| Krapplund |
11 Sep 2010 14:07 |
TV-show in Köln (Germany), Sep 2010
Alphaville at the TV-Show Hit-giganten by Sat.1
Name of the show: Hit-giganten
Where: Coloneum in Köln/Germany
When: 10-09-2010
So, me and my other half left the house around 17.30 to go and catch the bus. The studio at Am Coloneum is not so far from our house and it was a matter of a couple of very short bus rides and a VERY short (2 mins) tram ride. However, with waiting time, it took us around 45 mins to get there.
So, we got there and found the desk where we were supposed to pick up our tickets. I nervously told the girl at the desk my name and that I was on the guestlist and I was found on it with no problems! We got special blue free tickets and then went to hang up our jackets when D saw a small crowd of people wearing the AV 25th anniversary t-shirt that was made by the German fanclub, standing drinking beer. So, we slowly walked over while I looked to see if anyone noticed me. The only person I recognised was Leif and someone I thought was Ana. Turns out she'd noticed me too and we gave each other some suspicious looks until she said, "I know..Kaz?" and I went, "Ana?". Then we gave each other a big hug, happy we'd finally met each other. Leif then dashed over and gave me a big hug and I reminded him we'd not seen each other in over 6 years and he said he remembered it, in Zwickau, drinking copious amounts of coffee in the morning with Clare. I couldn't remember this and reminded him we'd been in Berlin in 2004 but the coffee event eluded me (until later, in the studio, when I remember it was in Saalfeld, not Zwickau, in 2003!). Ana said I stuck out as being the only one without a t-shirt and I told my sorry tale of the rats eating my 20th anniversary shirt. Then Leif asked Cora if there was one left in her bag and he gave me one of the German fanclub 25th anniversary shirts! Now I belonged!
So, after persuading someone to take a photo of us all on the balcony in the foyer (see pic), we were ushered into the studio first after people who needed help with walking. It felt so nice to be treated as special guests. The production team sat us all on one block next to the stage but four of us had to sit away from the small block due to there not being enough seats. We were still very close though. Then this long haired guy came onto the stage around 19.30ish to warm up the audience. He took us through some routines that we had to stick to for continuity purposes as it turned out that some parts of the recording tonight were to be slotted into other shows and some audience shots might be sold to other TV companies for other unrelated shows. He told us how we should clap, when we should stand, laugh, fart (joking) and so on.
First up was a band called Selig, whose performance was not for this show and was to be recorded for one of the other shows. Then some other act whose name I don't remember. Then, the guests for the sofa for our show came on and the hosts were introduced (Roger Cicero who's a well-known big band and swing band singer here and Mirjam Weichselbraun who's a TV moderator and actress). Then the recording started.
The guests did a lot of talking about the songs on the chart run down and messed about a bit. I couldn't see a lot as there was a camera in my way, the camera that had been focussed on us for around 10mins before we started recording just to get audience shots! One of the acts on the countdown (which, btw, was about rock and pop anthems) was OMD and they were live in the studio! What a fantastic surprise! They sang Enola Gay but it was all playback. Nevertheless, it was great to see them. Matthias Reim was also on the show, for those who know him.
It was about halfway through the recording when D noticed a drum kit being brought on to the stage and he nudged me and asked me if the small wording on the bass drum said Alphaville...and it did! The guys were coming on! They were introduced with FY and their new single and came on stage. Marian wore black (what's new?), a black zipper jacket and thick black leather gloves and shades. Dave had shades on too. FY and the single were in playback but really it's hard even for the audience to tell unless you know. I'd always wondered how that worked but now I know. Anyway, Marian saw the "fan block" and smiled and waved at us at the start and end. Martin saw me from the stage and smiled at me. Actually, Marian was smiling most of the time. One of the guests on the sofa, which was right opposite the performance stage, was jiggling around and singing along and that seemed to make Marian happy.
The new song was playback and the audience seemed to like it. It sounded just like the radio rip so it appears that the single we will get is not that different from what we've heard. The performance finished after the second verse and chorus (just before the low voice part of the song) so it was all-in-all a very short amount of time that the guys were on stage. With a wave and a smile to the "fan block", the guys were gone and that was that. We sat through the rest of the recording, watching acts and the countdown on a big screen. Kim Wilde and Europe were also performers on this show! Sadly, their performances had been recorded earlier so we didn't get to see them but we had to do what the audience in the crowd at that time did, standing and clapping when they did, for continuity reasons. Problem is, if anyone watches this when it's broadcast, the AV fanblock will be seen in three shows, not just this one, because of this and the continuity won't be so great as we all had our AV t-shirts on! Can't wait to see that!
So, at the end, we trundled out of the studio, three and a half hours older and wearier, with numb bums and dying for a drink. It was a quick hug and goodbye as everyone was travelling off in different directions. We got a taxi home and it took...7 minutes! So we ended up in the pub for an hour to down some much-needed beers.
It was a good night and a long one, but a short time with AV. Still, it's one I will never forget.
By: Kaz
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