Fusion Festival

It has taken me a whole week to write about this experience I had last weekend, number one because I was so dam tired after getting back and had so much to do I could not make the time, the second reason was also because it was so much to take in it has taken me this long to sort through my thoughts and memories.
It started by me getting to Bremen on Wed evening a few hours later than I wanted, but it was really nice to see my Guddi-Girl again, she we had not managed to catch up since sometime in Dec or Jan last year. Far too long.
Thursday it was decided that she was feeling better enough to go to the party so I shopped for food and drinks and she cleaned out the van and about 4 hours after we decided to go, we left picking up Henning along the way, Henning was also a Fusion virgin so nice to have a newbie with us for the ride.
It took us I think 4.5 hours to get to the part of former East Germany where the party is held "einmal jahrlich punklich sein" (sorry I don't have Umlauts on my laptop) It is a great piece of land, a former Soviet Air Base with covered earthen hangers for the MIG's and such. We came off the autobahn and just a few klms down the road came across the craziest traffic jam ever! It took us another 4.5 hours to just to the the entrance of the place in total a 5 km crawl, and then 6 rows of cars trying to get into the camping place it was total kaos! We were met by Sascha who got us into the back stage and Friends area near the "workshop" hanger and luckily did not have to get again into a line to try and find a camping spot in the middle of the darkness.. thank goodness!!!!
Deciding to just get it over with and set up the tent and car we finished just as the sun was rising and greeting us for the day. At first we were alittle sad that we were not near any of our friends, but after seeing how they were all crammed in like sardines we quickly became happy that we had the place we did, and that it was quiet (I actually did not have to sleep with ear plugs for the first time in years at a party) I think we had a few people drop by and say hello, had a few drinks and then GG and I tried to get some sleep.
Waking up on Friday late in the morning was great, I felt totally fresh and ready to go. I think we had a couple of more visitors and then decided to go have a look at the land.


Each year it is basically the same layout with the Main Rocket stage being in one of the hangers, the Lake stage, Tower stage and the Shoebox and Datscha stages each inside the hangers, as well as a new Tent Stage this year. There is also a movie theater and performance theater as well as some kind of living arts "Free Radical" bar each, inside hangers. The Goa dance area is nicely tucked away at the other end of the festivities, and thankfully we mostly don't have to listen to the music or see the day glow colours.
As Guddi and I were walking along the area I was telling her I could hear a horse, after about three times we saw it come around the corner. It was incredible made from all kinds of metal and parts it came rolling down the road. It's head, ears, neck could all move wow. If I can figure out the add photo feature of this program you'll get to see it as well.













Then as we were strolling across the land we ran into Andy and Mandy.... White Tennis rim, light blue and pink velour jogging suites, white tube socks with stripes tucked into the suites and blue shower flip flops. I can't exactly tell you why it was disturbing to see but it was, especially later when they came to visit us at Gudrun's van and looked like they belonged in front of the fore-tent with it's 80's coloured curtains.



I don't remember a lot from Sat afternoon and evening. I remember running into Matthias and then after a few drinks I really needed to get some sleep.
Sat morning I really just needed to relax, some friends from Bremen came by for a visit and a drink. I was reading my new book Transmission which reminds me a lot of Douglas Coupland's style but a good story and kept me reading.
Later we wandered over to our Bremen friends' for a BBQ and then went to see New Model Army play. It was pretty cool, having not really knowing their music, then we went over to the Tower hanger and met with Steffi and Sandra to listen to the music there Jake Fairley which was also good, then we had a cocktail and went to get something warmer on. Later I ended up wandering around the whole night with Matthias and taking photos, which was great to have a DP (Director of Photography) until the sun came up.









We stopped by Bar 25 which was tucked into a nice little forest glade and found that Sven Dhose was holding court there in a pretty Naff outfit. He saw my camera and I could swear was posing for me. So I pretended to be like a Paparazzi and took a photo of him from the back. The Bar 25 apparently is the new hot spot in Berlin where everyone goes to see and be seen, but it was nice to see all the crazy things that go bump in the night, but it was time for me to get some sleep and get ready for the Sunday ahead.

After a few hours sleep it was Sunday. It is strange how Sundays at the Fusion seem to hold the best memories for me. The amazing weather, the melon bowl and great music. Everyone seems to gather at the dance floor on Sunday afternoon. All the lovely people from Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin. This is the time I guess we catch up with those people who you had not yet seen.
After a trip back to the van and a refill of the Bowl and of course reapplying sun cream the afternoon flew by, my dear friend Dirk came along and asked if Sandra and I would like to visit with Herr Dr Hoffman, which I decided might actually be a fun way to end the party. I remember at one point the DJ was mixing some Pink Floyd and it made me remember that Live 8 was probably going on at that point and that for the first time in 25 years Pink Floyd were playing together again. What a cool thing.


The Lake stage shutting used to mean, that everyone would slowly make their way back to their camping and then maybe the Shoebox, but not anymore. The party still goes on. We did go back to the camping place and relax for a while before heading off to see the end concert with the singer from NMA. But for me the place was too hot and sticky to stay so Sandra, Christian and I all headed off to the Datscha hanger where there was also some good music going on. We promptly lost Christian in the crowd so we headed up stairs and found a nice comfy sofa to sit on and look out on the land from what I can best describe a apres ski balcony. After some time, we realized that we might loose out spot if we leave to go get drinks, but then Robert, Dirk and Oli showed up and we asked Dirk if he would be so kind a to get the beers for us. He was. So again we had nice seats and cold beers and a great view. At one point Dirk wanted Whiskey so I walked with him over to the camping place because I knew where the bottle was, and then we walked back. We found Sandra and Oli asleep, so more adventures came and we climbed up the side of the rocket hanger but sadly the rocket was locked, and then back towards the camping place and found Christian and some stupid loud girl who thought I was Dutch but they were headed over to the Bar 25, but that was a little boring so I showed Dirk the Hobbit town behind the Lake Stage and then wandered back towards our camping places. We found Sandra back there chatted with her for awhile and then decided it was enough and went to sleep.

Of course we only could sleep a few hours, Dirk had to catch his ride back, but we woke to a nice breakfast from Sascha and slowly began taking the tents apart and packing the van. It was so hot. I don't remember when we left but we stopped several times on the way back to Bremen, because I was driving and I needed some good breaks. We even got pulled over by the police for a control, and although that was more than a little stressfull it all worked out cause we had all the necessary stuff on hand. They also asked me (the driver) if in the last day I had taken any drugs or alcohol, I said "In the last day? No sir not today" So they tested my eyes with a flashlight and sent us on our way. Just before we got to Bremen we drove into a CRAZY storm where you could hardly see the road before you and the wind was blowing really hard onto the van. It lasted maybe only 15 min but it felt much much longer.
After getting home, unpacking the van with all the necessary things we all took turns having showers and drank some wine and then fell asleep.
The next morning we relaxed a little and then I made my way to the train station narrowly catching it, and then again in Osnabreuck. But I got back to Den Haag around 7:30 and ran into my friend Alex who gave me the run down on the Live Aid concerts on the tram ride home. I still had time to wash my clothes and relax before going to sleep.
Sigh it was over in just a flash, I wish I had time to go to the Nations of Godwana but I doubt I can make it again before I head off to Canada for the 3 weeks in Aug. I guess it will have to be the Sea U Site at the end of Aug.