The Audition / All Time Low in Cologne, 9/19/2009
"Fuck, no. It‘s definitely not going to be our last time visiting Germany,“ is what Alex Gaskarth left the audience with at the Luxor in Cologne. All Time Low then launched into their second encore, a powerful rendition of their ever famous tune "Dear Maria (Count Me In)“ that had everyone singing and dancing along.
Before All Time Low took the stage by storm (sorry for the pun but it was just there for grabbing!) though, the crowd received support band The Audition at the fully sold out and packed venue.
450 people - and to my surprise female and male attendees to equal parts - formed a mosh pit on what is usually the dancefloor of a drum‘n‘bass night club and had the temperature rise to unbearable degrees and the A/C failing.
The Audition played a solid set composed of their more well-known songs, asking everyone to just dance and download their music anyway the audience could. It didn‘t feel like they were ,only‘ the support to heat up the masses for All Time Low. Everyone knew the lyrics to "My Temperature Rising“ and "Warm Me Up“ as well as "Los Angeles“ which calmed the crowd down some and gave everyone a moment to breathe.
As soon as The Audition exited the stage and Rian Dawson‘s drum kit was revealed, focus shifted back to whom everyone had really come out for.
Thankfully, by then security (who‘d been not so awesome about press and photographers) had sorted out the pit and who didn‘t really belong in there, so I was able to snap some pictures of the band giving their all for Germany.
The set was short (ATL played ten songs plus two for the encore) but really sweet and a lot exhausting for everyone on stage, as there was a lot of kicking, jumping and dancing was going, as well as off stage, where the mob danced, screamed and sung their hearts out.
(Halfway through their second song, Six Feet Under The Stars, Jack took a seat at the edge of the stage, giving me the perfect opportunity to shoot a couple of close ups but alas! My camera failed me. Or rather: I failed because I didn‘t know what he eff was suddenly happening.)
Old and new songs blended in perfectly. There was a time to dance and a time to just sway along when Alex played "Remembering Sunday“. Also, there seemed to be a competition going on as to who could spew more curses and dirty words, it seemed.
At one point, Alex discussed the matter of not fitting his manhood into the pretty panties someone had thrown on stage (really, how mature was the audience?) and really, no manorexic man could have fit into them.
But all joking aside, musically the set was flawless, voices and instruments never failed the guys and everyone had a good time (and wow, does it sound like I‘m praising them ever so highly? Really, I don‘t, although I‘d have every reason to be biased!).
As mentioned, the night concluded with All Time Low playing two songs for the encore, "Damned if I do ya“ and "Dear Maria (Count Me In)“. The former had even the bar staff and the venue techs pumping their fists in the air for each "Go“.
Everyone got to express their amazement to the band personally (minus Rian) after the show when they all came out to meet the fans who‘d stuck around by the bus and venue.
It was an all-around good night and I got to hang out with some of my favorite people (junegloom and friends!) and had some delicious subs at Subway after (with All Time Low nonetheless! Well, something like that).
Yours truly, A.
