The band manager had a close look at everything in Room 1106. The plaque yet to be filled with cement, the flags, the water, the light and the giant post-card highlighting five years of MOWOS history. It must have left an impression as he did not put the card down again, although he then quite calmly turned the timetable on its head again, but by half past eight the stage was set.

 

The three Southerners with a 30-year rock history and a string of hits under their belt sauntered along the road around the Olympic Hall. Slightly reserved, or perhaps just lost in concentration, they entered the room where the immortalization ceremony takes place . They greeted the MOWOS Team with a friendly handshake and then everything ran according to plan. Only Michael Stipe offered any kind of surprise when he asked his manager to help press his hands further into the cement. Perhaps his visit to the Oktoberfest the day before had sapped his strength?

 

The MOWOS Team also presented Stipe and his colleagues Peter Buck and Mike Mills with a large gingerbread heart from the Oktoberfest. Once on stage in the Olympic Hall, there was no further sign of a reserved attitude – Michael Stipe whirled like a Dervish and went on to sing the entire encore wearing his MOWOS Oktoberfest heart around his neck!