Back to concert life after a two-weeks break. The first COMA ALLIANCE show was also my first concert in 2019, and luckily I did not have to travel far since it was just around the corner at the Kulttempel Oberhausen, where I am a regular guest. You might wonder what COMA ALLIANCE is? I guess you heard of DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA already? COMA ALLIANCE is their joint project.After the joint tour of DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA in 2016 under the title “Coma Alliance” the rumour mill churned: The talk has been of a joint project and an album of Adrian Hates (DIARY OF DREAMS) and Torben Wendt (DIORAMA). For decades, their path crossed time and again while touring or at music productions, leading to the decision to finally use the common musical wavelength, forge a new project out of it and give room to something new - COMA ALLIANCE. This time, there is not only a joint tour, but also a completely new album under the COMA ALLIANCE moniker. ‘Weapon of choice’ was released on 16 November 2018 as CD and on all common download and streaming portals.
As I mentioned, there was a joint tour announced which consists of nine dates: seven concerts in Germany and two shows in Russia as one band with one joint stage show. The live band consists of members from DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA. The two front men, Adrian Hates and Torben Wendt, are accompanied by Max from DIARY OF DREAMS on keyboards and by Zura from DIORAMA on guitar. Our special tour diary will lead us to:
11 Jan 2019 - Oberhausen, Kulttempel
12 Jan 2019 - Hamburg, Markthalle
17 Jan 2019 - Frankfurt, Batschkapp
18 Jan 2019 - Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
19 Jan 2019 - Munich, Backstage
25 Jan 2019 - Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
26 Jan 2019 - Dresden, Reithalle
The complete tour is supported by IN STRICT CONFIDENCE as special guest. We all know IN STRICT CONFIDENCE and their hits like ‘Zauberschloß’, ’Herzattacke’, ‘Silver Bullets’ or ‘My Despair’ just to name a few of their near 30 years history in Electronic / Synth genre. With ‘Hate2Love’ comes their 13th album, released in September 2018. Whether the true translation of the album title means “Hate to Love (change)” or “hate to love” leaves IN STRICT CONFIDENCE deliberately open. If you get involved in the new work ‘Hate2Love’, you will experience a thrilling journey into the emotional sound world of the band. Referring to old strengths and yet so refreshingly young. Also there was co-producer Rhys Fulber (FRONTLINE ASSEMBLY, PARADISE LOST, FEAR FACTORY), who contributes to the industrial electronics sound. A dozens of new songs are presented by STRICT CONFIDENCE. Danceable titles like ‘Used & Abused’ blending with melancholy on ‘Stay’ to create a varied work of art where old and new fans alike will get their money's worth. The band line-up for the COMA ALLIANCE tour is stripped down to three persons on stage, meaning front man Dennis Ostermann, keyboarder Joerg Schelte and guitarist Haydee Sparks.
11th January - Kulttempel, Oberhausen, Germany
As I already told you, the tour started at the cosy Kulttempel in Oberhausen. It was a cold and rainy Friday evening when we drove down the highway to the venue. It took us less than one hour, anything went smooth and we were lucky that we had no snow in our region. Not that I mind having snow in winter, but for touring activities, free highways are much appreciated. We arrived about thirty minutes before door opening and already there was a decent amount of people waiting in front of the club. At the end it turned out that the Kulttempel was packed later with more than 500 attendees. When we entered the venue, first thing we spotted on stage were four huge LED screens for the COMA ALLIANCE show. This made us already curious about the light show. In front of those screens, there were two big canvases for the video projections of IN STRICT CONFIDENCE. The time until the show started went fast. We chatted with a lot of friends we haven’t seen for a long time and anyone was very curious what to expect. After all, this was the first show ever in this constellation. It was ten to nine when the lights went down and the stage was open for IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
Around 8:50 keyboarder Jörg Schelte, enchanting guitarist HayDee Sparks and frontman himself Dennis Ostermann, also known as IN STRICT CONFIDENCE (even though it was a stripped down version of the band), entered the stage. It was actually not the first time that ISC were supporting at least one part of COMA ALLIANCE on stage. A few years ago, in 2014, they also opened for DIARY OF DREAMS and so I was looking forward to have them as special guests again as I really enjoyed their show in the past as well as the last time when I saw them at the M’era Luna Festival.
The setlist was a fantastic best-of collection; even for those in the audience who were not really familiar with the band before, there should have been more than one song that they knew. The show of ISC is a special musical and visual experience. The songs are electronic hymns, some of them well-known for decades now and always hiding something dark and secret in them. The visual part of the show is for sure the video clips that are shown for every song on the screens. And every one of them is a masterpiece. One video that impressed me a lot when I saw it for the first time was ‘Forbidden Fruit’. It is for sure both, the music and the visual interpretation of it that makes it so atmospheric.
Also the band members themselves are making an effort about their stage outfits. Most of all the guitarist HayDee Sparks for sure. An enchanting smile, a breath-taking latex dress and the unique stage presence while playing guitar with the coolest attitude - for sure a highlight. The last song of the 50-minute-set is ‘Zauberschloss’. The unique voice of Dennis, HayDee doing the mandatory performance on stage and this special song with kind of wings - and the audience is more than warmed up for the headliner of the night. Great performance!
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
Coma Alliance
Wow. We’ve been waiting for this night for more than five months now (and wishing for this to happen for like forever). Torben Wendt and Adrian Hates not “only” sharing the stage, but creating something very new and unique. First thing on stage we noticed was the unusual set of instruments on stage. No drums. But very dominating in “keys” and instruments that at least looked a bit like that but weren’t at all. And unusual was also the start of the gig, as the performance started with the intro of the debut album of COMA ALLIANCE, a title called - ‘Unusual’. And the atmosphere got immediately loaded. If you didn’t know before (well, I did), but this was going to be one of the most epic starts for a concert year. Whoever might come later, they will have to make some effort to come close to this. And one of the most impressive things happened already during that song when Zura started doing magical things and got impressive sounds out of this… instrument! I could have watched him like forever doing this. But, other not less exciting things were about to happen!
And literally everyone on this night at the legendary Kulttempel in Oberhausen was excited. Every. Single. Person. Everyone in the crowd, but you could literally feel the excitement of the musicians on stage. No wonder. While all of them have shared the stage with one or another, this combo was absolutely new. When ‘Unusual’ ended, the crowd was already absolutely ecstatic. Not bad for a self-called newcomer band. The next song should be known by everyone as it was also the song with the very first, and by the way amazing, video and first COMA ALLIANCE song we heard at all - ‘Royd’ (btw., by this time me and my sister in crime already planned to do the entire tour. Without having heard ANY song of that new project before. That’s what you call TRUST. Or madness. Whatever. We didn’t regret it, not even for a second so far).
Just after ‘Royd’ came to an end, we got to know for real what COMA ALLIANCE was supposed to be: an amazing mix of COMA ALLIANCE, DIORAMA & DIARY OF DREAMS. Three bands sharing one stage during ONE gig. Wow. I must admit, my brain got a little confused since it was very unique to change between all these bands in such a short time. But it was a kind of a very positive confusion that just impressed my brain a lot I believe. First “not-CA” song was ‘Decipher Me’, originally by DIARY OF DREAMS, followed by a DIORAMA song called ‘Ignite’. But, the arrangements changed sometimes more, sometimes less, and so every time there was a lot to discover even about the well-known songs. But the most impressive about all this was it to see Adrian Hates co-performing DIORAMA songs! Wow! Never even thought about it to happen. While Torben has been a kinda on-&-off-keyboarder and back-vocalist for DIARY OF DREAMS for many years now, Adrian has been never part of DIORAMA (as far as I know, at least?) and so see them perform songs like ‘Ignite’, ‘Kein Mord’ or ‘Child Of Entertainment’ together on stage was just mind-blowing.
But, don’t forget about all the COMA ALLIANCE songs from the debut ‘Weapon Of Choice’ that were performed live for the very first time tonight in Oberhausen. Holy s**t. That was beyond all expectations. Like the album itself already has been. One of my favourites ‘Sepia’ turned around the corner and that was just amazing. And all the energy. With every song you could see how the four musicians got used more and more to the new songs and constellation on stage and for sure relieved when they saw how enthusiastic and warm the new project was welcomed by the audience. A huge surprise was ‘Retaliation’ by DIARY OF DREAMS. I almost cried. So unexpected! Oh, but no time to calm down… ‘Trembler’ and ‘Starfruit’ just next. Whoa. So happy to hear these songs live. I was especially really curious about ‘Starfruit’ live! So cool.
This setlist just killed me. Wow. Of course there was one song, I was missing a lot (and still do). But honestly, with all these choices, I wouldn’t like to do that part and choose the songs neither. Great job! And there was not just one encore, but two! While the first was dedicated to literally some of the most iconic songs by DIORAMA with ‘HLA’ and DIARY OF DREAMS with ‘She’ (big love, many thanks for these choices!), the second encore started with two COMA ALLIANCE songs ‘Buttons’ & ‘Dark Vibes’ and ended this world stage premiere surprisingly with ‘Traumtänzer’. Of course it was once more for the crowd to sing out loud here before the gig ended. At the end, it was a pleasure to see all four having so much fun on stage together and being overwhelmed by the extraordinaire audience. Thanks to Oberhausen for welcoming this awesomeness with so much love and energy.
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
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17. HLA
18. She
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19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
After the gig there was a DIORAMA & DIARY OF DREAMS party at the Kulttempel that we (Eva & Nastja) enjoyed before heading back to the train station. But before talking to many others about all that just happened on stage. Most of us were actually just speechless and would need a night or two to sort it out and realize what just happened.
12th January - Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany
After 4.5 hours on train (no delays, impressive), at 7 am we arrived in our home-town Hamburg where the second gig of the tour was about to happen in little more than ten hours. Caught little sleep, the alarm turned on at 3 pm which still felt way too early. Trying to get ready for the second of the seven nights and wondering about concerts that start so early in the morning (that’s how “doors open: 7 pm” feels like, when you wake up at 3. Or kinda try to wake up). Well, the excitement won and so back to business. Arrived at Markthalle around 6:30 where some of the other people who know that one or two concerts would never be enough of this already have been waiting.
At the Markthalle we met so many people we knew, that was just amazing. Some were there “just” for this gig, others planned about 3-5 and some others also to get them all. Concerts are a unique and really cool way to meet so many friends who you sometimes don’t see in ages. Also met my team here again of course (Marcel and Dani). I really like the Markthalle venue for the wide steps that make it possible for many people to have a good view on stage even without standing in the front row. But unlike in Oberhausen, this time we actually did. Also somehow they managed that it didn’t get so hot inside anymore. I remember a few concerts where it got really hot and sweaty in the venue, but during the last shows that I’ve been here to it changed to the better which is appreciated a lot.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
As the night before IN STRICT CONFIDENCE opened the gig, this time around 8 pm. The band came on stage and was welcomed by the audience warmly just from the beginning. At that point we already foresaw that the audience in Hamburg would be at least as great as the crowd already was in Oberhausen. Once again ISC presented a great show to the audience and I realised how I got even more into them during this gig. Also there was more space on stage for the stage instruments and other technical stuff, so the whole performance appeared even more cool and engaging. HayDee changed her outfit. The latex outfit tonight had a kind of violet skirt that used to change the colour with the stage lights. By the way, the light was really cool tonight. Also Daniela noticed that while taking pictures. And even for ‘Zauberschloss’ the wing-cape thing she wore changed and there were actually colourful lights on it. Small things that made us happy and HayDee spark ;) The performance was as perfect as the night before and the audience was already celebrating a lot during their stage time.
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
Coma Alliance
Of course the feeling tonight was very different. In Oberhausen the whole setlist was a surprise and I really appreciate these “first times”. Especially this time when there was a completely new project on stage. But on the other hand, once you get the whole picture you can focus a lot more on details and look forward some things. And you still never know if the musicians decide to change something or how the energy between the band and the audience will be. Everything can happen live and that makes every single time so unique.
Hamburg didn’t need much time to get used to the new project at all. While we were still totally flashed from Oberhausen, it was even more impressive how electrifying the atmosphere in the Markthalle was. And the guys were even more relaxed just from the start. The energy of Zura, Max, Torben and Adrian grew together to an immense fireball. And the front duo Adrian and Torben melt together, never losing their individual style and attitude. Depending on the song and the parts of a song, sometimes Torben, other times Adrian came to the front edge of the stage. And then they just performed together. With the most amusement I think back of ‘Butterfly:Dance!’ here. Somehow I believe that was one of the songs where Torben and Adrian had probably a lot of fun. Just start laughing again when I think about the performance. Check the gallery to get the positive vibes from that gig.
Overall there was so much fun on stage. Torben dancing around and making some interesting facial expressions, sometimes doing a little weird stuff (as we know and love him), Adrian smiling all the way and having fun with his colleagues and the crowd, all the way motivating everyone to sing along and enjoy the show. Oh and please give me a second to appreciate the phrase on the back of Torben’s shirt: “Too drunk to f**k”. Thanks for the laugh and the sarcasm in that. Not only the light, but also the sound seemed to be on point in Hamburg. It was an overall pleasure to experience this show. The four screens behind the band showing direct kinds of projections or sometimes just “Coma” or “Alliance” did their job pretty well. Sometimes calm and forcefully, sometimes hectic as the message of COMA ALLIANCE is.
Though the atmosphere turned out very positive and energetic, the message of the songs isn’t all about that. As “Coma” reveals the songs a lot about the numbness of the society, the things that happen and we way too often feel about as we cannot change them. And the message totally came through. Nevertheless COMA ALLIANCE is not at all about being stuck in the depression or the feeling of the inability to do anything. It is more about the wake-up call to every single one of us and that is what the guys totally achieve with their songs as well as their live performance. So the second gig ended, with ‘Traumtänzer’ as the night before (shout-out to the probably drunk woman who appeared suddenly behind me at the end and managed to sing that song as crooked and wrong as I’ve never heard before. Wow! Impressive).
A lot of emotions spread out when the gig ended and the lights were turned on. We stayed a bit around at the “Return Of The Living Dead” Party that started just after the concert in the Markthalle, met a lot more people who we haven’t seen for a long time and danced a bit.
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
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17. HLA
18. She
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19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
So that was the first weekend with IN STRICT CONFIDENCE & COMA ALLIANCE and while the two gigs as always passed by in no time, the anticipation for the next two weekends just has risen immensely.
17th January - Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany
And here we go again. It’s 17th of January, Thursday and time to start the 2nd part of the COMA ALLIANCE tour that will bring us to Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich… so for us from Northern Germany pretty much to the South. After a few so called “off-days” (means: work, study, some household and all this stuff) we are about to go to Frankfurt. Our train is surprisingly on time in Frankfurt and so we just take a metro to a friend’s place where we stay tonight. Before getting some food and get to talk about anything as we haven’t seen each other for almost a year. This is one of the many advantages of all these concert trips: you always can connect it with meeting people you haven’t seen in a while and make new friends of course. The time passed by very quickly and so it was about time to leave to get to the Batschkapp.
I haven’t been here before, and beside of it being again in a very charming industrial area, the venue was HUGE! Not bad at all for a “newcomer band”. Actually very impressive! So we met again a lot of familiar faces and used the time to talk about the first tour weekend without spoiling too much to those who haven’t seen a concert of COMA ALLIANCE yet. This show and the two following were the once with the “smaller” audience. But nevertheless, any of the “Southern” shows had a special charm with i.e. a special birthday today in Frankfurt.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
And again it is around 8pm when the lights turn off and the special guests on this tour - IN STRICT CONFIDENCE - enter the stage. Surprisingly the stage lights turn out pretty dark today, so it’s quite difficult to see the faces of the musicians which is a pity. But beside of that IN STRICT CONFIDENCE celebrate a perfect show on stage again and all of us enjoy the gig a lot. We start realizing that we become more and more fans with every performance and enjoy the songs a lot. As it is: the 50 minutes pass by way too quickly though we cannot wait to see COMA ALLIANCE as well. The dark light setting has created its own atmosphere though I guess I prefer to see the facial interaction and so the musicians’ charisma on stage. Once more we all are really grateful for this special guest on this tour.
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
Coma Alliance
After a short break everything is set up for COMA ALLIANCE and we are absolutely excited about this second part. Will they change something? Batschkapp gets a bit more crowded but either it is not as full as in Oberhausen and Hamburg, or the venue is just slightly too big. Nevertheless there are many people and it’s Thursday also. It just feels big, very big. But then… this intro again. ‘Unusual’ just gives so many shivers. All the excitement is exploding here. Even for us who already have seen the first two gigs, it is still so intense and indescribably fascinating. After the first four songs, Torben uses the break to talk to the audience. As he says, the social media probably already told about it (we knew it anyway), today was the 46th birthday of Adrian Hates himself. As Torben told us it was the very first time for Adrian to perform on stage on his birthday. Also Torben not just congratulated Adrian, but “the Prince of the Darkness”. Thanks for the laugh!
Before Torben continued, as he announced to sing for Adrian with us, Adrian just said “I need a drink”. His wish was fulfilled immediately and Eike - a crew member - appeared from the backstage with a glass of white wine. So as he took a sip, his colleagues and friends on stage started playing and singing “Happy Birthday” and everyone joined in. Thanks to Max and Torben the song turned out pretty good and Adrian was just smiling heartily. Really amazing and in its own way a private moment that we all were able to share here! Adrian leaned on Torben’s shoulder for a moment, and as Torben asked for a drink as well, Adrian just gave him his glass, as he called it “glass-sharing”. When we finished singing, Adrian promised to stay another 46 years on stage. We were really happy to hear that of, as we just commented to ourselves with “our retirement is safe!” We wish you that you can keep that promise and lots more, dear Adrian.
So this moment alone made the gig in Frankfurt really special, but of course also all the songs and the special interaction between all four musicians. The choreography got better and better, “You and I got lost in rainbows” (from Butterfly:Dance!, by Adrian Hates), ah, sigh. Though the setlist was the same, the atmosphere was different as it is with every show. It is not always easy to describe, but every city and venue with all the people, different stages is never the same as the places before. So after another beautiful and memorable gig it was soon time to get back to our friend’s place. Of course as always we talked with a bunch of people after the gig, but as there was no after-show party, the staff asked us to leave pretty soon. So we just took the metro back to the North of the city and used the short walk from the station to the place where we stayed to calm down a little though of course our friend still had to listen to our stories before we all went to bed.
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
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17. HLA
18. She
---
19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
18th January - Im Wizemann, Stuttgart, Germany
That was a luxurious night, we could get a nice amount of sleep before leaving the apartment to find breakfast and get to the train station. It got colder, but the day welcomed us with blue sky and sunny weather and so we were more than motivated to continue our trip. Well, whenever you think that the tour with the German Railway should be really relaxing, forget about it. The trip from Frankfurt to Stuttgart, planned with 1.5 hours, was the shortest of the whole tour and as we planned to leave Frankfurt around 1 pm, we still should have a plenty of time in Stuttgart. We should. First the train was over half an hour late when it finally arrived at the station. We just jumped in and… waited. Not the most reassuring, but quite amusing announcement on the train while we were still standing was this: “Dear …, we are still searching for the problem. We will close the doors now and see what happens. [short break] And open the doors again then.”
Well after a long while we finally started moving towards Stuttgart and until that moment we’ve been still pretty relaxed. We didn’t get far… the German announcement was longer and more explaining, the English one was just “... welcome to the ICE to Mannheim”. Wait, what? Well, we already heard the reason in German. The train ended just short after leaving Frankfurt due to being so late. Wow. Thanks. Not. So to our 1.5 hour-journey we added 2 hours of delay and so when we finally arrived at our hostel, we just had a bit of time to make our beds, refresh, pack a bag for the concert and lets go. After half an hour of walk and Google Maps trying to tell us to cross the road where there was really no other chance to do it unless you can fly, we finally found the Wizemann area. Industrial tour all the way. Some others were already waiting there. When we finally got inside (the temperature dropped below 0 °C) it was a great thing to be in the warmth again. Ah, these winter-tour dates.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
Well, when you stand in front of the stage, the musicians enter the stage and the enchanting guitarist HayDee Sparks starts smiling when she sees the front row as the faces are just familiar, then this tour feeling comes up and everyone is just smiling and looking forward to another great night. And also this time we just enjoy this perfect show, the deep and shiver-causing voice of Dennis Ostermann, the timeless songs and the most breath-taking charisma of HayDee. Watching the new and old video clips you’ll always find another detail you probably haven’t seen before. HayDee changing her outfits every night and everyone just impressed that she is not “only” playing guitar and performing in these really high heels, but even dismantling the stage set-up after the IN STRICT CONFIDENCE gig, so the stage can be prepared for COMA ALLIANCE then. Impressive!
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
Coma Alliance
Stuttgart was a very special one. First of all the venue “Im Wizemann” here is one of the smaller ones on this tour, so everything feels closer and cosier. Beside of that Stuttgart is kind of a home game for 2/4 of COMA ALLIANCE as the home base of DIORAMA is actually Reutlingen that is very close to Stuttgart. The concert feels extremely personal. The atmosphere is familiar. Before playing ‘Child Of Entertainment’ Torben dedicates the song to the other two DIORAMA guys who were not joining COMA ALLIANCE live, but are actually in the audience tonight: Markus and Felix. Wondering how it was for them to see Torben, Zura, Adrian and Max perform some of the DIORAMA songs while being in the audience… Also some family members of the musicians were obviously there and so all in it was a very pure and emotional gig. We got another two hours of music, watching the guys on stage perform magic on stage: with their instruments, their voices and their own and our emotions. The choreography for ‘Butterfly:Dance!’ got more perfect again and for the first time we thought about joining in the “rainbow move”.
The version of ‘Traumtänzer’ we got today made me fall in love with the song again. To be honest it didn’t feel very fitting at first to finish the COMA ALLIANCE concerts with that song, as it’s “only” a DIARY OF DREAMS song, but Torben and Adrian managed to rearrange the version tonight so the frenzy instantly crawled in every part of body and mind: from the beginning Adrian and Torben performed the lines alternately. Such a small change, such an enormous effect! Shivers everywhere and the emotions took over again. And almost every night some small, sometimes hardly noticeable changes in the way the guys play and sing or perform that make every single night unique, as Stuttgart was too. After the last encore Torben shortly came down into the photo pit, hugged his son who was sitting down there by the side, took his hand and walked together with him back across the stage and behind to the backstage. It was probably one of the cutest moments ever.
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
---
17. HLA
18. She
---
19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
19th January - Backstage, Munich, Germany
The “Munich Day” started quite relaxed. Getting some breakfast and taking a pretty early train to Munich, this time without delays… surprisingly. During the train ride the landscapes outside changed their color from grey and murky to shiny white. The winter welcomed us while travelling through Bavaria. Munich itself greeted with freezing cold, blue sky and lots of sunshine. It was my first time in Munich ever (beside of changing the train to go further South more than ten years ago), so Eva was my guide today and showed me around. Munich has an impressive historical city centre, so it was great to have the time to walk around. The traditional hot chestnuts that you can buy at almost every corner here during this time of the year helped to warm up a little and bring back the memories of previous DIORAMA gigs.
When we arrived at Backstage Munich after having some dinner we met some familiar faces as expected. It’s great to have these special tour routines. The Backstage venue has several buildings, including a night beer garden (not really used when it’s below 0°C outside, but amusing to see the special offer sign offering you “ice coffee” on such a freezing cold night). It totally has this punk attitude and seems to be a really cool place.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
Again. And again. And again. When IN STRICT CONFIDENCE come on stage and HayDee greets you and the people around you with her most charming smile and waves to the front row, you start feeling home. There is so much interaction between IN STRICT CONFIDENCE and the audience tonight, the show feels so great, fun and intense. Though the audience in Munich seems, compared to the other shows so far, for the most part a bit too calm, there are some guys left to us who manage to break the code and for the first time on this tour IN STRICT CONFIDENCE come back on stage after performing their hymn ‘Zauberschloss’ that is enriched with HayDee’s dance performance and we get to hear two more songs live: ‘Someone Else’s Dream’ and ‘Prediction’.
The first one was released in 2016, once more with a beautiful, dramatic and in its very individual way disturbing video that is shown behind the musicians. The song feels very emotional and the chorus just bittersweet. The second and really the last song of the setlist ‘Prediction’ from the album ‘Face The Fear’ was released in 1998 and so just hit the 20-years-mark. And I loved this song so much. Dark electro hit as it should be. Perfect, raw vocals, driving beats, so much love for this one!
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
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11. Somebody Else's Dream
12. Prediction
Coma Alliance
Gig no. 5! Munich was extremely different again. Unfortunately during the first bunch of songs something went wrong with the sound. Especially Zura and Torben sounded little dull and a bit too quiet. Therefore even the energetic ‘Ignite’, that always guarantees for party in the venue, felt a bit off. That might as well be the reason why the audience seemed little too calm at the beginning. It was fixed though after a while, so the sound became much clearer during the second part. But on the other hand the energy on stage was more brilliant than ever before. It is so exciting to see how this new band constellation grows together, everyone get relaxed and the pieces get together. Torben and Adrian, Adrian and Zura, Zura and Max and so on… it feels so amusing, heart-warming and great to see them all interact with each other, play little pranks and have fun. Today the interaction between band and audience felt crazy intense as well. During ‘Child Of Entertainment’ we constantly had Adrian’s mic in front of us to sing the chorus. It felt like “Ok, that’s our job now, right?”
The most magical moment happened when ‘Butterfly:Dance!’ started. Somehow this song was responsible for most of the funny as well as emotional moments on this tour. As mostly Adrian told that they had been performing this song for the first time about 19 years ago. From the beginning the interaction between Torben and Adrian was very intensive and cool. After a few moments performing on stage you could literally see how Torben thought about the next thing to do for about two seconds before he spontaneously jumped into the photo pit, stood up on the step of the barrier just in front of Melanie and was singing there for about a minute, repeatedly focusing on her. It became my favourite moment of the whole tour, to be honest. At the end, when Torben and Adrian once again performed their little “choreography” turning around and painting a rainbow in the air, we joined in for the first time and added some more rainbows to the song. I believe at least Adrian saw it out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly because of it.
The performance during the whole show was just full of emotions, moments of joy, some little fun and intensity. Even after five gigs I am still fascinated how amazing these two voices work together and all the little details that are hidden in the new and old songs and all the possible variations of them. Little insiders got created or strengthened tonight. Like in Stuttgart the evening ended with the magical “Alliance” version of ‘Traumtänzer’. Over and done! Next to: Berlin and Dresden.
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
---
17. HLA
18. She
---
19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
25th January - Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, Germany
Another Friday, for the part of the team that is coming from the West the journey started a little earlier into the direction of Berlin. 8 o'clock is departure, because “Friday to Berlin” represents a problem on the highway. But nevertheless in less than five hours they were at the hotel and could uncertain the area in cold weather. For us from Hamburg the trip already started Thursday evening as both of us had study appointments in Berlin on Friday before the gig. Just combining “business” and party hard at its best! In Berlin we finally managed to meet for a team meeting and dine in the ConTho. Really recommendable place just across the street from Huxley’s Neue Welt and many amazing exotic flavours to discover. I am sure we all appreciated not to have a long walk to the location from there as the temperatures felt very icy even in Berlin. The anticipation is immeasurable and so already before the concert there is an incredible atmosphere.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
At 19:50, the three musicians, who are now more than well known to us, enter the stage. The show lights up again directly and the mood is well transported to the audience. The video show on two screens supports the content with individual videos for each song and the show races past us. The musicians bring an immense energy and a lot of joy on stage. As in Munich last weekend we do not let them leave the stage without the two extra songs that actually immediately became my favourites. The mixture of anticipation for COMA ALLIANCE and the great show by IN STRICT CONFIDENCE makes getting into the evening smooth and the lights are on, ready to be rebuilt the hall for COMA ALLIANCE.
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
---
11. Somebody Else's Dream
12. Prediction
Coma Alliance
The light goes out, resulting in an immediate volume increase in the hall. The almost 600 people cheer, scream and clap. Max and Zura enter the stage and as soon as Adrian and Torben appear in front of the audience, the music is briefly drowned out by the audience. A mood like the ROLLING STONES had in the good times (maybe not exactly like that, but close enough!). Adrian and Torben move on stage as equal partners. One in the foreground, the other in the foreground, but they do not steal the show from each other. This cooperation on the same level is great. It feels as if the two are exactly where they want to be with this project. The front position changes depending on the songs and sometimes just both of them stand there opposite one another and battle with their vocals. Breath-taking moments! COMA ALLIANCE feels like the most natural result after so many years of co-working and friendship far beyond being just another musical cooperation.
What we now can see on stage is a perfect symbiosis of talented songwriters and musicians as well as friends who were able to create with this project something that meets the skills of both and combines their sense for melodies and lyrics full of darkness and melancholy as well as views on society and the output is just as amazing as it could be. In between the songs, the guys speak open about the emotions on stage, Adrian talks at a point “that we cannot imagine what’s going on on that stage”. For sure not 100%, but probably more than you can imagine, guys! Torben thanks everyone for coming when they come back to play encore and says that, well, as we should know, the Swabians (Swabia as a part of Germany where he is from) have the habit to stay longer, when they come to Berlin. People from Berlin will know. However, in that special case, the Swabians don’t have to leave at all! Another gig ended very emotional with ‘Traumtänzer’. Is it just me or does it become more and more difficult to not get emotional here? Ahhh, help!
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
---
17. HLA
18. She
---
19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
26th January - Kulturzentrum Strasse E, Dresden, Germany
For the part of the team from the West the short night in too soft beds led to a little sleepy faces. After breakfast they went to Brammibal’s to buy some donuts. 12 pieces should be enough to survive the weekend. Then meet with friends from Berlin in the 1990 vegan living and ordering something from everything. ALL of the mentioned restaurants are highly recommended. This is the cool thing when travelling around. Meeting friends, try out new food, do some sightseeing. Going farther away for concerts is not just for the music, it is an overall experience and you will always come back with so many amazing memories…
Meanwhile we, the Hamburg girls, enjoyed awesome breakfast in Prenzlauer Berg with Eva’s parents. Her dad actually could finally join us in Berlin and we were about to go together to Dresden around 3pm, so a pretty relaxed day. But just when I woke up this morning an amazing news popped up in my feed: COMA ALLIANCE got confirmed for the Autumn Moon Festival in October. How amazing! The timing couldn’t have gotten better as just before the last show in Germany, so we were already scared of this post-tour-depression (that hit anyway, but to know that there will be another show for sure, helped a bit), so the rescue came just on time. My spontaneous reaction was to cite a line from ‘Traumtänzer’: “So werd’ ich nie Zuhause sein” (“I will never be at home that way”). So true…
The drive to Dresden was pretty easy-going. When we arrived, it was not as cold as the day before in Berlin. The -5°C changed to +5°C and rain. While waiting for the doors to open, we weren’t really sure which one was better. Probably we all would have preferred +5°C and just no rain. Weather in January is not a request show, right? The hall filled in really quickly and Dresden turned out to be the biggest concert of the tour with, as we heard around 700 visitors, probably even more counting those who bought their tickets at the entrance. The drinks are cold, the mood is good and again the light goes out.
Special Guest: In Strict Confidence
Judging on how the audience is welcoming IN STRICT CONFIDENCE on stage - this is gonna to be a night to remember! So far audience-wise for me Oberhausen and Hamburg were competing hard about being the best gig, but Dresden could become really dangerous. The seventh gig on this tour and it’s not becoming boring at all. IN STRICT CONFIDENCE are professionals and have been in the business for years, but their know-how does not seem brittle, but rather provides the usual energizing and sensual start into the evening. Tonight even Dennis interacts a lot with the audience, something that’s really cool and makes the gig special to us. Thank you for making every night just perfect.
Setlist
01. My Despair
02. Used And Abused
03. Kiss Your Shadow
04. Forbidden Fruit
05. Mercy
06. Seven Lives
07. Set Me Free
08. Morpheus
09. Engelsstaub
10. Zauberschloss
---
11. Somebody Else's Dream
12. Prediction
Coma Alliance
One last time on this tour the lights turns off, the crowd cheers and the musicians enter the stage. We are caught in between pure excitement and the killing melancholy of the last gig, deciding to put away the melancholy for later and just celebrating this last gig as much as possible. It seems the gig in Dresden is also special for another reason as there are cameras filming it. As I could find out later, the footage will be obviously used for another video. Really curious about that and which song will be chosen! This choice is not easy for sure. My expectation seemed to be fulfilled. Dresden and the people who came tonight make it the perfect finale. Tons of emotions in every single sound! Not just in the audience, but also on stage. After a few songs Torben thanks everyone in the venue tonight and those who came to several gigs and there is so much gratefulness in his voice while he is going through the rows with his eyes. Goosebumps!
And then there is ‘Traumtänzer’ again. How can over two hours pass by so quickly? And tonight the emotional rollercoaster was real. Still impressed how these two voices harmonize so well together. As the part of the song started when the crowd takes over the singing of the song I just thought: wow, that is probably the most beautiful and clear version I’ve heard so far. At the end, when Adrian and Torben take over again, their voices sound so fragile. Phew! Trying not to cry! Cry like a little child. Well, almost. There was not much missing to do so. Have we seen Torben’s eyes glisten? Probably... I believe many of us were trying to handle all the emotions at that moment. The struggle was real. When the band left, we just hugged each other for a longer moment.
After the gig we joined the after-show party at Bunker. Really cool music mix; brave to choose ‘Das Meer’ from Diorama for a party list, a really slow song in between, we enjoyed it a lot though. Unfortunately there were still 2.5 hours of drive home, so we had to leave earlier than we wanted back to Berlin. But before we left, we finally met HayDee and got the chance to thank her for the many great moments on that tour that we all shared and had a moment to chat with her. Such a lovely soul!
Setlist
01. Unusual
02. Royd
03. Decipher Me
04. Ignite
05. Endless Nights
06. Sepia
07. Retaliation
08. Trembler
09. Starfruit
10. Son Of A Thief
11. Kein Mord
12. Miracle
13. Coma Supreme
14. Butterfly:Dance!
15. Child Of Entertainment
16. CA2
---
17. HLA
18. She
---
19. Buttons
20. Dark Vibes
21. Traumtänzer
One question is left: when are you guys coming back? Not just for one festival show, please. There are many, many hundreds of people as you have seen on all that gigs who would really love to see more of COMA ALLIANCE! The symbiosis of DIORAMA and DIARY OF DREAMS has succeeded unequivocally and we all would love to see this path grow further and join this alliance permanently. At least we can prove that the COMA ALLIANCE virus got us, I can prove about at least 10 people who laid down after the tour with any kind of cold or flu. Also the whole Reflections of Darkness team that is responsible for this tour diary - we are not taking us out there - was affected. Nevertheless, every second of this tour was unique and absolutely special to us, but let’s skip that virus part next time.
Huge thanks to everyone on and also behind the stage who made this tour so perfect and we all are looking forward to meet all the old and new friends who we met on this tour. See you soon.
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet) & Nastja Iz
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