I'm not daft, no really, I'm not, even if I am blonde. So whilst I was looking to actually buy some new race shoes I tried not to rub Mand's nose in my parents largesse. Lets face it, top end shoes with all the bells and whistles come in at something like €200 and Mand, even with her work at Der Mühle, doesn't have that sort of money going spare.

“You found some?” Mum asked finding us still admiring the footwear.
“Dunno,” I admitted, “I like the North Wave but the Sidi's are well pukka.”
“What about you Manda, seen anything?”
“I don't really need new shoes,” she stated with little conviction – lets face it, i've seen her shoes, they are looking a bit 'used'.
“But if you were getting some what would you go for?” Mum pressed.
“Dunno,” she shrugged.
“Thought you liked those Diadora's,” I opined.
“They're a bit flash,” Mand noted.
“So? These are hardly wallflowers,” I waved one of the Sidi's at her.
“Have you tried them on Mand?” Mater went on.
“No point is there, I'm not buying.”
“Well it'd be useful to know your size if you ever are in the market,” Mum suggested.
“Go on Mand, its not like you have to buy them coz you tried them on,” I pointed out.
“Go on then,” she sighed.
 
I settled on the Sidi's, being white they'll go with my World Champs kit better than the red and yellow Northwaves and the dial things to do them up are well neat. The shoes were spirited away while Mand joined me in checking out all the bits and bobs on the groundfloor. Having all our bike stuff supplied we never have the need to look at different tyres, or bar tape or even bidons.

I hadn't any need or purpose really but I picked up a fancy thermal bottle and a carbon bottle cage – well just because. Manda did get herself some new track mitts so its not like she was leaving empty handed. Mum was waiting by the doors when we finished at the tills, each of us with a bag and one of Rose's huge catalogues.

“Got everything?” she queried.
“Yeah, you got my shoes?”
“Already in the boot, lets go eat, apparently there're a few nice Backhaus in town.”
“As long as they do coffee,” Mand mentioned.

I'll second that.
 
We found a nice place just off the main drag, they had Gülaschsüppe on the board outside, given that it was bright but chilly it fitted the bill spot on.

“Seems a bit weird being here on a school day,” Mand stated as we tucked into a dessert of Pflaumkuchen with cream.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “i sort of missed going to Koblenz this morning.”
“The commuting I can do without,” Manda told us.
“Not done that for a long time,” Mum put in.
“I wouldn't call driving from Church Warsop to Warsop College as commuting, we used to walk it.”
“Before we moved to Warsop I was commuting from Mansfield.”
“Don't remember that,” I allowed.
“Well you were only small.”
“She still is,” Mand chuckled.

I gave her a look, you can go off people.
 
“We'd best make a move,” Mum stated.
“I guess,” I allowed with a wistful look into a small boutique place, those jeans look well cool.
“We're supposed to meet your Dad and the others at five, its nearly three now.”

Okay, so we've been doing Bocholt's shopping experience for almost two hours so we can't really complain. Not that anyone had bought anything but its nice to look in some different shops for a change right?

“'kay,” I sighed.
“Don't want to be late for your fans,” Mand suggested.
“Fans? more like firing squad.”
“Well Max'll be there.”

I rolled my eyes, some fan club.
 
I was quiet on the drive back down to Bonn, the trip to Bocholt had certainly been a distraction from this evenings jamboree, I guess that was the intention after all. Of course we hit the start of rush hour before we got to the drive through place we were rendezvouing at so we were a bit later than planned. The others hadn't arrived much before, just about long enough to commandeer a couple of tables.

“Good day girls?” Dad asked as we found seats.
“I got shoes!”
“Ooh, lets see,” Bern requested.
“Bike shoes,” Mand told her.
“What did you expect Bern?” my sister queried.
“Well we can but hope,” my friend deadpanned.

Yes, my sister is here, and Boris, Max of course and the Preiser's, I know they aren't wed but its how I think of them now, Mart and Bern that is. The Angels and other interested parties are coming up by train later of course, well its not like we're running a taxi service. Everyone else seemed quite chirpy but my nerves are back, I picked at my burger – Max of course didn't let it go to waste.

“Time kiddo,” Mum advised.
“I can't do it,” I squeaked.
“Well you'd best go and tell Stefan and the others then,” Dad told me.
“We can still see the rest of the concert right?” Jules queried, “I really want to see Emerald, they were brill when we saw them last year.”
 
Okay, so they all played my bluff.

“Hold still.”
“Well stop pulling then,” I complained to Mand, who has volunteered to be my dressing assistant for the night.
“It would be easier in braids.”
“I don't want to look like I'm six.”
“Whatever.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Its open.”
Stefan came in, “how're you doing.”
“She's nearly ready,” Mand advised.
“Cool, nervous?”
“A bit,” I told him before de Vreen could answer for me.
“Here, have a slug of this,” he pulled out one of those hip flask things and offered it to me.
“What is it?” I asked reaching for it.
“JM2, takes the edge off.”
“Gab,” de Vreen warned.

To be honest, i'd have tried anything to stop the shakes, I took a swig and grimaced as the inky liquid coursed down my throat. Well at least it took my mind off the upcoming shindig.

“Better?”
“Not really.”
“Doesn't work for me either,” Stefan grinned.
 
“Its heaving out there,” Mand told me after peering out from the wings.
“Cheers,” I replied flatly.
“Can't see anyone I know.”
“Maybe they didn't come.”

My attention was brought into sharper focus as I fussed with the lacy folds of my frock, maybe I should've gone for something a bit less Stevie Nicks. The compere chap, I think he's a DJ on RTL1, greeted the crowd.

“Good evening Bonn!”

Of course there was a loud chorus of cheering at the standard concert greeting.

“What a treat we have for you this evening, a double bill of local rock bands, for part two we have Emerald but first this evening, fresh from sharing the stage at Moselfest with international giants of rock Status Quo, lets hear it for BlauHase featuring Erdbeere, BlauHase!”

Our host dived off the opposite side of the stage as the lights came up on Animal who started a steady drum beat as the cheering abated. It was all a bit theatrical, another spot came up over Little Jo as his keyboards joined the beat before Big Jo joined in on his bass. Then Stefan launched into a complicated riff over the others sounds, a sharp contrast which got quite a reaction from the audience.

The intro lasted a couple of minutes before the lights shut off as the music abruptly stopped.

“Kill em Gab's,” Mand told me with a shove towards the stage.

Sugar, this is it, the real McCoy. I took a deep breath and walked out to the microphone in the centre of the stage. A single spot lit directly above me, I counted myself in, one, two, three.

“Ich bin Feuer und Flamme,
Mein Herz ist aus Papier,
Kein Feuerlöscher auf der Welt,
Rettet mich mehrvor dir,
Die Erde dreht sich schneller,
Ich habmich angesteckt,
Ich glaub, Ich habe Fieber,
Du hast mich total verhext”

I completed the first verse of Feuer und Flamme acapella, a fairly slow rendition which seemed to go down pretty well before the lights came up and the rest of the band struck up and we launched into the rest of the Nena song with somewhat more gusto. Those first few lines were like scary squared but by the time we ended the song i'd forgotten my butterflies and started enjoying myself. Our set was very theatrical, lots of lighting effects and at one point dry ice, it hardly seemed anytime at all before we reached our set finale.

“i'm just a poor girl from a poor family
Easy come, easy go,
Will you let me go,
Ich millach no, we will not let you go,
Let me go,
Ich millach no, we will not let you go,
Be-elzebub has a devil put aside for me-e, for me-e, for meee”

Our adaption of Queen's Bo Rhap was the climax of the stage lighting extravaganza, each member of BlauHase and me of course had their turn under the spotlight. We'd had a great response at the festival a few weeks ago and tonight, in the confines of Bonn's Rheinhalle, several thousand German music fans cheered loudly as the final chords drifted away.

Of course, we had a couple of tunes ready for a potential encore, when the lights dropped, Stefan had a quick conflab with the others before coming over to me.

“Luftballon?”

Well I know the words and so will the audience, we can't really go far wrong with another Nena tune.

“Sure,” I agreed taking the opportunity to get a couple of gulps of water.

“Hast du etwas Zeit für mich?
Dann singe ich ein Lied fürdich,
Von neunundneundzig Luftballons...”
 
© Maddy Bell 18.02.2019