Sunday 24 June 2018

Join the Love Train

Hello there!

Welcome back, dear reader, and welcome back inspiration!

It's been a year since I last wrote something for this blog. Simply because I completely lost my inspiration for writing, but it's coming back to me now and what better way to celebrate my returned inspiration than with a blog post on my all-time favourite blog (ok, I'm partial, but I'm allowed to be) about my all-time favourite subject; Home Free and their return to Europe!!

Yes, they are (finally) coming back to us over here on this side of the pond! And what a glorious return it will be!

One of the reasons my inspiration was missing was because I found myself in what is commonly known, within the Home Fry community, as the Home Free Blues. It usually hits you after a Home Free show, and especially so if you don't know when you'll be seeing them again.

Back in May 2017 when I last saw them live, here in Spain, they told us they would be back in September of this year so I knew that much, but they also told us we'd get more information about it in September 2017. Obviously the Home Free Blues hit before September, it actually hit pretty much a year ago to be exact, but it didn't help when September came and went without a word about the tour. Early this year we were told we'd get more info come early February, but February also came and went without any more information. My Home Free Blues got deeper and deeper, so bad that listening to their music didn't even help. Now, don't get me wrong - I was still happy and content with my life as it was, the Home Fee Blues (let's call it HFB) didn't change that - but I wanted to start planning my travels, book hotels and flights, and start dreaming more detailed about the shows I would attend.

And then finally, at the end of May 2018, more than a year after finding out they are coming back in September 2018, they hit us with the announcement of a bigger tour than we could ever have imagined; 12 countries, 17 shows in 23 days! Wooaaawww! (Doing my happy dance every time I think about it!)

As a Patron of theirs I was sent the information in the middle of the night, but I was getting up to catch a flight to Sweden so I saw it only minutes after it was posted on Patreon. Let's just say my trip was not only filled with the joy and love of seeing family and friends, but it was also filled of planning which shows to attend and who should buy tickets to which shows. Yes, shows. You didn't think I would only do one show, did you?

The timing of the release of the tickets was perfect too, as I came home in the middle of the night before and I had the day off from work. Perfection!

Anyway, I am now a proud owner of tickets for 6 shows in 5 countries, 2 I've never been to before. The first 2 shows, 2 in the middle and the last 2 shows. 3 trips. The Euro Fry Family is a tight community and I'll be going to 5 of the shows with my sister H, and our two friends H and E. We've all been to Home Free shows together in the past. We will also meet up with a bunch of other Euro Fries, some that we are very close to, some that we have met once or several times before and some that we are yet to meet.

Hotels are booked, flights are next to sort out and whatever else we need to book will follow and I couldn't be more excited!!

Home Free timely released a new video in the days after ticket release and it couldn't be more perfect. It's their rendition of O'Jays "Love Train". I would be surprised if you have never heard this song before.

This version is so full of love and joy and the video reflects the message perfectly. They have already been doing this song in their live shows for a while and they asked fans all over the world to send them videos of them dancing to it. They then used those videos for their video (and I see some familiar Euro Fry faces in it), mixed in with sequences of them singing and dancing, styled as in a 70's sitcom.

Here's why this song and video is timely; the lyrics of the song encourages "people around the world" to "join hands" and "start a love train" or "join the love train". And to me that is exactly what their fans are doing all around the world. I already know I will be seeing people from at least 10 different countries at the shows I'm attending and we're all coming together because of these amazing guys and their music. We have already joined the Love Train that Home Free has started!

Now, before you watch the video below there's a couple of more things I would like to tell you; I am planning on doing a Home Free Euro Tour series here on the blog, where I will write about my experiences of the different shows. Traditionally the Home Free shows are seated shows, meaning the audience sit during the shows, but a couple of the shows I'm attending, including the one in my home country Sweden, will be standing room only. I know the guys pick up a lot of their energy on stage from the audience so it will be very interesting to see and experience the differences between a show with a standing audience and a seated audience. So stay tuned for those posts.

Now, almost lastly, if you didn't get your ticket yet you really should because they are selling out one show after the other (actually several shows already sold out and was moved to bigger venues with more tickets released), so don't wait any longer! Here's the link to their website and the tour schedule.

And, finally, here's the video! Watch it, re-watch it, share it, spread the love, start a love train, join a love train, sing with us and dance, dance, dance!

Much Love//
Carina