24 January 07 - THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT SUCH AN EVENT TAKES PLACE IN ITALY FOR THE BAND EUROPE: THE HARD ROCK CAFE APPEARED LIKE A EUROPE TEMPLE - AROUND 3.00 PM IT WAS AMAZINGLY CROWDED, WITH PEOPLE SEATED AT THE TABLES EATING, DRINKING AND WATCHING EUROPE PERFORMANCES ON THE OVERHEAD TV MONITORS. A LONG HAPPY QUEUE SNAKED ITS WAY FROM THE SIGNING SESSION ROOM RIGHT TIL THE ENTRANCE DOOR! 

THE BAND WAS EXPECTED AROUND 16.30: IT WAS VERY NICE TO SEE THERE WERE VERY YOUNG FANS IN THE QUEUE WITH AMAZING '80'S LOOKS AND EUROPE T-SHIRTS PROUDLY WORN, AS WELL AS UNKNOWN AND WELL KNOWN JURASSIC FANS FROM THE 80'S... ALL VERY EXCITED TO MEET THE WHOLE BAND IN JUST A SHORT WHILE!

IT WAS A GREY, RAINY DAY OUTSIDE, BUT THERE WAS A HUGE WARM, SHINING SUN INSIDE THE HARD ROCK CAFE THAT DAY : -) A KIND OF ELECTRIC, SPARKING ATMOSPHERE REALLY DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE!
THE BAND DROVE TO THE HARD ROCK CAFE RIGHT AFTER THEIR SOUNDCHECK, WE'D ASKED THEM TO ANTICIPATE THEIR SOUNDCHECK FOR THE HRC EVENT...AND THEY ARRIVED BASICLY ON TIME!

AFTER A BRIEF PHOTO SESSION RIGHT AT THE BACKSTAGE DOOR (FOR THE ESC OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER AND THE HARD ROCK CAFE PHOTOGRAPHER)...

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THEY ALL TRIUMPHANTLY ENTERED THE SIGNING ROOM AND TOOK THEIR PLACES - LOOKING REALLY IMPRESSED BY THE HUGE COLORFUL QUEUE OF ATTENDEES IN FRONT OF THEM AND
FANS FINALLY EXPLODED INTO A THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE, AND SCREAMS OF JOY ECHOED AS THE BAND ENTERED THE ROOM AND TOOK THEIR SEATS!

WHAT CAME IMMEDIATELY NEXT, WAS THE OFFICIAL BAND MEMORABILIA DONATION FOR PERMANENT EXHIBITION AT HARD ROCK CAFE ROMA. THEY BOUGHT A DRUM KIT COVER THEY USED DURING THE PREVIOUS 'START FROM THE DARK' TOUR, WHICH THEY ALL SIGNED, AND THEY ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT A JOHN NORUM GIBSON GUITAR (SIGNED BY ALL THE BAND) WILL BE COMING IN A FEW WEEKS: THIS TOO AS EXCLUSIVE EUROPE MEMORABILIA FOR THE HRC ROMA

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THE TIME THEY NEEDED TO FULLY SIGN THEIR MEMORABILIA, WAS FILLED BY THE WARM ITALIAN FANS SHOUTING AND CHANTING EUROPE SONGS... WE HAD A TALK WITH FEW GUYS IN THE QUEUE - THE YOUNGEST ONES (NOT INCLUDING SOME CHILDREN WHO CAME WITH THEIR FAN PARENTS!SO SWEET TO SEE!) WERE SO VERY EXCITED TO MEET THE BAND AND GET THEIR STUFF SIGNED! THEY WERE VERY YOUNG - PROBABLY JUST VERY LITTLE KIDS IN THE LATE '80'S, BUT THEY HAD SUCH A BIG SPACE FOR EUROPE IN THEIR ROCKING SOULS, THAT REALLY WARMED OURS AND ALL THE EUROPE 'JURASSIC FANS' HEARTS!

A SPECIAL LIMITED T-SHIRT BRANDED WITH THE HARD ROCK CAFE ROMA AND EUROPE (CREATED FOR THE BAND BY THE BRILLIANT GRAPHIC DESIGNER DIMITRIOS DIMITRIADIS) WERE PRINTED BY HARD ROCK CAFE' TO BE SOLD AT THE EVENT... A VERY NICE COLLECTABLE ITEM FOR FANS. FEW RECORDING ARTISTS HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO HAVE A SPECIAL EDITION TEE PRINTED BY THE HRC WITH THE BAND'S OWN SPECIAL LOGO. JUST TO MENTION SOME NAMES: OZZY OSBOURNE, U2, BOB GELDOF...

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HARD ROCK CAFE MANAGER MADE SURE TO HAVE SOME TEES AUTOGRAPHED BY THE WHOLE BAND FOR THE HARD ROCK CAFE SHOWROOM, TOGETHER WITH THE MEMORABILIA ITEMS SIGNED BY ALL, AND PICTURED WITH THE BAND.

NOW WAS TIME FOR THE SIGNING SESSION, AND FOR THE LONG QUEUE TO STOP WAITING AND FINALLY COME CLOSE TO THE BAND MEMBERS TO SHOW THEIR ADMIRATION AND HAVE THEIR PRECIOUS ITEMS SIGNED BY THE WHOLE BAND. THEY HAVE AUTOGRAPHED CD COVERS, OLD AND RECENT PHOTOES, ASWELL AS GUITARS, JACKETS AND TEESHIRTS!

THE SIGNING SESSION WAS ORGANISED WITH THE VERY PRECIOUS HELP OF TWO GUYS OF THE HRC LIFEGUARDS SERVICE , WHO MADE SURE THE LONG QUEUE WAS EFFICIENT AND LET EVERYBODY HAVE SOME MINUTES TO GET THEIR AUTOGRAPHS AND/OR PICTURES.
WE'VE ASKED FOR THEIR PRESENCE TO AVOID THE MESSUP AND THESE GUYS NEED TO BE MENTIONED CAUSE THEY DID REALLY A GOOD JOB AND MADE THIS SIGNING SESSION A SUCCESS FOR ALL - THEY ALSO RECEIVED PERSONAL THANX FOR THE EXCELLENT WORK FROM JOEY HIMSELF.

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DURING THE SIGNING SESSION ALL THE HARD ROCK CAFE MONITORS WERE BROADCASTING THE BAND'S PERFORMANCE AT LONDON HAMMERSMITH APOLLO SO THE QUEUE WAS DEFNITELY WELL ENTERTAINED :-)...

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AFTER THE SIGNING SESSION ENDED, AROUND 18.45, THE BAND ENJOYED A PRIVATE DINNER IN A VIP ROOM INSIDE THE CAFE, WHILE THE CROWD OF FANS, HAPPY AND SATISFIED, WERE GOING TO THE VENUE, WHERE IN A COUPLE OF HOURS THE EUROPE SHOW WAS TO TAKE PLACE!

UNBELIEVABLE THAT AFTER 15 YEARS (THE LAST SHOW IN ROMA WAS ON THE 17TH FEBRUARY 1992)AND 3 YEARS AFTER THE BAND OFFICIAL REUNION, FINALLY EUROPE WERE SET TO PLAY AGAIN IN ROMA!!OUR CITY!...DEFNITELY THE EUROPE DAY HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD WAY TO CELEBRATE THIS! ASWELL AS MAKE PROMOTION TO THE BAND, MAKE FANS HAPPY TO MEET THEIR HEROES AND (FINALLY!) HAVE A COUPLE OF MEMORABILIAS OF OUR BEST BAND EVER IN THE HARD ROCK CAFE ROMA!:-)

(WE'LL MAKE A FULL REPORT OF THE BRILLIANT EUROPE CONCERT IN ROMA, WITH GREAT PIX TAKEN UNDER THE STAGE BY US AND OUR ESC PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAFER PINO STUPPINI-IN ANOTHER SECTION OF THE WEBSITE)

AFTER THE SHOW, WICH STARTED A HOUR LATER ON THE TIMETABLE AND ENDED AFTER MIDNIGHT...WE DROVE TO HARD ROCK CAFE TOGETHER WITH IAN AND TOMAS OF EUROPETHEBAND WEBSITE TO ATTEND THE LOCAL TRIBUTE BAND "PRISONERS IN PARADISE" WICH WAS SET TO PLAY AT HRC AFTER THE GIG...

TRIBUTE BAND PRISONERS IN PARADISE

THE EUROPE DAY IN ROMA COULDN'T HAVE A BETTER END! PRISONERS IN PARADISE HAVE ROCKED THE HARD ROCK CAFE ALSO SHARING THE STAGE WITH IAN HAUGLAND!

PRISONERS IN PARADISE ROCKING THE NIGHT WITH IAN

IAN ENDED HIS PERFORMANCE THANKING THE GUYS OF THE TRIBUTE BAND AND LEAVING THE STAGE WITH SOMETHING THAT ALL TRIBUTES BANDS WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ONCE IN A LIFE:"YOU ARE THE BEST TRIBUTE BAND I EVER SEEN".

THE NIGHT CONTINUED WITH FUN, CHATS AND BUZZ...

Many thanx to our great photoreporter Pino Stuppini wich made a real good job taking brilliant shots during the whole Europeday at HRC and at the Europe show!

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PINO STUPPINI WITH IAN - IAN WITH FANS

IAN WITH FANS

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IAN WITH FANS

CLICK TO SEE THE COMPLETE PHOTOGALLERY

If you've fiilmed digital short movies or clips of this event and /or you've taken pictures of yourselves with members of the band at the Hard Rock Cafe Europe Day in Roma and would like them to appear in the official photogallery of the event just send them to
esc@europe-the-fanclub.com we'll be happy to add them in this section.