The sun is slowly going down, the air is filled with warmth and you're talking with friends, and get amazed with finding again people that belong to your family.
Ahh. Life is a bliss, and you feel that the day is going to that highlight that you have been waiting for. Where you have been talking about and what you are finally going to get.
The songs that are so familiar, the music that sounds so good, from the people that you know by their names. And the show is as you expected, a continuing recognition, and a non stop joy that is not only coming from the people on stage, but that is reflected by the crowd in front as well.

July 10th, 2000.

Like each morning you wake up and sigh a little,
Can't barely stand at your feet
Take a look at the mirror

Some cars are parked at the side of the road, we do the same.
We walk out, take the risk without an umbrella and we walk to the place where the few tents are standing, and where we hear some noise.
Walking to the stage we indeed see what we were thinking to see. Some people tried hard to make some music.

After having walked along the stables and having tasted the atmosphere, we went back to the car, to go to have something for dinner.
In the city I introduced my swiss company to a new event, and that is a shoarna dish.
After that we were sure that everyone ate enough we went back to the park, where the things were as if we were not gone.
O, yes, one difference, the guys on stage looked for sure different. :)

Because of the bad weather we decided to park ourselves under a small empty stable, where we could and did sit for a time. Safe from rain we watched the crowd, what is always fun. We could look very well, it wasn't that crowdie still.
And yeah, there we saw the first members of our family arriving. Ina and Richard joined us in our .. miracle stand and slowly more and more of "us" surrounded us.
The band members showed up and I don't know, somehow it all gathered around that miracle stable.. A family of around 20 people, familiar faces, familiar talkies between the people.
It is always a bit different to see the people alive than on stage. I think that it is as well for the guys different too.
We know them all from seeing them play, knowing their names from the pictures and memories, and they see us of course as public.
But what is the point, where did we come for? Music, isn't it?
In between there were still playing bands.
It rained, went dry, rained again and yes, another band was playing.
Not trying.

Loud hardcore went over the grass land.
I seriously wondered that us, Queen and Miracle lovers could hear after the show….

Miracle was again what we all expect from them and that is already alot.

It should not be me if I only say how good they are.
It should not be me if I only say how amazed I am, again and again, about the voice of Johnnie. He sings easy high, easy low, I heared him once saying a nature talent, but considering what the nature did yesterday (hmm.. crying clouds), I should not dare to say that mother nature is the best.
The guitar play of Rudi is very amazing. Again it is like a natural gift (or is all from his vilalge so perfect, all but me?? ) , and it is a delight to hear a wonderful band playing this wonderful music.

After the Silicon Head band that did perform and was more applauded because they finally ended their screaming, it was of course a delight to listen to the songs that Miracle can do so good.

The break that is needed to build up the own equipment and the dark, it didn't leave us alone, because talking with the people that you know so well is so nice. Any kind of reunion, with the faces you know so well.

Who were there?

A quite international company. Johnnie seems to have a reputation, with guiding some of his foreign fans through the country.
This time it was Outi from Finland.
Further there was the swiss company, that I know so well, and most of you know why.
Monika, Loris and Luca, and the boys both were amazed by seeing the Dutchies getting crazy during the show.
Billy, as nuts as usual (and as proud on it as usual too. :)
Nataly, as sweet as ever, and as much fan as a true groupie can be
Eva, the die hard Miracle girl, with her Sjors Wouter, known from several chats.
My colleague Richard with his hamsterlady Ina, and her friend Suzanne.

And some others, a bit less known, but also coming there and staying there for the late in the evening gig.

It was raining and most of the fans were gathered under a hugs piece of plastic. Do not say that that counts for the amount of fans, for the plastic was huge!
It was, wasn't it?
Yes it was, right? Cm' on guys.. IT WAS HUGE RIGHT??

Tschjaaaaa.....

Let me welcom'y' ladies and gentlemen....

We did have a great time. I don't know if it was for Miracle, but for ME it was the first time I saw them alive playing in the open air.

The conditions were far from perfect, I thnk the sound wasn't that perfect, due to the installation..
And if I listened carefully, I think that Johnnie was a tiny bit nervous, for not all notes came out perfect.
But what the heck does that matter...

The Queen songs were again a fest of recognition, the songs were wonderful.
And Miracle surprised us with a brand new song at their list, the Gr8 King R@. :)
Having seen Miracle several times now, it seems that they develop in getting more and more music from the earlier years of Queen.
And I must say, that those pure and rocking songs fit Miracle wonderful well.
The songs, of Queen, are less perfectionated than in the later years, and the rock is more pure.
For me (but shoot me if I am wrong) that is the power of Miracle. Their best songs are the rock songs.
Or.. is it my unconditional addiction for Rock? :)

Talking about preferring the rock sounds, it is always amazing me that Miracle has the guts to do the difficult songs as well.
Bohemian Rhapsody, for example. Starting with the guys singing a capella...

Appearantly my colleague and his girlfriend were so exited by practizing the text of this song, that even Johnnie woke up out of his extacy of singing and could not resist to correct the young miracle couple a little. :)

The show was good, but, I cannot deny it, I think that the show in Vlaardingen was better, most of all because technically the things were settled better, and I suspect a tiny little bit that Johnnie was not at his best voice. Imagine, even with what he song now he already rocked our socks of, so what will it be next time in Vlaardingen?

Since the appearance of Rudi in Miracle, every show I saw I was admired with his guitar playing.

WIthout saying anything bad about the rest of the members, I think that the guitar play of Rudi is a very important part of all the performance.
He plays very natural, and his sound is really showing spirit and even if it is no guild, it is fabulous and great to hear him playing.
The break of the string did only stop the show for a second, but his second guitar, with the red and green colors, that I remember so well from Waalre, did do its work damn good indeed!

Miracle did a nice rocking show from almost an hour and that is sooooo short!!!! Not even allowed to sing one single extra, the end was of course with the Wilhemus Anthem. :).

I enjoyed myself very much.
It was ashame that there were only so little people, but well, us all who survived rain and cold, we did know it was worth and some others that accidentically did stay, or curious.., they did not regret it at all and I suspect that there might be a tiny bit new Miracle fans around now....

It is not easy to play alive in an open air area, sure not with the bad weather and only a handful of people (make it 20 hands, I think that there were around 100, but my counting is terrible.....).

In short..
Miracle did what we expected.
Gave us what we wanted, Queen music
Brought our little family again together
The family of so many good souls and known faces
and made us feeling proud of having waited all that day for it.
We walked out, after midnight, in the dark wet night. With the live cd from their performance at the Dutch convention in our pockets.
In the car home we played the album. Nice to hear that already so familiar sound.
So nice to sing along. And pretending that we can sing so good, that we all are

Hans

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