I’d like to start my story from a small excursus to the past, to 8th of March which many of us has celebrated this year in the Moscow “B1 Maximum” club. The matter is that when I returned home to my dear Tomsk I found a coin of 0.1 Euro in my purse, no idea how it had got into it… I don’t believe in omens but all the same I had thought that it was somehow symbolic… And I had built the following associative line: Euro – Europe – Chris Norman – that was one link; coins are usually been thrown to places where people want to get back :), and if that was my purse then it meant me, then meant Siberia, then it meant… We have to meet with Chris in Siberia… You can think I’m a crazy dreamer but everything turned out to be exactly so!

That meeting took place on June, 19 in the Ice Palace “Siberia” in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

I came to Novosibirsk beforehand because I had to get my bearings on that place: to make the acquaintance with local organizers of the concert, to get ready morally to everything what was ahead. Thanks to support from Stranger I had a “green light” at all directions: I got a VIP badge with a word EVERYWHERE (that means I had a pass to the backstage area and to the dressing rooms) and also a guarantee that I will have an opportunity to talk to Maestro personally (to take interviews for this site and radio “Mayak-Tomsk”).

The concert beginning was planned on 7 p.m., first Thomas Anders’s gig and then Chris. In addition, Chris’s press conference apart from Thomas was planned before the concert. The point is that Mr.Anders has communicated with journalists a day before that, on June 18. He called them to the hotel where he stayed, and according to organizers that was the reason why Chris didn’t go there: why he had to go to a territory of Thomas being also a star?! (this is literally a quotation ;)). However Chris didn’t convene official press conference. Though the news about it changed nearly every half an hour: first they said he will come at 4.30 p.m., then at 6 p.m., after that we found out that at 6 o'clock he will have a dinner and will have a press conference during Thomas’s performance (?!). At the end, George, Chris’s tour manager, invited several people (most of journalists had all left to that time) to his dressing room about an hour before Chris’s show time. Those journalists represented different media - print media, TV and radio. They stayed there for a short time and finally left...

And you know, in general, over a whole period of my staying inside that Ice arena and judging by the talks of organizers I got a feeling that the matter is going about some rivalry between Thomas and Chris. Don't know, if that was right...?

But let's return to the facts – usually they are much more conspicuous than feelings.

The start of the concert was delayed a lot – Thomas Anders was late nearly for hour and a half (!). And in his absence time the musicians from “TA Band” couldn't manage to tune their equipment for a long time. The organizers even had to ask people from the audience who had already filled the hall to announced time of 7 p.m. to leave their places, so that musicians could do a soundcheck properly. I don't know what had happened really but as for the guys from the “Chris Norman Band”, it took them not more than an hour to check their instruments... ;) They did it with no worries checking the sound on “Turn right turn wrong” and left having let the stage to musicians of Thomas. I don't want to offend the musicians of Mr.Anders but at that time one not so decorous saying about a foul dancer had come up in my head (sorry one more time for familiarity :)).

And so at last the concert started. There were not so many people in the audience as one expected – on the stands I could see some “white spots”, dance floor public was also not too many and in the stalls there were vacant seats.

Thomas came out on stage dressed all in black and performed a bit more than an hour, mostly that were Modern Talking hits, of course. I haven't watched his set completely as it was much more interesting for me to hang around at the backstage area, to talk and make photos with Chris's musicians and to watch how the tour manager George gave various instructions to the organizers sometimes reminding a flying hawk :).

But at last there came that particular moment which I finally had come for...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Chris Norman Band!!!!!!!!!

Chris's perfomance was just staggering!!!!!

What a top-class artist he is! A real pro! And how clever he works with audience! During Thomas Anders set people were just sitting, clapping hands even not leaving their seats, he didn't manage to stir up the public in spite of all his “brothers Louie” and “Geronimo’s cadillacs” :))) But when Chris came out... he immediately started to shake up the people! And people came to stage! :))) There was such a rock-n-roll drive that it was really impossible to stay at the seats!!!!! :)))

Speaking more specifically the set list was the following:
   First three “blockbusters”:
   I'll Meet You At Midnight
   Needles And Pins
   Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone
   and by now people were ready to hear:
   What Can I Do (surely, at that song the audience has just uttered a roar as it is somehow very specially dear to Soviet/Russian people :))
   Stumblin' In (oh! Shannon was just great! I have told her about it many times at the backstage! How she behave on stage, what an artist! She's really a godsend for Chris! :)) To add that she also a very beautiful woman!)
   Lost In Flight (I like the “Reflections” CD very much and this song in particular)
   then followed the acoustic part:
   If You Think You Know How To Love Me
   Mexican Girl
   Living Next Door To Alice
   then the medley – very very very driving!!!! – it sent shivers down my spine! Super!
   Gamblin' Man
   The Growing Years
   Sledge Hammer
   Midnight Hour
   My Sharona
   Wild Wild Angels
   and finally
   Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll To Me (with traditional audience singing along :)) – though the audience wasn't too many and sang not too loud :))

Generally, the public in Novosibirsk is not so familiar with the Maestro's repertoire. I even had fear sometimes that when he will give them an opportunity to finish any phrase from a song (for instance, to sing everybody “Hasta la Vista” in “Mexican Girl”) they just won't reply anything :))) That's why I contributed my mite within my powers (my vocal cords haven't recovered yet :)) – how I will read news on the radio?! :))) no ideas! :)))

And that was all!
   Yes, yes, don't be surprised – that was the whole perfomance of Chris! How else could it be if Mr.Anders was so late... And the whole concert was shifted.

But there was one more factor which influenced on the duration of Chris's gig and though I haven't been among the organizers I felt much ashamed towards Maestro and Co. The matter is that when Chris and the band left the stage (as it's supposed after the main part) a full ceiling light was turned on in the hall.... that naturally was a sign to the public that the show has ended and it's time to go away! But it appears that no one did know WHO was responsible for the light in the hall!!! :0 And probably some electrician man has just turned the lights on after having heard that the music calmed down! I saw everybody's pulled long faces when that happened... Just a disgrace! It's a shame to recall that.

But Chris, George and the others were at their best – at least they did give no any special sign!

As a result, according to Chris's words we didn't hear about 6-7 songs which were planned before... :( and my favourite “Turn right turn wrong” also has left outside the set...

But anyway, if one is to judge, that could be considered a trifle! Because what Chris did in the main part of his perfomance was just amazing!!!!!

And you know, I'd like to share one more important observation with you, my “colleagues” :). In “B1 Maximum” the audience was much more united, most of people knew that songs well! At least there I felt myself as one who belongs here, but in Novosibirsk I felt a bit “a white crow”, know-all :)) who knows all Chris's songs by heart... :))

And after all, Chris succeeded in getting up the most part of the stalls on their feet – at the end everybody was boogying and as I had a look around from time to time I saw that people were getting off! Everybody's eyes were blazing :)) That was very pleasant!

All in all, Chris just did so well! How he gives himself up, exerts himself!!! He has a fantastic energy! And the audience filled that very good!

Girls (both real and in quotes :))) just squeaked when he started to make eyes at somebody or make faces :)))) And all that was so lovely, perfectly fitting into his perfomance! No doubts, he's an artist with a capital A!!! :)))) He uses a very skilful method, I can say this as a person who has some experience in a teaching profession :) – he tries to appeal to every spectator personally, and this always wins you!

Well, and now about the most dear for me:))))

After the show when Chris had a bit recovered himself (changed his T-shirt :))) George invited us to his dressing room. Saying “us” I mean me, the photographer and one more young man whom I had asked to stay close to me, just in case I'll fall into a swoon of happiness :)) or will forget all the words – both Russian and English :))).

But to my surprise and happily I didn't fall into a stupor – I told Chris in rather tolerable English :) that I was on his gig live for the first time in Moscow on March 8 and that it was really striking, said that he is my very-very-very favourite artist!!!! I even forgot to introduce myself :)) but Chris (what a considerate man!) corrected that and asked my name himself! :)))))))) I told him also some things which I even don't remeber now :)) I finished saying “Chris, I love you”... It seemed that he got a bit confused by that :)) Of course, it is in Russian language you can “like” both a man and a sausage and music.... In English there is a particular word for every certain case. But here I meant exactly this word LOVE :)) But maybe it just seemed to me... There appeared some pause which we decided to fill nonverbally – just hugged one another like some old friends – at that moment I needed somebody to pinch me to make sure I wasn't dreaming! :)

Then I made a small interview with Chris and after that gave him my present – a photobook about Tomsk, having written on it “It's better to visit than to look at the photos” :))) It seemed that Chris liked it...

And the last note (sorry if I have tired you by my excessive emotionality while this description :)): Chris is a VERY pleasant man to communicate, I felt that it was so easy and simple! Some special humane warmth was coming from him, though I think he was so tired after concert... and definitely that was not his only meeting with fans :)) I didn't want to leave him... :) There was constantly a feeling of some incompleteness, that I haven't said him everything what I wanted to... Though the most part of it simply can't be expressed by words!

I left for Tomsk the same night... I was lucky to jump into departing bus :) In general, probably I'm a lucky one… :) “She said she was a lucky girl”

That was the most unforgettable day in my life – the 19th of June 2008…

Things like that can happen only in tales.... I'd like to wish that such a tale will repeat one day…