Roll up, roll up, the U2 circus is in town again (figuratively speaking) - I'm in Amsterdam. And they finally kicked off today. Today's concert, I had to get a ticket for from Viagogo. But first, food was in order- and this time, I felt like steak.
Oh dear, where to go? I stood at the corner of Rembrandtplein and asked Google's opinion- their first suggestion was De Maria, but I went there last year, and wanted variety. So I went with their second choice- La Vaca, just around the corner, white tables and chairs outside on an attractive courtyard bordering the canal.
Mind you, it was a bit chilly to sit outside, so I sat just inside the window, where I was the only customer- it pays to go mid-afternoon. I ordered bread with garlic butter, a 300g (!) rib-eye with mushroom sauce, and ooh goodee, they do carafes of wine. So I had one of those too.
Ok, so the bread with garlic butter was a basket of slices of bread, accompanied by a pat of garlic butter. Not heated or anything. But that was as described, and boy was it welcome. As was the wine. I'd got half the bread eaten by the time the steak arrived- on a separate, sizzling hot plate that shared space on a larger plate with two dishes, one of chips, the other of salad. Sauce was on the side. And despite it being bigger than I normally have, I pretty much polished it off! Delish. And to top it all off, they had tartufo for dessert, which I love. Not cheap here, but good eats, and great service. Terrible WiFi though- don't even bother. As I left, the evening rush was just starting.
I set off for the concert in good time - and of course, the Metro line is 54, not 4! Easy enough to find my way, anyway- and a great way of getting rid of change. The fare seems expensive at €3 one-way, certainly in comparison with Madrid- but then, it's £2.70 in London Zone 1, and the €3 covers unlimited travel within the Amsterdam area and surrounds for an hour.
I was the one to enlighten five of my fellow passengers that we shouldn't wait for the Bijlmer ArenA stop, but get off at the one before, Strandvliet. See, the ArenA is just across the road from the Ziggo Dome , where U2 are playing this year - but Strandvliet is just a little closer than the other station. Mind you, it was confusing, exiting the station into a crowd of Ajax supporters headed the other way, from a match that had just ended in the ArenA.
Also confusing is the lack of information at the Ziggo Dome, considering that a large crowd were headed around the back of the building! Well, I don't know where they were going, but I was in the right place, at the entrance. It's simple enough really- South ring to the left, North ring to the right (which is pretty correct, geographically). Floor entrance is in the middle, and was the only long queue at that point- so if you're not standing, get out of the long queue.
I was mildly anxious at having a ticket in someone else's name, but there was no problem and I was soon in. Gratified to see a One Foundation stand where they were actually trying to recruit- it's been a while. Upstairs to the seating area - by escalator, handily - both merchandising and the bar had ridiculously long queues, so I just took my seat, glad to see the broken rails down the middle of the steps, which make it so much easier for me, with my step phobia.
Hmm, yes. End-on to the vidiwall. Well, I've booked for 13 shows this year, and it is good to get different perspectives. Actually, this position allowed me to see a lot of what goes on around the B-stage.. and, of course, they spend most of the second half of the show down this end. It is also great to see how much attention Bono pays to the back of the room. Really, the only thing you're missing from here is the vidiwall- and that is shown on a smaller screen, high up.
Speaking of which, tonight was the least I've seen it used! Which brings me to the setlist:
setlist
Holy crap, look what happened to the setlist while my back was turned! Gone are all the home videos and the video clips from the first half: in their place, old favourites from Achtung Baby. And Gloria live! Woah, what a treat- and how they can still work a room. It is as awesome as ever to watch the crowd during that song. Don't worry though, all the politics of the second half are still there.
The crowd around me stayed seated until Bono paid us some attention- which he did quite early. Even when they weren't inclined to stand in general, there was no problem if someone did- that's the great thing about an Amsterdam crowd, and the main reason I'll keep coming back here.
Afterwards, the merchandising stall was much quieter, so I got to spend loads of cash on some excellent merchandise I hadn't come across before. And then headed to Bijlmer ArenA stop to go back to town. That's strategic, you see - it's not that far, but the Metro stops there first on its way into town.. so by the time it gets to Strandvliet, it's packed. My quick thinking got me a seat..
On Wednesday, I'm with Let's Do This for another Turkish meal - this time at Sofra. It'll also be the first time since June I'll have met Mary!
On Thursday, film again - already booked though, because they were already selling out. It's part of the London Film Festival at the BFI - Be Natural is the story of Alice Guy - Blaché, the first female filmmaker, and is narrated by Jodie Foster. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, again.
On the 15th, back with North London Friends for The Wild Duck, by Ibsen, at the Almeida. I wasn't in time to get one of their tickets, so booked my own - what the hey.
On the 16th, comedy with Ahir Shah at Soho Theatre.
On the 17th, a real dose of nostalgia - Mayerling ballet, at the Opera House. My favourite ballet, this was also the last event we attended here with the Man with the Hat. And the second last event ever. At least it'll be less evocative since, for once, I'm sitting facing full-on! He always had us in the slips, so I haven't faced the Opera House stage since I started with his groups! I'd watch it blindfolded just to have him back again, though. We miss you, MwtH.
On the 18th - why, I'm off to Manchester. For U2, unsurprisingly. Yes, I get busier around now as they come around these parts. Taking the train that evening - it was the cheapest, and so much handier than having to make my way to and from airports and watch what I pack! I should arrive walking distance from my hotel, Roomzzz Corn Exchange, which itself is walking distance from the venue, the Manchester Arena. And right beside the shopping centre, apparently! That could be handy.. if only to buy provisions, as this is an aparthotel, so I can cater for myself.
The concerts themselves are on the 19th and 20th. Ironically, the English concerts are the only ones whose tickets are being posted to me - and would you believe it, what with booking them in January and moving in June, I completely forgot to make the connection. So I forgot to update my address with Ticketmaster (TM). Just remembered last weekend, by which time it seems they'd already been posted. I've contacted my old flatmates, but the only response I got was from one who's also moved out - happily, TM says, if I contact them that week, they'll void the old tickets and issue new ones that I can pick up at the box office. There's always some palaver on a U2 tour, and this isn't the first time I've had to pick up my tickets in Manchester!! Outside of England, they're all e-tickets..
I take the train back on the 21st. Better not leave it too late, as I've actually booked for the Smithfield & Clerkenwell Walk: Guts & Glory, with Walking in London - but more specifically, with Katie of Look Up London! Excellent - I was booked for this in July, but she had to cancel. She's one of the best around. Should be close enough to me, too, and it doesn't start too early. And it being a Funzing event (like all of Walking in London's) I scoured my old Funzing discount codes, and discovered that Funzing_Fb20 seems to be working again - for all of them I've recently booked! So, a 20% discount - better than any recently offered on their Facebook page.
On the 22nd, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club for Buddha Babies, again at Soho Theatre. Naturally, not advertised on their Meetup group - they advertised an event today, but of course, I'm out of the country.
On the 23rd & 24th, I don't have to travel so far to see U2 - they're playing the O2 in London. These tickets, I got my address changed in time for, it seems - they're also being posted. Helen is going on the 23rd.. sat in the corporate box, poshly! Nah, I'd rather be closer and sweatier, thanks!
The 25th is my colleague's last day before he quits for a new life in Stockholm - we're headed out that night. Amazing that I still had that day free when we arranged it!
On the 26th, I fly to Belfast. Yep, U2 again. Told ya. Staying in the Crescent Townhouse, walking distance from the SSE Arena, where the concerts take place on the 27th and 28th. On the 29th, I'm taking the train down to my mother for a week - makes more sense than jetting back and forth to her!
On the 5th, I'm back up to Dublin. U2 again, dont'cha know? Staying in the Clayton again, which is a hop, skip and jump from the 3Arena in Dublin, where there are concerts on the 5th and 6th. Would you believe, not even I could swing a ticket for the 5th - well, I'll just rock up on the day, and hopefully I can get something at the box office. I have heard of such things happening. I've had stranger things happen!
On the 7th of next month, I fly back to London (BA) - purely so I can work on the 8th, before flying back to Dublin that night! Was supposed to be Cityjet, but they've now ended their flight schedule after this month - so now I'm going Ryanair. Same hotel, same venue, same band - on the 9th and 10th. I fly back on the 11th, exhausted, and finished with U2 concerts for the year!
On the 12th, I've decided to treat myself to a performance of Macbeth, at the Wanamaker Playhouse.
On the 13th, we have our monthly team outing - our colleague from Mexico might be joining us!
On the 14th, back with UITCS at last for Love Lies Bleeding, at the Print Room at the Coronet. Got my ticket from London Theatre Direct.
On the 15th, I'm going to try the Seven Deadly Sins Pub Naughty History Tour. Walking in London again, so discounted again! Then I'm back to Ireland again for the weekend.
On the 19th, News of the Strange, from the Crick Crack Club, at Soho Theatre. Not advertised on their Meetup group, of course.
On the 20th, back with UITCS for Pinter at the Pinter - Pinter plays at the Pinter Theatre. Two long ones on this occasion - this is Programme Four: Moonlight & Night School.
On the 21st, back at last with The London Jazz Meetup, who are off to the London Jazz Festival for a concert by the Faraj Suleiman Quartet at King's Place. UK premiere, apparently!
On the 22nd, with UITCS at the Garrick for Don Quixote. The only cheap tickets left for this were terrible, so I went a bit upmarket. A bit - I'm still behind a pillar!
On the 23rd, I'm on a Paranormal Activity Tour - ooh! Now, for this one, we get ghost-hunting equipment, which could make it interesting - I don't fancy the dowsing rods, myself, but we'll see. Walking in London, again. Discounted, again. And this was after my loyalty discount - so I got it at better than half price! which is good, considering the price.
On the 24th, I'm off on my own to see A Small Place, at the Gate.
On the 25th, back at last to Winter Wonderland! That evening, I'm off to Cirque Berserk - an annual tradition for me. The latest show is the cheapest, so that's the one I booked.
And on the 26th of next month, I'm back with UITCS for Programme Three of Pinter at the Pinter - Landscape / A Kind of Alaska / Monologue.
With spending half of yesterday blogging, it was indeed a bit late for breakfast - or even brunch - by the time I surfaced. So, dinner ("brinner ?") it was. And a good location for that seemed to be Rembrantplein, just up the street.
More photos here. Too much choice, really. I finally decided to go with the Argentinian Steakhouse De Maria.. you will not find a better steak than at an Argentinian Steakhouse, and for me it's one of the highlights of coming to Amsterdam. They were pretty empty, so early, and I took a table inside.
..where I had a cow staring at me!
Fair enough, I suppose. So, I had a sirloin.. cheapest on the menu after rump. Smallest cut - really, I find them too filling to have anything bigger. I ordered pepper sauce too, and a carafe of house white. Ordering wasn't difficult - she literally had nothing to do but wait for me, and was stood just behind my shoulder!
The wine was indifferent. The steak, however, was spectacular! As expected really, and the best I've had since the last time I was in Amsterdam. The sauce was pretty redundant - although it proved useful for the indifferent chips I'd ordered as a side. Another tartufo for dessert - and while it didn't reach the dizzying heights of Saturday, it is always a delicious choice.
Out into brilliant sunshine, and my next mission was to source €7.50 worth of change, so I could buy a 24-hour ticket. Ahah, a Starbucks.. so I bought a bar of chocolate there with a €20 note. Unfortunately, although she apologised for all the change, it was of the nature of small change - not replacing any notes. So I had to pop into the supermarket as well, where I bought more chocolate, small enough to pass ArenA security, and finally got enough change.
At the Metro station, another queue to buy the ticket.. and would you believe, the machine was taking notes! Must only be the machines for train tickets that don't - which makes no sense. The GVB (city transport) machines seem much more reasonable.
Anyway, my journey yesterday was much easier. Less of a wait, got on the first train, even got a seat! My stadium entrance was the same as on Saturday, so I knew where l was going. Ticket worked again, yay! And despite the unisex pat-down, the cute guy I got seemed shy about doing it, so I got in without it. Wheezed my way up the stairs again - I was sitting close to where I'd been on Saturday, but more to the back.
I didn't care - direct view, and as I say, this is a small venue. This ticket's face value was less than Saturday's, and I did wonder about the finer points of pricing. And, despite the sunny weather, the roof was closed again.. oh, joy!
The crowd's Mexican wave only (!) went around six times on this occasion. And I wondered where everyone was - my section stayed pretty empty for ages. In due course, they arrived, and we started.. Great thing was though, the outside of my row stayed almost empty, so I had plenty of room to jiggle..
Now, a U2 show is always a great show - but it is really Bono that carries it, and sometimes he makes an extra effort. Straight from the start last night, something was different.. later in the show, he thanked the Netherlands, saying they've always been so generous to the band. "Wouldn't be the same without you!" as he said. He also expressed surprise at this level of enthusiasm on a Sunday night!
SET LIST
ENCORE
I was a bit far back to see until they broadcast it on the screen, but you could see it in him, how he was feeding off the incredible energy in the crowd. The first change came when, instead of Bad in the first section, they played A Sort of Homecoming - him remarking that that was what it was like for them, coming to Amsterdam. Oh my God, they hardly ever play it.. I always dissolve when I hear it. This was a good start!
He pulled a guy with a Polish flag onto the stage during New Year's Day - a sign of Solidarity. Again, the crowd was in fine voice, and he left the singing to them both for Pride and for I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. And I absorbed every moment of the awesome display during the Joshua Tree section, conscious that this would be my last time to see it live.
Again, the flag during Miss Sarajevo started left of stage, and only got halfway round - but from where I was sitting last night, I could see better that maybe at that point, the gap between sections was too great to pass it across. Sadly, no balloons during Beautiful Day this time, and no Mysterious Ways. The screen was turned off again during One.
And we should have been finished. But he had one more surprise.. he sent us screaming into the night with an amazing performance of I Will Follow, their first single and a pure rush of adrenaline. Nobody left singing 40, as one tuneless guy did last night - but hands down, this was THE concert of the tour. And despite having to pay over twice face value on Viagogo for Saturday, and over three times for last night, it was so worth it. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Write it on my grave, that I was a U2 fan.
Coming back, no delay to get into the station, or on the train, and I got a seat again! Despite the concert finishing 10 mins later than Saturday, I got back 15 mins earlier. And it would have been straight to bed, except for my mother's online grocery order, that had to be put in..
So, this morning, I overslept. And what with a delayed tram into town, a queue for the ticket machine to buy a ticket to the airport, and a delay till I found a train going to the airport.. well, I missed checkin by 10 mins. That'll teach me to book a morning flight, the day after a concert! So I went online, where Skyscanner gave me the cheapest fare that would get me back in time for my talk this evening. And then I needed to charge my phone.. a dreadful lack of charging points in the airport, the first I found were in Starbucks. Where I also had breakfast, and blogged. Unfortunately, poor internet reception there, so it was a bit of a palaver.. but look, done!! And in time to get my boarding pass for the next one. :-/
And I'll be glad to get home and change out of these concert clothes, which are getting a bit.. ripe. I saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for tonight - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they both cancelled, then re-advertised. It still seems to be running, although at a different location. No loyalty points for this one, I guess! I should still be back in time to make it.
Tomorrow, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And next Monday, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
Hello, I'm in Amsterdam! And lugged a heavy laptop all the way here, specifically so I could blog - awkward to type on the phone, and I can't put links in using it. So. Aren't I good? Yes, I are.
The trip started on Friday, making my way to City Airport again. Seeing that any route involving a bus would take over an hour, I opted for the fastest: Central Line to Bank, DLR from there. It was supposed to take about 40 minutes. And with the lack of food in the office over summer (they've cut down on deliveries because so many are away), I didn't have much to detain me, and set off in good time - already checked in online, but they were making me print my boarding pass at the airport.
This flight was about an hour and a half earlier than the last I took from City - and what a difference that makes! The streets were crammed, predictably; the Tube was crammed, and airless. With relief, I got off at Bank - only to discover signs all over the place, directing people to take a roundabout route to the DLR. So much for my nice, quick journey - by the time we'd wended our way all over Bank Station, I must have added 20 minutes to my journey. (Congestion was the cause.) At least I got some air on the DLR, if not a seat - I was pretty woozy by the time I got off at the airport, considering I hadn't eaten either. Hey, I do believe it worked out cheaper overall than the Tube and bus option, though..
I was entering from the opposite side to last time; hey, they have checkin machines all along the corridor! Bit of a palaver to print my boarding pass - as well as the booking reference number, they required a scan of my passport. That done, I made my way to Departures - Oh Lordy, what chaos! A small airport with a big crowd in it - security was a nightmare, and small as it is, it took another 20 minutes to get through, with only one metal detector. And having to have the laptop scanned separately was no fun. They were a bit snappy, too. No, I'm not flying out of here again at busy times.
Barely time to get to my gate, never mind eat - and we would be right at the end of the corridor. Heaving the laptop around was killing my shoulder. At least I didn't have long to wait until they boarded us (had to ask twice whether I boarded front or rear, after the incomprehensible public announcement from one of the staff) - and funnily enough, another flight to Amsterdam, with KLM, was leaving from the adjacent gate, ten minutes before ours. I was sat slightly to the rear - unfortunately, given that our takeoff and landing were a bit bumpy: but the free wine and shortbread biscuits were very welcome. That, and a packet of crisps left in my bag from a previous trip, constituted dinner.
At Schipol, we had the conventional five-mile-hike to Arrivals, then I headed to the train station. Long queues at the ticket machines - oh, and be warned; I'd forgotten, but was soon reminded that ticket machines in Amsterdam only take coins, or special Dutch travel cards - no notes, no credit or debit cards. People all around were looking for change - at least I had plenty of that, and it's proved a great way of getting rid of my change since I arrived. (If you don't have it, head for the ticket desks that have people behind them.)
A nice, easy, nonstop ride then, to Amsterdam Centraal. Only 15 minutes - what a luxury! Light rain greeted me - and I decided to walk to the hotel; most of the city centre is walkable. I'd forgotten what a pretty city it is, actually!
More photos here. And the Zeedijk, which I walked down on my way, and is packed with restaurants and tourists, on cobbled streets between pretty buildings, would put the West End to shame!
I was half dead by the time I got the laptop to ITC Hotel - I'd decided to go for something a bit further along the Metro line, you see, since my sightseeing in Amsterdam was pretty much done, and I fancied being a bit closer to the Amsterdam ArenA, where this weekend's concerts are being held. Steep steps, typical of Amsterdam, lead to reception - where I immediately saw a sign saying that the advertised free WiFi is only available in reception. Just as well Three increased my EU data allowance! I checked in, paid the city tax that's always payable on arrival, and got my key card.. for a building across the road! Apparently, they run across three buildings altogether.
Immediately on entering, I saw the stairs. No lift, of course. Hell. Ah well, up I went. Phew! Checked the rooms on the first floor.. oh no, mine wasn't there.. and the next set of stairs..! Seriously, upon climbing that, I felt like I needed a ladder. Or a grappling hook. I had to take the bags up one at a time, and throw them onto the upper landing (hence the name, I guess) from a few steps down. Murderous. If you've ever been in the Anne Frank House, you'll know what I mean - they're famous for their extremely steep stairs. They never mentioned this in the hotel description - and you'd never manage it with heavy luggage!
Massive shout-out to the cleaners, who brave these steps every day with a vacuum cleaner! Also, beware of the raised lips at the base of the doorframes - could cause a nasty fall. As for my room, teeny isn't in it - it is fascinating though, to see how much they squeeze into a small space. The tv, hairdryer, and soap and tissue dispensers are all fastened to the wall, and interesting, slatted doors hide the shower and toilet. All I'd want, really, and the bed is comfy. I don't feel the lack of the phone, which they advertise on the website, but which isn't present. Expedia, with whom I booked the trip, asked me how my check-in went, and what I thought of the place - well, I marked it well enough, although I did add a warning about the stairs, for potential travellers. I wouldn't stay here again - it's too much like mountaineering.
By the time I'd rung my mother, it was after 11 - remember, they're an hour ahead of London - and too late to be hunting for food. So I headed to bed - watching the crackly tv for a while. Yesterday morning - well, there was no way I was paying for the hotel breakfast. Indeed, the receptionist had anticipated as much when he told me about it - maybe it was the U2 t-shirt that formed his opinion. Anyhoo, I didn't have to go far to find an alternative; Café Onder de Ooievaar, right across the bridge, fed me a (round!) toasted sandwich (choice of fillings), a croissant, and an apple juice, for less than I'd have paid at the hotel. Actually, the hotel breakfast is a buffet, but I'm not one of those that can eat twice the value of what they pay.
It was a gorgeous, hot, sunny day, so I meandered into town - found a street market on the way, and nearly bought there: but didn't, thankfully, since I'd just have had to carry it afterwards. A few U2 t-shirts were wandering about. I wasn't hungry yet, so mooched around for a while.. and where did I end up but the conveniently placed Sex Museum. (Ah well, when in Rome..) The price is a reasonable €5 (not the €4 advertised on the above website). I did take photos, and had them on Facebook.. but got rather sick of Facebook removing them, so I've now deleted the whole thing. Anyhoo, I spent a very amusing time here (apart from more steep stairs, which are killing me now!). Paintings and photographs - old and (fairly) new - feature heavily, and rooms have themes, such as the Red Light District, or the "Marquis de Sade" room - for S&M. It's an odd experience, going around, slightly embarrassed to be seen taking too much of an interest in anything - but it is full of interesting stuff. And the animatronic models on the ground floor, which come to life as you pass (a few of which are included at the above link) are just hilarious! Recommended, for the broad-minded.
I meandered back to the hotel after that - my phone needed charging. And after a much-needed rest, when both my phone and I were recharged, I went out in search of food before the concert. Google Maps recommended a place called Bar Moustache, just down from the hotel - but do you know, when I went there, I just thought it smacked a little of.. pretension. Just a few doors up, I'd passed a friendlier-looking Italian place called Il Boccalino, which, it turned out, had just opened for the evening. I was their first customer of the day - and was fed heartily, and without fuss, for a reasonable price. The bread I had as a starter was piping hot, the veal in cream and mushroom sauce was yummy, and as a side I chose pasta, and got a small spaghetti Bolognese! The white wine was nice, and the tartufo (home-made?) was the best I've ever had! Friendly service too.. although I had to go and chase my bill; he'd completely forgotten he had a customer (I guess it was a bit early) and was having his dinner, in the kitchen.
A short walk took me to Weesperplein, the nearest stop to me on the Metro to the ArenA. Where the trains heading in that direction were all delayed (doubtless owing to the volume of passengers). And the first to arrive, finally, was so packed that most of us couldn't squeeze on! Happily, we got on the next one, and in due course arrived at the venue. In pouring rain. There are two stops for the stadium - Strandvliet and Bijlmer ArenA; I took the latter, which handily is around the side where I was seated. Just as well, with the deluge that we had to walk through, then stand in - people around me in the several queues had sourced plastic sheeting, which they were sharing with crowds of people around them. These were abandoned at the entrance - along with several umbrellas: but then, rock concerts don't generally allow you to bring in umbrellas.
Finally I was through the turnstile, and my Viagogo ticket scanned successfully - lovely. These Amsterdam tickets were the only ones I couldn't get officially - they sold out phenomenally fast. And yes, I paid over the odds - but it's worth it, to come to Amsterdam. A unisex body pat-down (ah yes, we're in Amsterdam) and we were in. And gee, a huge flight of stairs! Ahem. It's been a while since I was here, and I obviously blanked that out. When I finally wheezed my way to the top, passing the bars (full, thanks) and merchandising stalls (got enough, thanks), was I ever delighted to see handrails! Ah, I'd forgotten that too, and what a difference it makes, when you're afraid of steps. And another lovely surprise - they'd closed the roof, because of the rain! (I'd forgotten they can, here.) It's always better with a closed roof. And, despite my seat at the opposite end, I had a good view, I think - and it's a smaller stadium than many:
The crowd was alive - a full nine times a Mexican Wave went around, even carrying onto the pitch, despite the strangely immobile couple of sections in the lower stands to my left. Until the crew decided we were peaking too early, and played Dirty Old Town a bit loud to quiet us. It was just after nine when U2 came on.
Setlist:
ENCORE
The crowd were loud enough for Bono to abdicate some of his singing duties again. And it was quite special to have a closed-roof concert - more intimate, and the lighting works better. For me, that made it the concert of the tour - very glad I paid the extra.
For the first time I've seen it, the flag for Miss Sarajevo came out to left of stage - and aww, the staff didn't let it go all the way around this time! I guess they didn't want it stretching on into the next song, which it would've - still, I think it spoiled the atmosphere a little. I would've been in line to pass it on, this time, boo hiss! A better decision in the next song, Beautiful Day, when they released balloons for the crowd on the pitch to play with. Lovely! And I was delighted to see Mysterious Ways on the setlist - I think it always works well. The hyperactive dancer he pulled from the crowd, as someone remarked on the way back afterwards, really didn't want to leave - well, who would? "One" looked spectacular, as they turned off the lights, even the screen, and the crowd glittered with the glow of mobile phones. But aww, no play last night for that song from their new album, bummer.
Outside, it was pouring even worse than before - and organisation wasn't as good as I'd remembered, with a terrible queue to get into the station, priority being given to mainline rail passengers. When they finally let us in, I made my way to the human-staffed ticket desk, where the queue was shorter than for the machines. Tickets issued there are paper, but still seem to be chip-enabled, and work as well on the automatic barriers. Another wait for a train we could squeeze onto - and a bad slip for me, when I completely lost traction on the wet carriage floor! I was lucky to grab a rail, and be able to swing myself into a seat before I ended up on said floor. And despite the departure board saying it was nonstop, fortunately it wasn't, so I could disembark at that station near the hotel. Sadly, by this time it was past midnight, and all but the bars were closed - I could have done with bringing a cold drink back to the hotel with me. Never mind, I'm getting used to the stairs now. A bit.
Last night, I uploaded the photos, but blogging would've taken so long.. and I was so tired.. besides, I wanted to be up in time today to get dressed, lest housekeeping swing by (which they did, a while ago). So, I'm now looking at brunch rather than breakfast - I'll swing up to Rembrandtplein for that; it's just up the road, and has a great selection. And then out to the concert venue - maybe a bit early, if my time works right: avoid the worst of the crowds, and ensconce myself in a nearby bar. I do hope they close the roof again tonight - although the rain is supposed to clear by then. I plan to buy a 1-day ticket this time - it's valid for 24 hours, which means I can use it to travel to town tomorrow for the airport, which will be a consideration, with a morning flight. Which will make it worth my while. I could check in for my flight again, but saw they wanted to put me in an exit seat, which I don't fancy - and it would cost to change it, so I'll check in at the airport instead.
And I'll be glad to get home and change out of these concert clothes, which are getting a bit.. ripe. I saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they both cancelled, then re-advertised. It still seems to be running, although at a different location. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, another Funzing talk - I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do on Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On Thursday, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican - who, unusually, posted my ticket to me. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
I first heard Elbow playing support to U2 in Wembley in 2009. It was a hot day, I was in the bowels of the stadium buying a drink, and the place shook with the force of what they were playing. I was duly impressed. So I was delighted to see they were playing the Hammersmith Apollo for three days this week, starting last Tuesday.
Thing is, they were completely sold out. I found tickets on Viagogo, but you might remember I had trouble getting tickets posted to me from them before. They promise on the website to use couriers, but in practice they use Royal Mail - and if Royal Mail use guaranteed delivery, they require a signature. So I'd have had to get it delivered to work, and it's taken to a central mail office, and who knows whether I'd get it in time. In short, postage was not an option. But then I saw they had tickets available to pick up for last night!
They don't tell you the pickup location until you've booked - rather sneakily, in my opinion. But I said I'd risk it - I do like Elbow. So I booked. And the email came through - and it turned out I had to go to Soho! O well. Unfortunately, since I was going to Guildford today, I had to run home with my laptop first. So. Home with laptop and Tube to Piccadilly Circus. Unscheduled stops on the Tube, as usual, and an ex-TFL worker predicting to his companion how long their journey would take, how long we'd be stopped at various places, and how trains are always, always held at Hyde Park Corner to "even out the gaps in the service".
We made it to Piccadilly Circus eventually. I had the vaguest of ideas where to go - I decided just to pick an exit and try at surface level. Really, Piccadilly Circus station is even more confusing than negotiating the streets above, if you don't know where you're going. At surface level, you do at least have landmarks. So, I surfaced, and looked around in confusion. I turned right around, and caught sight of a junction I thought I recognised from Streetview - and thank goodness for that, I'd have been utterly confused if I'd just had a map to read. Pictures are always better!
So, I crossed to that junction and followed the path from Streetview, turning right at the top onto Beak Street. I scurried along to no. 77, where Mail Boxes Etc. has an office, and the notice on the door that said they closed at 6.30 gave me pause. My confirmation said I had until 7, and it was now 5 to. But someone had just gone in and was at the counter, and when I pushed the door, it opened. So in I went, and queued behind the other gent. When it was my turn, I showed my ID - happened to be my passport, that was the easiest, but the assistant went "ooh!". He produced the ticket for me to check, and gave me a tablet to sign - interestingly, and messily, with my finger rather than a stylus. But I had my ticket!
I proceeded to retrace my steps to Piccadilly Circus, and took the Tube all the way to Hammersmith, now. Frankly, by the time I got off, I was exhausted. I got slightly lost in Hammersmith Broadway, then made my way across the road and into the venue. While I was in the toilet, the support act - Laura Groves - started up. I had made it to my seat by the end of the first song - it was nice that it was on the aisle:
Her music is sweet and melodic, but sadly she didn't get much attention from the crowd for the start of her set. By the end of it, more people had arrived, and she got more return from dropping mentions of "Elbow" into her sentences.
I say it was good to be on the aisle - and it was, for the view. Also, the row curves, so there were slightly more seats in my row than the one in front, and my seat was not obscured by the end seat of that row. The downside of being on the end was that that seemed to be the row that everyone stumbled at - probably because it was also where the railing ended. With most of them carrying beer, I had some anxious moments. Luckily, although there were a couple of accidents, none landed on me.
Elbow started at about 8.45. Again, a melodic set, with very few songs I recognised. Thing about them is, they have some songs that are absolute showstoppers - the rest I can take or leave. Of this whole set, I knew two songs, and they were worth the price of admission: One Day Like This, and Grounds for Divorce. Legendary. But after they played Grounds for Divorce in the encore, I'd heard enough, and I left.
Guildford today, so I'll be too wrecked to do much tonight. Back to Ireland for the weekend. For Monday, with lots of things completely booked out, it's looking like a film.. but for which one, watch this space!
