Hamburg

[mrsweezer]

I found this when I was searching for radio interviews. Here's some of the highlights of the diary:
Saturday, August 6 2005
London, Astoria

Ok, so we?re off on tour with Social D. and the Backyard Babies. Who could have imagined that? The first show is in London at the legendary Astoria Theatre.

I?m a little nervous, because this is by far the biggest tour we?ve been on and I have no idea how we are going to be treated. I mean, we?re this tiny little Dutch band, what do they care? But we meet both stage crews and everyone seems equally nice and cooperative, so that?s a bit of a relieve. After we unloaded I wander around backstage and I bump into Russell (long time friend and Kung Fu representative in the U.K.) and Mike Ness. I introduce myself and thank him for having us on the tour, telling him what an honour it is. He?s is actually the one who says yes or no, so he?s is the one to thank. He?s really laid back and nice and he?s sorry that it?s such an early show for us. He?s right. We have to play at 6 P.M. We get a proper sound check and then all of a sudden it?s show time. On stage we meet Kurt. Kurt is Social Distortions guitar tech and stage manager. He introduces himself saying: ? Hi, I?m Kurt. Thank you for being our support act. I know it?s not going to be easy all the time. I will make sure you?ll have you water and your towels on stage. Have a good show.? We?re gob smacked. ?He is actually thanking US! Ok, now I know this is going to be FUN!! We get on stage and there?s a lot more people than I expected. The show is pretty good. Danny is doing great! The fact that he?s doing bass for the second time ever doesn?t make me nervous at all. And this is about the biggest compliment I can give him. When we?re finished getting the backline back in the trailer we go watch the Backyard Babies. They rock the place. And then it?s time for Social Distortion. There show is great and I get a lump in my throat during ?Don?t Take Me For Granted?. After the show we go to get some pizza. We?re knackered and at the end of the night we all end up in or around the infamous Columbia Hotel near Hyde Park.


At the venue I meet Social D?s bass player Brent Harding and his wife Erika. They are extremely nice. Our show is alright. It looks like there are quite some people who think that THEIR band should have done this show. They don?t, so they boo. Brent is shocked; getting booed at the only Dutch show? ?Why aren?t they proud??


Thursday, August 11, 2005
Hamburg, Docks

We spent the day in the city of Hamburg. I?ve been here before, but never went downtown. It turns out to be an extremely boring city. During our sound check John (S.D.?s light engineer) and Charlie (S.D.?s drummer) do a slam dance. Charlie asks for a cd, because he liked all the songs we sound checked.

After dinner it?s S.D. Erika will fly to England tomorrow, so it?s her last show. After the show off to the hotel. Tomorrow is a day off/travel day to Berlin.


The Columbiahalle is huge. The capacity is 3500 people and, like all the shows, it?s sold out. Outside the venue a hot rod club has his own spot. There are some really cool cars and Mike drives one of them around. We all make some pictures. I decide not to buy a hot rod, because I don?t know anything about cars.

We finally play at the right time, so the place is pretty filled up when we play and the people seem to actually like us. Johnny gives me a huge compliment by saying that we sound totally unique, thank you so much, Johnny! I found out today that Hells Kitchen Catering has all AC/DC?s autographs on their flight case. Respect! Backyard Babies rock yet again. These guys give it all every day. Great people too. Social D?s show is great again especially because the place is so huge. After the show there?s an after party at a smaller place right next to the main hall. It?s obviously organised by the Hot Rod people. There?s a Fifty?s band playing and they play video?s of Hot Rods in Germany and the US. We?re having fun, but we don?t stay long. We sleep at Mutti?s again.


Sunday, August 14
Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit

Our dressing room is the bar underneath the Grosse Freiheit which happens to be one of the places where a certain band from Liverpool used to play during their time in Hamburg. A band which happens to be one of our all time favourite bands, collectively. Yep, I?m talking about the great Beatles. We?re all excited and taking pictures. There?s also a pool table and table football game. All this makes our dressing room quite a popular hang out for the whole tour party. Eddy, Brent and I play some pool. Graig, Danny, Bertus and I play some table football. It?s great fun and we?re all pretty relaxed. And Brent tells us that he used to be a cue maker before he went on tour with Social Distortion.

Our show is actually pretty good. During Social Distortions show I walk around the venue and a huge skinhead with a hideous tattoo of Jack Nicholson in The Shining walks up to me, takes out my earplug and says: ?I think your band is awful!!, I don?t understand why you are playing with Social Distortion!? I find this hilarious, so I burst out laughing and I want to shake his hand and walk on. The huge guy, however is not amused and looks like he?s going to kill me. I try to save myself by saying: ?But Mike Ness invited us.? He looks puzzled for a moment and then says: ?I don?t understand, you are shit!?. Then he walks away. Jesus!, this guy really had to make his point. I walk back to the backstage area and watch the rest of the show from the side of the stage. A minute after I came back I here Mike say something like ?what about that great band Cooper from Amsterdam?? ?Eat that, fuckface Nicholson?, I think smiling.


Monday, August 15
Cologne, Palladium

This is the biggest show of the tour. And it?s the biggest show Social D has ever done on it?s own. The Palladium is sold out and it?s capacity is 4000. Mike walks up to me and tells me he heard about my close encounter with the rude skinhead. ?What do they want, another Social Distortion as support act??, he says. I felt really good about this support. Mike rules. After sound check Brent and I discuss some great American poets like Kiss. ?Plaster caster, grab a hold of me faster.? recites Brent. My favourite is ?I?m a hooligan, I won?t go to school again.?


Then it?s show time again. Eddy rocks, because it?s his last show and Johnny Two Bags stands in front of the stage smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Great guy! The Babies tear the place apart as usual and Social D?s show is fantastic, as usual. After the show I end up in S.D.?s dressing room drinking smoothies with Mike, Johnny and Charlie. Then we leave because we?re going home again. Because Social D. is doing festivals this weekend we have four days off.


Brent, Johnny and Charlie are all at the side of the stage watching. We even have a pit. Geert is so fucking great, he takes over a backing vocal from Danny, because he sees that Danny will never be at his mic in time. Danny and Geert rule. It?s the last show of the tour, so during S.D?s show BB?s Dregen and Nicke come on stage with fake moustaches and Mike?s fez hats on.<

After the show we all hang out taking pictures and drink to end up at the bar of Social D?s hotel for a last one. We toast on the tour and then we say goodbye.

Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing, http://www.cooperhq.com/tdsd.htm

But now I want to know more about this band, I couldn't find any info on them.
And geekgirl did you ever post your pictures?

[erikaevexx]

Cooper is amazing, and Rene and his wife Didi are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! I had all the pictures from Europe on a website, but apparently it got hacked and my account and ALL of our photos are gone, so someday I'll have to upload them to another site. I'm really bummed, because it was alot of photos and a bunch of Brent's cell phone photos form the road. GONE.
Anyway, their myspace page is: http://www.myspace.com/coopertheband
and their website is: cooperhq.com

[mrsweezer]

Thank You So Much!!! I actually went to their website but it starts out saying they're a bluegrass band so I didn't read on.
Uploading a whole bunch of pictures I know is a lot of work. But maybe if you could, just a couple of the backstage ones would be COOL [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[erikaevexx]

Cooper is most definately NOT bluegrass!LoL

[nubus]

Copper sounds a little more or less like Decendents.The record of them was made in Colorado where to guys of the Decendets/All have their recording studio.
Short story of Mike Ness to the Berlin show. He gave some interviews in the afternoon.Made a break and was going to the Hod Rod meeting. Checked a car and drove a while with the owner of the car thru' Berlin. Must be one of the greatest days for this guy [img]smile.gif[/img]

[nubus]

I think Copper has a little of CCR in their sound [img]smile.gif[/img]

[mrsweezer]

I've added them as a myspace friend, all because of that diary. I would love to reply back to them with a picture..........yeah, I know I'm being pushy, it just excites me knowing there are pictures that I'm dying to see! Maybe one of them drinking smoothies with Mike, yeah!!

[erikaevexx]

I don't think I have any of the guys in Cooper, I know I have one of Didi, there is one picture Brent took of all three bands the last night of the tour and all the crew and catering are there, it's pretty cool. When I get a chance to go through them all, I'll post what I can.