September 3rd, 2025: September starts with a bang of so much impact that it needs another blog entry. On Sunday evening, someone dropped the link to the band’s official account which posted a short video, asking, „what’s that supposed to mean?“ Black and white, a road and roadsigns with directions to Cartagena, the car from the sponsor company, someone is getting out of the car, putting the key on a surface next to four luggage tags. One labeled „México“, another „Paris“, the third „Miami“ and the last one is only showing the backside with the name of an airline. The hand of the person is taking the „México“ tag and the video cuts to a black screen with the date 02.09.2025.
Within minutes, speculation begins: We know of another gig in México, so is this supposed to mean they will do more shows in Miami, Paris and another city? Everyone is buzzing, several people suggest somewhere Alemania as the unknown location. I try not to get too excited, but the airline on the tag does indeed operate on several German airports. Others hope it would be Italy for several reasons, I can instantly point out one, but I won’t give any details in case anyone reads this blog to their kids. I make a note in my calendar for Tuesday and try to focus on other things.
On Monday, I oversleep. I have a weird dream of meeting my cousin in Berlin, standing at the train station and trying to turn off my ringing phone without any success. Turns out it was my alarm clock. Apparently firealarms are not the only thing I can sleep through.
People are still guessing what the announcement will be and when. Midnight? Morning? Evening? Should we already check hotels and flights for Paris? GRRRMANETA is making excited engine noises in the driveway: ROADTRIP! Calm down, we don’t know anything yet. And you remember Paris? You didn’t like it so much there. She’s pouting. I wrote a comment under the video when I first saw it, like I’d follow you everywhere, but I have to think about France for a bit. And on Monday, I stumble into a conversation like „What a shame there is no Arde Fans France account“ followed by „Oh, that can be arranged quickly“. I suddenly remember that the first person who greeted us on the trip was a girl in a French car on a French highway, so before I know what I’m doing, I answer: „Send me the link when it happens.“ Wow. France and Alemania reconciled over a picture of a luggage tag. Nothing these guys couldn’t do and I think this is going to be the September highlight already. (Little did I know.) It’s also Bundesliga Deadline Day, so I find enough non-music related topics to not to think further about the what and when and where.
Later that day, Tidal sends me the list of my Top 5 streams in August and I post it in my stories, since it is – please, act surprised now – Arde Bogotá! Followed by Héroes, Ultraligera, Zebras and Late Capital. But since my Tidal app is set to German, the text on the picture is also German and several people ask for a translation. Relax, it’s only from the streaming service, no news about anything.
Tuesday. I wake up and suddenly feel nervous. Today it is. I want to post another „Esta noche es“, but find that we apparently were busy singing along in Santander, so we don’t have it in our archive! I’m asking in the chat and if this is not the best and fastest „video on demand“ service, I don’t know who is. Later in the morning I upload a story about no one being nervous about today’s announcement. When I finally decide to put down the phone and distract myself with work and study material, someone sends the words „World“ and „Tour“ and I have to laugh. World tour, that would be a thing, haha. The bubble would go crazy within minutes. And suddenly it dawns on me that maybe this post was a reaction to news. They never said when on the 2nd. I open Insta and there it is: A World Tour. Arde Bogota is going to conquer the world. My eyes fly over the announced cities and countries, México we already knew, then USA – Miami, Chicago New York -, Bogotá and Medellin, so that’s Columbia covered, Lisbon and Porto, London, Paris, Brussels, Milan. And there, between the last two, it is: BERLIN.
I think I need to see a doctor, this repeating feeling of having strokes and heart attacks or dying can’t be healthy. I look at the screen again. It’s still there. Arde Bogotá will be playing in Berlin. That’s two hours by car from here. Not two or three days, two HOURS! And the date. May 25th. This year on May 25th we gave our kid the concert tickets, next year on that day we will hopefully see them again?
Like I predicted, the bubble goes crazy within minutes. I am torn between a complete shock about what has just happenend and going full party mode. I decide to text my husband and he answers quickly: „Get 4 tickets. Next day is a school holiday. “
The following hours are just crazy, everyone is posting things and mentioning others who repost it; likes are given out like candy on Halloween. People check flights, trying to figure out which concerts could be put on their list. Not gonna lie, so do I. But it’s a short list. Everything across the Atlantic is ruled out, post-Brexit London has cheap flights though, but you need a passport and this new tourist visum and that’s just too much for a two-day trip with probably sleeping at the airport. Brussels as capital of the land of dirty loos is simply unattractive to me, plus it’s two days before the Berlin concert. I’m not sure about Milan, but I know that I won’t be anywhere near that gig in Paris. It’s not because of Paris or France, it’s just that the venue gives me the creeps. I completely understand that people are thrilled to play there or see their favorite band there, but the only thing I associate with this place is absolute horror. Choose your battles, they say, but I already picked the one which makes me tolerate going on planes again, so I am not ready for another one from that category. It’s an odd connection, you might think, so let’s just say that things probably hit differently when you are *very* hormonal and have to think a lot about if your current situation was a good idea after all.
So the only concerts left on that list would be the ones in Portugal. I’d love to go there, but I’d also love to see something of the country. ROADTRIP! someone is shouting from the driveway. GRRRMANETA, please! I’m working!
Anyway. Portugal is still on the list, but I think I’ll focus on Berlin. And who knows, the poster said something about this being the first dates, maybe there will be more?
On Tuesday evening I get a notification from Insta. Arde Fans France is a thing now and I am thrilled about it. People are wondering about my sudden change, but this is not about „Puta Francia gave me Covid“ or some old grudge like Asterix in Corsica. I also don’t like Berlin very much and nevertheless am looking forward to go there. Because this is bigger than anything else. It’s about the band who already made so many people happy and changed lives. When we have the chance to tell even more people – regardless of language, borders, nationalities and even taste of music – that there’s a bunch of people whose music is a f*ing light in terrible times, we have to stick together and seize the opportunity.
Always remember to think big. We were waiting for one more concert to be announced and they came up with a whole World Tour. Who knows, on another night we wish to see a shooting star and then the Exoplaneta will be discovered. Nothing is impossible anymore.
