To The Fans In Helmond

[Therese]

Me and my husband were very disappointed too! Fortunately we saw them in Zoetermeer too, but we did not say goodby because we would see them in Helmond......Is there already news if they can make it up to us? As the said so in their explanation.

[Ineke]

Me and my husband were very disappointed too! Fortunately we saw them in Zoetermeer too, but we did not say goodby because we would see them in Helmond......Is there already news if they can make it up to us? As the said so in their explanation.

Hallo Therese,

Ik heb je net een PM gestuurd.

Groetjes,
Ineke

[Yellowbird]

Hi there, sad SAGA fans. (also posted in Tour 2007-Helmond)

I've read the excuses, they are sensible, one of the things I really enjoyed reading about SAGA is that they enjoy playing for 200 or 5000. But then why not even a goodbye???

SAGA's been my favourite band since a friend introduced me to their good music about 1995. I've never been on a concert with them but told my wife I'd like to get a ticket for my 40th birthday. Now I'm 38, and my brother in law living in Holland asked me after I was on my first concert ever (Dream Theatre - Oslo) since I am Norwegian, how my favourite band SAGA where doing. I checked the net and saw the sad news, Sadler quitting???? what a pity, but thats his choice and life.

So I asked my nice wife if it was ok if I went to Holland for the concert, kind as she is she agreed. I brought our 5 year old daugther so she could meet with here family in Holland. My brother in law bought tickets for us, and for the first time in life I really knew things where going through.

A bit personal but.. my father made many promises about traveling when I was kid, and it never went through so even if I've traveld alot in the world as adult I need to sit on the site for a couple of days to realize it's happening.

I told my brother in law for sure I will shed some tears because of the emotions cause that I will finally go on my first concert (and probably last chance with Sadler) with my absolute favourite band. He said come on, I said I will bring sunglasses, and I did. Some days before I was listening to SAGA in my parent in laws house in Holland and my eyes went wet. FINALLY it's going to happend !!! I was so enthusiastic.

The saturday arrived, we went with bus, got there in time, met a minor crowd walking the wrong way from Plato??? disappointed comments??? I said to my brother in law "Something is wrong"

There a cheap-shit poster, no public comments, speaking to the guards getting more like rumors??? WTF is happening. We stayed there for some beers, hoping to get a glimpse of my musical heroes, but no!

I've not been so disappointed in many many years, I just felt like sharing my sad story. Coming all the way from mid-Norway, flying to Oslo, then to Amsterdam, by train to South Holland, bus from there to the concert and a poor hand-written poster. I'm glad my friends from Norway didn't have the time to join me.

I'm glad my daughter got the chance to see and meet Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Piets, and it was very nice to have here hugging me when I (38 years??) later cried at my wifes parents house listening to SAGA, the band that disappointet me so..

Life goes on, it sucks sometimes, I'll allways have the music from SAGA and the memories about the experience that never happend

Thx for reading my self-pity story
Luis Fonseca NORWAY

[Therese]

Hello Yellobird, What a sad story, traveling all the way from Norway to finally see Saga....what a disappontment. I feel sorry for you.

[Timmer]

Yellowbird:
I though my story of having my new copy of 10,000 Days stolen was bad but it doesn't compare to yours. Feel sorry for you. Still good times to come for Saga in the future I am sure.
Tim

[Ineke]

@ Yellowbird,

I think you're story is a very sad story. And there are so many sad stories from dissapointed fans who also travelled so far. Many are written on http://sagaplanet.siteboard.de/portal.htm in the Dutch thread.
I hope you're daughter meeting her family and of course meeting Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten will be a nice memory for ever.


And sometimes men and also women are just allowed to have self-pity

[Ineke]

@ Timmer,

And I read your story too, And it's different, but also sad. And it was not only the copy, but the whole thing was awfull.

[sadlercrew]

I'm sure there are more than one stadium in Helmond for Saga to perform in. Can't they find A DIFFERENT VENUE??

[Trudes Oude Voshaar]

Sure they can!!!

[dmeehan]

The reason the band didn't come out to say goodbye, was because they were not at the Venue.. They were 1/2 hour drive away waiting in the hotel until showtime.. but that never happened.
We were advised by the Police in Hellmond to pick up the band & flee the country to avoid bodily harm... and we did exactly as they said!

I really wish that I could tell everyone the whole horrific story of that night... but I am obligated not to.

This was not in any way the band or touring crews fault.

[kootje]

dear mr. meehan; the name of the town is not hellmond but is helmond. cheap joke. we might expect better than that.
you know as well as i do that the stories about who called the police and who is to blame about the electricityproblem varie.i am no judge and dont want to be that but waht i do now is that i didn't see saga and i asked you and susi and more people if they consider an new gig for the people who missed it. but no reply at all, as if you try to ingore us and that makes people angry and makes them not listen to saga for days.everyone can and will make mistakes but solutions are always around the corner. nobody would expect it be tomorrow but we dont know if there was even a thought about it and that is not ok. saga fans are mostly older, independant people who make their own chices and if saga wants to continue you should think about your communication.

i wish you the best of luck.
kootje

[Dherberg]

In defence of the Dutch.............


We can understand that things can go wrong, even so that a concert has to be canceled.
But being threatened so severe is something that does not really happen in Holland.

it sounds more like a local guy who had a beer too many and shouldn't be taken seriously.
Again, I wasn't there (well, I was at the frontdoor that was closed so to say )

Fact is that the Dutch are a pretty civilised bunch of people just like the Germans and the 'flee the country to be save' is a little hard to swallow.
That must have been a real rookie cop who would say something stupid like that.


We're all very dissappointed that we missed SAGA's last concert in Holland.
We know that it's financially almost not to be done to return for one gig even if time would let them.


I guess a personal reaction by the band would be very appreciated (probably as soon as legal issues would allow them)


thanks

Coen

[sagalady]

I was on tour with an american band and driving the backline van. The van was broken in to right outside the hotel in Rotterdam city center. I went down to the police station to report it as they weren't interested in comming to the site. I asked the police what they suggested I should do now and they told me that as the vehicle was already broken in to and now filled with backline I should immediately drive to the next city as it would rapidly spread through the underground world that the van would be an easy target.

So, back to the hotel, check out, and off I went.

It was a loooong night.

[sagalady]

(BTW, have they ever in 30 years???)

I had to think about that one for a wile and the answer is ...... yes.

Niagara Falls 1984. Half the crew left Quebec to travel to Niagara and got stuck in a snow storm. Got as far as Toronto and that was it. Those living in Toronto couldn't even make it home. That's how bad it was. A downtown hotel was temporarily home for a few days. Show was cancelled en route.

The other half stuck around in Quebec and left later, managed to get to Niagara Falls before they found out it was cancelled. They had a couple of lovely days off playing in the snow, watching the falls, before they turned around to come back to Toronto and set up for the show at MLG.

I've wanted to see the falls since I was a kid. I still do. Can you guess which tour-bus I was on?

Then I know there has been a couple of reschedules.

But that's about it, really. At least what I can remember.

[Dherberg]

Ok, have to admit..........

Law enforcement in Holland suck big time, I know



Coen