in
Volendam, Holland - 30 April 2006

Event: SAILOR In Concert
Venue: Jozeftheatre
Admittance: 2.30 pm
Beginning: 3.30 pm

Photos by: Katrin Wagner, Markus Sauer

More photos can also be found at www.jozefvolendam.nl!!

SAILOR on stage

SAILOR during "One Drink Too Many"

SAILOR on stage

SAILOR during "The Old Nickelodeon Sound"

It's sombrero-time again...

The Full Monty...

The songs that SAILOR played in Volendam:

Act 1:
Sailor
Blame It On The Soft Spot
Mack The Knife
The Streets Of Amsterdam
Josephine Baker
Panama
Nickelodeon Nights
Traffic Jam
Give Me Shakespeare

Act 2:
A Glass Of Champagne
One Drink Too Many
The Old Nickelodeon Sound
Vera From Veracruz
Open Up The Door
Karma Chameleon
The Secretary
La Cumbia

encores:
Grant's Moment – drum solo
The Full Monty
Girls Girls Girls
A Glass Of Champagne

Before and after the show...

Mark takes the new Nickelodeon apart...

The Sauer family - Markus, Charlotte, Clara and Barbara - enjoys the concert

Christel, Heiner, Katrin, Markus, Charlotte and Clara

Charlotte and Clara together with Phil, Grant, Henry and Peter

Don't send flowers...?!

Katrin together with Grant, Phil, Henry and Peter

Markus, Charlotte and Clara together with Phil and Henry (and the return of the flowers?!)

Don't send flowers... - A concert review by Katrin Wagner:

Concert number 73 is more or less a last minute decision for me. I drive to Christel early on Sunday morning - lucky to be able to get there at all after some silly marten thought it would be a good idea to eat an ignition cable of my poor old car - and together Christel and I continue the drive to Holland.
We arrive in the nice little harbour town Volendam near Amsterdam at 1 pm and decide to have a quick look around and find something to eat before the show. On our way back to the theatre we meet German SAILOR fan Markus who has come here with his wife Barbara and two daughters too. Inside the little theatre we discover even more familiar faces: German SAILOR fan Heiner is here, Michael and Ute, as well as Manuela, and also many Dutch fans: Peppo, Lody and Marja, Bas and his brother. There are even some fans from Sweden! Marvellous!
SAILOR come from Denmark where they've played yesterday, so that they have to finish their soundcheck while the audience is already inside the theatre. That gives us a chance to say hello and watch the new Nickelodeon being built by Mark. It's a frame that is put around the keyboards for the concerts at which it's difficult for SAILOR to travel with the normal, bigger and much heavier Nickelodeon. Not quite complete yet, but - as Phil always says: "Besser wie nix".
SAILOR's concert starts at 3.30 pm in front of an enthusiastic audience of about 120 people. They play two great sets with many of their biggest hits as well as a some enjoyable rare songs like "Nickelodeon Nights", "Open Up The Door" and "Josephine Baker" with Henry on the lead vocals. "Karma Chameleon" lacks the mandolin again, as it was broken at one of the last concerts, and a friend of Peter's tried to fix it but put the strings on right-handed - while Phil is left-handed. Then they tried to change it to left-handed themseves and... broke it all again, as Peter explains.
SAILOR are not only famous for their great live shows but also for their very entertaining announcements between the songs... so here you can check out the announcement for "Karma Chameleon", explaining the whereabouts of the mandolin... enjoy! Click here: Video: SAILOR announcing "Karma Chameleon" .mpg ;-)
After the show the SAILORs are in a bit of a hurry, as they don't stay in town but have to fly back to England after the show. But despite that they take a lot of time for all their fans, sign autographs and take photos with everyone. Peter gets his 10th SAILOR anniversary present from me. Afterwards I try to take the first ever "normal" band photo together with the boys in this line-up (as on previous occasions somebody always did strange things in the back...) The result can be seen above, entitled "Don't Send Flowers"!
At about 6.30 pm SAILOR have to leave, so that - after the usual saying goodbye and waving ceremony - we also decide to leave town. As we want to leave we notice that there's a little battery problem so that Christel can't start her car, but with the help of some nice guys from the theatre we can finally fix the problem and drive back home...
Katrin Wagner, 01 May 2006

In a traffic jam to the real girls of Amsterdam - A concert review by Markus Sauer:

A warm and sunny Spring day in Volendam at the Ijsselmeer – a picturesque marina, small colourful fishermen-houses and people twaddling and strolling along the promenade, wrapped up in the smell of fresh fish-dishes and - nicely said for a Rhenish palatine - deep-fried Dutch specialties.
I have no eyes for the idyll. Slightly exasperated I run through the streets to find the Jozeftheatre as quickly as possible. On the motorway from the Rhineland to this town we've had several traffic jams, even though not worldwide but still great and big, and now we have arrived here more than one and a half hours later than planned. The agreed time to pick up the tickets for SAILOR at the theatre is over.
A problem? Fortunately not. The doors of the "Jozef" are still closed, and together with Katrin and Christel, whom I meet in front of the theatre, I agree that the topic of punctuality (how German I start here already!) will probably be handled with Mediterranean calmness today.
Our assumption turns out to be true later on. About half an hour before the beginning of the concert we can get inside the theatre - and half an hour after the beginning of the concert the concert really begins. Before that we get the chance to listen to the soundcheck - a constantly repeated "one – two" already sounds suspiciously like Henry - and then we can also watch them. All four SAILORs are on stage in casual clothing and potter about with the crew. Something important is missing - I see two keyboards facing each other, but absolutely nothing that reminds us of a Nickelodeon wahtsoever. Could this be true, could they do this: a SAILOR headline concert without Nickelodeon?
Of course not. To save on the luggage, SAILOR have created something new. One of the old Nickelodeon has been photographed, the photos have been enlarged and put on some kind of cloth-canvas and are now put in a wooden frame that has a Nickelodeon-shape - ready is the "Fakelodeon"" (copyright for this formulation: Cap K.!). A good idea - but the illusion is not very strong when you have already watched how it's all put together.
After some waiting the show starts. The foghorn resounds, they jump onto the stage, illuminated by colourful lights and we hear the guitar chords of "Sailor". It's not the first time that I hear this song live, but only now when it's Henry who throws in the sharp "Give out the juice!", it sounds like in the old days.
Next it's "Blame It On The Soft Spot", followed by Phil's solo "Mack the Knife" that ends with "SAILOR´s back in town!" in his version. The sound in the front rows is good and not too loud - that would be something for the (very) young generation. Just good!
The unmistakable into makes us hope for "Girls Of Amsterdam" - but now. Henry comforts - but of course this is more than a comfort - with "Josephine Baker". A glass of French wine and a beret would match the accordion sounds - but different hats are worn here: The "Panama" hats are just ok for everyone! I feel addressed - as well as others - by Peter's remark about the "cameras" in the audience and the enrichment of the home DVD collections. Next they play a version of "Traffic Jam" that is very close to the LP-version - with an extended "solo" for the audience. This time I'm supported by many enthusiastic singers all around; Henry gives us an appreciative sign. During "Give Me Shakespeare" the hall slowly starts to move - but quite suddenly the first part of the concert already ends.
I must have missed a meet and greet at the merchandise desk during the break.
The second part starts with the hammering chords of "A Glass Of Champagne" – for me and many others the signal that we won't sit down until the very end of the concert! Nice cha-cha-feeling during "One Drink Too Many" – even though the "Knock on the door" which is actually a doorbell, comes out of the "Fakelodeon" in a rather croaking way. Arm-aerobic at "The Old Nickelodeon Sound" – meanwhile the front has stood up - "Vera From Veracruz" and then, back in the set, "Open Up The Door", a song that fits well into the red light quarter of Amsterdam.
Between all the songs we get perky announcements, grimace and jokes from all. "What´s going on behind me?"asks Peter whil Phil and Grant make fun behind him - nobody tells him. Allegedly "Karma Chameleon" has to be played because Phil's bank manager insists on it. I'd have insisted on it too. The song is simply great. "The Secretary" and "La Cumbia" are announced by Peter in an indifferent-babbling way, he says that these are songs from the "Ninedy-nnnn..s" and praises the local beer, showing a bootle. Then Henry hands the "Cumbia"-maracas down to us - now the whole bunch of us is dancing on front of the stage. Then it's time for Grant's Moment and the "Full Monty". We are prepared and wear our sailor's caps too. SAILOR only seem slightly irritated. One of the highlights but unfortunately also one of the last songs is "Girls Girls Girls" with rocking guitar-sounds from Peter. Another "Champagne". Lots of applause at the end.
Long "We! Want! More!"-shouts – now I finally know how to shout for an encore in English - are useless. A great show is over.
Now there's more waiting to come, and the hardcore fans do this for three-quarters of an hour. As the stage is cleared some booties surface for the hardcore fans: amongst others a paper with the "Sound-Patches for Phil" and handwritten notes. Then the boys emerge from the backstage area and start the promised "Meet & Greet". And the promise becomes reality! At first it's Grant who patiently signs CDs and gives me a "confirmation of authenticity" for his signature in my copy of the SAILOR book while we talk. Then the others join us too, we talk and have a good time. Henry asks where we come from and thanks us for coming! (We have to thank for the great concert!) When I ask for the matching song about the girls of the 15 kilometres distant Amsterdam he admits that they hade not played this song since the 70s. Shame. Phil suggests to take a photo of all SAILORs and my two daughters; they all pose, smiling and quipping, until the photographers have taken their photos.
This is what has impressed me most: the four of them take a lot of time for their fans and talk to them easily, as if they had known us for years. From time to time the British humour breaks through - I hope that I have managed to talk back in Pidgin-English in the right moments.
Again thanks for a great afternoon, SAILOR. I will return.
On the next day we want to go to Amsterdam before we drive back home. A hint: prepare your Amsterdam trip well! It's 11.30 am; the tourist office is overcrowded, so that we take our map and just start to walk - direction "centre". As a very heavy suspender-bird throws a kiss into my direction I realise that we have indeed arrived in the quater of the real "Girls of Amsterdam". That is surely not the right thing for a family excursion – even if this perspective has somehow completed our SAILOR weekend. Maybe they decide to rehearse this song at last so that these things don't have to happen again!
Markus

A concert review by Peppo Woudenberg:

Of course I would like to add some remarks to the excellent concert reviews of the Volendam concert from Katrin and Markus, which are already present on the website. For me the journey was not a long one, just 75 minutes from Rotterdam to Volendam and no traffic problems at all.
I had decided to take my daughter Wang Ji, aged 9, along, because she has become quite a SAILOR fan over the last couple of months. In the car I always have to play the "Live In Berlin" CD. Her favourite song is "Panama", but she is also very fond of "Vera from Veracruz". Unfortunately she went to bed very late the night before and during the concert she dozed off a couple of times. When Henry spotted this during the part of  "Traffic Jam" in which we were all supposed to sing along, he smiled and put his head on his hands like he was sleeping himself.
This was the third SAILOR concert in about 18 months I witnessed (or even the fourth when you include the "Pirate Copy" DVD) and this was by far the best one. The band performed like a well oiled machine and it sounded really great. Especially the "Fakelodeon" sounded much better than the current big Nickelodeon that is used on the DVD and was also present during the concerts in Vlaardingen and Etten-Leur I attended in November and December 2004. I must say that I also liked the theatre very much. It had a nice laid-back atmosphere and was very pleasant to the eye. It looked a bit like one of those English ballrooms in the sixties and seventies, which made SAILOR look like they really fitted in. Having a performance that did not include other bands was also beneficiary, because we could enjoy many more songs from SAILOR than in those mixed set-ups.
The way in which the non-availability of Phil’s mandolin was explained was really an announcement that I suppose will make history in SAILOR circles. Fortunately Peter managed to sound his electric guitar just like a real mandolin, including the way such instruments are played which clearly illustrated the great versatility of this man.
You probably already guessed that I enjoyed myself tremendously. I am already looking forward to the next concert; unfortunately this was their only gig in the Netherlands this year. Perhaps I really should attend the concert in London in December, or when this is not possible, there is also a concert in Essen a couple of days later.
Finally, I would like to thank the band for giving such a great performance, the technical guys who made this all possible, the Jozeftheater in Volendam for making this such a memorable event and everyone who was there for attending and for their enthusiasm.
Best regards,
Peppo

Concert Photos