Die „Batschkapp“

(hessisch für Schiebermütze)

ist seit den 70er Jahren ein alternativer Rockclub in Frankfurt. Konzerte oder Disco für ein paar hundert Leute, klein, eng, gemütlich, ein bisschen verranzt, aber mit Kronleuchtern an der Decke.

Früher hatte man vom Zigarettenqualm und verbrannten Gras, kaum noch die Bands auf der Bühne gesehen… Kurz gesagt, das Teil war mit der dazugehörigen Kneipe “Elfer” kult. Da habe ich ein paar ziemlich coole Jugenderinnerungen. Aber auch einen Eingang mit unendlich vielen Treppen, so steil, dass ich als Fußgänger nach “nur” 2 Bier meine Schwierigkeiten hatte, sie wieder runter zu kommen.

Als Rollifahrer war der Besuch nur mit einer gewissen Anzahl an freiwilligen Helfern machbar. Bei mir eine einmalige Erfahrung, eine so lange Treppe, mit dem Rolli, im Tiefflug herauf zufliegen.

Ende des letzten Jahres war es dann soweit, die Batschkapp zog in eine neue größere Location um.

Es gab viele wehmütige Kommentare, aber hey – der neue Club ist ebenerdig, hat einen Parkplatz, ist komplett barrierefrei und hat sogar eine Behindertentoilette!

Bei unserem ersten Konzert in der gerade neu eröffneten Batschkapp gab es noch keine Rollitribüne, aber ich fand einen Stellplatz vorne vor den Boxen (alles kein Problem, wenn man schon Konzerte von Motörhead und Anthrax ohne bleibende Hörschäden überstanden hat, -oder ich schon einen habe…)

Im Hintergrund sind die bei den “Rodgau Monotones”
Ich schrieb trotzdem eine e-mail an die Batschkapp, denn bei größeren Konzerten sieht man mitten in der Menge sitzend meist nur seinen Vordermann, und der Sound kommt auch etwas dumpf hier unten an.
Das nächstes Konzert, (Uriah Heep) war dann so gut besucht, dass ich die Rollitribüne gerne ausprobiert hätte, aber es standen schon 2 oder 3 Rollis drauf, und damit sah sie erstmal voll aus. Also doch wieder ab ins Gewühl.

Später habe ich mir die dann leere Tribüne nochmal genauer angeschaut, und muss fairerweise sagen, dass hinter die 2-3 Rollis nochmal doppelt so viele gepasst hätten.

Beim nächsten Konzert wurden wir dann von der Batschkapp-Security extra auf die Rollitribüne hingewiesen. Unsere Reaktion war wohl nicht so begeistert, denn der Security-Mann fügte schnell hinzu: „Aber Ihr könnt gern auch vorne rein, kein Problem, wird nur recht voll heute!“ Kein Problem, Ihr könnt auch in die Menge rein? Wie oft habe ich jetzt von anderen Rollifahrern gehört, dass sie mit irgendwelchen Securities Ärger bekommen haben, weil sie sich nicht auf die Rollibühne abschieben lassen wollten? Daumen hoch für die Batschkapp!

Ein geniales Erlebnis hatte ich dann auf dem Parkplatz. Ich fragte den Parkplatzwächter, der mich vor dem Konzert in eine schöne große Parkbucht eingewiesen hatte, ob er morgen auch wieder da sei, da wir für den nächsten Tag auch wieder Karten hatten.
Am nächsten Tag kam sehr viel von dem Weißes Zeug vom Himmel, dass wir Rollifahrer so lieben… Als wir auf den Batschkapp-Parkplatz fuhren, stellte ich begeistert fest, dass „meine“ Parkbucht von gestern tatsächlich geräumt war, mit einem kleinen Durchgang zum Weg Richtung Eingang.

Als ich dem Parkplatzwächter sagte, wir klasse ich das fand, bekam ich zur Antwort:

„Ei, Du hast doch gesagt, Du kommst heut wieder…“

Bin nach 4 Tagen “Rock im Park-Festival” aus der Sauna in Nürnberg wieder zurück!!!

Klickt unten bei Tags auf Kühlweste, Kühlkappe und Blumenspritze, ohne diese hätte ich die 35°C im Schatten nicht ausgehalten.

Es war ein grandioses Festival mit einem überragenden Sound im Getümmel.

Die Rollifahrertribühne am linken Ende des Geländes war super gebaut, aber “Mono” brauch ich ned…!!!

Night of the Proms 2012

This time except traditionally with John Miles, the concert orchestra Il Novecentro” and others, as Special Guests

Anastacia,

Mick Hucknall (Simply Red)

also the “Echo” winners 2012 (German music award), Jupiter Jones.

After the concert at the wheelchair exit he was suddenly standing next to me,

Nicolas Müller, the singer of Jupiter Jones!!!

If you press the remote control of the park heating from your car in the concert hall during the encore you will always have a warm car afterwards. This is easily 100 meter linear distance.

Such an old sandstone building is really good, but not very useful in continuous rain like yesterday either.

Translator BL

My windmills were just wheelchair tickets for

Sunrise Avenue,

in the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt (an event hall), which basically shouldn’t have been a big challenge.

I didn’t let up for months and amongst others wrote directly to the band asking why I was ignored??? I am still waiting for a message on their part… so be it…!!!
Meanwhile the concert was sold out!

In the meantime I wasn’t keen on going/rolling to the concert any more although eventually the desired object was lying in front of me.
Yesterday the day had finally arrived, the concert moved a little into the background, I was rather curious if I would be the only wheeler, and how possible other wheelchair fellows got their tickets.

I already saw a couple of wheelchair busses on the parking lot, which made me hope not to be the only frequent driver.

The guys from the Red Cross accompanied me with the lift to the first floor (see older blogpost).

They told me I should go directly to the wheelchair tribune, there were already some wheelers there, and it could get a bit tight. I was also told about the difficult ticket organization.

It was “organized excellently”. A very strong employee of a security company, he made me fear with his figure, pushed me up an extra steep designer ramp, probably there was a sculptor at work, on a small tribune.

The tribune wasn’t big, even for us small people. In the end it was fully occupied with 13 wheelchairs. Later I saw two wheelchairs which were not standing on the tribune and wouldn’t have fit onto it either!!!

I don’t know how many more fellow wheelers were standing in the audience, but the companion had to stand among the pedestrian crowd due to lack of space.

For rehabilitation purposes I have to admit that the guys on stage in front – although they can’t write e-mails – are real stage hogs, and I have seen/heard a great rock concert.

After the concert as usual it got a bit cramped in the crowd. On a bistro table in the crowd there stood a giant with estimated shoe size 46. I dared to struggle through the crowd with my wheelchair exactly where he stood.

He didn’t bother to take his splendid foot out of the way by only 5 cm and send a contemptuous look downwards.

I looked up, grinned and said to him:

I will make myself small!!!

Then he took the foot away

Translator BL

In earlier days you went to the ticket center, placed the money on the desk and you got your ticket, or you didn’t because the event was sold out already. To manage this online wasn’t a problem either.
Next time when you are ordering a ticket online try to search for a ticket for wheelers…

Forget about ordering!!!

Nearly every time the tickets for wheelers are sold by the promoter of the event. What a madness!!!
The reason is a mystery and they probably don’t know why themselves.
Probably it was like this ever since.

At some concerts the friendly mate of the ticket center is able to organize the tickets at the promoter. Then you’re on with only two phone calls, one email, an online transfer of the payment and the hope for delivery of the ticket by mail. If you ordered an additional ticket for your “escort” it means to cross the fingers twice.

Alternatively the ticket or call center provides you with a phone number of the promoter of that event. With a little bit of luck they run their own ticket shop and you reach an arrangement quickly.
If the phone number belongs to the managing director the procedure may take a little time, but you should appreciate that this guy also has other things to do. Razzing him a bit doesn’t harm…

Till now I always managed to get a ticket anyway if the concert tickets weren’t sold out before, but slowly even I get mad…

Project: wheelchair ticket for Sunrise Avenue

Fairytale gone bad!!!

(song title, Sunrise Avenue)

When calling the official ticket center I was redirected to a cell phone number. That mate gave me another extension number. When calling, a cell phone again, I was told that the mailbox is occupied completely, great…! Unusually I got a callback of the managing director himself, he told me that there were tickets available and gave me an email address: tickets@***.de.

During weeks I wrote emails which weren’t answered at all. Meanwhile my pulse went up, so I contacted the band Sunrise Avenue directly on the 6th of January (the email address was posted on the official website of the band) and called attention for the grievance that I was ignored totally.

Today we have the 26th of January and I haven’t got any reply from them either yet. Well, it’s understandable and comprehensible that they can’t answer everybody, and they can easily waive the price of one ticket. Despite that wheelers need a lot of space!!!

Does anybody actually take me seriously???

At the 10th of January I called the official phone number of the ticket center at the promoter of the event again. This time it was a call center, but they couldn’t sell me a wheelchair ticket either. Instead I got a phone number, this time the extension number “0” with which I reached the managing director again, how apt…

Am I the „Hauptmann von Köpenick“??? (German story)

After a conclusive argumentation of the boss why none of my inquiries were answered he promptly issued me an invoice for the ticket online. After settlement I should receive the ticket by mail.
I paid online immediately!

After a week I inquired on the phone where my ticket was?? The invoice number had been missing and the accounting wasn’t able to assign the payment… ho, ho , ho…!!

The day before yesterday I finally received the ticket, meanwhile the anticipation is limited.

At first sight we couldn’t even see what is the difference to a „normal“ ticket:

Just at a look on the backside you can discover the special feature: besides the handwritten (!) notice ” + escort” there was an official stamp with a signature (presumably of the managing director himself):

I will visit that event in any case, at least to get to know if I am the only wheeler at the concert??

I’m eager to see if I’ll get a message from the band Sunrise Avenue before the concert.

Translator Teo

This event hall was built in 1960. In that time people spent extensive thoughts on the accessibility of the building. To get as a wheeler from the foyer up into the hall there is, after a little sightseeing tour with the paramedic on duty through areas of the housing technology, a spacious, appealing freight elevator with the „Red Liftboy“ available.
The accessible service of the Red Cross is top!!!

During the break I wanted to go down to the foyer. Suddenly it stood in front of me.
Everybody knows it, the classic among the wheelchairs, the vintage and honorable

Iron Pig

also known as AOK shopping trolley (AOK is the main health insurance in Germany (translator’s note)). The two stickers:

I`m an energy saver! and Who will go ballistic in a jiffy!

allow to guess the approximate age of that wheelchair (in the 1970s there was an appeal to save energy due to the oil crisis). It was noted by the paramedic that energy saving is true because he is pushing the chair.
The paramedic positively mentioned the off road capability of the Iron Pig in action to cross the parking lot for the ambulance.

I must admit that I had to grin slightly that the city of Frankfurt isn’t able to afford a newer wheelchair, but this oldtimer is high class workmanship and maintained regularly as you can see from the new tyres.

I’m curious about how many years I will still meet this classic wheelchair!!!

Translator Teo

Mud packs, acupuncture, massages of all kind, stimulation current therapy, etc. etc. etc…

There is a shockingly expensive machine called Galileo which is basically just a vibrating plate on which you can regulate different frequencies.

On Saturday night we went to the group vibration therapy, similar to Galileo, to the “Festhalle” in Frankfurt (big event hall).

The English therapists are known since 1975 under the name

Iron Maiden

and achieve with their years of experience and permanent frequency changes best possible therapy successes by full body vibration.

Muscle build-up by clapping and CPAP lung exercise by singing along!

By slight shock-values generated by the stage design additionally the circulation is stimulated.
Several thousand patients were treated at the same time.

An additional positive effect is that you can still hear slightly the sound of the ocean days later which causes a holiday feeling.
Incomprehensibly the health insurance does not cover the costs of this since 36 years proven and tested alternative therapy.

Read my older blogpost Football ticket on prescription.

Translator Teo

neon yellow-green fluorescent bar

in a do-it-yourself store which can also be set to „blinking“.

So you are glowing in the dark

With this thing you are seen very well in the crowd, found again by friends, and nobody dares to stand directly in front of you.

I have been around 15 meters away from the stage and have actually seen the singer every now and then. The beer shower was cancelled.

After the party, my friend has guided the taxi driver with the fluorescent bar as if he was on an airfield.

Click on tag „reflectors“ to read other illuminating tips.

The attendance of concerts of all kinds is always an event in itself before you even have heard the first sound.

In Frankfurt in the „Jahrhunderthalle“ („hall of the century“) you have to cross the heater room and then up with a freight elevator to reach your seats.

This is even topped in the „Alte Oper“ („Old Opera“). One gets barrier-free through the main entrance to the box-office which is located next to the foyer. When you then have bought your tickets it is not possible to get over the three stairs to the foyer. Then you have to leave the opera house again through the main entrance to drive up a ramp in zigzag at the side/rear entrance, where you have to ring a bell, and an employee accompanies you to the foyer.

The creativity for the appearance of wheelchair admission tickets is unlimited.

Here a special curious example:

Inner standing room (Stehplatz) (for wheelchairs?)

With wheelchair hidden object

and

Escort Service

Maybe it was just a typo, and it should have been called staying room

Translator BL