“Dear Marieke, We hereby congratulate you on winning the 'biggest GOOSE fan!' contest”. I read this mail at work and so had to suppress my urge to jump up and start screaming. I never win anything, was my first thought – not that I'm a competition fanatic or anything, but if there's something really interesting on offer then I'll try my luck. So too for this 'biggest GOOSE fan!' contest that I came across on the GOOSE Facebook page. Duo tickets to the three concerts in the AB, a chance to meet the band, check out a part of the soundcheck and, on top of all that, three nights accommodation in a hotel and drink tokens too. What an awesome prize to win!!!! Unfortunately, for personal reasons, I couldn't attend the concert on Thursday evening. So our GOOSE adventure began on Friday, 'we' being my boyfriend and myself. We're lucky to share quite a few musical preferences and GOOSE is certainly no exception there. Two birds.. - uh fans - and one stone then :)
Friday February 8th
It got a bit stressy for a while – with many accidents around Brussels and the detours due to the meeting of European leaders – but we got to the AB right on time, at 5pm! (Leaving Breda at 2:15 pm was a good idea.) There, we met Christophe who welcomed us and gave us a tour of the AB. We took a look in the main hall where Goose were doing their soundcheck. Looking down on an empty hall from the balcony while the band was on stage gave me a pretty special feeling. Knowing that later that evening you'd be swallowed up by the crowd, you'd could almost call this moment "intimate". Mickael (singer) shouted from the stage "Who's the biggest fan here?" and I partly shyly answered "me!". Do you want to come up on stage, we were asked. Yes of course, was our answer. I think I muttered something like "Damn, 35 years old and it's still possible to get butterflies at the prospect of shaking hands with the guys from GOOSE?" After watching a last soundcheck from out of the wings, we then went backstage with them. On a comfortable red couch, we had the opportunity to ask all our questions (that suddenly evaded us once the moment arrived). Mickael (and Dave joined us on a red couch a little later) was very relaxed while soberly telling us about the ins and outs of GOOSE. About the experience gained over the years (and at that moment he started peeling an apple): the common sense that you have to have, the contribution of each band member concerning particular songs, and having to have the right people around you in order to attain your goals as a band. An exceptional backstage experience and great to get to know this more personal side of the band.
After enjoying a tasty meal in the AB restaurant – which was also a part of the prize – we could get ready for the first concert. At the bar we met a lady having trouble with too many drinks and too few hands, I offered to help her out. It turned out to be, as she herself described it, "GOOSE's mum (namely Dave's). I introduced myself as "the biggest GOOSE fan", I figured I certainly deserved to bear the title with pride for a while ;) Support-act Go Chic was a good warm-up, even though the audience wasn't that enthusiastic. Then it really was time to get ourselves down to the front: ready for the show. We started out at the front of the hall for the first few songs but decided that we really did need a little more room to move and have a good dance. Do you know what the finest thought was during this concert? "tomorrow THIS again, WHAT a PARTY, how lucky am I!".
Saturday February 9th
Had I already mentioned that the hotel NH Atlanta a) is located 5 minutes walk from the AB b) involved a very nice hotel room c) included a delicious breakfast. We couldn't have been better off. Of course it was all about GOOSE but these things certainly made for a very enjoyable stay! During the day we checked out the city a bit and I only just realised while writing this that I forgot my intention to stock up on Belgian chocolate. We had a delicious meal in the evening, at a restaurant located between the hotel and the AB (so handy to have everything within walking distance), and then it was on to GOOSE 2.0. This time we would watch from the balcony and we soon made friends with the people next to us. Someone from Kortrijk, who was able to inform us that a large portion of the audience was from Kortrijk. So it was almost a home-game for GOOSE. I don't know if it was because of the folks from Kortrijk but the vibe was great that Saturday night! The crowd went off, I almost went off the balcony myself, I couldn't stand still for a moment nor wipe that big grin off my face. GOOSE was even better than the night before! After the show, hung around in the foyer – another peek backstage – dared a quick visit to the DJ for a song, headed off to Mister Wong on foot. That's where the afterparty was held. Calm in the beginning but a great vibe later on – laughed myself silly at the rope-jumping act of some fellow partygoers.
Sunday February 10th
After yet another hotel stay, finally realising: It's over, the end of our weekend in Brussels with GOOSE. I had a great time! I'd like to thank Ancienne Belgique for this fantastic prize, GOOSE for the open and friendly reception backstage and of course for the two awesome shows. A weekend to remember !!!
