Spin Doctors at the Archa Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic

Here’s my review of the show …

• • • It all started on Friday morning, leaving town in a very high and anticipating mood. We (one of my best friends did the trip with me) arrived at the Prague main station early afternoon. The plan was to meet David Landsberger at the hotel (luckily, we could arrange staying at the same place), and we succeeded. What a strange situation – I’ve known David from the Spins mailing list, from trading tapes and from e-mailing every now and then for more than ten years by now. Strange to knock on some hotel room’s door and to meet that guy finally. It was like seeing some dear old buddy you’re familiar with for years from the first sentence we spoke to the last. Of course, the first thing we did was exchanging some Spin Doctors live show stuff 🙂
      Well… Don’t know where to start, really. First things first: I just arrived in Leipzig again after one of the most fascinating, most exciting, best weekends I ever had. ‘Cause I was in Prague, to see the Docs!! But that’s only a small part of the whole story. There are so many memories popping into my mind right now that it’ll be tough to write a stringent review or at least something similar to that. But I’ll try, nonetheless.
  • • Fast forward to 5.30pm. David, my friend and me had to find that Archa theatre located somewhere in central Prague. To meet another dear friend of mine there and to see the soundcheck if possible. Well, we found the venue even before the band arrived – so there was more than enough time to eat something.
  • • Well – all the things happening after that still seem somewhat surreal to me… You have to know that I am one of those poor European die-hard fans who never ever had the chance to see the Doctors live before, so I was excited about finally seeing a show. The fact of experiencing the Spins live for the first time would have been enough for me to make it a night to remember. I never thought of watching the band’s soundcheck, seeing Eric rehearsing “Safety Pin”. Or of David introducing me to Mark and Aaron during the soundcheck. Of Aaron and Mark remembering me from countless e-mail chat we had within the last ten years. But it was exactly like that, and it made my day already.
  • • Of course, the soundcheck wasn’t the last highlight. The Spin Doctors played a brilliant show that was really fun. We danced, we sang, we yelled like there was no tomorrow. The nerdy freakish die-hard Spins fan in me could complain about the setlist being average. But honestly, it didn’t matter at all. This was MY show, this was OUR show, and it was nothing else but fantastic. The band was in a good mood, the crowd was REALLY appreciative, some 300 or 400 Czech people singing and dancing all the time. It was soo good to see all those people really having fun that night. “Funky funky Praha” indeed. It was fantastic seeing Chris smiling on Eric while he was in some parallel universe soloing like a madman. Mark grinning all night long. Aaron playing like a god. It was heart-warming to see David having fun as hell, too.
  • • After the show, which ended with a collective tour ending bow from both the Spins and the guys and gals of David R Black, we had the chance to talk to all the band members again. Call me a fanatic, but it was just great to talk to Chris about some old forgotten Spins songs and about touring, the new record and all that stuff for about 15 minutes. To shake hands and chat with Eric and Aaron – wow, you guys are so friendly to your fans. As someone else posted to this forum recently, they have the ability of turning the whole show experience into something real special, personal and individual for you. It was exactly like that.
  • • Well, this unbelievably cool night ended at our hotel room, the four of us listening to David’s sweet sweet recording of the show we just saw. David and I chatted about Spin Doctors like it was the most important thing in the world all night. Guess what time it was when we decided to go to bed finally. It was not late, it was just early. Early.
  • • There are so many more little stories I’d love to tell you. Memories of me standing at the venue’s bar begging for a beer – but the barkeepers just weren’t able to give me one, as they were listening and watching to Eric’s fantastic solo during “Can’t Kick The Habit”! Memories of Chris talking Czech to the audience, Eric dedicating “Genuine” to “the entire Czech Republic with love”. Memories of talking to a tired but happy David R (of David R Black; he is a really really nice guy and a great musician by the way) after the show. Of David L and me getting lost in the hotel and exploring Prague together the next day. Wow, there are so many more memories.
  • But I think I’ll stop here. Wished you all were there, at the Spin’s final show of the European tour. It was great. Now, I am sitting here in my flat again, listening to the show, trying to remember what I just experienced the last days. I’m so glad that I got to know David – man, get home safe tonight! I’m pretty sure we’ll meet again. And yeah – it feels good to be an ex-Spin Doctors live virgin 😉
  • • Check out Davids live recording of it once it’s up at archive.org to get a slight impression of how great it was and how much the whole thing meant to me.
  • • Daniel

PS: Once again, thanks Aaron, Chris, Eric and Mark for the show and for your music in general.You guys are just badass…