After the show in London, we headed to Hamburg, the hometown of our tour mates Helloween and Gamma Ray. Since it was a travel day, we arrived a day before the show. It was already past 11 pm when we found the famous Docks. We parked near the venue and went out in search of food. After hours of travel, we were starving and any open establishment would have been acceptable. Incredibly, we bumped into Weiki and Sascha, who pointed us to a place to eat.
Satisfied, we took the opportunity to stroll through the dangerous and sinful streets of Hamburg. The street is nicknamed "Red Lights." So, you can probably imagine what we're talking about. Spielbudenplatz is a kind of Augusta Street, only on a larger scale. Of course, it was curious to see all these peculiarities in a large German city. However, we soon returned to our lodgings, as we had another leg of the Hellish Rock tour to complete the following day.
At least four days before the show in Hamburg, we heard from the Germans that this performance would be very special, that it would be a kind of celebration, that several people who had been part of the history of both bands in some way would be present at the legendary Docks, including several family members, etc. For those who don't know, Docks has the same reputation as CBGB in New York, only in Germany.
With this information in mind, the band prepared to put on a great show. Most of the audience arrived early and quickly filled the venue. We were quite convinced that a large part of them were there for the party featuring the two famous bands from the city. Therefore, our responsibility to warm up this audience was greater than on other occasions.
What we didn't expect was that the band would be so well-received right away. As soon as some people saw them pass behind the stage and prepare for the show, they started shouting "Shadowside! Shadowside!". This receptiveness motivated us even more, because we were in their home and the musicians' obligation was to win over those people.
Feeling like they were no longer strangers in the nest, Shadowside started the show with excitement and wanting to show they weren't messing around. Maintaining the same setlist as their last performances, and with the synergy we had, we delivered a breathtaking performance. At the end, the band's name was once again shouted by the crowd, and we received congratulations from some members of the tour's technical crew.
Of course, we are very happy with all this affection from the Hamburg audience, even more so because it's the city where it all began for Helloween and Gamma Ray.
Next stop: Geiselwind, Germany.
Check out the complete Shadowside travelogue
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