Last Saturday, I found the Van Halen Video Hits got discount and without a doubt, I just bought it.

I watched it the next day, and I found the DVD so interesting. It contains the greatest hits of Van Halen with their three (ex)lead vocalists: David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone. The video clips are so nice to see, regarding the fact that I had never seen their video clips before (!) except Human Being and Without You. While watching the DVD, I surfed the internet for news about them and found The Dutch Van Halen Web Site. It was surprising remembering that rock is not so popular in this country.

From that website I saw the news that Sammy Hagar is back to be the lead vocalist of this band. I found this an incredible news! The latest vocalist was Gary Cherone, who used to sing in Extreme, but I think he's not so good in the band, he's just too Extreme. I can't hear Van Halen in him. With Sammy Hagar, Van Halen is just the real Van Halen again, thank God.

And now they are touring in USA, I hope next year they will remember us, their fans in Europe!!! According to the webmaster of The Dutch Van Halen Web Site, Corleen that I emailed after my finding of the website, the band has mentioned that they would have concert in Europe in summer 2005. So, I think I have to save money for the ticket from now on!!

Yesterday we went to the concert of Sting in Antwerpen, Belgium. This song suprises me that If I ever lose my faith in You is not the only religious song from Sting. The lyric remains people who forget God (including me :D) that God is always there when you need Him.

Whenever I say Your name (Sting feat. Mary J.Blidge)
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Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together

Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name

Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon
Whenever this world has gotten so strange
I know that something's gonna change
Something's gonna change

Whenever I say your name, Whenever I say your name,
I'm already praying, I'm already praying
I'm already filled with a joy that I can't explain

Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying

Whenever this world has got me down, whenever I shed a tear
Whenever the TV makes me mad, whenever I'm paralyzed with fear
Whenever those dark clouds fill the sky, whenever I lose the reason why
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together

Whenever the sun refuse to shine, whenever the skies are pouring rain
Whatever I lost I thought was mine whenever I close my eyes in pain
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way
I'm calling out your name

Whenever this dark begins to fall
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small
Whenever I feel like I could die
Whenever I'm holding back the tears that I cry

Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face
I'm already praying

Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I'm forced to lie awake and have to weep
Whenever I'm on the floor
Whatever it was that I believed before
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying

Whenever I say your name,
No matter how long it takes,
One day we'll be together

Whenever I say your name,
let there be no mistake
that day will last forever

Gegen pengemar berat Sting dan waktu bulan Mei dengar Sting bakal konser di Eropa, setelah gagal dapetin tiket di Rotterdam, akhirnya nyoba hunting tiket ke Belgia dan dapet . Tadinya konser ini bulan Mei. Kita udah sempet booking hotel semalem buat nginep abis konser, eh ternyata Sting-nya sakit tenggorokan . Jadinya konsernya diundur sampe bulan November, ya kemaren ini.

Karena Gegen udah gak punya jatah libur lagi, kita pulang-pergi aja ke tempat konser itu, di Antwerpen, Belgia. Jaraknya lumayan kalau naik mobil, kurang lebih 1,5 jam. Kita berangkat dari sini jam 3, nyampe Antwerp nyari parkiran dan tempat makan yang murah meriah. Kebetulan di depan gedung konser itu ada tempat makan pizza yang lumayan. Kita nyampe sana tepat waktu, karena abis kita masuk, berdatangan orang-orang ke situ yang mungkin bakalan nonton konser setelah makan. Setelah kita selesai makan aja, pelayannya langsung nyodorin bon buat dibayar karena udah banyak orang yang nunggu kursi kita. Gak sopan!

Karena waktu konsernya masih lama, kita jalan-jalan aja muterin daerah deket gedung konser itu. AKhirnya deket-deket waktu buka gedung konser, kita ngantri aja di antrian yang udah panjang. Di dalam gedung, kita nyari tempat kita. Kita dapet tiketnya yang berdiri, karena tiketnya memang sudah sold out. Tempatnya paling atas. Lumayan, daripada berdiri di depan panggung, ketutupan punggung bule-bule jangkung . Lama banget kita nungguin si Sting. Masuk gedung jam 19.00, dia nongol jam 21.30. Ada artis baru yang nongol sebelum dia, jazz gitu.

AKhirnya jam 21.30 Sting nongol juga. Gile konsernya main lampu, bagus banget. Selain itu di latar belakangnya suka ditampilin gambar-gambar bergerak yang bagus banget. Dia tampil dengan seragam item-item berkerah putih. Masih keliatan muda aja tu orang. Suaranya juga masih top lho. Dia nyanyiin beberapa lagu dari album barunya (Send your love, Whenever I say your name, Inside) tapi juga lagu-lagu lama dari jaman The Police kayak Every little thing she does is magic, Every breath you take dan Roxanne. Lagu-lagunya yang lain di antaranya If I ever lose my faith in you, Fields of Gold, Mercury falling, I was brought to my senses, dan favoritku Fragile.
Keseluruhan, konsernya bagus, kecuali pas dia mulai ber-jam session dengan kru bandnya yang lain. Pas lagu Roxanne, lagunya jadi rada bosenin karena dia ber-jazz ria. Selain itu di satu lagu barunya, di latar belakangnya ditampilin cewek yang nari meliuk-liuk. Waduh maksudnya apa tuh, kan kita mau lihat Sting, bukan yang di belakang .
Jadi ingat baca di salah satu koran gratisan di sini, waktu konser Sting di Rotterdam, Sting kayak mencoba jadi seksi dengan menampilkan latar belakang itu. Waduh, Sting, gak usah pake gituan orang juga udah seneng kok liat dan denger kamu nyanyi .
Oya, sayang tu konser Sting di sini, gak sempet keliput sama koran-koran di sini karena bertepatan waktunya dengan pembunuhan Theo van Gogh.

Setelah melihat konser Sting ini, aku baru nyadar ada lagunya yang bernada religius, selain If I ever lose my faith in You, yaitu Whenever I say Your name yang kayaknya lagu cinta (mungkin karena pake duet dengan Mary J. Blidge) tapi sebenarnya lagu rohani. Karena terkesan liriknya, aku muat aja di sini.

Konser kemaren ditutup dengan A thousand years, tentang cinta terpendam. Wih, bikin merinding banget .
Di bawah ini ada beberapa foto konser kemaren, rada gak jelas karena diambil dari jauh banget pake kamera standard, Sting-nya gak keliatan mukanya, di foto pertama ditunjuk pake panah :

It's been a long time since the last time I wrote something in this weblog.
Yesterday something horrible happened. The famous Dutch director, Theo van Gogh, was murdered by a radical moslem man. He was known as a free-minded critical person, although he could be very provocative. A lot of programs which included him was played again on TV, one of them was Wintertijd, a program that invites famous people here to show their expression of music, to tell about their favorite music. One of Theo van Gogh's favorite was The Carpenters. They played The Carpenters' clip from this song. I've heard The Carpenters before, but not really about their music or stuff. When I heard their song, damn, I was suddenly in love with them! Their music was so soft, simple but ooohh... I just can't describe.

So, thanks to Theo van Gogh, I dedicate this song for him...

Close to you (The Carpenters)
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Why do birds
Suddenly appear?
Everytime you are near
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you

Why do stars
Fall down from the sky?
Everytime you walk by
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you

(*) On the day that you were born
The angels got together and decided
To create a dream come true

So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
Of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue

(**) That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you