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Journal RSS journal posts · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · {and before that} 

Regina Spektor

https://www.inkoma.com/k/2141

live @ fritz club, Berlin, July 7th, - 23€

 | pall youhideme
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I took a flight to Berlin to see Regina Spektor performing live.

No, ok, that was just an excuse to visit this amazing town, actually.
Anyway, the venue was the Fritz Club, - a few steps away from the East Side Gallery, that is, "a 1.3km long section of the Berlin Wall located near the centre of Berlin on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg." [wiki].
The venue is a reconverted post office station, a huge place for someone coming from Rome like me, - it also includes a garden, a large bar area, - it offers room for 1200 visitors. Cool place.
Luckly (for me) we were not 1200 visitors, although the music hall was crowded, - a lot of people, from children (!) with their mother, to some aged people too, - besides, of course, a bunch of other younger fans.
So, I was nearly under the stage, - doors opened at 21, but i soon had the feeling that the waiting was going to take more than as i hoped.
There was a banquet with some merchandise: Regina Spektor tshirts, bags, - and two versions of Her latest release, Far, where the deluxe one is enchanced with a couple of extra songs and videos.

It was supposed to be Reggie Watts to support Regina Spektor that night, - Reggie + Regina, but the play on words didn't work, because it turned to be an oriental guy to walk on stage, handing a guitar.
He said hello, and started to play the first song of a 30 minutes set.
After the second track, he introduced him-self as Reggie Watts; some people started laughing, - so he said seriously 'what are you laughing at? That's the name my parents gave me.. okay, no, i'm joking..', as i understood, mr. Watts had a sore throat, so he cancelled his show, and in about a couple of hours this guy, called K Ishibashi was invited by Regina Spektor to improvise a set, featuring songs from his band, Jupiter One, here revisited in an acoustic version, - just his vocals, guitar, also playing a violin, accompanied by another guy playing cello (sorry i can't remember his name): not exactly my cup of tea, - his tunes were too american mainstream for my tastes, - and sincerely, he acted too much funny with the audience, you know, to gain people's sympathy ('you people are fantastic! believe me').

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Anyway, later the waiting for ms. Spektor was endless, - i was really getting irritated, - and notwistanding the air conditioning, it was fucking hot, - but i didn't want to sit on the ground like others did, neithern losing my nearly first line position, - so i held tight, - and then i saw something that i didn't want to see at all: a man from the service staff went to the piano, took the microphone that Spektor was supposed to use later, and cleaned it with a fresh&clean!
I mean, i already hate when roadies tune artist's guitar, or serve towels on amplifiers, - but the fresh&clean thing.. oh my gosh.. please, don't do that when people are watching.. thanks.

Then here She comes. Regina looked fantastic, radiant with a big big smile for everyone, - during all Her show She's been talkative and nice with people, - like when a girl swallowed in the audience yelled 'Regina, i canno't see you from here!!!', then Regina answered 'no problem, i don't see you either!'. While drinking beer, She says 'it's a multivitamins drink', and later as She performs Bobbing for Apples she put that words among the original lyrics.
Her live band was composed by a drummer and the two above mentioned oriental guys, at violin and cello, while She played piano and guitar.
Her set included most of songs from Far, - like Laughing with (emotionally moving indeed), Eet, Blue Lips, Machine, One more time with feeling, The Calculation, Dance Anthem Of The 80's and Man Of A Thousand Faces, - but She also played Fidelty, On the Radio, - an acoustic version (guitar solo) of That Time and Bobbing for Apples, - then - Poor Little Rich Boy, Carbon Monoxide, Samson (i guess there everybody wanted to run away and cry like babies), - after a brief pause at the end of the show She came back on stage, - performing four more pieces (if i'm not wrong), closing with a country song She said She wrote long time ago.

People were happy, it's been a great show, - but they wanted more, - and tried to make Her come back for one more encore, screaming and clapping, - but with no luck, - and it was somewhat clear (at least to me) that after a song like that country happy-ending, it would have been sort of inappropriate to start again.
Regina Spektor is a talented great Artist, - no doubt about that. But please, no more fresh&clean.

Ps. the above Derrick drawings are in Andreasstraße, under the railways bridge.
Ps2. As You can see, i filmed a couple of songs, - but i saw that on Youtube there are more qualitives live footages, so, check them out.


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