I originally posted this on January 1st, 2008.
I arranged the afternoon off from work and had another pre-concert dinner at wagamama with friends. A young lady called Lizzie was to be our waitress that evening. She started off in Dutch, but I was joking with my friend Mirthe in english and Lizzie easily switched to it as well. Turns out she has an awesomely flawless British accent.
EJ told us she's nice, after we were seated and waiting for our orders. She is.
She also has a good sense of humor; at one point Mirthe and EJ were ready to order dessert and spotted Lizzie cleaning off tables. They started calling her name in semi sing-song whispery voices. She actually heard them and said she'd be with us in a bit.
When she did come over Mirthe positively gleed like a little child, so I quipped: "My pet's taken with you." Lizzie responded very well, leaving my friend Mirthe slightly startled and at a loss for words. Or rather: a snappy reply - in english *lol*
EJ went for a potty break and Mirthe and I decided to personally give Lizzie a tip, instead of putting it in the collective tip jar. We did so while we waited for EJ to return. Apparently Lizzie appreciated the gesture (and our fun and easy banter) so much she gave us both a hug!
Then it was on to Paradiso - which is practically next door.
For those who aren't familiar with Paradiso, but have read about it in my blog, check out this link for more info on the venue - and to see some pics of it.
We were early. Mirthe and I had decided we were going to take seats on the balconies, while EJ was alright with mingling with the crowd on the ground floor. For once... No, let me rephrase that: this was one of the few opportunities I was able to take to have a nice overview of the stage. I was glad I'd decided to have a seat. For once.
Beth and her band were a little late when they finally took the stage, but they kicked off with a bang. Beth looked positively radiant and happy. She interacted with people in the audience, like she always does, and she paid extra attention to a group of people who'd flown in especially for the concert - and to additionally celebrate New Year's in Amsterdam. I'm sure that even when Beth gets more famous she will remain very approachable for her fans.
Anyhoo, she was joking on how Dutch coffee is so much stronger than the stuff she's used to in the US (she's not the first one to notice this - my friend Kelly in Vancouver might like Dutch brew a lot) and before performing "LA song" she tells the audience about one night with a great guy and his "jingle berry". THAT totally cracked me up. She even explained her Dutch audience what a jingle berry is, and I just about died from laughter.
As always Beth made sure everybody had a good time, but when she and her band came back for an encore it was clear there wasn't enough time to do all three songs like planned: "As good as it gets", "Am I the one" and "Whole lotta love". She had the audience vote, but they were pretty much all tied (they took out a poll, where fans could vote for their favorite song, and Beth would play the top 10). Unfortunately, she ran out of time and wasn't able to do "Whole lotta love". Is that song cursed? I had to miss out on that last time she performed it! :(
When I started my drive home I knew it was going to be misty - as it was predicted by the weather people on radio and tv. However, since no fog alert was issued I totally wasn't prepared for the density of fog I encountered. By the time I got in the middle of it I was halfway home and didn't feel like turning and drive back to Mirthe's and EJ's place.
I was dead tired already and the conditions weren't exactly helping me get home quick. At one point I actually drove over the line that seperates the shoulder from the right lane; that was the only way for me to continue my way. Needless to say I was incredibly relieved when I arrived home in one piece.
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