right? Ooooh he said bitches, didn’t he? Why? Can I have more chocolate? (Then trying to spit out the dark chocolate that he didn’t like during Brian’s solo). Why is Adam leaving the stage? And knowingly, after the first time: hey, Adam is leaving the stage, he is going to change his clothes again, isn’t he? How long is Brian’s hair? Is it longer than your hair? Do you think he can wipe his own ass with it? (That is my son’s definition of ‘really long hair’…) . When are they going to sing Radio Gaga? Who is that? (answer: Tyler Warren). Why do they have two drummers? And my favorite one: hey, is Brian not wearing any shoes? (This one during Get Down Make Love. I can tell you, I wasn’t looking at Brian’s feet at that moment).
All this during the loudest QAL show I have ever been at, talking to a kid with ear protectors on. Veeeery difficult to get even a hint of an answer in
. But I absolutely LOVED to see the show partly through his eyes. And my other son? He was just completely riveted. Moving with the music, singing, clapping or sometimes just sitting absolutely still and staring intensely at the stage.
The audience were amazing, you could hear them roar. The whole of the room started jumping up and down at the drop in Bo Rhap. They loved Adam, and a lot of people where singing at WWFM too. Adam was amazing, that voice, ringing out over the mass of people, permeating the whole space. Brilliant! He grows ever stronger and stronger. The show was beyond amazing, visual effects, lights, video, lasers.
Because we were in seats and a bit further from the stage, and because the kids needed my attention too, I couldn’t get lost in the music as I normally do. I didn’t really have the opportunity to take pictures either. And after the show my youngest one just fell apart from being too tired and overwhelmed, so I couldn’t stay to see any of my friends who were dotted around the arena. But to see their happy faces at Don’t Stop Me Now and when Bo Rhap started, to see
freakydeaky smile, to have my arms around both of those two little people I love so much and to watch the big people I love so much on stage at the same time, that is the most precious gift that this show could ever have brought. At that moment I felt so very strongly that everything would be okay. And in times like this I will cherish that feeling with great care.
The best thing? I will do it all again…. Three times!! And I hope to be front row for one of them, standing as close to that stage as I possibly can. I can’t wait!
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