BRMC
Paradiso, Amsterdam 18.06.2002



Before I start on what exactly happened this particular night, I would like to thank my wonderful dad, who was so kind to drive me to the gig, even though I was supposedly ill, he had to leave for work at seven o clock the next morning, and had to spend the entire evening in a betting shop around the corner of the Paradise. Anyway, thank you dad! He left me on the doorstep, and I entered the venue. There was some kind of second rate fill up Amsterdam band playing there, called the…… Skirmarks I think. Something involving marks anyway. They were alright, though they were old and mainly ugly and the singer was a tiny bald man who resembled a miniature version of the now deceased Pim Fortuyn (Dutch politician).
I stood around and waited for them to finish, while the room slowly filled up. Because no-one had been so good as to accompany poor ill me to the gig, I was all on my oddy knocky, and had lots of time to contemplate the audience. As usual, there were lots of twenty-something’s, quite some older people of around forty, and there was a group of kids (well, actually there were only boys) of around my own age blocking the places directly in front of the stage. But I managed to infiltrate by stealthily sneaking into a place near Robert’s mic when one of them went to get beer, hahaha. Anyway, enjoying my new and improved position, I watched the roadies put up all the stuff. I talked a little to a forty year old guy who was standing next to me, and waited for the gig to start. Then, around a quarter past nine, they came onstage, and launched right into ‘Red Eyes…’, but a longer and slightly different version.
I was immediately into it, being very starved of fun because I had been ill for two weeks, and so were forty year old guy next to me and his wife, but the rest of the audience only got moving after a couple of songs. (the setlist will follow, so I won’t sum up all the songs). The band were quite happy, it seemed. Robert pranced around merrily, pushing himself against his speakers, or standing on the edge of the stage, frightening the thirteen year olds to the left of me with his guitar, or standing against the amps in front of me, giving me lots of opportunities to take pictures. Nick was drumming away, and Peter walked around a bit from time to time, across the stage. I forgot which song, but once Robert and Peter switched, which was great because at least I could get a decent shot of him for once. After ‘Punk Song’, they went offstage, but came back after a while for a pretty long and cool encore, including a improved longer version of ‘Salvation’. Robert told me afterwards they were going to play a new song in the encore, but it was not on the setlist, and Nick forgot they were going to play it, and started drumming the start of ‘Salvation’, so they just skipped it and played that instead. At the end of the encore everyone was so tired and pleased that I was the only one still dancing.

Everyone else was just standing, sweaty and still. I can’t decide if that’s a compliment or an insult to the band. When they left again, this time for good (that sounds so wonderfully dramatic), I begged one of the roadies for a setlist, which I got, and then I went to sit on the steps on the side of the venue, because I had to take my pill (penicillin) and I saw Robert standing between the crew people behind the DJ’s decks. Then he disappeared.
Suddenly the girl that had been standing beside me during the gig appeared, telling me that “They have gone over there,” and together we went to the exit, next to which was the artists dwelling, and where Robert was standing, talking to some people.
We waited around for a bit, talking about the gig, getting to know each other, until the other people left.


Then we chatted to Robert for a bit, interrupted from time to time by some very strange man who kept talking to Robert about not being able to smoke in restaurants in San Francisco, and confusing him (and us). After a while I asked Robert to sign something for me and Willemijn (the name of the girl I had met), and just then Nick came past, and Robert got him to sign as well (yayness!). Then I said goodbye to Robert, who had to talk to some crew people, and talked to Willemijn some more. Nick was still hanging around, and we talked to him too, but I only briefly because I had to call my dad, who was really pissed off because he had been waiting outside for me to come out. So of course I had to leave then, and my dad and me went home.

Hannah N.