Nordkyst Rock, Helsinge, Denmark, Friday the 22nd of October 2004
"Here kitty kitty kitty..."

This was definitely "girls on tour" because we were joining up with a truck load of girlies! -Or at least Line and Anja, who have been known to support Safri Duo with us, on a few occasions.

Before we headed for the show, we were to pick up Line in Farum....which proved to be yet another town to get lost in. Before finally finding Line, we had seen all there is to see in Farum...we drove all over the place!!! But we found her....eventually.

Then we drove to Helsinge Hallen, where we met up with Anja and her boyfriend Kenneth, who worked as security at the gig. Sadly he trusted us NOT to have brought weapons, because we didn't get a body search, to Bente´s big disappointment. What's the advantage of knowing the security guards if they won't even frisk you? Hrmf......

Not an evening without action as a man was actually found dead in the arena!!!! Luckily the paramedics managed to resuscitate him and he was speeded to the hospital. That was a bit more action than we like; how horrible!! (Later the guy returned to collect his jacket and buy a drink...so we guess he is alright!!)

When the doors opened to the arena it was just like the good ol´ days, because people speeded to the front row, so of course...so did we, and took up space there for the next 2 hours.....
A local band, Roevballe Bandet was the opening act and they played the entire 2 hours. Now don't get us wrong...they were highly enthusiastic and filled with energy, but it proved to be a looong two hours, before Safri Duo finally entered the stage at 22.15!

Uffe was wearing his multi-color glow-in-the-dark pants and a sleeveless white shirt with "Rocky" on it. Morten had on jeans and a yellow sleeveless shirt with a brown hand-pattern.

Peter was also back in the line-up; nice to see you back, Peter!
We must say, that the guys were on fire and Sweet Freedom definitely deserves a mention...it wasn't just Sweet Freedom...it was SAAAAWEEEEET FREEDOM!!

The break during the show has been removed so now it's 90 minutes of intense, hot, steamy Safri magic!

Another knock-out show came to an end and Line and Anja were impressed by the new show....well, of course, who wouldn't be??!!

Safri Duo had a lot of guests backstage, so we weren't quite sure if they had time to come out and say hello to their fans. A small group, including us, hung around the dressing room area to find out, and suddenly Uffe stuck his head out and announced that they would pop out shortly to sign autographs. Well, aren't they just a couple of sweeties?
So they did, and Clark also appeared to say hi to his fans. We talked to Clark about scheduling an interview and we agreed on the upcoming Tuesday.

We hadn't received any autograph requests from fans, so we got autographs for ourselves. You can never have too many Uffe and Morten autographs...you never know when they might come in handy!

Since Kenneth had to clean up after the amazing concert, we drove Anja home and simply had to escort her in, so we could say hello to Tjalfe, her pillow stealing cat, (and also check out her new kitchen...and eat some of her food).
Then it was off to Farum again, so Line could get home safely. She had declined on a family visit on Friday due to going to the Safri show (Good on ya, Line!), so the scorned family was showing up the next day at 9am! Poor girl.....
Afterwards we headed towards Casa del Safrizone and we arrived at 3 am...poor us.....
So we had a good long sleep before waking up and getting ready for the next Safri show 10 hours later.

Bredebro Hallen, Saturday the 23rd of October 2004
"Hail to the King!!"

Not being completely awake and peachy, we slithered into the car and headed off towards Bredebro, which pretty much is a trip straight across the country to Jutland.

We had no trouble finding the town, but it proved pretty difficult finding the sports arena. We actually left Bredebro twice in search of the place. Well, maybe if they had put some signs up, pointing to the event…..
We were beginning to wonder if we had the date of the concert wrong, and when we came down the same road for the 3rd time we decided to ask some girls for directions. Luckily they were going to the show and told us, that we were actually at the right place. Phew!

So in we went, and we realized that we were kinda early, because the security was not on site yet. So we took up positions in the hall.
A DJ was playing before and after the show and he was really an O-Zone fan, because not an hour went by without at least 3 O-Zone tracks…..what ever happened to a good ol´ Barry Manilow song? ”Oh, Mandy…well, you came and you gave without taking”……Aaaah, those were the days…
Anyway!
Safri actually went on stage at 9 pm! Nine! Pretty darn early for the bongoboys….but kinda sweet for those Zealanders, who had a long drive home!

Out of the closets this lovely night, Uffe had taken jeans and his ”Space is the Place” t-shirt. Morten had on jeans and his green patterned sleeveless shirt!

Now…normally we don't mention what Clark is wearing, but it is strictly necessary to emphasize his black sleeveless shirt. It fitted him….W.E.L.L.!!

It was a terrific show, especially ”Laarbasses” and ”Sweet Freedom” were totally on fire!

At one time Clark decided to have a bit of fun, and entered the stage wearing a paper royal crown from Burger King. Guess, now we know where they do a pit stop on their long road trips!

After the show some fans went to the dressing room area to find out, if Safri Duo would come out and sign autographs. Some of those fans, including us, were so lucky as to be let in backstage for a few pictures and autographs.

We used the opportunity to ask Uffe about the name of the drum Morten played in the Drum Show? We had identified it as a djempe but weren't sure. Uffe smiled and said, that it actually wasn't a djempe, but that it was an understandable mistake, since the 2 drums have the same shape. Thank you Uffe, for not making us feel like total idiots.

We also talked with Peter about him filling out a fact file, and he said he would look into it, but that he had misplaced his fact file sheet, so we promised to bring him a new one.

Then it was time to head home…..but try finding your way to the high way on the other side of Denmark in the dark?
And in the pouring rain.
And being us.
Not gonna happen.

We drove helplessly around for 40 minutes in the country, without getting close to any kinda town. Then we spotted a house with the lights on, and ended up ringing the doorbell for some directions. The nice lady pointed us in the right direction and finally we spotted a sign to the highway going to Zeeland. From there…no sweat!
We were home at 3.30 am and actually considered just sleeping in our car, thereby avoiding the boring, time-consuming night procedure before finally being able to go to sleep. But since we had made it this far…we might as well go the distance.



Helle Hallen, Varde, Denmark, Friday the 29th of October 2004
"Kann ich einen Bratwurst haben.....mitzunehmen..."

Not only did this Safri concert mean a reunion with Helle Hallen, but it was also our 60th Safri Duo concert!! Combining the two it was pretty funky to think about that it had been 55 Safri concerts since we last visited Helle Hallen. F-i-f-t-y-f-i-v-e!!! Damn, time goes fast when you're having a blast!

When you are traveling a lot from Zeeland to Jutland via the bridge, it is really great, that it is possible to get a cheaper ticket over the bridge, if you are able to reach the bridge on the return trip before 3 am on the following night. We have saved a few bucks on that arrangements this Safri tour around!

As always we had a few problems finding Helle Hallen, but we consider ourselves excused since it was also almost impossible for the cab driver to find it back in 2001!! Also due to the season being WINTER, it was dark all over, so we were totally lost, driving around in the country side in the pouring rain.
What to do?
Well, we got out of the car and found a house to ask for directions. Bente rang the doorbell, but nothing really happened, so she tried again. She could hear an older lady behind the door, so assuming the lady was hesitant with talking to strangers, she decided to try another house. But then the door opened and the old lady's little grand daughter and her little dog were pushed out on the steps. Apparently she had no scruples sending her granddaughter into action. Lucky for her it was simply a wet, confused Safri fan asking for the way to Helle Hallen and not a guy with a hockey mask and a chainsaw. This time.

Lucky for us the sweet girl knew the way and before we knew it, we had arrived!
The parking lot was pretty much empty and there were no people at the entrance...well, except for one Mr. Anderson talking on the phone. Nice of him to act as welcoming committee!!
We said hi and walked in. We had a look around and felt a bit stranded since the place was totally empty. We went down the hall, and spotted Uffe at the end, talking with their tour manager.
Suddenly it hit us!: We had taken the wrong entrance! We were backstage! Sorry about that one. We speeded by Uffe, said hello and excused ourselves for being totally lost.

Then we found the correct entrance, but since there were no security guards, people had taken up positions all over the place. We started talking with a woman and her daughter, who had been at the arena since early afternoon. Turned out it was Winnie and Sonja, 2 members of the newsletter! How cool was that?!

At 9.20pm we were let in and Safri went on at 11.....oh the agony of waiting. On a happy note we were standing next to Winnie and Sonja, so we could chat while waiting.
Of course it was well worth the wait, because the guys were smoking!
Morten was wearing the yellow hand patterned shirt and jeans. Uffe had on the peach-colored t-shirt and jeans.

After "Rise" Uffe, Morten and Clark were getting ready for the "stick" maneuver in "Agogo Mosse", and Morten grabbed one of the microphones. We expected him to present the next song, but he also said congrats to US on our 60th Safri concert!!! What the double hockey stick was going on?!!!!!! We were totally taken by surprise!! Honestly, we had no idea they were going to do that...our brainwaves went totally flat line for about 2 minutes. How sweet of them to interrupt the show just because of us!!

Three exclamation marks for Sweet Freedom: "!!!" it was simply out of this world!!
Due to the shows being so fantastic, we have totally forgotten to mention that The Party Bazookas are back in business!!! Aaah yes, the indoor firework from the Mad Drums Tour have returned to bring us a taste of the good ol´ times. They rock!
What also truly rocks is the drum solo just before "Ritmo.." where Uffe and Morten go totally wild! It's just so fascinating how they are able to coordinate it! It's sounds amazing and looks incredible!!!

The Safri crew also seems to enjoy the show since they did an "adorable" little dance during "Knock on Wood." It almost looked like they had some kind of choreographer .

For once it was nice to witness the security in Varde actually doing a good job! They meant business and if you gave them lip you were outta there!!!
Before and after the show there was a DJ playing, so we had something to drink while waiting to see if Safri would appear. Nickie was beginning to wonder if we shouldn't get going, due to the fact, that we had to cross the bridge before 3am, but since Bente was driving she assumed that she had it all covered.
At 1 am she decided juuust to make sure. According to the face Bente then made, it was pretty darn obvious that she had forgotten all about the deadline to the bridge, so suddenly we were in a hurry!!!!

Before leaving we spotted some security in front of the backstage area and just as they were starting a lecture about how we were NOT getting backstage no matter how cute we were (and we ARE cute, ya know...), we asked them about the directions to the highway, making them all confused.
Asking for directions got us into the town Varde. But we weren't supposed to go to town, so we were not only lost but also extremely stressed out, because the bridge was 173 km away. So we asked some drunk dudes for directions and they actually got us to the highway!! According to our travel guide (which never ever works!!) we could reach the bridge in 1 hour and 43 minutes. 1 hour and 20 minutes later we could be spotted on the bridge and we even had 16 minutes to go!!
We promise that we will never ever drive that fast again!! Not that we were driving fast!!! We totally stayed within the speeding limits.........of Germany.

We really needed a break, so we found a lay-by and had the biggest laugh ever...about nothing. Guess that's the state you get into after being awake for 22 hours including being at work, driving for hours, getting lost, seeing Safri, getting lost, getting stressed and finally having a wee break at 3.20 am. What a day...gotta love it!!!!...Let´s do it again! -real soon!!!

Falconer, Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday the 1st of November 2004
"Slippery when wet"

At this event Safri Duo was playing a charity show for Unicef´s work with children in Laos, so of course we had to be there!
The supporting act was a percussion band named Marimbanda, consisting of a large group of young people playing marimba, vibraphones and drums. They were really good!!! They also gave their interpretation of "The Bongo Song", which really got the crowd going! It was Marimba Heaven and now we were ready for Safri Duo!

Oh, must not forget!!!: We didn't get lost on this trip. In fact we are beginning to know our way around Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. The shop P.J Percussion is located nearby and we also witnessed our 4th Safri concert in front of the Town Hall there, back in 2001.

This night Uffe had decided to put on jeans with international flags and a black/white patterned t-shirt. Morten was wearing jeans and his tight black sleeveless shirt.
The Safri guys were in a terrific mood the crowd was cooking and the event raised almost a million Dkr!!

After the show Clark was bustling about in the crowd, ´cause he was getting ready for a big farewell party with all of his friends, since he was leaving for L.A the next morning. On our way out we were almost tackled by Danish supermodel Oliver Bjerrehuus, who came speeding by us and suddenly slipped in a puddle of water. Don't worry, Oliver....we saw n-o-t-h-i-n-g!

We were home pretty early, so we had no problems getting up the next morning and going to work! -Well, no more than usual.....


Naestved, Denmark, Friday the 12th of November 2004
"If you find yourself alone riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled for you are in Elysium and you are already dead!"

Naestved is only 60 kilometers from our home, so this show was really a treat. It was raining like mad as we made our way to Naestved accompanied by Bente´s mum, who was in for her last Safri extravaganza of 2004.
When we reached the arena, people were not yet let in, but due to the rain, we could all wait in the hall. There we met up with devoted fans Winnie and Sonja, who had made the trip from Funen. Winnie had been waiting for us to show up, because she had a CD filled with cool Safri pics from their last 3 concerts, that she wanted to "donate" to The Safri Zone. And we never say no to cool, Safri pics!

For once Bente had a "running compadre", because when the doors to the arena opened, she discovered that Winnie also turned into Speedy Gonzales, by the sight of the Safri drums and a chance for a spot in the front row!
So they ran. Oh, how they ran. -and secured the party of 5 front row spots.

At this...our ALMOST last Safri gig of 2004, the opening act turned out to be, by golly, a Kim Larsen/Gasolin cover band! What is it with Safri Duo and Gasolin cover bands? That has totally been the theme of 2004!
Could we perhaps request a different theme for the next tour...maybe Safri/Movie stars with past time bands? -Because we would just love to see Russell Crowe´s past time band "30 Odd Foot of Grunts". Yummie....

After yet another set of Kim Larsen songs, where the bassist actually turned out to be quite a treat, which, sadly...he knew, Safri Duo came on stage ready for another blast of a concert!
Morten had on his "star" sleeveless shirt and white marked jeans. Uffe was wearing his green sleeveless shirt and the jeans with the flags.........eye-candy......

Also on stage were the substitute players Mogens on bass and Kasper on drums, while Mads was steadfast behind the keyboard; good on ya, Mads!

A great Safri night, where we actually met quite a few familiar Safri-fan faces.
Safri wrote just a few autographs, before heading off and Clark was not feeling all that peachy, so he needed some rest;- and perhaps some camomile tea?

We wished him a speedy recovery and headed home to count the days to our very last Safri concert of 2004.


Thy Hallen, Denmark, Saturday the 27th of November 2004
"Poul Erik Skammelsen live at the 63rd Safri Duo concert!"

So here it was....the last Safri Duo show of 2004. Of course we had to be there even though it took place almost the furthest we could get from home. But who cares, Safri was ON!

It was a really long drive, so of course we simply had to make a pit stop at our favourite McDonalds restaurant just after the bridge at Storebaelt. We got our food and found a table.....And then something amazing happened: The One. The Only: Johnny "Light manager" Sorensen was sitting at the table next to us!!!!! Safri´s former light technician from The Mad Drums Tour!!! How nostalgic was that, seeing him, one of our favourite crew-guys from the last tour, on this, the last concert of this tour! And what are the odds of meeting him at McD?!!!! We said a quick hi and when he left he gave us a little wave........we are totally in debt after he helped us back in Nibe at the Festival entrance; such a sweetie!!

But we could not linger at McDonalds, because we had booked a room in a Bed&.
No, we have not forgotten the breakfast, because no freakin´ breakfast was included! So we had booked a room in a Bed&! We did not care much for the thought of driving home after the show, and since this was the last concert, we were planning to have a drink or two to celebrate this great tour.

No need for new traditions when the old ones work so brilliantly, so of course we got lost in the rain and the dark. Well, it really did not help, that our travel guide told us to make a turn down the second exit in a traffic circle, which happened not to exist in real life!!!
At one time the lady at the Bed& called us up, to make sure we were actually planning to show up, and we made it JUST in time, before she headed out for a night on the town.

Then we discovered, that we had actually not booked at room...no we had booked a whole cottage!

So we had to leave the drive way, go down the road and then make a turn into the woods, where the cottage then towered, surrounded by a lovely garden, which was surrounded by.....pretty much a swamp area due to the heavy rain.

Since we were planning to get drinks at the show we, of course, had to get a taxi, so we called up the taxi company to book one. Since little people basically would go under in the deep piles of mud (and we were not wearing combat boots) , the taxi had to drive through the woods to the cottage, so Bente emphasized to the taxi coordinator, that the taxi shouldn't drive to the main house, but to the cottage next to it! The lady on the line sounded like she had made that trip many times before, and really didn't pay much attention.
Turned out, that the taxi did not arrive on time, so Bente called up once again and repeated, that we were not stationed at the main house, but down the road. The lady was now sounding a little bit tired, and said, that they had it covered!!!.
Ok.....
Still, the taxi did not show up, and we were getting a bit stressed since the doors had just opened at Thy Hallen. We went outside and what could we hear? A car in the drive way by the main house, honking the horn like crazy.
Since a big wall was blocking any form of passage from the main house to the cottage (as we had already informed the taxi company) Bente once again called them up and said "sdlfhgawdsdkdamnitfsd!!!" or something like it.
The lady called up the taxi driver and guided him down the road and down the muddy way to the cottage, and finally, incredibly late, we were on the way to the Safri show.

We had stuff for Safri Duo to sign before they ended their tour, so our names were on the guest list, which meant that we had no tickets. We went up to a big dude, who asked us, not all too politely, what we had in the handbag? Bente thinking he was searching for bottles or weapons, kindly told him, that we had just brought a camera. Little did we know, that it was actually not allowed to take pictures, because the guy almost grew a few centimeters and barked "If I catch you taking pictures you are OUT OF HERE!!"
Ok mate, and welcome to Thy.
Then we walked up to the ticket guy and told him, that we were on the guest list. He looked at us, and told us to go to the entrance and find the guy with the ear mic. Turned out it was our friend from before: Big Dude. He found his papers and confirmed our names on the list. And suddenly he was Big Kind Dude, saying that if he had only known that before. Guess he was not strong in the "Equal service for all" department.
Entering the arena, we had come to terms with the fact, that we were so late, that a front row spot was out of the question.
But no! Because our Knights in Shining Amour, Winnie and Sonja, had taken the fort earlier that day and defended the front line ´till our late arrival. They ROCK!
-And right next to them was Lone from The Safri Zone Summer Party and her brother. One big happy Safri family!

Now, since we were not allowed to take pictures, you just have to take our word for it: Uffe was wearing a yellow patterned shirt and the jeans with the flags. Morten had on the black sleeveless shirt and jeans.

And Clark was wearing: no hair.
Yes, indeed, Mr. Anderson had been to the barber and had a hairdo even shorter than a crew cut. But don't be alarmed, because he looked absolutely amazing! His style was totally changed, but it suited him SO well.

This turned out to be one of those shows where you really needed to hold on to the fence, because the guys on stage were on fire!!! It was double-hot-chocolate-chick-racing-around the corner l-o-u-d!!!
It was a final show, that went down in history!!!

Then there was a break in the show, and that was the cue for the crew to get busy! Because they had plans!!! And while Safri, Clark and the band were having a breather, the crew decorated the drums with tinsel and candy, put posters of pinup girls on the floor instead of the play list and sausages instead of microphones. It looked like the inside of Jim Carrey´s head!
Oh the joy of Christmas!
So Safri got quite a surprise when they returned to the stage; so sad, that no-one dared to take pictures!!

In "Knock on Wood" (oh, we are gonna miss that one!) Clark did not enter the stage with a naked chest like he usually does. -No, with the new hair comes new dress codes, so he had on a suit, with the jacket open.-With a naked chest underneath. The girls seemed to like it and it went so well with the new hair. Or lack there of.

After the outstanding show, people started to exit the arena, because there was no after party!!! Well, if you wanted to take the bus into town, your ticket could get you into a disco. But that was not what we wanted, oh no, we wanted to enjoy the Jutlantic Barcardi/Lemon's they make so brilliantly at the arena parties after Safri concerts. And besides that...we had no tickets. A good thing we had a white wine waiting for us back in our very own cottage.

Since we didn't know if Safri were coming out to greet the fans, we started looking for a security guy, who could clear our names for the backstage area.
We went to the info desk and told the man there, that we were guests.
At first he didn't even react, and when he finally did, he leaned over and said:
"Well......if you want to get backstage, you need one of these (pointing at his crew-pass hanging around his neck) and as far as I can see (leaning over the desk and looking down at us, while smiling) it doesn't really look like you have one."
Well, we couldn't argue that, so we asked him, if he could call Safri´s tour manager since she could vouch for us?
Lucky for us, he called someone up, and he did not look all too happy, when he discovered that we were actually NOT two half drunk opportunists.
Since it is not the first time we have been treated like lunatics by local info-guys, we simply thanked him for his time and made our way to find the Head of Security.
It often surprises us how patronizing the crews on site are towards the fans.
We have never seen any fans trying to cheat their way backstage and still we are often treated like stupid kids, when we introduce ourselves at the info desks. -And then, we must admit, it's quite humorous when they realize that we are actually not lying. What ever happened to treating people with respect from the get-go? -And that goes towards all fans.

It just so happened that Safri Duo appeared to sign autographs and some of the fans had brought gifts for them and also wanted to take pictures. Afterwards we met up with Safri and Clark and got the merchandize signed and pictures taken.

We also talked a bit about the tour ending and them going in the studio.
But before all of this, we had one very special mission:
We simply HAD to touch Clark's almost hairless head! No questions asked, off with the cap, Mr. Anderson!

He didn't seem to mind, and of course we praised his new hairdo, while padding his head.
Then it was time for big farewell hugs, of course mostly for Clark since he was leaving Denmark. We also thanked Uffe and Morten for some outstanding shows and terrific trips around Denmark, and wished them all the best with the next CD.

Then we called a taxi, which luckily arrived quite fast. While waiting, 2 guys drove up to us, and asked if we needed a ride, but we kindly told them, that we were being picked up by our (huge karate fighting) boyfriends.
Back in our cottage in the dark forest, with a front door unable to lock (yummie) we opened our white wine and made a toast to one heck of a Safri tour,- not crying at all!!!
Had we known, there would be no after concert party, we would surely have bought 2 bottles of wine....silly girls.

Sitting in our nice cottage, we reminisced about the tour that had come to pass.
33 concerts this tour...not only witnessing a blast of amazing Safri Duo shows, but also making new fantastic friends all over Denmark.
We would never have expected, that Clark would bring so many good things into our lives; Summer being one of them; she is an absolute doll. What a treasure this tour has been. And the best thing about it: When Safri Duo returns to the road, we will experience more great adventures and see the same friendly faces, that we have come to know so well this year.
Also we could never forget the kindness Uffe and Morten showed at The Safri Zone Summer Party 2004. To take a day out of their busy schedule to drive to Moen to spend time with their fans...it's totally unbelievable.
After so much success, they keep surprising us with their humility and their extreme respect towards all of their fans.
It's such a pleasure following their career and it was such an honor having them here...at our home for the Meet ´n´ Greet.
It was a day we, and the fans, who joined us, will never forget.
We are not sure, that Uffe and Morten quite understand how much impact they have on the lives of their fans...the way they are able to touch people with their music; the way they are able to light up the lives of their fans, just by being who they are....we see it out on tour and through this fan site...and it's simply amazing, how they are able to touch people all around the world.
The 2 guys, who met in the Tivoli Garden's Boys Guard and decided to make a percussion duo, sure made it big! -And they have fans all over the world to prove, that by working hard, believing in yourself and respecting your fans, you can get all the way to the top.

Lienlund Parken, Nakskov, Saturday the 4th of June 2005
”Lassie`s back, alright!”

To this, the first Safri concert of 2005, we were accompanied by Safri fans Winnie and Sonja, with whom we have spent many hours in the front row. They stopped by for lunch before heading to Nakskov. Winnie and Sonja actually brought us gifts, which was totally sweet of them. Aaaah, we love gifts!!

So we drove to Nakskov also in the company of Bente´s mum Lisbeth. We arrived, without problems at all!!!, at the Lienlund Park an hour early. Sadly this was also about the same time the weather Gods decided to give us some heavy rain. How sweet of them…just like they did at the first show of 2004 in Svendborg.
About 30 minutes later the hounds arrived. Yes, just like the last show in Nakskov great killer dogs (well…) were summoned to control the crowd. Then about 2000 people (it seemed like it) were let in under the excuse of being part of the crew. Well, no wonder if the event turns out with a loss. No room for ticket-buyers in the park!

At 17.30 Safri arrived on stage; they were all there except Peter, who was replaced by Mogens.
Uffe was wearing the pants with the flags, a multicolored t-shirt and a white shirt with stripes. Morten had on blue pants, a white shirt and a funky blue jacket with ”Diablo” on the back and the sleeves. Thank you…thank you, very much!

It was pretty much the same show as in 2004, except they left-out ”Moonwalker” and ”Kalimba Dreams”. They played a Kalimba-like melody, but without the kalimba. Also the set-up with Uffe and Morten´s drums was slightly different, them being centered in the middle of the stage instead of on each side. Bente would like to suggest the re-entry of Crazy Benny, now that Moonwalker has left the building?
The weather had cleared up a bit, but showers of rain blended with gust spiced up the evening, which also hit the musicians on stage. Oh the joy of playing against the wind…..

We were very happy to re-unite with Prelude, Sweet Freedom, Knock on Wood and not forgetting Walking Away. We were a bit afraid that they had decided to leave out that last one, so thank you, we appreciate it!!!
And speaking of Knock on Wood…..of course Clark came out shirtless, but entered the stage hiding behind a white and red umbrella. Guess it was ”raining men”, heheheh………

Safri Duo had another show 3 hours later in The Opera House, so they were off towards Copenhagen. One of the local crew came out and told the fans, that there would be no autographs….(in an not all too polite way, may we add), but Clark did appear for a few pictures and autographs, but sadly he did not have time for all the hopeful fans. When they drove away, Uffe had time for 1 autograph for Winnie, and when she discovered that he could remember her name, it was a good thing that her mum was there to catch her, because her legs were giving in. Nice touch, Uffe, you made her day.

We said goodbye to Winnie and Sonja, and were home only an hour later. No, we did not drive like crazy…..Nakskov is not far away, so we were home pretty early. That did not stop us from passing out on the couch of course!!



Groen Concert, Odense, Saturday the 16th of July 2005
”Wanna take a detour to the show”…”sure, why not?!”

This isn't actually an "On Tour with the Girls" rapport….no it's an On Tour with the Girl" rapport. Since Nickie is enjoying a fantastic vacation in Crete with her boyfriend, it was up to me, Bente, to check out Safri´s show at the Groen Concert in Odense…but don't worry…I did not mind one bit.

So why not use this opportunity to spread the Safri Duo word, and find a companion for this trip?
This proved a bit difficult since all our friends have already been brainwashed (or bored to death) with all of our Safri Duo stories….so what to do? And then it hit me…why not go on this Safri trip with the person, who took the very FIRST picture of Nickie and I with Safri Duo, back in 2001 on the ferry to Samsoe? Hans!!!!!
So called him up, and he was ready to bongo, so off we went!

No news in the ”getting lost department", even with a new companion….I started off with driving one heck of a detour from Hans´ house to the high way…and thank you Hans for making me aware of this, when we had driven too far to turn around…….

But we arrived safely in Odense and now just had to find the concert. We had brought a nice map guiding us, but we just couldn't find the darn spot.
After realizing that we had the map upside down and there by had been searching for road names on the wrong side of the street, we had no trouble finding Groen Concert. I just love these ”sightseeing-tours” around the Danish towns......

We found the entrance and instantly spotted Winnie and Sonja, Winnie ready for the long run to the main stage. When we were let in, Winnie, bless her soul, ran like a gazelle all the way to the main stage and took up positions by the fence, filling the spots for all us elderly folks battling the bumpy field. Man, the road is long from the entrance to the stage.

After a few minutes I spotted Clark Anderson on the festival ground accompanied by none other, than our gal-pal Summer Anderson….aaaaaah yes, the American is back!!!! We had a chat about Safri, Clark and yes….some girl stuff, before she and Clark both headed backstage.

Then the music began…..
The show started with "Bombay Vice", with only Mikkel, Peter and Mads on stage…and then….Uffe and Morten appeared being raised from underneath the stage on a platform, while playing the drums…it was……f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c!!!! Looked absolutely yummie!

The stage had a totally new design. All the musicians have a platform each in different levels but all shaped like huge drums and in the colors silver and blue.

Then it was time for "Samb-Adagio"…but without the satisfaction of seeing Morten on the edge of the stage with the didgeridoo raised above his head. Hans later said, that he had actually spotted the didgeridoo before the show…so maybe they just forgot it (bad bad crew)?

Well, Uffe had on his flag pants and an Hawaiian looking shirt, Morten had on grey pants, a white sleeveless shirt and a jacket.

Then came "All the People in the World", where Clark encouraged the crowd to repeat his singing. That went quite alright until the little devil gave it all he had and almost sent the first 3 rows flying with the amazing power of his voice. Did not even want to try to copy that…..

Then came "Fallin´ High" and then a quiet number on the xylosynth, which slowly transformed into "Rise-Leave me Alone". "Laarbasses" came next, followed by "Walking Away" and "Baya Baya".
Then came the funniest remark of the day, when Morten yelled to the crowd:
”Are you ready for more, Esbjerg?!!”
(Well, no wonder we couldn't find the show…we had been driving around in Odense!)

Uffe totally had a fit of laughter, whispering to him, that they were actually playing in Odense. Everybody on stage had a good laugh and Morten corrected himself already knowing where he was, since he had mentioned Odense several times during the show.
(Just imagine if Safri had been the closing act…after a day of enjoying cold beers, bet some of the happy, more intoxicated concert-goers would suddenly become very very confused about where they were. Sadly it was too early to fool anyone.)

"Sweet Freedom" was up next and Clark sent us through 4 rounds of ”talking ´bout freeeeedooooom” at the end of the song…oh, it sends shivers down the spine every time.


In "Played-a-Live" everyone on stage went nuts and blue confetti was blasted into the air.
A totally unbelievable show, where it is safe to say that both Safri and their musicians really know each other and the songs well by now. The vibe between them was great, and as always they enjoyed being on stage. They all looked totally relaxed…like they were playing in front of really close friends. Uffe also jumped off stage and ran from one end of the front row fence to the other, clapping as many hands as possible.

The encore was the amazing drum solo and "Knock on Wood". It started raining during that last song, but it actually brought some sassiness to the finale.
Then they were off and we had a look around the festival ground before heading home. It proved a bit difficult finding our way out of Odense, and we actually drove down the same roads a few times, before finding the blasted high way…..maybe if the road signs were juuust a little bigger?



Groen Concert, Aalborg, Denmark, Thursday the 21st of July 2005
"Well hello Safri,....going down? No, actually going up!!...uhh, even better!!!"

This day we were going to the Groen Concert show furthest away from home. In fact we got up at 5.45am to be out the door at 6.30am. Incredibly enough we managed to get to Aalborg without driving helplessly around the country side completely lost, and therefore being a bit early at our destination. It was a really wet trip….actually it started raining when we left home and it just did not stop. At all.
But when we reached Aalborg, suddenly the blue sky appeared and it got darn hot and humid!!!

The Groen Concert Crew is a special bunch of guys and girls…over 600 people volunteer to help out 2 weeks out of their vacation…at all hours of the day. That also results in the crew being juuuust a tad crazy, having all sorts of nutty, but entertaining, ideas, like running around the arena hugging everybody, having water fights and singing crew songs not all suited for kids under 15….
-But they were quite good at getting people into the festival ground quick!
Now….getting quickly inside was obstacle 1. Next obstacle was getting to the main stage. Because that's a bumpy and very looooooong run. Bente speeding off, quickly realizing that she was the only one stupid enough to actually run, so she speeded down and walked the miles up to the main stage, where Safri Duo, being the opening act, were doing a sound check.

The Groen Spot stage opened at 1.30pm (being a stage for upcoming Danish acts), Peter Sommer doing a great job. Us being in the total opposite side of the festival ground could only hear him in the distant, but what we could hear sounded lovely. Then at 2pm the host of the main stage appeared, Jacob Haugaard always in a sexy outfit. This year this being a strawberry colored leather suit, because he wanted to bring some sex into the festival. Thank you, Jacob!!!
He sang a welcome song, which every child, man and woman here in Denmark knows, and then it was time for: SAFRI DUO!!!

Being the eye-candy that they totally are, they appeared through the stage floor playing a wicket version of Bombay Vice. We tell ya, when you hear that beat and see Morten and Uffe appear…you just know, this show is gonna be a G-O-O-D O-N-E!!!
And have we ever been wrong when it comes to Safri Duo? NooooooOOoooo!!!! It was spectacular!!!!!!!!

Morten wearing jeans, a long-sleeved patterned shirt and Uffe wearing the jeans with the flags, a white sleeveless shirt and a white short-sleeved shirt.

The band, consisting of Mikkel, Mads and Peter were all doing a terrific job, playing SO WELL with Safri Duo; they all totally kicked butt!!!

We also had a chat with Summer, who witnessed the show from the 1st row in the company of Lone and her brother Jesper.

After the show the Safri band and Clark came out to see one of the acts performing on the Groen Spot scene and we had a chat with Clark. He commented on the fact that it was reassuring seeing us back together as a team, since Bente had represented The Safri Zone alone last week, while little Miss Holiday was in Crete, we did not have the heart to tell him, that we have actually moved from each other.

Since we were going to the Groen Concert in Vejle the day after, we were spending the night at a Bed & Breakfast (well, actually it was yet another ”Bed &”) in Bruunhaab near Viborg.

The funny thing is, that the B&B was located right next to an old paper factory and the whole area looked just like the area, where WE live. It was like entering the Twilight Zone!!!
Emil, the owner of the B&B was a man full of interesting stories, advice and ideas. When we arrived we were just a tiny bit tired from the long drive and the fantastic Safri show, but he wasn't at all ready to hand over the key…no-no, we were kindly sent on a field trip around the beautiful area surrounding the B&B…and besides that we were told that some boys were fishing so we could go watch them play. The boys being…what 13…..we felt, that we were perhaps a little out of their league, hahahaha….
Finally conquering the key and having a nice chat with Emil, we camped in front of the tv, and had a quiet night, gathering strength for yet another blast of a Safri day.


Groen Concert, Boerkop, Vejle, Denmark, Friday the 22nd of July 2005
"Going commando"

At this show it was obvious that people were ready for some bongo, so we had some tactics ready.
For a quicker conquering of the front row at the Groen Concerts we had observed the entrance crew at work. The conclusion being, that they check jackets, pockets and bags thoroughly. Our counter strike: Bente emptying her pockets into her bag and handing the bag to Nickie. Then taking a step towards the security guard with arms above her head. This resulting in Bente getting the quickest body search in Groen Concert history and after that speeding to the front row, forcing the bumpy ground of the festival. She was the first one inside, getting applause and the promise of 10 beers from some crew members! Yay Safri Zone!
Just a bit short of breath, she could proudly wave at the Safri boys when she reached the front row fence taking up positions for herself and the partner in crime (and in Counter Strike Combat): Nickie!!

To celebrate Bente´s re-discovered ability to actually run, we had a wee beer. Also we wanted to celebrate the fact that we had actually been able to find the festival. It seemed like the ”direction-sign guy” had apparently been missing in action, so there were no signs. Normally it's always a good idea to simply follow the huge crowd of people walking to the show, but we were, again, early, since we had not driven in the wrong direction to Vejle, so……….no crowd to follow.

Denmark being covered in clouds all day we suddenly found ourselves under the heating sun!!! Darn it was HOT!
But it's always a treat to see the guys in the clear, warm sunlight…must be quite hot to play drums, though….
Uffe had on his flag pants and the short-sleeved shirt. Morten was wearing jeans and a sleeveless white shirt.

Another blast of a show…they always amaze us…We simply have to mention the beautiful, beautiful intro for "Rise-Leave me Alone" where they both play the xylosynth….makes us wish that we had been at some of the classical concerts. (Wonder if there are 10 beers to win if you are first in your seat at The Royal Albert Hall?)

Also, we cannot end this report, without mentioning Morten´s sassy-stunt, while Mads is out of control in "Played-a-Live". While Mads is playing the keyboard-thingy (have to get back to you on the name of that instrument, Mads) down jumps Morten from his drums, sli-i-i-i-i-ides across the stage on his knees, right to the edge, stretching out his arms, giving us all a: ”What?..Do you like it? Do you want it?” gesture. HELL YA, WE WANT IT!!!!!

After the concert we met up with Summer, Lone and her brother and we all tried to trick Summer into bungee jumping, which she was considering. We all promised her, that she would indeed NOT fall to her death. She was convinced, that no-one had died in the bungee at Groen yet, because it was up to her to be the first one, so she politely said ”NO WAY IN HELL!” We don't blame her…..None of us were up to the challenge.

Then Clark came out and we had a small talk about his solo plans, which seem really interesting. Safri were about to leave, so he collected Summer and we all said goodbye and see you tomorrow.

Then it was time for us to drive home to our side of the country, but not without experiencing one heck of a rain/thunder-storm sending us almost swimming home. Guess the weather Gods had decided to wait with the crazy weather ´till after the Safri show. Maybe they have finally understood, that the sun is always supposed to shine on a bongo-girl?

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