Don't know anything about Kathy....unfortunately!
Well, so far to that point, now to Barb(a)ra...
It was much trouble with the concert...
Thursday was announced to be the date for the big concert in the Honour-Yard of Schloß Schönbrunn, the former summer-residence of Maria Theresia, empress of the k&k-monarchy of the Habsburger in the 18th century as well as for the following emperors until 1918 when Austria became a republic.
The stage was errected, thousands of stools were set in the yard and it was surrounded by a fence, covered with a drapery to make it view-proof. We were in the Schloß (speek: shloss = manor, castle) the same time to visit the park and became absolutely excited as time went by and the evening draw nearer and nearer...
Back in the hotel I mentioned that thunderstorms were announced at the TV the day before for this evening but the sky belied my oracles! We layed down for a short refreshing sleep when suddenly an hour later we were woken up by a thunder...
The sky as black as coal, lightnings began to cross the scenery all over and thunders roared through the afternoon when suddenly it started raining cats and dogs or even worse and a bad bad storm aroused, sweeping through the streets of Vienna, whirling items through the air like nothing...
When the storm was over the town was filled with howling sirenes from fire-brigades and police' as well as from emergencies.
Three people died in that storm which broke countless trees and a krane fell onto a house - the house of the central fire-brigade!
Barbra's stage didn't collapse as did the stage of the Donau-Happening taking place on the same week-end but was unsafe and fences and stools were lying criss-cross over the yard and in its corners and the concert had to be cancelled for that evening.
People were drenched to the bones and went back home.
The concert was switched to the following evening....but.... same procedure as the night before!
At about six o'clock tubs of water were falling from the coal-black sky again and everybody thought: this is the end....
But fortunately there was not much storm this time and after about half an hour the spook was over!
Although the sky didn't clear up anymore that evening and it had become quite cool afterwards (the temperature had dropped quite much and we all got rain capes from the Telekom) quickly the wind had dried the last rain-drops on the seats so that the event could start.
Half past eight Barbra entered the stage and standing ovations were given to her when she started with: Starting here, starting now.... It was a fabulous scenery to see her standing in front of Schloß Schönbrunn although sometimes she had to struggel with some wind-gales that blew into her hair and the microphone. But she was great!
It was more or less the same concert she gave in Fort Lauderdale, where we went last year, but without her sketch with the president and with a bit more Il Divo though...only in a different order.
Saturday we are going to see her in Berlin!!!
Concerning the prices of the tickets I have to add: outrages expensive! In London the cheapest tickets available were 350 pounds which is almost 700 dollars! In Vienna cheapest rate was, as far as I know, 180 Euros (240 dollars) and it's said that this was the reason why Rome and Nizza cancelled the concert. Berlin has almost the same prices.
Have to add that we stayed in Vienna from Wednesday until Sunday and had a marvellous time all in all! It is really one of the most beautiful and most interesting cities I have ever seen! It was my second visit.
Ralf
