My original text 
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05:00 PM, in the area of Hannover
Congress Centrum, I find any Rust-list acquaintance, no place to accommodate the
Rust-fest! I phone Peter Hard_To_Handle: "I’m in the traffic jam, don’t await me
before 07:30 PM." To Harmut: "I’m on the way by tram. See you later." Ouch! I am
not a palaeontologist; I don’t know PREHISTORIC BIRD! And here, where is the
city? Eilenriede, immense forest, is queen in the heart of Hannover that has
streets strictly reserved for bicycles. It’s pleasant strolling up and down
there. A guy carts away under his arm a poster (and its support!) that was
stuck. "A Very Special Evening With Neil Young". I come back to Congress
Centrum. Nowhere to go, the crowd gathers around the black bus. Ah! I see
Joachim! Hallo! I phoned Peter and Harmut. They will be soon there. Broad smile
on the face of rusties. I’m Harmut, and here my daughter Andrea who learns
French. How do you do? Harmut is even more talkative than Neil is! That is a
good training session for me before the show. Now, it’s a matter of finding the
good admission to go in Kuppelsaal! There are two admissions in the reception
hall and four outsides! I’m in the Block rechts (on the right). But employees
direct me towards the Block links (on the left). I skirt round the building and
finally I find the good admission. My seat is facing an enormous pillar! It’s a
real problem! Someone throws my neighbour out because she isn’t at her seat. We
look at our tickets. She must be my neighbour during the show but we are not in
the good seat! However we are, as clearly written on the door, at Block B
rechts! It's really baffling! We call out a guy whose the job is to give a seat.
He tells us that indeed we are not in the good place. You must go out the
building and go in by another admission. It’s eight o’clock and I don't enjoy
having to go out! There, I realize! He’s only putting me on! I say him we are in
the good Block! Where is our seat? He takes his plan, looks at it attentively,
yes, you are right, you are in the good Block, and here your seats. Thank you
very well, I won’t keep you long because I see many people looking for you to
find their seats, and they are also a bit nervous because the show will begin
before long. Moreover Larry hastens to bring on the stage the large yellow
folder, puts it beside the chair where Neil will stand and opens it in a
well-defined page! Does Neil think to play us a little surprise? Peter and me,
we wave us, me at the upper circle, him at the edge of the stage. All is OK,
Neil can come on stage. Halos of lights, orange, blue, white, encompass the
musical instruments which, themselves, surround Neil who, himself, doesn’t
escape from the circle of Greendale. The Black Elk sentence comes to my mind:
"Everything an Indian does is in a circle". Neil moves slowly and his gestures
are precise. Come one, Neil! Please, I am 57 years old! The characters of
Greendale are endearing and the things, witch happen to them, could happen
sometime. A rusty: "Why?" Neil answers while laughing: "Why? I don’t know!" Neil
strums his guitar with his right hand while with his left hand he leafs through
his notes! That just to tell us with especially one bad tuned string: Someday,
you’ll find what you’re looking for! Thank you Neil! I hope that as every one of
us. But do we exactly know everything we’re looking for? The enormous
cylindrical crystal glosses switch on again. Neil once more plays to us a
beautiful introduction for Don't_Let_It_Bring_You_Down. Applause and songs! This
audience is the most restless in this week; it reacts with the beautiful
passages played with guitar and harmonica! At a certain point in the second set,
Neil misses the song beginning, but makes up impeccably for this false start.
Bravo Neil! Neil gets up for the piano. In his great haste, Neil wobbles to the
mike. Stay quiet, Neil gestures that idea with his hand. The mike obeys him. And
Neil goes with a peaceful mind towards his dreams. Hello Neil! You knock down a
guitar. Neil hesitates, then puts it back in its place. A couple goes away. I
say to them that Neil will still come back for one song. Thank you, but our
train doesn’t wait, but we’ll try to stay a little longer, if he hurries to come
back. Neil is back again! Yuuhuuuuu! All Along The Watchtower! Of course not,
Neil won’t change Heart_Of_Gold for nothing on earth! But he allows himself to
play a small jam in the middle of this tune! Thank you Neil! It was fantastic!
Offenbach Keller coffee shop is packed. A local musical band finishes its show.
Over a drink, I talk with girls seated close to me, but the job seems difficult
as they don’t know a single word in French or in English language. And I don’t
know a single word in German language. It’s at that time, Weld comes in my ears
like a hurricane on my wisp which is my memory! I go against I usually do, and I
jot down some notes because the Hannover Greendale soundtrack will disappear
from my mind and I won’t ever play it again this night during my journey back!
This acoustic show was magnificent and without error. Zuma... I didn’t come here
to listen CDs. Joachim is completely dead-beat, he cuts a sorry figure! I had
already noticed that in Stuttgart! Yes, it’s true I don’t often sleep well. I
would like to be at the show in Paris, I don’t have any ticket yet but if only I
had the courage to go there. Sleep well and there are still some seats available
for Paris. Let’s meet us in Paris! Take care! Take care! The mirror ball
continues to turn in this warm coffee shop whereas I am on the point of ending
the journey that I started this week. The Englishman Tom Stoppard said this: "A
circle is the longest distance to the same point." My travel is in circle line:
Munich (May 5) = 1 500 km from my home (left on May 3); Stuttgart (May 7);
Amsterdam (May 8) = 2 500 km since May 3; Hannover (May 9) = 3 000 km since May
3. I find my home on May 10 = 4 480 km in this Germanic week. I won’t leave you
thus with dreadful numbers! It’s a strange and beautiful dream and also touching
one. I’m at Neil solo show playing his Greendale. The audience reacts
obnoxiously to his new songs. Neil plays until the end of the story and then he
goes away. Second set, Neil plays Lotta_Love, then gets up while saying the show
is finished, you can come back home! The ashamed public goes out. I don’t
believe it! I’m not dreaming, am I? Neil remained on stage and talks with Larry.
I come near them. Neil looks severe and annoyed. I understand him. I ask him
that it’s not true. The show can’t be finished! You will still play some songs!
Neil comes near me. He answers me that I am not in a dream! The show is finished
and well and truly finished! We look each other straight in the eye. I am so
saddened by the news that I begin to cry. Whereas I will turn my back on him to
go away, I notice that Neil lets slip a tear. A rusty catches me up. Neil has
just said to us, tomorrow evening, he hadn’t planned to do anything and that
he’s happy to play in the same place for those who want. We should just show the
ticket of this night. The following day, one or two hundred people are present
and they remain standing in front of the stage. Neil comes, plays the first
Greendale songs, then he stops. Billy Talbot turns up with his bass guitar, as
well a drummer with drums reduced to some elements. The installation is fast,
and Neil continues Greendale with them, strumming an electric guitar from time
to time. What a beautiful gift, Neil, you delight me! I hope, from reading what
I write, you’re a witness like me to this memorable musical event! The End.
Denis Between The Rusty Words (May 18,
2003) |
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My original text |
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