Basketball Euroleague Final Four Paris 2010

 

With the recent basketball Euroleague Final Four having just taken place (and where both Greek teams have managed to fail miserably) I remembered the one I had attended 15 years ago. We started experiencing this competition back in the late 80's when another Greek team, Aris from Salonica, would take part for several consecutive years. They never got past the semi final though and they usually even lost at the 3rd place play-off game, ending up in 4th place. Then, in 1993, it took place in Athens, with another team from Salonica qualifying, PAOK. They were eliminated in the semi final as well. And that was the year when I noticed how difficult it was to get tickets for that competition, even though it was taking place in my own country. In 1994, it took place in Tel Aviv and that's when we knew that a Greek team would finally make it to the final. Two Greek teams, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos qualified and they would play in the semi final. Olympiacos won, but then lost in the final. The exact same thing happened the following year, in 1995 in Saragossa. It seemed that for a Greek team to win this trophy they would have to qualify alone. And that's what happened the following two years when Panathinaikos won in 1996 in Paris and Olympiacos won in 1997 in Rome. AEK qualified in 1998 but lost in the final. Panathinaikos would go on to win several of these trophies in the next decace (starting with 2000 in Salonica), while Olympiacos would win two back-to-back tournaments in 2012 and 2013 in Istanbul and London respectively.

The main reason I wanted to attend one of these tournaments was its format: With one ticket you get to watch 4 games over a period of three days. Two semi finals on the first day, then a day off and on the third day, the 3rd place play off and the final. But it was always so difficult to get tickets. So, in 2010, in Paris, I applied for tickets before I knew which teams would qualify. As it happened, Olympiacos qualified. I received the tickets via courier and was surprised to see that had I received 4 instead of the one I had ordered. I didn't take any notice though at that time.

When the day came I got on my first of two flights. I would go via Rome because it was even difficult to find a flight on that day. What's more, the second flight from Rome to Paris was delayed and there was a lot of traffic on the runway both in Rome and in Paris delaying us even further. So I was a bit late for the first semi final between Barcelona and CSKA Moscow. And even more late when they wouldn't let me in. They sent me to the box office where my 4 original tickets were exchanged with the correct one. So I finally got in and watched Barcelona beat CSKA 64-54. 

 

 

From that very first game it seemed that one of the main features of the tournament were the cheerleaders. I had posted several videos of them on YouTube and didn't receive many favourable moments. They were characterized as naked pole dancers.

During the break between the two semi finals I decided to wander inside Palais Omnisports De Bercy. The organizers had made sure that we could not mingle with fans from the other three teams. (I was placed with the Olympiacos supporters even though I had applied for a ticket as an independent). I headed to the bar where I realized that the cheapest thing I could buy was 5 euros and all other prices were divisible by 5. The reason for this was that we would not be given any coins which we weren't allowed to have with us anyway. This is because of a habit mainly Greek fans have: throwing coins at the referee and the players of their opponents.

The second semi final between Partizan and Olympiacos seemed to be going Partizan's way for most of the game, but Olympiacos won literally at the last minute 80-83 and qualified for the final. 

    

The following day was a day off. I spent it by visiting the only major Paris attraction I gad yet to see: Disneyland. This visit is documented in one of my early posts, written in Greek here. I hope I will soon translate it in English.

Then came Sunday, the day of the finals. By this time many of the fans whose team has lost prefer to sell their tickets to the winning teams. I would not have done the same even if Olympiacos had lost. I love basketball and would not have missed a European final, no matter who was playing!

The first match was the 3rd place play off where CSKA beat Partizan 90-88. It was disrupted for a while when Russian fans erected a sign about an incident that had taken place 15 years earlier in 1995 when the water given to the Russian players at a match between hosts Olympiacos and CSKA wewre allegedly poisoned.

   

 

And then it was time for the final. Barcelona played Olympiacos. Even though Olympiacos had won their first European trophy back in 1997 against Barcelona with the widest margin at that time, this time there was no contest. Barcelona won 86-68.

That was the end of a wonderful weekend. Two more flights were waiting for me. For the hurney back, I would go via Munich. This gave me a chance to eat Pretzels and Weisswurst for breakfast. Before I left however, I took a photo of my seat, which was my home for these two days. 

And as I got out I took a photo of the venue which listed the concerts that were going to take place there.

I would see Eric Clapton (with Steve Winwood) in Insatnbul the following month, and a week after that I would see Aerosmith in Athens. I would see Bon Jovi in Athens as well, the following year. Lady GaGa would have to wait until 2014...

I would be back at Palais Omnisports De Bercy though, three years later to see The Who (after having seen Bruce Springsteen in the same city...)

RESULTS;
Semi Finals:
Barcelona - CSKA 64-54
Partizan - Olympiacos 80-83
3rd Place Play Off:
CSKA - Partizan 90-88
Final:
Barcelona - Olympiacos 86-68

FINAL STANDINGS:

1. Barcelona
2. Olympiacos
3. CSKA
4. Partizan

Bruce Springsteen live in Paris in 2008 - You never forget your first time

Continuing the series of "concerts I attended 10 years ago" here is an important one: An artist who I had not seen live until that time but who I would go and see 12 more times in the next 8 years. Bruce Springsteen. And not just Bruce Springsteen. Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band. The year before I had gone to France to see The Rolling Stones, so I thought "why not Bruce this year in the same country"? I had wanted to see him live ever since I bought his "Live 1975-85" album and learned about his legendary 3 hours+ concerts. But, not being close to the fan circuit I did not expect he would still be doing these things in 2008. I was disappointed when he disbanded the E Street Band and his lack of output in the 90's thinking "now I'll never get to see him live", but hope arose again when in late 2000 when I was a postgraduate student in London and I watched a 90-minute special of his concerts in Madison Square Garden earlier that year. And I remembered a few years later picking up a copy of the "Tour Edition" of "The Rising" at Santorini airport and thinking "yeah, tour!". It took a few years for faith to be rewarded, but it was indeed rewarded.
Earlier that year, in 2008,  I had become aware of the Greek Bruce Springsteen community who were calling themselves "No Surrender". While I was planning my summer trip to Paris to see Bruce I read in a Greek newspaper a review of his winter concert in the same city where the fans had made a sign saying "Play NO SURRENDER for the Greeks" and Bruce did indeed oblige. And I had also picked up one of their flyers advertising one of their parties at a record shop.

So I bought my ticket but for some strange reason I had to pick it up from the stadium on the day of the concert. I had decided to buy the most expensive ticket as I had done with The Rolling Stones the year before while in the meantime noticing some strange facts. The most expensive ticket for the (cancelled) Rolling Stones concert in Athens in 2006 was €300. The most expensive ticket for the Rolling Stones concert in Lyon in 2007 was half that price at €150. And the most expensive ticket for the Bruce Springsteen concert in 2008 was a bit more than half the latter price at €85! Anyway, I arrived at Parc Des Princes early to receive my ticket only to end up waiting for a couple of hours with other fans next to a gendarme that looked a lot like Richard Gere while most of the time only pitch tickets were handed out (mine was in the stands). The two French words I mostly heard during those two hours were "Pelouse" (pitch) and "Attendez" (wait). I finally got my ticket, went back to the hotel and back to the stadium in time for my first Bruce Springsteen concert.

And the first Bruce Springsteen song I heard live was "Adam Raised A Cain". And I realized that he would play the requests he received as signs for the audience (a funny moment was when he picked up one for "Fire", the band mistakenly started playing "I'm On Fire" only to stop and then start the correct song a few seconds later. I also realized that he would play obscure tracks. One of my favourite Bruce songs is "Janey Don't You Lose Heart" which I had discovered back in 1985 when I bought the "I'm Going Down" 7 inch single. "Janey" was on the b-side. I could not believe my luck when he played it that night.

And since he was in France he also played "Rendez-Vous" and he introduced "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" as a "chanson pout les jeunes filles Francaises". On, and he did play "No Surrender".
And finally I realized that he did still play those marathon shows. The Paris concert was only (only?) 2 hours and 35 minutes, still a lot longer than other bands, but Bruce can be forgiven because he had played a longer one at San Siro in Milano a few days earlier. And anyway, at the end of these 2 hours and 35 minutes the concert had become a huge party with a (very) extended version of "American Land" at the end.

The only problem was the sound. At least the sound where I was sitting. Acoustic songs were fine, but on louder songs the sound of the bass and the drums seemed to reverberate at the concrete of the stadium's tiers. When I realized this I prayed for Bruce to play more acoustic songs (and he did indeed play quite a few). Of course by the end I didn't care. It just goes to show that when you buy the most expensive ticket you don't necessarily get the best conditions. From my next Bruce shows, I would move to the arena and later the "pit" once I learned the ropes and how this procedure was carried out.
Upon my return to Greece I contacted the No Surrender community and the rest is, as they say, history, an important part of which is that my next Bruce Springsteen concert was 366 days later, on the next day of my first year anniversary. This one, my first, was on the 27th of June 2008 at Parc Des Princes in Paris, while my second one was on the 28th of June 2009 at Hyde Park in London (the one that was released on DVD). And as an extra twist, my eleventh one was once again in Paris at the other big stadium of the city (Stade De France at Saint Denis) on the 29th of June 2013 two days after my fifth anniversary! (11 concerts in 5 years! Let that sink in for a minute). It seems like the end of June is the ideal time to see Bruce Springsteen live...

SETLIST:
01. Adam Raised a Cain
02. Radio Nowhere
03. No Surrender
04. The Promised Land
05. Spirit in the Night
06. Rendezvous (Sign request)
07. Candy's Room
08. Atlantic City
09. Janey Don't You Lose Heart (Sign request)
10. Darlington County
11. Because the Night
12. She's the One
13. Livin' in the Future
14. Mary's Place
15. Fire (Sign request - False start : Max started "I'm on Fire")
16. For You
17. The River
18. The Rising
19. Last to Die
20. Long Walk Home
21. Badlands
22. Out in the Street
Encore:
23. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
25. Born to Run
26. Bobby Jean
27. Dancing in the Dark
28. American Land

Quadrophenia in the city of light

After I had bought my ticket for the Bruce Springsteen concert in Paris, I checked the web to see if there were any other interesting gigs there around that time. I immediately realized that The Who were playing Quadrophenia there on the 3rd of July, 4 days after the Springsteen concert. At first, I didn't know what to do. 4 days seemed quite a long time. Would I have the money to stay in Paris for a week? So I just forgot about it for a while. But then several things stared happening which seemed to scream at me "You gotta see The Who, you gotta see The Who". First I realized that 2 of my fellow Bruce fans and friends were also big Who fans and one of them would go and see them in the UK. Then I saw them on the 121212 concert, where while I was waiting to see Bruce Springsteen, I was blown away by The Who! Finally, I picked up Uncut Magazine's "Ultimate Music Guide" to The Who. And read it all,from start to finish in just a few days.

 But still, I was cautious. And then, an unfortunate event happened in my life and my reaction to it was "F**k it, I'm gonna see The Who!". So immediately at 4am I logged in and bought my ticket. I would think about the money later.
And so it was that a few months later, I went to Paris, saw Bruce Springsteen, found a nice cheap hostel for the rest of my stay and I was ready for The Who. Not to mention that I gained a few extra days for sightseeing!

So on a rainy-ish and coldi-ish day, I was glad to be in an indoor venue, Palais Omnisports De Bercy, which I had previously visited for a sporting event. Vintage Trouble were the opening act and they were a pleasant surprise for me not to mention (if I'm allowed) appropriate in true mod style. They certainly got our pelvises pushed!

And it was finally time for The Who!

We were of course treated to a complete performance of Quadrophenia with stunning visuals ("as good as those used by Roger Waters" my friend said).

Inevitably the highlights were the ones featuring those who are no longer with us: John Entwistle's solo on "5.15" and Keith Moon's singing on "Bell Boy".

But my personal favourite was the "rain" effect on the final Quadrophenia track "Love Reign O'er Me".

With Quadrophenia finished, it was time for the "and more" bit of the gig. And what a selection it was: "Who Are You", "You Better You Bet" (my personal favourite), "Pinball Wizard", "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again"... Amazing!

In short, I was right on following my gut instinct and going to this gig!

Setlist

Quadrophenia:

01. I Am the Sea

02. The Real Me

03. Quadrophenia

04. Cut My Hair

05. The Punk and the Godfather

06. I'm One

07. The Dirty Jobs

(Simon Townshend on vocals)

08. Helpless Dancer

09. Is It in My Head?

10. I've Had Enough

11. 5:15

(recording of John Entwistle bass solo on screen)

12. Sea and Sand

13. Drowned

14. Bell Boy

(recording of Keith Moon singing on screen)

15. Doctor Jimmy

16. The Rock

17. Love, Reign O'er Me

(followed by band introductions)

Hits:

18. Who Are You

19. You Better You Bet

20. Pinball Wizard

21. Baba O'Riley

22. Won't Get Fooled Again

23. Tea & Theatre

Bruce Springsteen live in the city of light

In my previous post, I wrote all about how my first Bruce concert was in Paris and what this particular date meant to me. Still, I didn't expect such a thrilling concert especially after what I had already experienced in Italy.

The difference this time was that we didn't just buy arena tickets, we bought pit tickets. And the pit was huge.

Still, some people decided to follow the roll call procedure in order to get as close as possible to the stage (and Bruce). 

Those of us who did not follow the roll calls and just gathered outside our corresponding gates actually got pretty close since this is the crowd we encountered as we got in.

The only problem we encountered, and indeed this is our only, but quite big complaint from the French organizers is that a lot of request signs (some of which took an enormous amount of time an effort to create) were confiscated, like this one of one of our own.

 What did they think we were going to do? Club Bruce in the head if he didn't play our favourite song?

Anyway, just as were settling in our places, Bruce comes out for a pre-show acoustic set, starting with "This Hard Land".

Just as we were expecting him to follow it up with "Growin' Up" like he had done on previous occasions he announces "We'll get some requests"! He picked several from the crowd and of those he chose to play "Burning Love"!!!

After that it was "Growin' Up" as usual. (But is there anything usual during a Bruce Springsteen concert?)

And that was the end of this miniset, giving us a small taste of what was going to come...

...And when the time came, the whole band came on stage and started, typically, with "Badlands".

 After this was followed by "Out In The Street", Bruce looks at the request signs again. He picks up one, looks at it and announces "It seems like someone is trying to stump The E Street Band" It was "Lucille" and they proceed to play it without a moment's hesitation!

After a couple of songs from "Wrecking Ball", it was time for my personal best moment of the night: "Cadillac Ranch". One of my favourite songs from the "Live/1975-85" album (because that's where I heard it first)

After the customary for this tour "Spirit In The Night" it was album time! So, what was it going to be this time? Well, it was "Born In The USA" once again. Personally, I didn't mind one little bit. In Milano I was far away, now I was going to enjoy it from the pit. For others, who got to know Bruce Springsteen's music in the 80's with this very album, it was a chance for them to enjoy and sing along with "the hits"

And after the album was over it was time for more favourites like "Pay Me My Money Down" (one of The Seeger Sessions tracks apart from "American Land" that seems to have found a semi-regular spot on the setlists, "Waiting On A Sunny Day", "The Rising" and "Land Of Hope And Dreams"

It was then time for the encore, starting with "We Are Alive" followed by the customary "Born To Run"

This, was in turned followed by my second personal favourite of the whole concert: "Ramrod". Next came "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", which sometimes means the end of the concert. 

But it wasn't to be. The last song of the night was going to be "American Land" just like 5 years ago at Parc Des Princes. Or maybe not? Because just like Milano, Bruce stayed for a second encore, a solo acoustic performance of "Thunder Road". What more could we ask for?

Setlist
Pre-Show:
01. This Hard Land 
02. Burning Love 
03. Growin' Up
Main Set:
01. Badlands 
02. Out In The Street 
03. Lucille
04. Wrecking Ball
05. Death To My Hometown
06. Cadillac Ranch
07. Spirit In The Night
Born In The USA full album:
08. Born in the USA
09. Cover Me
10. Darlington County
11. Working On The Highway
12. Downbound Train
13. I'm on Fire
14. No Surrender
15. Bobby Jean
16. I'm Goin' Down
17. Glory Days
18. Dancing In The Dark
19. My Hometown
:
20. Pay Me My Money Down
21. Shackled And Drawn
22. Waitin' On A Sunny Day
23. The Rising
24. Land Of Hope And Dreams
Encore:
25. We Are Alive
26. Born To Run
27. Ramrod
28. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
29. American Land
30. Thunder Road (Solo acoustic)