tears – that lemon life

Sziget Festival – Part Five

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog. I hope so far you’ve had a great Friday and that your evening is going well. Sorry for posting so late. Ever since finishing work last week, I’ve been in this kind of “oh my god, I need to see everyone and do everything before I move”-stress, so I’ve been out and about all the time. Which resulted in me not really having time to just sit down and write this post. But now that I’ve finally managed to make myself comfy at home, I thought it would be nice to tell you all about the last day at Sziget. Let’s think of it as a short trip back to paradise, back to summer madness, back to the world of music and happiness. So, lean back and enjoy the ride.

Day 7

To be honest, I can’t really put into words what this last day at Sziget meant to me. And it wasn’t even a day, it was a whole damn experience. An adventure that started the moment we got back to the hotel on day 6. Because that’s when I started planning and making my outfit for the boys (Twenty One Pilots, obviously). As some of you might know, it’s become a must to have a special outfit for TOP shows. Anything yellow, basically. I already had quite a nice outfit for their shows in London, but for Sziget, I definitely brought all my cards to the table. I put everything I had into this outfit and, honestly, I’m still so damn proud of it. I mean, just look at it. It’s fire. Be honest.

I think I slept about five hours max that night. I was so damn excited. Especially because I had the plan of getting to the festival as soon and fast as possible and then trying to get as close to the front as manageable. I needed that barrier. Specifically, as it would probably be my only possible chance of ever getting front row for the boys. I mean, I could camp for a whole week at their UK gigs, but that doesn’t mean I would. I just could. Keeping that in mind, Sziget was definitely my best chance of getting to the front without having to camp. And I didn’t want to risk it. So I got up as early as I could manage, had a quick breakfast and then hurried to the festival. I might have to mention that I was alone as well because my mum was with my dad and his sister, who had also come for a visit for the last day (not for the boys, for Foo Fighters… I know… I’m not gonna say anything). So I had a little trip on my own and as soon as I got on the island, I ran to the main stage. And then I saw it.

It was freaking packed. I got there and it was full. The whole area in front of the stage. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I mean, what even is the clique? I later read that people had actually camped next to the stage just to get to the front. How crazy is that? And the security had lied to me as well because I had asked them about the time they would be opening the main stage and they told me 2pm. I got there at 12pm. 12!!! And it was already open and packed. Thanks, guys. Very trustworthy. But oh well. No bad blood. Anyways, so I was standing there, looking at all the people sitting on the ground in front of me and, obviously, I immediately panicked and called my mum. The plan was to get to barrier, not 6th row with a good chance of actually never seeing Ty and Josh (quick reminder: people at Sziget are always taller than me, I don’t know why). I couldn’t just throw that plan in the bin. So I stood there for a while, weighing my options, looking for any good space for us to stand. And then I saw it. Like a small clearing in the middle of the dark woods. Like an oasis in the Sahara. A spot right at the front, at the barrier.

At first, I was quite sceptical, because I was sure that it was someone else’s spot already. Either that or that I was hallucinating. But slowly, I made my way to the front until I felt my knees hit the metal surface of the barrier. I had made it. I was at the front. I couldn’t believe it. I slowly looked around at the people next to me, waiting for protest, but nothing came. It really had been a free spot. But now it was mine. My spot at the front. It still sounds like an absolute dream when I think about it. Like I had a fever dream or something. But I really was front row at a Twenty One Pilots gig. That’s stuff they write into history books right there. No joke.

After two hours, mum also joined me at the front and then the big waiting game began. Thankfully, all the people around us were super nice and up for a chat and the acts before the boys weren’t that bad either. First to come on stage were Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, who didn’t really fit into the musical genre I usually stick to, but who actually blew me away with their amazing show. Especially because of Frank Carter himself. He might not look like it, but he was the nicest guy ever. He talked quite a bit in-between the songs, lots of stuff about how the politics in the UK pisses him off, how women should be able to feel free in crowds and at festivals, without having to be afraid of men touching them inappropriately. Then they had an all-girls crowd surf and moshpit. And he chatted a lot about his own child and his highs and lows in his life. All in all, he was one of the coolest and most honest guys I had seen the whole week and I’m glad I got to experience his show. Such an amazing guy.

Next to play was Johnny Marr, who was, without trying to be mean, the most boring act I had seen all week. No offence, but it’s true. After Frank Carter, he just couldn’t manage to get the crowd hyped up. And it wasn’t just me who felt like this. I could see it in the faces of the people surrounding me. They were all waiting for the show to be over. He wasn’t bad, musically, but there just wasn’t any fire, any excitement, any hype. And then, after one song, he said even “gracias”, which confirmed my assumption that he had no idea where he actually was. He was in Hungary, not in damn Spain. They don’t speak Spanish in Hungary. What even was that?

So yeah, that was a bit of a bummer. But after that low, the highest high was still to come. I got the chills as soon as that mysterious music, that the boys always play before their shows begin, came on. That’s also when it hit me that I’d really be seeing the boys again. My boys. Ty and Josh. My favourite band in the whole world. And then even front row. I still can’t fully believe that it all really happened. And within the blink of an eye, Josh came on stage with his torch and then Jumpsuit started and I was immediately transported into heaven. I was home again. Finally.

You can probably guess that the show was absolutely freaking phenomenal. I can’t even describe it. I just love this band so god damn much. And they were so good. I laughed and cried and screamed and sang my heart out and jumped and danced like there was no tomorrow. I gave my all to those two dorks on that huge stage. And it was so worth it because I got so much back in return. There was this one moment when Ty came to our side and, as some of you might know, he usually tries to suppress his smiles during the shows. I don’t even know why. Maybe he wants to look cool. I don’t know. But at that moment, he went up to us and threw us the biggest smile ever. And it might just be my observation, but I’m sure that every time Tyler smiles, the sun goes up somewhere. Even if it’s just in my heart. Maybe he’s the sun. And don’t even get me started on Josh. This man has the body and talent of a god and you can’t tell me otherwise. When he got onto the crowd with his drum set – I swear, he has the most beautiful back ever. And I might have to add that I know this show so through and through that I even managed to air drum together with Josh. I did all the parts. The drums, the singing, the dancing, all of it. That’s when you know you really love a band. When you could replicate their whole show all on your own.

Another pretty crazy part was when they played Car Radio. Ty always climbs something during that song, that’s just his thing. So, knowing that, I was very curious to see what he would climb this time. Funnily enough, I already had an idea. I remember when we got to the festival on the first day, I saw these platforms next to the front of house-tower. The one where I had seen Gabe on Friday (click the link to read all about that encounter). Needless to say, it was damn high. But the moment I saw them, I told my mum “I bet that’s what Ty will climb during their show”. It was like I could feel it in my bones. And god damn, I was right. This completely crazy guy seriously freehand climbed that tower and then up to that platform that was even higher up. I’m pretty sure it was higher than 15 metres. And he just climbed that like it was nothing. How mad is that? From where we were standing, I could just make out his hand sticking up into the air. He’s such a crazy guy.

Show-wise, my ultimate highlight and also one of the funniest moments of any concert I’ve ever been to, was definitely after Cut My Lip, when they did the “everybody to the left left left, take it to the right right right”-part. Basically, they bring some securities on to the stage, play that super hardcore EDM track by Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike and then they, together with the securities and the whole crowd, jump to the left and then to the right. It makes the whole crowd turn into a huge wave, thousands of people holding each other arm in arm, jumping around. I filmed the whole thing (see down below) and, yes, it was just as chaotic as you might guess. But it was the biggest fun ever. I loved it so much.

Besides the whole show and besides really getting to see the boys that close, my definite highlight was also seeing their team/friends/family. Debby was there, looking good as ever, Brad Heaton, their photographer and, for me, the best one music photographer out there, even stood in front of us at one point and Mark, their video content creator, filmed some parts of the show with his new Super 8 camera, which he recently got into. And yes, I really know all that stuff. Because. It was so cool to see them, finally.

Obviously, as soon as the boys started playing Trees, I felt my heart being ripped apart. I don’t know why, but that song always breaks my heart and then mends it again. Maybe it’s because I know that it’s their last song and that they’ll leave afterwards. Maybe it’s because of the meaning. Maybe it’s all of the above. I just know that I screamed my lungs and cried my eyes out during it. I was nearly bursting of happiness and love. And with all the people, the clique, surrounding me, I felt like I was part of a huge family. The best one. And when they both got onto the crowd to finish the song and the confetti came falling down on us, I was definitely the luckiest and happiest person on earth. I loved everything and everyone. I loved my mum for waiting with me for over 5 hours and for dressing up. I loved the boys for making that moment happen. And I loved my life for being what it was and is. And if that’s not what a concert should make you feel like, then what else?

After that, Sziget was pretty much over for me. I was a mess. I had little to no voice (it was completely gone the morning after). My makeup was a shadow of what it was at the beginning. And my head was so full of adrenalin and happiness, I definitely needed some time to come down from that high. But for my dad and his sister and her boyfriend, the whole fun was just about to begin, because Foo Fighters were still to come. In hindsight, I have to say their show really was good, but, just like I said, after having seen the boys, there was nothing the festival could give me. My cup was full. Nothing could’ve been as good as them. That just wasn’t possible. But I’m still glad that I got to see them. And my dad had the time of his life, which made me happy as well.

And after that and a quick stop at the EDM tent to hide from the rain, it was time for us to leave. Time to get back to reality, step by step. I kissed the main stage goodbye. Kissed the bridge leading to the island goodbye. Kissed the best week of my life goodbye. But it was a happy goodbye. A thankful one. And one with the prospect of coming back again. And now that I got to share all of this with you, I’m even more grateful and happier. I can’t believe that all of it really happened. What a week. I can’t wait to be back and do it all over again.

And with that, I’m going to end this series about my time in paradise, aka Sziget festival. I really hope that you enjoyed reading about my week there and that it brought you some happiness. As always, I’d love to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to leave your comments and thoughts down below. And, of course, I wish you all a great weekend and thanks for reading. x

COLDPLAY

Hola everyone.

I know, most of you won’t probably be surprised by what I’ll be saying right now. You guys know me. So, actually it’s late at night and I just got home from a concert. And looking at the title you all know which concert I’m talking about – Coldplayyyy. I just saw Coldplay again and it was freaking fantastic.

Actually I’m currently lying in bed in my flat and I just had the idea that I had enough time still to write down my just so happened concert experience. So I got cozy in my pajamas, lied down in bed and put Zoellas latest blog on to listen to while writing to you guys. She and Alfie just moved house and as far as I’ve seen until now, the new house is freaking mindblowing. Gosh, I’m so jealous. Goals, seriously.

But yes, this is not about Zalfie and their amazing new house. This is about Coldplay and their crazy concert tonight. As you know I’ve already had the chance to see them live in Copenhagen last year with my mum and we now renewed this experience together, nearly on the exact same date (three weeks apart I think). And I completely loved it. The strange thing is that I usually don’t even listen to Coldplay, only when I see them live or my mum plays their songs at home. But apart from that, never. But as soon as they got onstage tonight, I freaked out. They somehow have the power to turn me into the biggest fan ever, they just bring such an incredible dynamic.

And you can probably guess that I cried, of course I did. But it’s not even my fault, their songs are just so sad. But I didn’t cry because I was sad, but because I was just so emotional and happy. And I looked around and saw people in the audience screaming their lungs out, hugging their friends and loved ones and just enjoying the moment. And seeing how happy people were just made me so happy that the tears just started streaming down my cheeks. But when they played Fix You I was actually really sad, because it reminded me of the concert for the terrorist attack in Manchester when they played it too. And then it reminded me of the attack and it just hit me. I still can’t believe that really happened.

But apart from that I was all smiley faces. Really. I was so happy for my mum that she could see her favorite band again and I loved watching her enjoy herself and the moment. And I just loved the show, I really did. They really know how to put on a great show. We again got wristbands that lit up during the show and whoever had that idea, you’re a genius, seriously. And of course their musical talent is just amazing, especially Chris really knows how to make a concert even more special.

My favorite moment has to be when they played Paradise and Princess Of China. I don’t really know why but Princess Of China has always been my favorite song of them and when they played Paradise all the wristbands lit up again and the whole crowd transformed into a huge rainbow. That was pure magic.

So yeah, that was my night with Coldplay. My voice is still gone, I sound like I’m an old grandma that has been smoking ten packs of cigarettes every day of her life (actually I’ve never smoked in my life, there are only a few things I hate more than smoking), and my ears are still a little bit hurting, so I guess I really need those two next weeks to recover until I see Paramore at the end of June. Honestly guys, I can just recommend you that whenever you get the chance to see Coldplay live, please go. You won’t regret it. Never. Trust me. And until then I hope you liked my post. And that you’re all doing well. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

A Monster Calls

Hola everyone.

As you can see from the title of this post, today we’re going back to our movie-fan-roots. I recently watched the movie “A Monster Calls” and I thought I’d share my experience with you.

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To be honest, I didn’t really quite know what the movie was honestly about until I watched it. I mean, I was literally drawn to it still. I watched the trailer as soon as it was out and I was already in tears afters those two minutes. But I only had an idea of what it was about. So here’s a little description:

“A Monster Calls” is about 13 year old Conor who’s mum is having a hard time fighting against cancer. His dad left the family when Conor was little, his grandma doesn’t really seem to like him that much and the other guys are bullying him at school. So you could say that Conors life is pretty tough too. That changes when one night, seven minutes after midnight, the big yew tree next to their house suddenly comes alive and turns into a monster. The monster wants to tell Conor three stories. And after that, Conor has to tell him a fourth story, his truth, the nightmare he’s trying to hide. The one thing Conor never wanted to face. (Here’s the link to the trailer if you want to watch it – youtube.com)

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Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? I went to watch the movie with my mum – of course – because honestly I wouldn’t have been able to watch it with anybody else. I would have just sat there, screaming inside “oh my goooood, I want to be with my mum, NOOOOW!!!”. But this way I had her right there sitting next to me and I could cuddle my face into her while the tears were rolling down my cheeks.

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For me, the movie is a pure masterpiece. It completely draws you into the story from the first second on and it breaks your heart into a million pieces, but somehow the pain also heals you. I especially liked the artistic style of the movie, as all the stories the monster tells are drawn in water colours. It’s magnificent to watch.

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In my opinion, what matters the most and what keeps you awake, thinking about the movie over and over again, is the ending.

If any of you haven’t seen the movie, beware, spoilers ahead.

As you can probably tell, the movie ends the exact way you think it will end. Conors mum just wasn’t strong enough to fight, the medicine didn’t work the way they had planned and everyone knows she won’t make it. After the monster tells the third story, it’s Conors turn. But he doesn’t want to tell it, to face the truth, his truth. But at one point he simply has to. And that’s when we get the reminder that we are all just human. Conor simply wants it all to end, his pain, the stress, just everything. Also if it means he has to let his mother go. I think at this part the monster tells Conor the exact thing he and also we, the audience, need to hear: “You were merely wishing for the end of pain… Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.”

Conor understands whats going to happen and that it’s not his fault and although he doesn’t want to, he has to let his mum go. In the last few moments, Conor holds his mum and the monster is with him. Then we see his mum looking up and smiling at the monster, which means that she can see it too. Conors mum then passes away, seven minutes after midnight.

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At the very end of the movie Conor comes back to his grandmas house, who has prepared a room for him. He goes in and finds a book on his desk, a book that seems to be his mums art book (she wanted to study art). Conor opens the book and finds paintings of the three stories the monster had told him. And right on the last page he finds a painting of his mum sitting on the shoulder of the monster.

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Personally, I think this end leaves you enough space for interpretation. For me, his mum together with the monster and her seeing it before her death means that she also met it when she was younger and struggled with the death of her father. And now that Conor is struggeling too, the monster is visiting him. What a cute way to end such a dramatic, heartbreaking movie.

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Apart from the beauty of the whole movie, my favorite and most emotional scene has to be when Conor and his mum have the “talk”. She knows she’s going to die and leave Conor alone. And he’s angry at her. But she understands him. And while tears are rolling down her cheeks she says: “It’s okay that you’re angry. I’m angry too, and if you need to break things, by god you break them. I wish I had 100 years, 100 years I could give to you.” That scene literally broke my heart into a billion pieces. And again I was so damn glad that mum was with me. I would’ve really needed her at that moment.

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Overall, the movie is a complete masterpiece. And I would recommend it to anyone at every age. Just keep in mind that you won’t walk out of the cinema with a smile on your face. It really hurts, but somehow the pain feels good. The movie breaks you and then cuddles you into a warm blanket full of emotions. It’s overwhelming, but in a good way.

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If any of you have seen or read it, what do you think? And how do you interpret the end? I’d be really happy to read from you. And until then I hope you liked this post and, as always, I hope you’re all doing well and thanks for reading. x