Eye- and Earcandy at the Amsterdam Arena

Hi!

Last Wednesday had to have been the loveliest night of the year so far. On June 25th, my best friends and I went to see One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer at the Amsterdam Arena.

There's actually a blogpost in my drafts-folder, which I wrote the night before the concert. In it I talked about my fear towards the concert; the fear of suffocating or fainting because of the great amount of people. I worried about feeling trapped in the mob, as I tend to be quite claustrophobic, and getting a panic attack. Now the only reason I didn't post it, was because I couldn't finish it. I'm glad that I did not, because I wouldn't want to have inflicted anxiety in some of you that are still going to the Where We Are Tour.

I was very positively surprised by the easiness and safety I felt during the night. Here's how it went:

As Wednesday the 25th was a normal school day for me and my friends, we had to go there first. Half of our group (I went with Anne-Floor, Juanita, Melanie, Merel, Daphne and Maud) skipped some classes to take the car to Amsterdam a little earlier. Then, at around three o'clock, Anne's parents came to pick the other half of us up and drop us off at the train station. When we arrived at the location of the Arena it was quite hectic: I don't think I've ever seen so many girls gathered in one place before. (And that includes last year's concert!)

Our original plan was to call the others and find where they had been standing in line; but one had to have realized that calling wouldn't be easy in a crowded place like that. So it took a while of searching and cursing and calling, but eventually we found the rest. Yes, we actually skipped the line and joined our group at the front.

That's when I thought: Oh, God... Now it'll happen. There's fences and barriers and lots of girls that will push; surely I'll get hurt. But I am so glad to say that that wasn't the case! There were several men in control of the moving line and they made sure that no one would run, push or pull, and that only small groups of people could go through the gates at once. I held hands with my friends nevertheless, just not to be separated from them, but it wasn't really necessary in the end.

We moved through the gates quite quickly, and thank heavens I hadn't forgotten my ticket! Inside the Arena we were given a bracelet with the date and colour of your section on it, and told not to run. Who are you kidding? I will run as I please!  So we quick-walked/ran sneakily towards the stage and OH-MY-GOD we reached the absolute front!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, for once in my life the odds were soooo in my favour. It felt amazing being so close to the stage and the fact that we didn't have to push our way up there - like we'd expected - was perfect!

So what does one do, waiting for 5 Seconds of Summer to come on stage? Taking selfies with your friends is always an option, but I really recommend talking to the people around you! You're with those other people for the entire night so I really suggest you try to make some (positive!!) contact. One of the girls in the same section as ours lent us her flag-chalk so that we could make little Dutch flags on our cheeks; which was lovely of her! Later on deodorants were shared and basically everything went around the group of girls like we had all gone there as a big group. Melanie found some girls that had very similar interests as hers (aside from One Direction and 5SOS), and they basically joined our group for the rest of the night. I love how you don't really have to get to know someone to have a lovely time together. If you both already love one same thing, it's so easy to be excited about that together.

So we talked and laughed and sang along to the songs they played on the big screens that were only a few meters away from us, until 5 Second of Summer suddenly appeared on the stage.

I will be very honest:

I had not expected to love them so, so much.

5 Seconds of Summer is AMAZING live! They play so good, and are so involved with the audience and it was just brilliant to see a young band like that so incredibly talented. I will admit: I think that I liked their performance even more than I liked One Direction's! I think it's something with the instruments. The next day I realized: 5 Seconds of Summer are really performing, playing music; giving a concert. What One Direction do is sing songs. Which is nice, too, don't get me wrong! But watching a band do things; playing instruments; jumping around, it's just so much more exhilarating than a few guys walking across the stage with a microphone in hand. Please don't hate me for this.

As we were so close to the stage, I preferred to just fully enjoy the night instead of seeing everything through the lens of my camera. So I kind of left the photography and filming to my friends. Which I do not regret: at all! Because I got to dance and chant and scream and sing to a band that I hadn't really taken interest in before. Oh, and I might have fallen in love with Michael's eyes.

So no photos, sorry, all the filming-footage I have is very short and brief so I'll leave that out of here as well. But: Here's my favourite song of theirs. It's actually a cover, and I used to love the original as well, but now I'm totally hooked on their version. It's "What I Like About You" from the Romantics, and I went totally crazy in the audience.

I love the live-version sooooo so much I cannot put into words how amazing it was to jump around on their amazing performance. I love, love, love, loooooved it. Cannot stress it enough.

And then they went off stage... Which made me a little sad... But only a little! Because they made sure to keep us entertained whilst waiting for One Direction to come on stage! Entertained as well as hydrated! Which I thought was especially nice! I don't know if this was the case all around the arena, but at least at the front they brought us cups of water to share amongst the people in the crowd. I hadn't expected this; but everyone shared the cups so honestly! No one claimed them, and everyone tried to make sure that no one was left without water. I will stress again that it is so important to have a good atmosphere with the girls around you, because being hydrated during a concert like that is so so important. If you were to have words with some of the girls in your section, they won't make sure you get water. So make sure to keep that ambiance nice! If only for your own safety. (as well as the fun of course! :D)

I think the main reason why I enjoyed this concert so much, was because I didn't feel like I was waiting at all! They played loud music and we danced with a couple of girls in our section, as well as sang along to the songs and impressed others with our skills to sing along to the Macarena. (Yup, exchanges to Spain are good for one thing only: The lyrics to the song that is mystery to so many others. I'm totally kidding by the way)

And then they arrived.

Out of nowhere.

I was probably still shaking my butt to an old pop song.

And there they were.

AND THEY WERE ONLY A COUPLE OF METERS AWAY FROM US!

How amazing is it to see those dudes in HD with your own bare eyes?? To not need to look at the screen because you can see their every move or blink from where you're standing? Is that not perfect?? :')

Well, it was for a while! Because, being the nice fellows they are, they were, of course, very keen on giving all the girls a chance at this. The enormous catwalk ran all the way to the back of the arena and BAM, they were nearly out of sight. But it didn't even upset me at all! Whenever I couldn't see them, I just danced with my friends or looked at the large screen. I think this is because I'm not such a die-hard fan, compared to the other girls in the Arena. I just went to a concert with music that I love, I did not go to see my idols this time.

But the night was perfect ♥ And so worth the sleepless hours afterwards and the zombie-eyes the day after at school. It was worth every euro I spent, so please don't worry about the bigness of the crowd.

I worried, too, and was proven very wrong. And positively so. :)

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I sure enjoyed writing it!

Kisses,

Eva

Tracks

Some weeks ago I had to visit a cultural event for school, and I decided to see Tracks in the Louis Hartlooper Complex, an art cinema in Utrecht. It was quite an overwhelming experience, and such a beautiful film! As it is not a Hollywood movie, it's not publicized as much as blockbusters. I would love to shine a special light on this film, because it so so so important and worth everyone's time and money. I swear to God, go see this film while you can (or buy the dvd when it comes out) because it will make you feel amazing.
Because I visited Tracks for school, I had to write a review on it as well. I was extremely pleased with the mark I achieved by writing it, and would like to share it with you lot! ♥

A Journey to Freedom

The minute I sat down in the cinema, I was pulled into the most beautiful, rough images of the Australian desert landscape. I was absorbed into a place where I was not, but somehow still was for the span of 112 minutes. Tracks is the astonishing story of Robyn Davidson, who walked close to 2000 miles through the Australian desert by herself in the late 70’s. A young woman with the strong desire of being alone and gone from any political talk. From the very beginning of the film, you get to experience her journey from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean as if it were your own. Breathtakingly beautiful are the images you view, sense and sometimes even smell when watching the brilliant production of Tracks, directed by John Curran. With its excellent acting, cinematography, sound and setting you live along with every feeling or emotion Robyn endures. Inspiring for everyone; no matter what situation you’re in, or whatever it is you wish to do with your life. Robyn inspires us that we can achieve everything we want and aspire, despite the discouraging opinions of others in your surroundings. Nobody believed she could do it, and yet she went out and did it anyway. This film is perfect proof that motion pictures do not always need romance or action to be compelling and interesting. We are shown the integrity of the human mind and soul, and what happens to it if we are completely isolated. Tracks is a journey through both Australia, and human emotion. A film that is worth every euro I spent, and would recommend to anyone over the age of twelve. A film that is compelling and fascinating from the first minute to the last. One that everyone should have seen at least once in their lifetime.

Rating: XXXXX

This isn’t a film that you merely watch, it is a film that completely absorbs you. I cried in the cinema, not because of some heavily emotional scene: but because it felt so real. You live in the emotions of the characters, you create the same bonds as they do, and when something bad comes to happen to them your eyes are instantly filled with tears. When a director or writer is able to do that, that’s when you know they are a good writer(/director). One that can bring out the purest of human emotions through characters by the use of words or a camera. When laughter or tears or awe can be indicated in the viewer/listener/reader, that’s when you can recognize a true artist.

To me, this was the case when watching Tracks.