Concerts
Although attending concerts has lost the refreshing effect it used to have on me, I still enjoy going to the occasional gig every now and then. This is a list of the commercial concerts I attended.
Ticket prices are rounded. Significant differences between face value and the price I actually paid mean that I acquired the ticket at eBay instead of regular pre-sale - or that I was forced to pay ridiculous fees to one of Germany's biggest ticket retailers.
| Artist Tour |
Date Venue |
Time of Arrival | Audience | Place during Concert | Overall Rating Personal Experience |
Ticket Face Value / Actually Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Corrs In Blue Tour |
9 Nov 2000 Philipshalle, Düsseldorf |
2h before admission | 7,000 |
3rd row floor, center stage Excellent view, 5m to Andrea |
**** ***** |
 31€ / 31€ |
| U2 Elevation Tour |
12 Jul 2001 Kölnarena, Cologne |
5h30 before admission | 19,500 |
5th row inside heart, left stage Excellent view, 7m to The Edge |
***** ***** |
 54€ / 72€ |
| Bon Jovi Bounce Tour |
30 May 2003 Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen |
1h after admission | 56,000 |
Mid floor, center stage Mediocre view, 50m to stage |
**** **** |
 52€ / 53€ |
| I did not need to stand up front for a Bon Jovi concert, so I took a relaxed approach. Admittedly, I would not have objected to standing somewhat closer after all, but it was alright. | ||||||
| Shania Twain Up! Tour |
28 Feb 2004 Color Line Arena, Hamburg |
30min before start | 13,500 |
4th row lower tier U15 (in-the-round stage setup) Good view, 15m to stage |
*** *** |
 82€ / 53€ |
| The concert was fully seated, so there was no need to show up any earlier than I did. However, the seating of course took its toll on the overall atmosphere. I had managed to acquire a ticket for a fairly decent seat on eBay. Better ones were not available at justifiable prices. | ||||||
| The Corrs Borrowed Heaven Tour Opening |
19 Jun 2004 Museumsplatz, Bonn |
2h before admission | 7,500 |
4th row floor, center stage Excellent view, 4m to Andrea |
***** ***** |
 41€ / 41€ |
| Dido Life For Rent Tour |
25 Jul 2004 Stadtpark, Hamburg |
1h after admission | 4,000 |
Mid floor, center stage Good view, 25m to stage |
*** ** |
 44€ / 46€ |
| It had been raining all day (and should go on all evening), so I really did not feel like arriving any earlier. Of course, standing closer to the stage would have been nice, but it was alright. | ||||||
| The Corrs Borrowed Heaven Tour |
17 Oct 2004 König-Pilsener-Arena, Oberhausen |
2h30 before admission | 6,500 |
Front row floor, center stage Perfect view, 4m to Andrea |
**** ***** |
 40€ / 41€ |
| The concert was not sold out, which probably alleviated getting into the front row. | ||||||
| The Corrs Borrowed Heaven Tour |
22 Oct 2004 Color Line Arena, Hamburg |
2h before admission | 8,000 |
Front row floor, center stage Perfect view, 4m to Andrea |
**** ***** |
 42€ / 43€ |
| The concert was not sold out, which probably alleviated getting into the front row. | ||||||
| U2 Vertigo Tour |
12 Jun 2005 Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen |
4h before admission | 59,000 |
Rear horseshoe, center stage Very good view, 15m to stage, 5m to B-stages |
**** *** |
 65€ / 76€ |
| Admission took place early as this was a full-blown stadium concert, so"4h before admission" means I arrived at 11.00h (while 2001's 5h30 mean arrival at 12.30h), with the concert starting at 21.00h as usual. Although everything turned out well and it was necessary to arrive that early to secure this place in the crowd, I do not intend to ever put that much effort or waiting time into a concert again. | ||||||
| The Corrs Summer Special |
29 Jun 2005 Museumsplatz, Bonn |
3h before admission | 4,500 |
Rear floor, far right stage Dire view, 30m to stage |
*** **** |
 42€ / 42€ |
| I originally stood 6th row floor, right stage. Bad enough for a Corrs concert, but queueing and admission had not gone too well although the concert was not sold out. I had arrived at 15.00h just like the year before (admission time was later this year) and had a similar place in the queue, but there was annoyingly much line-cutting and shoving at admission this time. Shortly before the support act, I was surprisingly offered to attend a meet & greet with the Corrs. Taking this chance implied giving up my place in the crowd, and there was no way back in when I returned. Maybe it was not too bad to miss out on spending the concert inmidst a crazed mob of Dutch and French fans. | ||||||
| Depeche Mode Touring The Angel Tour |
15 Jan 2006 Color Line Arena, Hamburg |
20min before start | 13,500 |
1st row upper tier O3 Mediocre view, 60m to stage |
*** ** |
 56€ / 38€ |
| This was the first time I chose a seat over a floor ticket, an implementation of the "low-effort resolution" from the 2005 U2 concert, and a cheap eBay purchase in addition. Accordingly, I arrived just in time and even skipped the performance of the support act, lingering in the hallways. The view straight across the arena was alright, but the atmosphere on the upper tier was moderate at best. | ||||||
| Robbie Williams Close Encounters Tour |
15 Jul 2006 Trab-Arena Bahrenfeld, Hamburg |
90min after start | 70,000 |
5th row stand 5 Mediocre view, 120m to stage |
*** *** |
 82€ / 15€ |
| What an eBay scoop, acquiring a ticket of the most expensive category at less than a fifth of the original price. I consequently skipped both support acts and entered my stand five minutes before Robbie Williams started. The view to the stage was unimpaired, but against the sun for the first hour of the concert. The atmosphere on the stands was not too bad, but far from enthusiastic. | ||||||
| Nelly Furtado Get Loose Tour |
11 Mar 2007 Sporthalle, Hamburg |
90min after admission | 6,000 |
Mid floor, center stage Dire view, 20m to stage |
*** *** |
 51€ / 52€ |
| I really didn't feel like standing around for hours, so I went late. My position on the floor was basically absolutely alright nonetheless. However, I should find out that there were no less than five utterly annoying couples with not-so-short guys standing in the area in front of me. Although they were independent and basically stood spread, they managed to collaboratively block my view a good deal of the time. I have no idea how they all managed to move around that much in the crowd to render most of my evasive maneuvers useless. | ||||||
| Herbert Grönemeyer Tour 2007 |
24 Jun 2007 AOL Arena, Hamburg |
30min after start | 39,000 |
10th row lower tier 19A Mediocre view, 50m to stage |
**** **** |
 51€ / 20€ |
| Die Fantastischen Vier Fornika für alle Tour 2007 |
3 Dec 2007 Color Line Arena, Hamburg |
30min before start | 12,000 |
4th row lower tier U6 Very good view, 30m to stage |
**** **** |
 42€ / 43€ |
| Bon Jovi Lost Highway Tour |
28 May 2008 HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg |
75min after start | 29,000 |
Mid floor, center stage Mediocre view, 60m to stage |
**** **** |
 67€ / 29€ |
| The start time given on the tickets was obviously false. I arrived at 19.15h and as expected caught most of the support act's show, with Bon Jovi entering the stage at 20.15h. The view from mid floor was not so bad actually, but atmosphere and enthusiasm were definitely lacking. The stadium wasn't anywhere near being sold out either. I figure it wasn't the best night for the band. | ||||||
| Fury in the Slaughterhouse Farewell & Goodbye Tour |
29 May 2008 Stadtpark, Hamburg |
10min after start | 5,000 |
Rear floor, center stage Good view, 30m to stage |
**** **** |
 33€ / 34€ |
| Amy Macdonald | 27 Oct 2008 Große Freiheit 36, Hamburg |
30min before admission | 1,000 |
4th row floor, center stage Excellent view, 5m to Amy |
*** **** |
 25€ / 50€ |
| A painful lesson in "if it's important, don't waste any time getting the ticket". Demand suddenly soared and the concert was sold out before I could get my hands on tickets. Since attending this concert was undreamtly important to me, I had to resort to eBay and accept grossly excessive prices. | ||||||
| Fettes Brot Strom und Drang Tour 2008 |
5 Dec 2008 Color Line Arena, Hamburg |
20min before start | 11,000 |
Mid floor, center stage Mediocre view, 25m to stage |
**** ** |
 30€ / 24€ |
| U2 360° Tour |
18 Jul 2009 Olympiastadion, Berlin |
20min after start | 88,000 |
Next to mixing desk, right stage Mediocre view, 50m to stage |
***** ***** |
 70€ / 78€ |
| Following 2005's resolution, we arrived when the support band was already playing and went for a spot slightly in front of the delay line speaker towers. We ended up right of the sound and light control tent. From there, the view of the overall stage construction was very good, but the stage itself was hardly visible over the heads of the audience. | ||||||
| U2 360° Tour |
10 Aug 2010 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt |
1 hour after start | 54,000 |
20th row lower tier 38B, rear stage Fair view, 50m to stage |
**** ** |
 39€ / 42€ |
| The concert was solid, but void of any special moment. Unfortunately, my seat was in a spot where certain bass frequencies added up to a tremendous volume, spoiling much of the experience. | ||||||
| Amy Macdonald European Arena Tour |
8 Nov 2010 Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt |
30min after start | 4,500 |
Rear floor, center stage Mediocre view, 15m to stage |
*** *** |
 39€ / 39€ |
| Herbert Grönemeyer Tour 2011 |
11 Jun 2011 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt |
30min after start | 42,000 |
Mid floor, left stage Mediocre view, 50m to stage |
**** **** |
 52€ / 28€ |
| Nelly Furtado The Spirit Indestructible Tour 2013 |
11 Mar 2013 Hugenottenhalle, Neu-Isenburg |
20min before admission | 1,800 |
3rd row floor, center stage Very good view, 3m to stage |
*** *** |
 50€ / 50€ |
