On the ground floor I can already hear the whistles and the shouts of elated fans.

Basses and drums noises resound throughout the walls. If I shut my eyes for just a second I could almost see tour buses, bodyguards and the usual tee-shirt stand at the entrance of the venue.

It feels like it’s going to be a big day for rock.

As I get closer I can’t mistake the signs. People are walking faster to see what is happening, I hear excited shrieks, instruments are tuned up and voices are warming up.

And then I open the door.

Suddenly I realize that in fact I can only hear loud laughs, whistles and remarks ‘come on now, activate your Star Power Mister!”.

What’s happening?

Is the 1st band so bad the excited crowd is being booed off the stage?
Of course not.
The reality is actually very different. I came face to face with my overexcited colleagues (it can sometimes be your friends or members of your family so beware) playing with the game Rock Band (only available at the moment on xBox). My usually very composed colleagues were getting ready to face the most difficult chords of the History of Rock with the gear needed for a proper Rock concert (that means a set of drums, a guitar and a microphone. You have to add the second guitar if you want to play the bass though instruments from Guitar Hero are compatible).

That is the kind of scene I was confronted with when I came back from lunch. Screeching voices and missed chords (let’s just say the neighbors didn’t really appreciate the moment) while my colleagues were trying to reproduce the rhythms of Muse or Nirvana.

You might think the whole experience is probably better suited for geeks who want a taste of the glamour and rock and roll of the biggest bands they’ve seen on stage. But I have to say that the game is quite fun once you join in (and yes even with the songs you don’t really know… or in German). For example : I even tried to control the vibrato on my guitar while cheering the crowd.
The best is still to join in the fun with some friends.