A concert review by Katrin Wagner:

I have never been so excited before in my whole life…! My brother Karsten, who has already been a huge SAILOR fan in the 70s, picks me up at 8.30 am, and we drive to Dortmund. I have made a big poster, so that SAILOR can recognize us in the audience. It is a few months ago that I have received a very nice letter from Henry, who has been impressed by some self-made SAILOR-stuff I had sent to the fan-club in England. In this letter Henry wrote that he would like to meet my brother Karsten and me when SAILOR have their next performance in Germany. Karsten gave me the ticket for this Oldie Night to my 14th birthday a few weeks ago. Karsten thinks that we won't be able to get so close to the stage because the concert hall is very big, but I am much more optimistic…
We reach the concert hall "Westfalenhalle" in the city of Dortmund after a two-hour drive at 10.30 am and notice that nobody else is there yet. So we decide to leave this place again and go to the centre of the town because we probably won't miss any interesting events at the concert hall in the next few hours. This decission unfortunately leads to a little accident in a car park, that damages our car quite seriously.
We finally reach the „Westfalen"-hall again at 2 o´clock in the afternoon and place ourselves right in front of the main entrance in order to spend the following hours there, waiting for the opening of the doors at 18.30 pm.
After a short time we are not the only waiting people in front of the hall any more. A nice young girl, who soon turns out to be a fan of Smokie, takes a look at our SAILOR-shirts and wants to know something about the band that has made us come here today. We spend the next few hours together with this young girl named Inka and talk about our favourite bands. Unfortunately it is very cold and keeps on raining the whole time.
It doesn´t take long until more people appear behind us in order to enter the concert hall. We are very excited and cannot expect to see our four SAILORs for the first time. Karsten, Inka and I also start to plan to which direction we will run to when they finally open the doors. We think that we should try to run to the left side of the hall in order to get places near the Nickelodeon, because that is probably the easiest way to make Henry - the only SAILOR who already knows us - look at us somehow.
The door are finally opened at 18.30, the security people take a short look at our tickets and we run through the whole hall as fast as we have never run before. Then we are finally able to get very good places in the second row, and Inka even gets the chance to enter the first row because she is quite small. She has to promise me that she will let me on her place when SAILOR´s performance will start. These good places make us feel really relieved because we will be able to see the very first performance of our SAILORs in the 90s while standing quite close to them.
When Karsten and I have calmed down a little and have a serious look through the whole concert hall, we are very surprised to discover the new black Nickelodeon right in front of us. It looks really marvellous and creates an even stronger feeling of relief after these exciting hours of waiting in front of the concert hall.
The Oldie-night finally starts at 8pm and the first band of the evening is Pussycat. Then we have to watch the performances of the Lords, the Tremeloes and Middle Of The Road. Meanwhile we have also got in contact with a nice woman named Heike and some other SAILOR fans who are standing next to us.
At 10.30 pm the stage is finally prepared for the appearance of our four SAILORs. We suddenly discover a man on stage who is quite well known to us: Grant Serpell. Our drummer seems to be very nervous, but that is understandable to us because we also feel pretty strange at the moment. At least it is quite strange to watch one of our four SAILORs in reality for the first time...!
A few minutes later the stage is finally ready for SAILOR, the hall is filled by a light which looks like the light of a huge lighthouse and Phil Pickett, Henry Marsh, Grant Serpell and Georg Kajanus enter the stage for their first live performance in the 90s. Surprisingly, captain Georg isn´t wearing his captains-cap today.
Now it is also time for me and my special poster that I have painted in order to make SAILOR look at us. Inka lets me on her place in the first row and stays right behind me together with Karsten while I try to call Henry who then looks in our direction. He takes a serious look at my poster and smiles at Karsten and me during the whole first SAILOR song of the evening: "The Secretary". After this song we are welcomed by Henry through the microphone.That also makes Phil look into our direction who seems to be very glad about the presence of some fans. Having seen us, Phil also smiles at us during the next song, "La Cumbia". Now, Georg changes his guitar and takes the black one instead of the blue one, and SAILOR play „The Old Nickelodeon Sound". For us it is really surprising that our captain has got two guitars and the Charango with him, although SAILOR only play a few of their greatest songs.
SAILOR play „Girls Girls Girls" ,"Vera From Veracruz" and „One Drink Too Many" before Henry suddenly smiles into our direction and says through his microphone: "This song´s for you,Katrin!" Then they play „A Glass Of Champagne".
While the other three SAILORs leave the stage after this last song, Henry comes to the edge of the stage and asks Karsten and me whether we would like to come backstage with them. Of course, we do not refuse and try to get behind the stage, while Henry already disappears somewhere in the backstage area. Unfortunately we don´t get any chance to reach Inka any more in order to give her our address, because now we have to hurry to get behind the stage. We reach the backstage area together with two other fans - including our new friend Heike (see photo below) - who just follow us a short moment later, but no SAILOR is to be seen there. That´s why we decide to search for the dressing rooms of the bands.
When we have finally discovered SAILOR's room we first stay in front of it, because none of us dares to knock at the door. One moment later Karsten opens up the door and we enter the room in which Henry, Phil and Georg are expecting us. Henry is the first one who welcomes us and introduces us to Georg and Phil. Karsten and I decide to take photos of us together with each of the boys because nobody would ever believe our story of this meeting if we had no proofs. Then the three SAILORs have to sign Karsten´s and my SAILOR-shirts, and we also get to know some nice family members of them: Grant's wife Michelle, Phil's son Gus and Henry's son Oliver.
Although talking to SAILOR turns out to be quite difficult because we are so nervous, we spend a nice time together with Henry, Georg and Phil. Georg tells us that the reason why he had to perform without his captains-cap today is that he had lost his special case with the cap inside it at the airport when they reached Germany today. He seems to be afraid that he might not get his precious cap back.
Gus and Oliver have meanwhile fetched some Coke for the three thirsty musicians and for us. Georg has already mentioned that he is thirsty, but now he notices that there isn´t enough Coke for all of us, so that he kindly wants to give his Coke to Karsten and me.
Grant finally enters the room a few minutes later and welcomes us by saying that he has already noticed us and my poster during SAILOR´s performance. Unfortunately we can´t make another photo together with our drummer because the film is full. That´s why Grant suddenly starts complaining about the fact that he is „only" a drummer who never appears on any photos and who is always less important than the other band members...
A short time later Grant and Georg decide to leave the room in order to get behind the stage and watch the other bands for a while. Meanwhile Karsten and I keep on talking to Phil and Henry.
At midnight it is time for Karsten and me to leave SAILOR. We would like to stay a little longer, but because of the damaged car we really have to drive home to Kassel now. Phil and all the SAILOR family members say goodbye to us. Henry leaves the room and comes with us into the backstage area before he says goodbye, too. On our way to the exit of the hall we fortunately meet Georg and Grant again who both tell us that they would like to meet us at one of the next SAILOR-performances in Germany.
Karsten and I leave the „Westfalen"-hall and walk back to our car as happy as we have never been before. Almost three hours and many SAILOR songs later the first SAILOR performance in the 90s ends for us...
Copyright by Katrin Wagner