‘Eric Burdon and the Animals’ in Pfullendorf on August 8th

[Iris Patricia]

Pfullendorf was one of the last venues of the European tour in 2009. And I did take the chance to see my favourite band one more time – who knows, when I will have a chance to see them again…?

Pfullendorf is a nice little town close to the Lake Constance in the South of Germany. And the Seepark festival is a festival for families with all sorts of concerts – even traditional ‘Volksmusik’ - and parties with DJs, as well as programs for children, ‘adventure golfing’, waterskiing, and, and, and… So as you can guess, also the audience for Eric’s show was a little different compared to the ones of ‘regular’ concerts.

Eric and his Animals opened the festival on Thursday evening. I was told that about 800 tickets would have been sold. That kind of calmed me down, when even only 15 minutes before the official start of the show only few people had found their way into the festival tent, where the happening took place. The rest rather enjoyed the nice weather outside… But about 35 minutes late the concert started and also the rest of the audience had joined the tent. I think due to the special circumstances it took a few songs, before the audience really started partying (and I do have the impression that younger people have a hard time to sing and dance along – other than us ‘older ones’ ;-) ), but then obviously the spark was ignited! Eric and his band have managed it again – you simply can’t escape having a great time when they are on stage! Just gorgeous! Even though I missed ‘Mother Earth’ this time. But they played ‘Factory Girl’. Very, very beautiful! And also the second – and last – encore truly was a highlight: first only Red and Eric entered stage, later on Terry and Brannon followed them. Red started playing and Eric did sing ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out’. As Eric didn’t have to predominate over the whole band, he didn’t have to raise his voice and it was a very beautiful, melodious and touching presentation of that old classic.

Coming back to my hotel after the show I suddenly saw Eric sitting at a table in front of the hotel, having a drink, talking to Marianna. So I used all my courage and talked to them. They were about leaving for the next venue – together with Billy – but they were very friendly and Marianna even asked me to take a seat. So I spend a little while talking to Eric, while she was taking care of organizing their leaving. It all seemed so unreal! I never would have expected meeting Eric… After they had left I also met the rest of the Animals in the hotel and I spent quite a nice time mainly with Red and Terry, but also with Georgia – she’s so nice! – Brannon and his family and a few members of the crew. What a day!

As you can guess, I will always remember my trip to Pfullendorf. These are the things that don’t happen too often in your life! :-)

[Iris Patricia]

:-) Hi Red! It's very nice to have you here on this website now! I hope you are fine and you had a chance to recover a little after returning to the states. I guess you already have a full schedule again - with all your activities. But as you love your job, I don't think this bothers you. ;-)

[Red Young]

It's taken me awhile to get around to joining the forum once again and I don't know how often I'm able to comment but I do enjoy seeing anyone and everyone in this community when we do shows. A lot of the time we go early the next morning or leave fairly soon after the show or I'm tired and sweaty and need a few minutes to cool down and when I'm able to come back out of the dressing room most everyone is gone. The European Tour this year was a wonderful time and I did have fun talking with Iris Patricia on several occasions. I've now been with Eric longer than a lot of aritists I've toured with and plan on being here for more years to come. It's always an exciting experience and enjoyable as well. Eric is very creative - not only on stage every night but also in ideas of songs to do, musicians to work with, books to read, paintings to paint and many other endeavors as well. This year in Europe I managed to get some of my favorite musicians on the band - Terry Wilson (bass) and I have known each other since 1971 (through a guy who was my best friend in high school and guitarist in my first band), worked with Eric in 1982 with Tony Braunagel and myself (and wrote Love Is For All Time on the Ark album of 1983) and continues to write songs and has a band with his wife Teresa James who also tours. Brannen Temple I met when I moved to Austin in 2002 who worked with another high school friend, Stephen Bruton, and I've been working with him in many capacities since then. We play together often and are good friends and have several projects together. Billy Watts I've known for several years, plays with Terry and Teresa in the Rhythm Tramps and has been touring with Eric for a few years as well (and also wrote Circuit Rider on the Soul of a Man album).

This year in addition to touring Europe for the first time since 2006, he wanted to add a young female artist from Crete to the show on Lyra (an ancient Greek instrument). Part of the challenge I have (and enjoyment as well) is to take all the creative ideas Eric has and make them work within the framework of the band. The blues has never been played (to my knowlege) on a Lyra, nor have half the songs we did during the European tour. It was fun to work with Georgia and the band to make all this happen - and seem like we've been doing these songs this way for a a long time. As Iris Patricia was a witness to, the songs and the way they were played changed from night to night and with this band sometimes we would talk about changes just before we went on and even then they would change during the performance depending on how we all feel at the time and the way we look at each other. It was really a treat to work with these folks and I look forward to doing it again throughout the year and see what we come up with next. The song "Nobody Knows You When Your'e Down And Out" Eric had been talking about doing for some time and the moment arrived at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. 2nd encore - what do we do? Hey Eric, let's do that song... OK. Here we go. Everyone enjoyed it. We did it twice more - Pfullendorf and Lichtensteig, Switzerland.

I look forward to doing it again. And meeting all of you again somewhere down the road.

Thanks again for a wonderful tour!!!

Red Young
www.redyoung.com

[Jean-Marie]

Hello Patricia, hello Edit,
All You wrote down here is so crystal clear... and it explains so well why art is not something "useless". ( I actually met people who think that way. I never understood them and probably never will.) Art is one of the rare things that makes sense in the existance of humans. The rest of nature is (or seems?) "immediate" - plants and animals "are", in the here and now, a most healthy state of mind that we miss all the time as we mostly know and think of the past and often are scared of the future.
When an artist is creative, writes a song, plays it in with the band, it is a kind of alchemy that happens: a kind of relating both the experience of life and - during the act of creating the song, remain for that time totally in the here and now. So art is the act of transposing a whole lot of conscient and unconscient things together, getting them to " the point".
And as all humans pass through similar situations in life, in different ways and at different times, on different backgrounds - a true piece of art touches us profoundly. We recognize ourselves, our experiences, hopes, laughters, fears in it and through it.
Everybody knows the pictures and sculptures from very ancient times, it is a pity we don't know anything about the music of the stone age people, their rythms, their songs - but they certainly knew music. Every period in history has a music of its own, Eric is one very important singer/musician for our time. He's continuing the work of those who preceded ( like Les Paul...) and prepares the ground for the young generations.
The songs You related above are timeless. They are allways true - just like House of the rising sun or Sky Pilot ( could have been called proud warrior 150 years ago:-) are timeless. San Francisco night or Monterey are songs that join the long list of dreams, utopias, desires of "paradise" that exist from on the ancient philosophers until today. They are as true as a late painting by Brueghel. Always actual. And the beauty of San Francisco Nights or Factory girl is so great that it immediately touches our heart, our soul and makes our emotional system come to boil. Simply overwhelming.
The possibility to put the common conscience this way together is the talent of great artists. It's so much more than just a basically materialistic value. The price to pay for doing that is fame - in both ways. Being admired as a god is as heavy to bear as jaleousy and hatred that Eric certainly encountered on his road. None of these extremes is close to the truth of the concerned person.
As You say so well, Patricia: to have respect for the person and being thankful for his art is the correct position. And as You say, Edit: people do get the message, they decode them, and of course the artists know that - elsehow nobody would be at the concerts or buy the records:-)))

Now my grey cells in my brain are a bit smoking, so I stop for today. ( ps for Patricia: it's good Youve got rid of Your ex. I don't think he was worth You ).
Love to All,
Jean-Marie

[Edith]

You're so right Iris and Jean-Marie. And as Julian said: Nothing more to say...I must tell a story: Every weekend Im riding my bike by the river at my home just for the health of my soul and my kilter. This is a very soothing place. Almost at all times I've listen Eric, Animals, blues and some cool rock from my music player. One day I was listen the song called: Heaven. And when Im looked around I thought I was at heavens door and I saw my father who passed away several years ago. I really felt my fathers closeness at it makes me warm inside my heart. I never felt uplifting feeling till then. When I was at a concert, Im want to say thank you for give me that feeling and so many others through the music, through the songs words. BUT they're all know that. So I didn't go.
They're encode feelings, thoughts into the music and the people are decode it! It's Your decision what do you get from it.
Have a great Sunday !

[Iris Patricia]

You are right with the things you say. But we needn't even talk about the extreme eamples, the real 'fan'atics. Also the 'normal' fans really can turn out to be a problem, I'm afraid. And the more popular an artist is, the worse it can get. Like you said, also famous artists are normal people with normal needs. And one of those for sure is privacy. The problem is, that the stars and the fans look at an encounter from completely different points of view. As a fan I share my life with 'my' star, he is part of my life, resides in my livingroom, when I turn on my cd player, I know what happens in his life as I read the papers and watch tv. So when I accidently meet him, for me it is like meeting an old friend or a family member. But for him I'm a stranger. I'm a fan - and he for sure likes having fans - but I'm just one of so many he never had seen before, who would like to shake his hand, have a talk, get an autograph... and so on. But the more people do that, the less privacy is left. Then it is no fun anymore to be so well known. It starts being stress, just running and hiding. Eric for sure has been going through this and might be quite sensitive at that point. And the fans might not even be aware that they step over some personal borderline...
When I saw Eric sitting at that table in front of the hotel, I knew that he just had performed, that he might be exhausted and that he must have left the venue immediately after the show. I guess at least partly to avoid having to run the gauntlet with all those fans there. Understandable! And - this I found out when I talked to him and Marianna - he already was about leaving the place, driving to the next venue the same night. I would hate to get on anybody's nerves. I don't want to be looked at like "Couldn't she just leave me alone?" I think I would have left him alone, just sitting there, relaxing, if I would not have missed a chance of meeting him already three years earlier. And I did regret this so much! Back then Marianna had invited me to come backstage after the show, but my extremely jealous (now: ex-)boyfriend got mad about that and so I declined, bringing up some stupid excuse. So when I met Eric this time I grabbed my chance. You don't get chances like these too often in your life, so how could I let it slip away a second time? And in the end I think it was okay, also for Eric. I am very thankful for him being so kind and talking so friendly with me. Yes, actually I'm sure, that it was fine with him. I'm sure he would have been honest enough to show, if I would have bothered him.
The problem is that there is no rule how to behave when you meet your star. All you can do is trust your sensitivity and to have respect. Every person is different. Every day is different. So respect is what you need to show with artists and all sorts of celebrities. Like you should show respect with all people you meet in your daily life. I think that is the key.

[Jean-Marie]

Hello Patricia,
I totally agree with You: nothing wrong about that, it's just normal and not egoistic in any way. You're just a normal "fan" - just like we all are around here:-))
When I said: artists ( or other "public" people - sports(wo)men or politicians a.s.o. never know the expectations of people, - Your way of acting is a very relaxed one... to say things clearly: John Lennon.
I mean it is the awful extreme, but mad people do exist, and even if they do not push things so far, another example is Bob Dylan who had a guy camping in front of his house for quite a long time pretending he was acting that way to get Bob back to the right path...
All of us know we're talking about music , art. Artists are "special" people, somehow, but also as "normal" as just everyone in their daily life. They can be tired, have bluesy moments, toothaches, headaches, - just like anyone. When they're into doing their thing, creating art, it's like throwing a message in a bottle to a mass of people. Now the "interpretations" by those who see or read or hear this "idea" is something that is totally out of control. In my own ( small and humble ) experience, one person once walked into the gallery and started shouting at everyone and behaving furiously - just because of the title of the show. On another occasion, someone just destroyed one of my works. He put it into thousand pieces...I still wonder what he SAW, I really don't know. I mean, it's just colour on canvas, not a nuclear weapon. And Eric's music are songs, filled with hope, despair, stories similar to everyone's stories - filled with emotions and whatever You want, but they're not a plague or a terrorist bomb nor are they a psychotherapy or a philosophical system...
I'm sure Eric enjoyed a lot talking to You, and I'm quite certain he liked it because You're a kind person. It's one of the most beautiful things for any artist when people say " thank You for what Your art gives to me".
It's sane. But projections some people throw on You, demands that cannot get a response, agressivity and worse: I think that's the dark side of fame... and artist's are aware of the possibility that nasty situations can happen - it starts with drunk people -so they have to keep a certain distance - even if this may seem unjust to people whose intentions are good. A sort of self-defense...
When Eric mentioned Michael Jackson in Saarbrücken, I think he was also thinking: what did they do to that poor guy... it started for Michael when his childhood was stolen.

But enough about that. You're totally o.k, we all know that:-)))

Jean-Marie

[Iris Patricia]

You are right, making the best of a situation, trying to see the positive sides, even when things are bad, is the healthiest way to cope with life. Even though sometimes you also need room to grieve or a way to let anger go. But I often see people - even if they are not "fifteen-years-old youngsters" anymore ;-) - who do nothing but complain. They don't even try to change a thing, but they do complain! So it makes me feel quite good, when I meet people with your attitude! :-)
You are right, I think Eric is aware of people being thankful. He sees the happy faces at every show and hears the applause. Nevertheless I am sure that it gives him a good feeling, too, to be told about it face to face. At least I would be that way. For me, when I talked to Eric, it was a very 'big thing' to let him know that I do exist and that he and his music had been part of my life since I was a little girl. It was a little bit like watching your favourite film over and over again - and then one day you suddenly can get in touch with one of the characters for a short while. You can talk to him and you get answers. This somehow changes everything, it makes the coulours of the film get brighter, because for just a moment you've been part of the storyline. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I know that this is the egoistic part of saying "Thank you!" and I'm aware of it. But I also think there is nothing bad about this kind of egoism. :-)

[Jean-Marie]

You're welcome, Patricia!
The way I look at things - well, You know. I'm not a fifteen-years-old youngster anymore, so I try to think and be positive " in spite of ", if You know what I mean. If "shit" happens in life, ( and it does, to everyone) it's better to go and try to change and fix up things by yourself instead of accusing the whole world around - that's what I try to say to myself quite often...sometimes it works:-)

I did not doubt a second that You said thanks to Eric - reading Your posting, and also because it's the only possible thing to do. And don't worry, of course he knows we're around and do exist, all of us . We're part of him, in a way, as he is of us. Through music - it's not a religion:-) - or maybe it is ? The only peaceful
one :-)))))

Enough philosophy ! Factory girl is pure emotion at it's best , a really wonderful song. Nobody could sing it like Eric does.
On the same album there is also a cover version of an old Talking Heads song, " Heaven ".
Eric makes something so special of this song - in fact, he re-invents it and makes it his. He pushes it into another dimension. Few artists are able to do such a thing in such an inspired way ( most cover-versions by other singers often sound like a pale shadow from the original ) - but Eric does. Actually, he's the only one I know, ( another exeption may be John Cale's piano version of Cohen's " Halleluja" on the Rainy Seasons Album , if I remember well...)
"Factury girl" and "Heaven" are two of the few songs that touch me to tears, sometimes.
Or " They can't take away our music", from the War period.. terrific. An artist who at some moments hits such a high level of communication is a rare pearl.

best regards, Patricia, love to all.
Jean-Marie

[Iris Patricia]

Thank you, Jean-Marie, for your words. I really like the way you look at things and your positive attitude!

I thanked Eric for the wonderful music he gives to us. I think I did speak for us all and it came from my heart. I truly am thankful for his music. Eric already gave me so much joy and such wonderful times... without even knowing of my existance. I thought he should know, he should hear explicitly about my thankfulness. That is all that I can give back. There are so many more who feel the same way...

'Factory Girl' is a most beautiful song. And Erc has the perfect voice for singing it. It is one of my favourites, too.

[Jean-Marie]

Hello Patricia - this is just fantastic !!!
These things happen when You're honest, I think. You give and get back - I often experienced that on different levels . And You're right - the whole band are really nice people, as I had the opportunity to briefly meet Red and Terry, also talk to Georgia...
It is a difficult situation to handle with. "Stardom", I mean... when You're a star, and Eric is a mythical star - then You never know what people "expect"... so as You just walk along, say hello and tell them they played a wonderful concert, I guess that's the right thing to do. That's what artist's are there for: let the sun shine into the common greyness of life. The people that love the music they play make them go on in their artwork, and by doing so, they give us back our love we give them.
Also, You said the band played " Factory girl". One of my absolute favourite songs, as my wife is from Brittany ( in France) and this song is kind of a wonderful celtic blues... I admit I would have loved a live version of this beautiful song.
best regards to You and to all,
Jean-Marie