Berlin, Germany 22 Aug. 2004

I just got off the train from Berlin - about 14 hours journey back home, but IT WAS WORTH IT! Two days of sightseeing and thinking about the twisted and very tragic history of this city - the legendary Checkpoint Charlie, fragments of the Wall, the imposing and a bit scary-looking Reichstag and the intimidating, very modern architecture of Potsdamer Platz which for over 40 years was a vast area of wasteland on the border of West and East Berlin. I had wanted to visit this city for a long time - finally Mark's concert gave me the impulse to get there (three years ago I visited Copenhagen because of his concert - if everything goes well I might eventually hit Barcelona, ha ha ha. Well, if things go even better -maybe he will hit Cracow - that would save me some money)

The concert took place in Columbia Club (formerly called Columbia Fritz) located just across the street from Tempelhof - an airport whose history could be a symbol of vicious tracks of history.
When I got to the place about an hour before the concert, I was surprised that there wasn't a huge crowd of people waiting at the door. But - truth is I hadn't seen any posters in the city . There was just this one poster with all upcoming events for the next two months (which tells me that rock music doesn't hold high post in Berlin) and if you studied it carefully you could see MARK LANEGAN squeezed between Urge Overkill and Orquesta Del Desierto.

But then, somehow, when I was busy talking with an Austrian girl who decided to spend a few days in Berlin - because of Mark's concert (there are more of those kind of freaks, Yes Babe), ok., so I was busy talking with Pirgit and suddenly the place WAS crowded. I'm not sure if the show was sold out but it was the most comfortable type of crowd. Just the right size. And just the right age-mix - a lot of kids and quite a few ladies and gents that were kids when the wall was still there. See, in my country (beautiful in many aspects) people my age go partying elsewhere - barbecue being most popular choice leaving me as the one dinosaur patron of (punk) rock shows so I got used to be the oldest person in the audience (ha ha ha).

When I got to the club someone told me that the local support band was not playing because the Headliner said he wanted to play a long set. Yes, Babe! That was exactly the reason that - when I saw the list of dates I chose Berlin. BECAUSE it was not a festival. Well, sure, two days earlier at Pukkelpop it was possible to see Mark join Mondo Generator and Twilight Singers on stage, and in addition - lots of other performers. But at this point I'd rather see 85 minutes of THE one band in a small club, with a comfortable-size crowd.

And yes, it did happen. They played a long set, amazing, beautiful, rocking and soothing. It is true that Mark Lanegan Band on this tour is more electric, louder than 3 years ago in Copenhagen, and much much louder then at the very first, all acoustic, show in July of '95 in Seattle - opening for Johnny Cash, which I was also lucky to see. I can't decide which was/ is better. I don't even want to think about "evaluating". One thing, though, is certain. Mark looks much more comfortable on stage now than a few years ago. During that first concert he was visibly very nervous - plying in front of an audience that - for a big part - wasn't his, but Johnny's. Even three years ago it was hard to tell if he was enjoying himself being on stage. Now, it seems that he got to this place which allows him to find the right proportion of tense/relaxed - and the result is stunning. His voice throughout the show was at its best. The band - great. Bret Netson and The Girl accompanied Mark with their backing vocals in a way that made the live renditions sound closer to the original (studio) versions. You can easily say that in this case electric meant also electrifying.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by the audience. I'd heard many artists complain about German audiences - as a bit cold and stiff. Last Sunday the audience in Columbia Club was everything but that. I was standing quite close to the stage and couldn't see the people behind me but the vibe was wonderful. At one point, when the main part of the concert finished and the band disappeared, a girl that was standing right in front of the stage threw a bouquet of flowers on stage. When the band came back - Mark put the bouquet in a safe place close to the drum set. After the last encore, after a warm "Thank you" - he took it with him. At this point I thought - "oh, why didn't I think of getting a bunch of roses for him?". How else can we tell him how important his music is for us? Well, I guess, just stick around when he comes anywhere near.

I don't think you can expect good pictures from this show - there were lights on stage behind the band directed towards the audience, so it was impossible to take pictures without flash light. And flash lights were "verbotten". Well, the memory of that evening will remain in our minds.

Here is the set list:
HIT THE CITY
WEDDING DRESS
CREEPING COASTLINE
NO EASY ACTION
MIRACLE
LOW
DEATH DRIVING VALLEY BLUES
COME TO ME
ONE WAY STREET
MESSAGE TO MINE
LIKE LITTLE WILLIE JOHN
SKELETAL HISTORY
METHAMPHETAMENE BLUES
I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU
RESURRECTION SONG
STRANGE RELIGION
FIX
SIDEWAYS IN REVERSE
SLEEP WITH ME

setlist and ticket stub from Slawk, Antonio & Michau