[09 HK GIG] Meet the boys at the HK airport

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I started to manage to meet the boys at the Hong Kong international airport about 1 month ago, with the help from a local frnd Cora, who’s going to meet the boys together with me. She managed to get the exact flight number and the arrival time, which saved us a whole afternoon of wasting time at the airport.

I flew all the way from Shanghai (my hometown) to Guangzhou for a short stay and then headed Shenzhen where my father works and usually where I spent my summer or winter vacation. Shenzhen is quite close to Hong Kong where the gig is going to be held. Several days later, one of the best frnd, Vanessa came to my house directly back from USA as soon as she finished her honor research of the year on Aug. 1st, 2 days ahead of the gig.

Getting up early in the morning, I spent all night long imagining everything that might happen in the airport, talking with Vanessa. We arrived the hostel around 11 am with another girl Carol.

It was abt 2:30 pm that we got on the shuttle bus to the airport while the flight was expected to arrive at abt 3:50 pm. Time was a bit tight cuz the whole trip to airport would generally cost 1 hour. I was really nervous becuz I was scared of missing the boys. If I did, I would hate myself all my life for spending too much time on make-ups and check-in for the hostel, seriously…kidding.

Shuttle bus did take us about one hour to the airport. We got off the bus, dashing all the way to the Exit B where the boys were supposed to arrive at. Fortunately I was so familiar with the interior structure of the building; I did pretty much work via internet to get familiar with the map of the airport. Successfully recognizing Cora in the crowd, we got everything ready for the forthcoming and excited moment, pen in the left hands, camera in the pockets, CDs in the right hands. There were only 6 of us waiting at the Exit, 4 local fans and 2 non-locals. It’s a bit weird that the 6 of us Chinese had to communicate with each others in English cuz the locals couldn’t understand Mandarin well and neither could I and Vanessa understand Cantonese (Chinese dialect).

Then there went on silence, torturing of waiting and anxiety. We kept our eyes fixing on the gate thru which ppl filed out from time to time, preying for catching one of the familiar figures. Several mins later, suddenly I found there was a little exit hiding in the end of a major corridor that the passengers were supposed to walk thru, a bit far away from where we stood. Some of the ppl with less baggage tend to get out thru that. This got me a bit concerned.

Later the local girls told me that a westerner in shirt drinking Starbucks and standing at a distance from us was the sponsor of the gig. Vanessa suggested that we keep an eye on him. And it turned out she’s right about it. That guy moved to the little gate that I observed in a fast pace and started to talk via cellphone. It’s almost 4:30 pm, the flight landed at 3:20, passengers at the gate since 3:40 and now it’s been more than 40 mins that they were trapped in there. Vanessa and I quickly followed the sponsor to move but only one of the local girls, Hermione, came with us.

More than 5 mins passed. Finally, I spotted Blonde Stevie and burst into screaming ‘that’s Steve oh my gosh’, yea, I just couldn’t help screaming like nuts at the moment. Then I fell into a status of sleepwalking, seriously I cant recall by myself what actually happened afterwards. But we had the whole process recorded in audio. (Typically fan girls doing…)

Coming first their camera guy, who looks a bit alike Stef. It’s weird that I couldn’t see well although I was wearing my awful taste glasses. The camera guy kept photoing us with a big CANON. Intuition told me to locate where Brian was. His bodyguard shouted immediately when he saw the 3 of us, ’10 secs, take ur time’. I didn’t really get his point, what could we do with 10 secs?

The boys were in a hurry, trying to run away from us. Stef and Brian were in disguise of hats and sunglasses, didn’t even talk all the time. Brian was wearing his black knitting cap, hat down. So did Stef with his baseball cap. I had a vague impression that I kept murmuring words like ‘so cold they are so cold’ to my frnd with unconscious shivering. Anyway I got my pen open as soon as I saw them and managed to give it to Brian. He took my pen and was ready to sign. All of a sudden he pelted my pen to the ground and I was like ‘OUCH’, not aware of what happened. According to our recordings, his bodyguard was kinda overreacting, treating us like terrorists as if I’m gonna stab Brian with an invisible dagger hiding under my skirt (seriously I did’t have sleeves). He was shouting ‘leave Brian’ and ‘Don’t run’ at us, Brian must be frightened by one sudden shout and dropped my pen accidentally.

To be honest I did feel a bit heartbroken when he furiously dropped my pen…but at the moment I just picked it up…I don’t know why I was that calm, in other cases I could be totally pissed off.

In front of me was Fiona but sorry for not paying attention to her at all. Then there came Stef’s back. Gorgeous as I perceived, his neck were like swan’s. I asked him to sign me and he did without saying anything, keeping walking at the same time. Then I caught up with Brian in front of me. The bodyguard, well actually it could be one of their roadie, were protecting him at the side. He’s trying to stop me from approaching Brian, which I didn’t fully understand, I’M NOT GONNA HURT HIM, NOT TO MENTION SUDDEN ATTACK. ALL I WANT IS AN AUTOGRAPH. Then I did it. Brian took my pen, signed me quickly and gave the pen back to my hand. My frnd got her pen thrown on her CD when Brian finished signing her.

BTW, he’s really TINY. But not that cute compared to the one on stage. Kidding.

I thought my kidney must have been released numerous Adrenergic at the moment, or there’s no way for me to get that bold. Still sleepwalking, I turned back and Stevie with 2 other local girls caught my eyes. He’s really super nice, polite and apparently being in a good mood, typically Californian, smiling all the time. Well I could see the gap between 30s and 20s. (plz don’t bite my head off)

“Could you sign me plz?”
“Sure!”
“Could I hug you?” Asked Vanessa and me.
“of coooooooooourrrrrrse！！！！” said that Stevie hugged the 4 of us together, one of the warmest hug I’ve ever experienced, almost suffocated.

Hermione showed him a picture of PLACEBO she drew and Stevie was like ‘oh woa’ and signed it at once. It was supposed to be gifted to Brian, but she simply got stunned by their coldness.
“could we take a photo with you?”
“yeah, sure, of course!”

There I noticed a staff was with him, while the sponsor drinking Starbucks also stayed for a while taking picture for us. Well it might be the case that Brian and Stef were not interested in coping with fans at the airport at all so there goes Stevie being the nice guy. They definitely knew that we were there, but with only the 6 of us, what turmoil could we stir up?

Another two girls came back disappointed without being signed. I was a bit sad about Brian dropping my pen at the first time I asked him to sign me, finally I was over it: first, Airport is such a strange place that people act in a strange way, it’s okay for people to change in their manner and attitude, all they want is to get outta this place as soon as possible. Besides, due to strict control against swine flu (body temperature measure included) and other landing procedures at arriving Hong Kong, they might have already got pissed off. Anyway it’s PLACEBO and Brian Molko, the big band, it’s okay to be cold. I cant hate him and definitely I should not.

Whatever, I’m happy that I got the autographs and it’s definitely sweet to meet Stevie. =D

call me crazy asian fangirl

Amazing review and picture! And the thing you girls had to talk in English, really made me laugh. Buy, in the same time, wow!

I can't even imagine to stand next to any Placebo member.

Thanks for such a detailed review, Agina, it's brilliant, these little facts

It's a pity that Brian was so cold. Though I know he is not too friendly to fans, but pelting the pen was really unexpectable If it could happen to me, I'll surely feel pissed off and traumatic for years Though, yeah, there can be many reasons for him to act this way. Maybe it's all because the bodyguard which could make him nervous. It's nice that Stevie compensated you for Brian and Stef's coldness. And a lovely detail about Stef's neck. I saw him only at concerts in Moscow and I noticed what I had never seen before on photos and in videos, his gracefulness. Probably, neither photos nor videos can show his features in full.

It's weird that their camera guy uses a big Canon. Some pics from the studio and from the tour (like that one where 6 of them sitting at the table) are so yellow or blurry that I was sure they use a little compact camera

@ nada: i felt fainting, they were too dazzling, especially Brian and Stef

@ Katya: they are the nervous kind...my frnd told me that Stef walked away as soon as possible when he heard a fan girl screaming his name, and it was 2006 in Beijing...

yeah Stef is born with incredible elegance. He's soooooo charming all thruout the gig.

I was filmed and photoed by both a film camera and a compact camera at the gig... plz plz plz, stef, single me out...

I think the body guards totally overeacted, what did they think would happen ? !!!!!
It's so terrible though, you get the one chance to be so near to the boys, and it turns out like that, I can't believe you were so understanding, I'd have been pissed off, and gutted by turns !
You're obviously much more level headed than most people, they may have had reasons, like you said the body temparature checks, but their quite lucky really, some British tourists went to China and were kept in quarantine, because Swine flu is so bad here !
Still least you got to meet them, and it was a brilliant report, thanks Angina .

^ yeah but now quarantine is not that strict, but a report is needed to be filled.

they always tend to be cold to fans, especially Brian...it depends on his mood. I understand that...haha.

That review was really awesome Agina!!! Steve is so nice.

Thanks Daria =D yeah now i really LOVE him.