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General Category => On The Road => Topic started by: Stephanie on December 19, 2025, 07:29:21 AM

Title: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: Stephanie on December 19, 2025, 07:29:21 AM
In light of the upcoming Cologne gig tomorrow I have been thinking about how many pre-Christmas shows we may have been to - and I can't really remember.

The ones in Cologne have been at the Palladium for many years now, before that, they were always at the E-Werk, which is opposite the Palladium. I also remember tons of NMA shows at what was then the Philipshalle in Düsseldorf - but am not really sure if we already had the Christmas shows back then...or when it all moved to Cologne.

Also, the shows in Amsterdam and Nottingham - did they all start at the same time?

To me, it seems that there have ALWAYS been Christmas shows - hey, it had gotten to the point where I was sure that, should these shows not take place one year, Christmas wouldn't be happening.  ;D Well, we now know that this is not the case, but still...

Does anyone really remember?

Looking foward to tomorrow - everyone going to any of the shows, have tons of fun and...happy holidays everyone  :)
Title: Re: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: cthulhu on December 19, 2025, 05:28:46 PM
I just wanted to reply that there must be somewhere a catalogue out there to search all the gig history...and then i found this:

https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/new-model-army?date=past&page=106#concert-table

Haven't scrolled through it all but i remember seeing them i think in Düsseldorf with Fields of the Nephilim and i also don't know when i went the first time to cologne. But maybe this list will bring back some memorys..

And i think someone here also made kind of an archive website, but i can't remember if that's true

Found my first NMA concert: Apr 16, 1990 WDR Rocknacht - also with Soundgarden, Dubrovniks and The Godfathers...what a night!!
Title: Re: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: Stephanie on December 20, 2025, 03:18:12 PM
Oooh, that page is super interesting!!! Thanks!

If it is indeed complete, my first NMA gig was later than I thought, March 1989 at the Zeche in Bochum. Then there was a Christmas show in Düsseldorf in 1990, but it seems they only started to become regular at the Palladium as of 2001. 🤔
I could have sworn there were Christmas shows at the EWerk as well…but maybe not.  ;D

So…not much longer till tonight‘s gig then…Wooohooo!  :)
Title: Re: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: Karsten on December 21, 2025, 08:24:15 AM
There were shows at the Philipshalle before, but the first x-mas show there was on 21 Dec 1991 (as it was printed on the ticket, also my first Army gig) with a run of a few gigs in England the previous days. But I guess the real beginning of the tradition was the 20th anniversary shows in London/Cologne 2000.
Title: Re: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: Master Ray on December 21, 2025, 08:39:04 PM

I raised this point earlier this year and Shush informed me that the Nottingham gigs started in 2012.  This seems to tie up with my memories, I think I've been to every one... although me old memory ain't what it used to be!   ;D
Title: Re: The (pre) Christmas concerts - when did this tradition start?
Post by: Guillaume on December 21, 2025, 09:31:28 PM
I went to four NMA pre Christmas shows in Paris in 2008 (Elysée Montmartre), 2012 (Trabendo), 2013 (Divan du Monde), and 2018 (Trabendo).

my first NMA gig was later than I thought, March 1989 at the Zeche in Bochum.

The first time I saw NMA was in April 1995, 30 years ago, in my hometown of Evreux, at the now-defunct "Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats" festival where NMA was the closing act. At the time, I didn't have any money, so I stayed outside the venue for 15-20 minutes (the band was actually playing under a big tent), and I still managed to hear the beginning of their set!  :D I remember seeing Robert Heaton enter the tent in the distance at night, and a minute later, "Here Comes the War" was starting the setlist! Memories...

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/new-model-army/1995/hippodrome-devreux-navarre-evreux-france-5bc72b60.html