This will be a fun, happy and a sad post to write, but mostly the first two.
I am currently sitting at The Parcel Yard at King's Cross Station in London, UK, about to have a full English breakfast, minus the black pudding and the mushroom. It is 11-12 am, Sunday morning and I am going home. I can't wait to cuddle up in bed with my kitties and my Sweetie, and give my son a hug. I am missing them all like crazy.
This morning I said goodbye to my wonderful baby sister, one of my absolute favourite people in the world, whom I love so incredibly much and I don't know how long it will be until I get to see her again. It feels extra hard this time since we have seen each other so much over so many times over the last 5 months. But the upside is that we have had so much fun together and we have made so many wonderful memories we will remember with love for the rest of our lives. Thank you for everything, lil' sis! You are truly amazing, and my life is better because of you. I am a better person because of you!
This morning I also said goodbye to our room mates, the amazing H and E. I love both of you! You are both such amazing women and great friends and thank you for sharing this past month's joy and fun and rooms with me.
Yesterday, after a nice breakfast together, I said goodbye to some other people I have come to love and cherish; you know who you are, ladies - Thank you so much for being exactly who you are, for bringing diversity and more love into my life. Thank you for everything and I'll see you soon, somewhere in the world!
All these women are my sisters, and I have more of them - sisters, I mean, Fry sisters - and you know who you are - I am so glad I got to meet most of you during this tour. To those I didn't have the chance to see this time around, there's always next tour! I love all of you and you are all forever in my heart! Thank you for all the laughs!
These ladies, my Fry sisters in crime, are from all over Europe and we were all brought together by the mutual love for Home Free and their music, and thanks to this tour we also share the love for Jeffrey East and his music. Thank you to all of you for giving us this! For sharing so much love and joy with the world, so much that we can spread it with more people.
I started this tour when the guys of Home Free and Jeffrey East started theirs, in Oslo, Norway on August 30th, a little over 3 weeks ago. The guys went on to do 16 more shows in 11 more countries, and I was there for 5 more shows in 4 more countries; Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany and 2 shows here in the UK. Seated shows and standing shows have been a hot discussion during these past few weeks and I will write more about my different experiences with that in my next post. I've been on 7 flights, and a number of trains and buses to get to where I needed to go. I've stood outside in the rain and the cold, I've walked bear armed in the sunshine. I slept in bunk beds, double beds, sofa beds, in teeny tiny rooms and big rooms.
I've laughed and I've cried. I've danced and I sang. I've clapped and I've cheered. I've started a fan group for a new favourite artist. I've written 9 blog posts so far. I've had early mornings, and late nights. I have had nice food and just food. I've had coffee; some days later than wanted, some days too much and some too little. I have walked. A. LOT. I've seen new places and old places.
I have had an absolute blast from beginning to end! And I can't wait to do it all over again in the future.
To my readers; thank you! Thank you for reading, thank you for engaging in discussions, thank you for coming back and thank you for sharing. While I don't write FOR you, knowing that you are reading what I write inspires me. I write from my heart and I hope you will keep coming back for more.
To everyone I've met during these weeks; it was lovely meeting you all! If I missed you, I am so sorry, it's been crazy, it's been fun, and there's been a lot of people around! Next time, if you want to say hello, come and say hello!
Lastly, for this post, I want to say a big thank you to the man in my life, the love of my life, my Sweetie; you are the best, the most loving and amazing man I have ever known. Thank you for supporting me in my life dreams, for being my safe haven to come home to. Not just from these trips, but every day. I love you with all my heart and soul and I can't wait to be back in your arms tonight!
Thank you for reading, this is me signing out from London, UK. Keep your eyes open for part 2 of this summary, but until then remember to live life to the fullest. Smile and dance, and sing. And keep spreading the word to the world about Home Free and Jeffrey East!
Love/
Carina
Showing posts with label Euro Fries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Euro Fries. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 September 2018
Saturday, 22 September 2018
Home Free and Jeffrey East in London, UK
Last night's show at Union Chapel, London, UK was the last show of the European part pf the Home Free Timeless World Tour and it was simply amazing, of course. What else could it be with these guys?!
Union Chapel is an active church, but it also serves as a concert hall and there is a bar connected to it that serves hot food and beverages of all kinds. You are however not allowed to bring hot food and alcoholic drinks into the chapel itself. The venue was really gorgeous with wooden pews and a high ceiling and balconies.
I didn't have VIP for this show, but we decided to go stand in line for good seats, as it was general admission, about 2 hours ahead of doors opening and I am glad we did because by the time the doors open the line was long. Very long. Very, very long. And it was cold, not as cold as in the rain in Birmingham, but it was cold. Let's just say I am to go back to warmer weather tomorrow. Monday I will go to the beach, to warm up from the outside and in.
This show was emotional because it was the last one for this tour, meaning we don't get to see the guys again in a long time, and because it was the last show the guys gave us all they had left to give. so it was bittersweet.
Jeffrey got everyone going, he is really good at that which I think has been a big reason why the energy has been so high on this tour. His songs are, as he says, very easy to sing-along to because the melodies in the choruses are very sing-along-friendly and catchy (I swear I have at least one of his songs playing in my head at all times these days), and he has a natural way of encouraging the crowd to engage. Jeffrey got us laughing, singing, clapping and he got us so quiet you could have heard a pin drop in the pews. It's unfortunate that his attempt to live stream the whole show fell through due to technical problems because it was good. Really good.
After his part of the show there was a break before Home Free came on and I saw Jeffrey at the merchandise table selling CDs, signing things and having his picture taken with fans. I expect you US Fries will pick things up over there. We will be waiting for his return to Europe, but you can have him for now. Make him feel loved back home too, will you!
And then we have Home Free. The band that changed the way I listen to music, the band that added so much joy and love on top of my already love-filled and joyful life. The band that brings people from all over the world together. They gave it their all. They gave everything they had left to give us right now, there was no holding back. They beamed from beginning to end and the audience picked up on it. I saw old men getting so excited they couldn't wait to stand up and dance. I saw young kids dancing in the aisle. I saw people of all ages and both sexes laughing, singing, dancing, clapping their way through the show. I saw a whole church filled with love and joy coming together thanks to these guys.
Finally for today, I would like to thank the staff at Union Chapel for being amazingly friendly and helpful. Every single one of you was a part of making last night a night to remember, with love and gratitude. Thank you so much for adding joy to our lives!
Within the next few days I will write a summary, my thoughts and feelings about the whole tour, and what it's meant to me. I hope you come back here for that.
But, for now, I am going to rest for a while before it's time for our last dinner in London for this time. See you soon!
Love/
Carina
Union Chapel is an active church, but it also serves as a concert hall and there is a bar connected to it that serves hot food and beverages of all kinds. You are however not allowed to bring hot food and alcoholic drinks into the chapel itself. The venue was really gorgeous with wooden pews and a high ceiling and balconies.
I didn't have VIP for this show, but we decided to go stand in line for good seats, as it was general admission, about 2 hours ahead of doors opening and I am glad we did because by the time the doors open the line was long. Very long. Very, very long. And it was cold, not as cold as in the rain in Birmingham, but it was cold. Let's just say I am to go back to warmer weather tomorrow. Monday I will go to the beach, to warm up from the outside and in.
This show was emotional because it was the last one for this tour, meaning we don't get to see the guys again in a long time, and because it was the last show the guys gave us all they had left to give. so it was bittersweet.
Jeffrey got everyone going, he is really good at that which I think has been a big reason why the energy has been so high on this tour. His songs are, as he says, very easy to sing-along to because the melodies in the choruses are very sing-along-friendly and catchy (I swear I have at least one of his songs playing in my head at all times these days), and he has a natural way of encouraging the crowd to engage. Jeffrey got us laughing, singing, clapping and he got us so quiet you could have heard a pin drop in the pews. It's unfortunate that his attempt to live stream the whole show fell through due to technical problems because it was good. Really good.
After his part of the show there was a break before Home Free came on and I saw Jeffrey at the merchandise table selling CDs, signing things and having his picture taken with fans. I expect you US Fries will pick things up over there. We will be waiting for his return to Europe, but you can have him for now. Make him feel loved back home too, will you!
And then we have Home Free. The band that changed the way I listen to music, the band that added so much joy and love on top of my already love-filled and joyful life. The band that brings people from all over the world together. They gave it their all. They gave everything they had left to give us right now, there was no holding back. They beamed from beginning to end and the audience picked up on it. I saw old men getting so excited they couldn't wait to stand up and dance. I saw young kids dancing in the aisle. I saw people of all ages and both sexes laughing, singing, dancing, clapping their way through the show. I saw a whole church filled with love and joy coming together thanks to these guys.
Finally for today, I would like to thank the staff at Union Chapel for being amazingly friendly and helpful. Every single one of you was a part of making last night a night to remember, with love and gratitude. Thank you so much for adding joy to our lives!
Within the next few days I will write a summary, my thoughts and feelings about the whole tour, and what it's meant to me. I hope you come back here for that.
But, for now, I am going to rest for a while before it's time for our last dinner in London for this time. See you soon!
Love/
Carina
Sunday, 9 September 2018
Home Free in Prague, Czech Rupblic
Yesterday the Home Free family hit the beautiful city of Prague in Czech Republic and as you know I was there. This was the second standing Home Free concert I have attended and just as in Stockholm, Sweden it rocked. Home Free rocked, Jeffrey East rocked, the crowd rocked!
While waiting for the show to start there was music playing and it seems as if it has become a tradition for this tour that the audience has a sing-along to John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads and the Prague audience didn't disappoint. We were simply just standing there in front of the stage, or wherever you were standing, singing along with all that we had. And it was awesome. The feeling of it was that of expectation, because those who have been to one of the previous shows, or if you have seen Jeffrey East's live stream of his act earlier this week, know that it's the last song before Jeffrey comes on. And we were ready. We were so ready!
Just as in Stockholm I was second line up front right in the middle of the stage, but the stage in Prague was smaller and lower so we were very close to first Jeffrey, then Home Free, and it gave the concert a feeling of intimacy. Well deserved intimacy in an artist - fan kind of way. Why well deserved you might ask? Because any crowd that is so engaged as this crowd was from beginning to end deserves it. It is important to remember though that the relationship is that between an artist/s and their fans. They give us their all and we give them our all. They give us their skills and we give our skills. They give us their music and we give our joy of enjoying their music. That's what it's all about.
This was the 3d time seeing Jeffrey East and you all know I loved him from the get-go. It hasn't changed. At the first show in Oslo he didn't know what to expect and he was blown away by the response he got. In Stockholm he might have started to understand that we might actually really like him. Yesterday he knew, and it showed. The audience showed their love for him and he showed his love for us. One of Jeffrey's strong sides is to get the crowd to sing-along to his songs. He doesn't even have to ask us anymore, as he pointed out. Last night he played one of his songs he hadn't played before here in Europe, but we still knew it and could sing along to it. He loved it, and we loved giving it to him! I really hope those of you that are in the States get the chance to see him live, because he is already becoming the second music act I would travel Europe to see. I have already gone from going on a Home Free tour to going on a Home Free and Jeffrey East tour. So here's the opening act becoming just as important as the main act. Well done Home Free for picking Jeffrey East to support you on this tour, and in case any of you read this; you guys are a perfect fit! A match made in heaven. Thank you! And I'm looking forward to any type of collaboration between you, and I really hope that Tim was telling us the future last night when he said there will be a Jeffrey East song on the next Home Free album. Can't wait!
Being so up close to a stage as low as it was last night brings, as mentioned, a very intimate feeling, and it also gives the opportunity to read the guys' facial expressions and looks in their eyes. In Stockholm they were surprised and amazed by the response they got from the crowd, in Prague they expected it, but they were still amazed. The joy and love they showed when looking out over the audience was so visible you could almost touch it. This show was my 10th Home Free concert and to me it has been obvious for a long time that even though the set list might be the same for every show, the expression from the guys are slightly different for each of them. I believe that the reason for that is that they feed off the energy of the audience. I haven't been to a show in the States, but for this tour in Europe we give them our all. We sing every word, we clap along and we dance. We engage fully and completely from beginning to end and we feed the guys a whole lot of energy to give back to us. We give them all our heart and soul and we're all loving it! It's a win - win. Yes, our feet and our backs hurt afterwards and we might lose our voices, but I can't think of anything I would rather do in a concert than feeling all the love and joy and I have inside of coming out to be shared with everyone around me. This is why I travel all over Europe to see them. It makes me feel truly alive, it brings out the best feelings in me, it gives me inspiration to live my life to the fullest and it is making me amazing friends for life.
I understand that standing shows isn't for everyone, but I hope the rest of the world will get to experience them too if you choose to try it out. I can promise you that it is worth it for most people. Unless you are there only to hear beautiful harmonies. But if you're in it for the guys, then you are in for a treat, for sure.
What else can I say about last night's show? We surprised Adam by not shouting back 3, but doing the beat boxing part instead. That was fun! We waved flags from around the world during the encore Love Train, the bass literally moved back a step when Tim or Adam hit those lows and my chest rumbled more than ever before. It felt like an earth quake going on inside it! Amazing! Freaking amazing! It was hot, but not as hot as Stockholm.
I am currently 11 hours into a bus ride from Prague to Cologne, Germany for tomorrow's show. I'm looking forward to a day off from traveling tomorrow and a bit of a sleep-in before doing the touristy thing.
Look for my next post on Tuesday, where I will keep you updated on the the difference on going to a seated show after 2 standing shows.
Love/
Carina
While waiting for the show to start there was music playing and it seems as if it has become a tradition for this tour that the audience has a sing-along to John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads and the Prague audience didn't disappoint. We were simply just standing there in front of the stage, or wherever you were standing, singing along with all that we had. And it was awesome. The feeling of it was that of expectation, because those who have been to one of the previous shows, or if you have seen Jeffrey East's live stream of his act earlier this week, know that it's the last song before Jeffrey comes on. And we were ready. We were so ready!
Just as in Stockholm I was second line up front right in the middle of the stage, but the stage in Prague was smaller and lower so we were very close to first Jeffrey, then Home Free, and it gave the concert a feeling of intimacy. Well deserved intimacy in an artist - fan kind of way. Why well deserved you might ask? Because any crowd that is so engaged as this crowd was from beginning to end deserves it. It is important to remember though that the relationship is that between an artist/s and their fans. They give us their all and we give them our all. They give us their skills and we give our skills. They give us their music and we give our joy of enjoying their music. That's what it's all about.
This was the 3d time seeing Jeffrey East and you all know I loved him from the get-go. It hasn't changed. At the first show in Oslo he didn't know what to expect and he was blown away by the response he got. In Stockholm he might have started to understand that we might actually really like him. Yesterday he knew, and it showed. The audience showed their love for him and he showed his love for us. One of Jeffrey's strong sides is to get the crowd to sing-along to his songs. He doesn't even have to ask us anymore, as he pointed out. Last night he played one of his songs he hadn't played before here in Europe, but we still knew it and could sing along to it. He loved it, and we loved giving it to him! I really hope those of you that are in the States get the chance to see him live, because he is already becoming the second music act I would travel Europe to see. I have already gone from going on a Home Free tour to going on a Home Free and Jeffrey East tour. So here's the opening act becoming just as important as the main act. Well done Home Free for picking Jeffrey East to support you on this tour, and in case any of you read this; you guys are a perfect fit! A match made in heaven. Thank you! And I'm looking forward to any type of collaboration between you, and I really hope that Tim was telling us the future last night when he said there will be a Jeffrey East song on the next Home Free album. Can't wait!
Being so up close to a stage as low as it was last night brings, as mentioned, a very intimate feeling, and it also gives the opportunity to read the guys' facial expressions and looks in their eyes. In Stockholm they were surprised and amazed by the response they got from the crowd, in Prague they expected it, but they were still amazed. The joy and love they showed when looking out over the audience was so visible you could almost touch it. This show was my 10th Home Free concert and to me it has been obvious for a long time that even though the set list might be the same for every show, the expression from the guys are slightly different for each of them. I believe that the reason for that is that they feed off the energy of the audience. I haven't been to a show in the States, but for this tour in Europe we give them our all. We sing every word, we clap along and we dance. We engage fully and completely from beginning to end and we feed the guys a whole lot of energy to give back to us. We give them all our heart and soul and we're all loving it! It's a win - win. Yes, our feet and our backs hurt afterwards and we might lose our voices, but I can't think of anything I would rather do in a concert than feeling all the love and joy and I have inside of coming out to be shared with everyone around me. This is why I travel all over Europe to see them. It makes me feel truly alive, it brings out the best feelings in me, it gives me inspiration to live my life to the fullest and it is making me amazing friends for life.
I understand that standing shows isn't for everyone, but I hope the rest of the world will get to experience them too if you choose to try it out. I can promise you that it is worth it for most people. Unless you are there only to hear beautiful harmonies. But if you're in it for the guys, then you are in for a treat, for sure.
What else can I say about last night's show? We surprised Adam by not shouting back 3, but doing the beat boxing part instead. That was fun! We waved flags from around the world during the encore Love Train, the bass literally moved back a step when Tim or Adam hit those lows and my chest rumbled more than ever before. It felt like an earth quake going on inside it! Amazing! Freaking amazing! It was hot, but not as hot as Stockholm.
I am currently 11 hours into a bus ride from Prague to Cologne, Germany for tomorrow's show. I'm looking forward to a day off from traveling tomorrow and a bit of a sleep-in before doing the touristy thing.
Look for my next post on Tuesday, where I will keep you updated on the the difference on going to a seated show after 2 standing shows.
Love/
Carina
Saturday, 8 September 2018
Trip 2 - Prague and Cologne
And it's tour time again!!
I am at the airport, killing time waiting for my flight to Prague, Czech Republic this evening. The time is 4:45 AM and my flight leaves at 7:00 AM. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how excited I am.
So far Home Free and Jeffrey East seem to be enjoying this tour a lot. In show after show both they and the audience are singing, dancing and clapping for all they are worth, and I am positive tonight's show will keep adding to the list of shows that are mind-blowing, heart warming and joyful.
I will be meeting up with a lot of friends in Prague, lovely people I've gotten to know through Home Free. My sister I've known her whole life, another friend I've known close to 30 years, some I've met several times before in several countries over the past 2,5 years since the first time Home Free came to Europe, some I've shared a room with before, some I've met once and some I will meet for the first time. We come from all over Europe; Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and of course Spain (that's me).
This show is a standing show, just as Stockholm was last week and just as Vienna was last night. I know Stockholm was epic, and I have heard that Vienna was even better so there is no doubt in my mind that Prague will be even more epic and better than those shows. I know all of us will do our best to make it so.
Tomorrow morning I will get on a bus, together with another Swede and 2 Finns, from Prague to Cologne, Germany for the show on Monday. I am looking forward to seeing the scenery along the way, and to get some rest. I've had a busy week and so far I've only slept 45 minutes tonight. I'm not a great plane sleeper, but I will do my best to get at least an hour of it on my 3 hour flight.
Some of us are landing at more or less the same time so we'll kick everything off at the airport already. I see a lot of laughter and hugs in my near future.
On the bus tomorrow I will write a blog to tell you all about tonight's show, and of course there will be one about the Cologne show on Tuesday. I'm so excited to write them!
But now I will have my airport breakfast of champions - a banana, salt and vinegar crisps (chips for you US folks out there), black coffee and water - and watch a film. I've got another hour to kill before my gate is announced.
I wish you a fantastic day, I know mine will be. Have fun, love a lot, laugh much!
Love/
Carina
Thursday, 30 August 2018
It's Tour Time
And so the adventures begin. I'm at the airport waiting to board my flight to Oslo. The European leg of Home Free Timeless Tour begins today and I will be there!
This is their first time performing in Norway and tomorrow will be their first time performing in Stockholm, Sweden and I will of course be there as well.
The guys will continue their tour on Sunday while I go home, but I will pick the tour up again in Prague, Czech Republic on the 8th of September and in Cologne (Köln), Germany before I again go home while the band continues on their victorious journey here in Europe.
So, I'll be at the first 2 shows of the tour and at 2 in the middle so obviously I will be at the last 2 shows as well which are Birmigham, UK on the 20th of September and finally London, UK on the 21st.
I will be blogging about all the shows, and a couple of them will be standing room only which is unusual for Home Free's shows, so it will be interesting to compare them with the normal seated shows I've been to before.
Of course I'm doing all this with my fellow Euro Fries, my little sister included everywhere but Cologne, and I'm super excited to not only get to see the Guys again, but also all my old and new friends from all over Europe.
I hope you'll check in and join me on my adventures!
/Love Carina
This is their first time performing in Norway and tomorrow will be their first time performing in Stockholm, Sweden and I will of course be there as well.
The guys will continue their tour on Sunday while I go home, but I will pick the tour up again in Prague, Czech Republic on the 8th of September and in Cologne (Köln), Germany before I again go home while the band continues on their victorious journey here in Europe.
So, I'll be at the first 2 shows of the tour and at 2 in the middle so obviously I will be at the last 2 shows as well which are Birmigham, UK on the 20th of September and finally London, UK on the 21st.
I will be blogging about all the shows, and a couple of them will be standing room only which is unusual for Home Free's shows, so it will be interesting to compare them with the normal seated shows I've been to before.
Of course I'm doing all this with my fellow Euro Fries, my little sister included everywhere but Cologne, and I'm super excited to not only get to see the Guys again, but also all my old and new friends from all over Europe.
I hope you'll check in and join me on my adventures!
/Love Carina
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
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
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
The Euro Fry Family
Yesterday I came home from yet another Home Free travel. This was my third one and they just keep getting better and better although it's hard to believe that it's even possible. It isn't just the Guys of Home Free, as a whole and individually, that keeps improving - everything is!
This trip made my 6th and 7th time seeing them and my 3d and 4th VIP meeting them. I can honestly say that I am already excited for the next time. The pure love and joy I feel in their presence is quite stunningly mind-blowing when I start thinking about it. It how they make us feel that keeps us coming back for more.
My first stop on this trip was Utrecht in the Netherlands and my second stop was Girona, Spain, but in this first blog post about my trip I won't get into any details or stories about either of the shows or the VIPs. This post is dedicated to my extended family, to the Euro Fry Family as we call ourselves.
Back at the end of 2015, after the very first European show was announced I decided to start a special group for the Fries going to that show, and the later added shows, on that very first tour in this part of the world. I felt we needed a place where we could get to know each other better, a place where we could plan and discuss things like when we would arrive, which hotels we would be staying at and what clothes to wear without interruption from other Fries, and without posts about it getting lost in all the other posts. After that first tour we decided to keep the group for those that had been there and for future shows. We decided to keep it dedicated to only Europeans or to others going to any Euro shows. We felt we wanted and needed a place to ourselves to grow our own culture here in Europe.
We became a family even before we met that very first time. As you might have read in previous posts I wouldn't have been able to go to those first 2 shows, Birmingham and London 2016, if it hadn't been for a couple of amazing Fries making sure I got tickets and even picking me and my partner in crime, my sister Helena, up at the airport and driving us 3 hours to Birmingham.
Today our Euro Fry Family has grown to almost 200 members, and we expect it to keep growing.
This family is filled with so much love and joy it is almost difficult even for me to understand it, and I'm all about that love! This past weekend I have met Fries from all over Europe; Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Poland and probably more I can't think about right now. Please let me know in the comments if I met you and you're from a country I missed. I am used to multiple nationalities hanging out together since I live in a tourist area and have friends from all over, but this was still quite amazing.
I have gotten and given so many hugs and I have laughed until I cried more times than I ever have in such a short period of times. I have shared hostel and hotel rooms with people from a total of 4 different countries. I shared a flight with 4 other Fries from one show to another. I shared some of the best memories I will ever have with these people and I am so incredibly grateful and happy to have them all in my life. We slept little, talked a lot, laughed more, sang loud and loved from the depths of our hearts.
And we owe it all to 5 Guys that share their time and talents with us with joy and love. I know we are all already eagerly waiting to hear about the next time Home Free will come to see us - maybe even more so we get a chance to see each other than to see them. And we will all do whatever we can to see them again.
To my Euro Fry Family - you know who you are - I love you, you are amazing and I am so grateful I get to share this unbelievable experience with y'all. Thank you for being a part of this crazy life!
I loved being at Home Free's first show in Spain, just as I loved being at their first show in Europe last year, and I have so many things to tell you about that experience, after I told you all about the Utrecht show, in an upcoming post.
I didn't film any of the songs myself, but I found this video of Don't It Feel Good from Girona on YouTube. For those who don't know this is a Home Free original written by their bass singer Tim Foust. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Watching a video will never even begin to prepare you for what it's like to be there in person, but it will give you an idea of it.
So, Don't It Feel Good to be a part of this Euro Fry Family, my lovelies?
Love//
Carina
This trip made my 6th and 7th time seeing them and my 3d and 4th VIP meeting them. I can honestly say that I am already excited for the next time. The pure love and joy I feel in their presence is quite stunningly mind-blowing when I start thinking about it. It how they make us feel that keeps us coming back for more.
My first stop on this trip was Utrecht in the Netherlands and my second stop was Girona, Spain, but in this first blog post about my trip I won't get into any details or stories about either of the shows or the VIPs. This post is dedicated to my extended family, to the Euro Fry Family as we call ourselves.
Back at the end of 2015, after the very first European show was announced I decided to start a special group for the Fries going to that show, and the later added shows, on that very first tour in this part of the world. I felt we needed a place where we could get to know each other better, a place where we could plan and discuss things like when we would arrive, which hotels we would be staying at and what clothes to wear without interruption from other Fries, and without posts about it getting lost in all the other posts. After that first tour we decided to keep the group for those that had been there and for future shows. We decided to keep it dedicated to only Europeans or to others going to any Euro shows. We felt we wanted and needed a place to ourselves to grow our own culture here in Europe.
We became a family even before we met that very first time. As you might have read in previous posts I wouldn't have been able to go to those first 2 shows, Birmingham and London 2016, if it hadn't been for a couple of amazing Fries making sure I got tickets and even picking me and my partner in crime, my sister Helena, up at the airport and driving us 3 hours to Birmingham.
Today our Euro Fry Family has grown to almost 200 members, and we expect it to keep growing.
This family is filled with so much love and joy it is almost difficult even for me to understand it, and I'm all about that love! This past weekend I have met Fries from all over Europe; Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Poland and probably more I can't think about right now. Please let me know in the comments if I met you and you're from a country I missed. I am used to multiple nationalities hanging out together since I live in a tourist area and have friends from all over, but this was still quite amazing.
I have gotten and given so many hugs and I have laughed until I cried more times than I ever have in such a short period of times. I have shared hostel and hotel rooms with people from a total of 4 different countries. I shared a flight with 4 other Fries from one show to another. I shared some of the best memories I will ever have with these people and I am so incredibly grateful and happy to have them all in my life. We slept little, talked a lot, laughed more, sang loud and loved from the depths of our hearts.
And we owe it all to 5 Guys that share their time and talents with us with joy and love. I know we are all already eagerly waiting to hear about the next time Home Free will come to see us - maybe even more so we get a chance to see each other than to see them. And we will all do whatever we can to see them again.
To my Euro Fry Family - you know who you are - I love you, you are amazing and I am so grateful I get to share this unbelievable experience with y'all. Thank you for being a part of this crazy life!
I loved being at Home Free's first show in Spain, just as I loved being at their first show in Europe last year, and I have so many things to tell you about that experience, after I told you all about the Utrecht show, in an upcoming post.
I didn't film any of the songs myself, but I found this video of Don't It Feel Good from Girona on YouTube. For those who don't know this is a Home Free original written by their bass singer Tim Foust. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Watching a video will never even begin to prepare you for what it's like to be there in person, but it will give you an idea of it.
So, Don't It Feel Good to be a part of this Euro Fry Family, my lovelies?
Love//
Carina
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