Beirut, Lebanon, May 02, 2009

Gig reviews, set lists, thoughts, comments and observations on the 2008/2009 Sisters tour, including the Autumn/Winter 2008 U.S. and European 2009 legs.
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EvilBastard
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RobF wrote:BMI also do the occassional bargain to Syria with flights to Alleppo/Damascus (2 and 4 hours to Beirut in taxis respectively and aound $60) though you would need a Syrian Visa.
If you have the choice I would go with the Aleppo option - Damascus is nice, but Aleppo is fabulous. Lovely souk, citadel, and if you have time a bathhouse to die for.
You used to be able to get entry stamps at the airport (no charge for BritCits) but that may have changed. Bear in mind that there is an exit tax for tourists, it's not a lot but you have to pay it in local currency, so make sure you keep a bit back for this.
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dinky daisy
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RobF wrote:Unfortunately the venue is a purpose built soul-free modern complex on the Coast Road, more used to trade-shows and big arsed techno nights, there are several spaces inside, but it depends how it sells I suppose.

As for gear, there's an enrmous pills culture out there, but I wouldn't :eek:
http://forum.ws/news/

Their website has at least the same spirit as the Sisters site
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maxr
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Quite so!

For tickets, although they are not up there, the following site is selling Forum de Beyrouth tickets (James Blunt, alarmingly enough - what did the Lebanese do to deserve that being foisted on them?) and looks like it will be a decent bet when the time comes:

http://www.ticketingboxoffice.com/Default.asp
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quote="RobF"]Woo hoo! Anyone who's really thinking about this get in contact, - when tickets come out I have good mates in Beirut who should be able to get hold of a bunch.

- Beirut is, without question, the finest town on earth...

- I can even tolerate poodle hair and squealy guitar wank for a sissies show in my favourite town.[/quote]
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euphoria
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Has anybody heard anything about this gig, aside from the gig announcement in itself? I just googled after some talks about this, but found nothing, regardless if in English, French or Arabic. Not one word (aside from "our" forums). I don't know how good the Internet works in Lebanon, but if it works good, then I guess the interest is not that big?
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dinky daisy
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Didn't you mean The Netherlands instead?
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RobF
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euphoria wrote:Has anybody heard anything about this gig, aside from the gig announcement in itself? I just googled after some talks about this, but found nothing, regardless if in English, French or Arabic. Not one word (aside from "our" forums). I don't know how good the Internet works in Lebanon, but if it works good, then I guess the interest is not that big?
A couple of mates in Beirut have mentioned it, but there's no promotion yet. Flyposting tends to appear round Beirut about 6 weeks in advance. It's not really like Europe and the US in the sense that we now have to book gig tickets six months in advance. Nobody's going to get excited about a gig this far in advance, but the Sisters get played pretty often in bars/clubs, and there's an increasingly healthy alt. shows scene, so it should do fine with a bit of promotion.

If it's any help, you could find bugger all about the Patti Smith show in Leb last year on the internet before it happened, but it was still packed.

And the internet works fine in Beirut, with wireless cafes, decent wireless in most hotels etc etc etc. It's just a normal town on the Med apart from the intermittent bouts of lunacy.
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euphoria
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Thanks for the info, Rob! Have always wanted to see the city.

Right now there's a fully equal chance of me going to both, one or none of the Mideast concerts. Not a security issue, just not sure if I'm having company or going alone.
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jenzi-benzi
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euphoria wrote:Thanks for the info, Rob! Have always wanted to see the city.

Right now there's a fully equal chance of me going to both, one or none of the Mideast concerts. Not a security issue, just not sure if I'm having company or going alone.
If somebody can tell me how to get from Beirut to Tel Aviv without crossing Syria and Jordan I know some cheap way to go there.....but Syrian visa is about 40 Euro and Jordan visa as well.....
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euphoria
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Well that Jordanian visa is a bargain compared to what it would cost to go via Cyprus...or Istanbul! :-)
And Jordan doesn't have any problem with any stamps in your passport.

Another thing maybe worth giving a thought for the hardcore fans - I don't think the tour schedule is finished yet. Istanbul might for example come just after Thessaloniki, but just as well just before Beirut. And that city seems to have excellent connections to everywhere in the region.
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RobF
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jenzi-benzi wrote:
euphoria wrote:Thanks for the info, Rob! Have always wanted to see the city.

Right now there's a fully equal chance of me going to both, one or none of the Mideast concerts. Not a security issue, just not sure if I'm having company or going alone.
If somebody can tell me how to get from Beirut to Tel Aviv without crossing Syria and Jordan I know some cheap way to go there.....but Syrian visa is about 40 Euro and Jordan visa as well.....
There are no other ways to do it. Flying out and changing at Cyprus on different tickets is the only practical way. All the way through Syria/Jordan/West Bank in 48 hours by land is almost certain to bugger up in some way. The Israeli borders with Lebanon and Syria are, and will remain shut for the forseeable future (ie decades), and both countries exist in a state of War with Israel, last time I was in South Leb, the army were stopping foreigners 10K from the 'border' anyway.

There isn't a cheap and easy way of doing both, you can either pay out for two flights, try via Syria/Jordan and likely miss the Tel Aviv gig by at least a day, or row a dinghy down the coast and hope to avoid the entire Israeli navy Anyone going for the last option, please post the photos here...
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Christian
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I wonder how the band is going to get from one country to the other... (?)
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jenzi-benzi
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Christian wrote:I wonder how the band is going to get from one country to the other... (?)
Guess they are doing the "Cyprus way".

Does anyone get to this site:
http://www.arkia.co.il/
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euphoria
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This is what i found out to be the easiest way to do both. Prices as of...right now, and Berlin as origin.

Berlin-Beirut 328 euro (turkish airlines, any date the week before the gig)
Beirut-Larnaca 128 euro (cyprus airways, may 3rd)
Larnaca-Tel Aviv 176 euro (cyprus airways, may 3rd or 4th)
Tel Aviv-Berlin 162 euro (air baltic, any date after the gig)

gives 794 euro. Not cheap, but still cheaper than doing any South American date.

It is MUCH less expensive to do only one of the dates; Berlin-Beirut-Berlin for 359 euro (turkish), Berlin-Tel Aviv-Berlin 260 euro (baltic).

@Jenzi: Yes I can see your linked page...but the prices don't look that cheap to me.
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jenzi-benzi
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euphoria wrote:This is what i found out to be the easiest way to do both. Prices as of...right now, and Berlin as origin.

Berlin-Beirut 328 euro (turkish airlines, any date the week before the gig)
Beirut-Larnaca 128 euro (cyprus airways, may 3rd)
Larnaca-Tel Aviv 176 euro (cyprus airways, may 3rd or 4th)
Tel Aviv-Berlin 162 euro (air baltic, any date after the gig)

gives 794 euro. Not cheap, but still cheaper than doing any South American date.

It is MUCH less expensive to do only one of the dates; Berlin-Beirut-Berlin for 359 euro (turkish), Berlin-Tel Aviv-Berlin 260 euro (baltic).

@Jenzi: Yes I can see your linked page...but the prices don't look that cheap to me.
There's another option, which I am trying to figure out. Book a openjaw flight with TK-Airlines (Cologne-Beirut , Tel Aviv - Cologne) = 380 Euro

And then try to book some flights with MEA or Cyprus Airways Beirut - Larnaca-Tel Aviv, about 200 Euro

Make less than 600 Euro.
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Obviousman
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Looks like I won't make this one right now, shame! Have fun though, all of you! :wink:
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Andrew S
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Is anyone planning on just doing Beirut and giving Tel Aviv a miss?
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RobF
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Most likely. I'd like to do both, but it'd be a nightmare without dumping a load of cash on flights, plus I know Beirut pretty well, which makes the whole shebang less tiring than hitting a new city.

On top of that I like to spend a least a week there generally to catch up with mates etc etc.
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RobF
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For anyone considering driving....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 837920.stm

the really scary thing is, this IS the road to thevenue...
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Obviousman
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RobF wrote:For anyone considering driving....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 837920.stm

the really scary thing is, this IS the road to thevenue...
:eek: :lol:

BMI is doing sales, 347 to Beirut from Brussels... Still got until Saturday to decide, is it worth it to just be there the one day I wonder (I'd have to fly in Friday and out on Sunday)... Difficult...
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RobF
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Well, I've booked my flights. I'll be in town with my mate Kev for a week (thurs-thurs)...

So who else is up for it?
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jenzi-benzi
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RobF wrote:Well, I've booked my flights. I'll be in town with my mate Kev for a week (thurs-thurs)...

So who else is up for it?
I am tending to go there, but cancel Tel A$i$, have to get it through at work.
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TheRaven
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I just moved to Lebanon from Sydney Australia and seriously looking to get in touch with the alternative scene here.
Have to say, ecstatic the Sisters of Mercy are coming, i dont think theyve started selling tickets for them yet, i was at VirginMS last week and all theyve got is James Blunt. Really didnt think Lebanon would have a big alternative scene but there you go right.

Anyways, if anyone in Lebanon or coming to Lebanon in May wants to get to know me better send me a private message XD
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maxr
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Finances permitting (and presumably not finding myself under the redundancy guillotine between now and then) I certainly intend to make it - though admittedly holding fire booking until I have obtained a ticket once they go on sale.
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Francis
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RobF wrote:Well, I've booked my flights. I'll be in town with my mate Kev for a week (thurs-thurs)...

So who else is up for it?
Hats off. I guess the trip makes the gig...
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