There wasn't anything that I found inspiring in Meetup tonight, so I had a trawl elsewhere, and saw cheap tickets for Showstopper. Someone had recommended it to me, so I said I'd give it a shot. Handily enough, start time wasn't until 8, which gave me time to eat at home - for once! It didn't take me very long to get to Piccadilly Circus, then had to orientate myself both below- and above-ground (as usual) to find Shaftesbury Avenue. Anyway, crowds weren't that bad, for once, and I soon arrived..
..and had the pleasure of a central seat, second row from the stage! Well now, that was value for money - I don't often get so close. The crowd was lively - indeed, the fellow to my left jiggled so much before the show that I was shaken in my seat, and must have looked as though I was having a fit..
Onstage was a board with six cards - a random name I didn't recognise on top, names of popular musicals on those underneath. A three-piece band came on about 10 minutes early, to the right of stage, and duly started playing - the action started, however, when the phone started ringing, and the "director" hurried on to answer it. Turned out to be the producer, wanting to know what the new musical would be about.
Which is where the fun started. First, the director asked us for location suggestions - made a note of the best, and then had us vote on them (energetic audience required). When one had been decided on, he took suggestions for a name - we voted on that, too. This went on the card that he placed over the old one, at the top of the board. The other cards were filled with audience suggestions for styles that the musical might adopt, or names of popular musicals or composers. Motown made it up there, as did Stephen Sondheim, and The Lion King. Mind you, he was happy to take any suggestions that were yelled at him, and encouraged us to tweet at the interval - the first several tweets he read out in the second half were, in fact, from our part of the audience! There's audience participation for you..
I have to hand it to them - this is very cleverly done. This guy sits over the side for the whole show, jumping up every now and again to announce that the next part will be done in such-and-such a style; I suspect they run over this at the interval. Not every single suggestion was covered, but several that had been yelled from the audience were. And without exception, every number was beautifully sung - reminiscent of whatever style they were supposed to be using, with lyrics obviously adapted to the situation. The cast frequently had to suppress giggles - this is a light-hearted production. And they have a real flair for comedy - unsurprising, given that, as it says on the poster I noticed on the way out, this is the original cast of The Play That Goes Wrong! They got a standing ovation, and I was not surprised. Recommended - runs until the 29th, plenty of offers available: apparently, this is the first long-form improvisation to get a West End run! They said something about returning customers being able to bring a friend for free.. not quite sure whether they were joking. But, to be fair, as advertised, every night is a new show..
It was pouring on the way home.. tomorrow, I thought I'd be going to Guildford, but now it seems I'm not! Anyway, I'm headed to see the London Russian Ballet School performance at the New Wimbledon Theatre - I missed them last week, when I was flat-hunting. Last week's would have been free, tomorrow's isn't: but I did get a cheap ticket. On Wednesday, I'm with the London European Club for a Hannah Scott gig - unfortunately, it's all the way over in Rotherhithe, but she does sound good. Then there are leaving drinks for another of our colleagues on Thursday, and on Friday I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. I fly back to London on Sunday, then do half a day's work and fly to Dublin on Monday afternoon.. U2 play there the next two nights, which I expect to be the best venue of the tour!
Monday, 16 November 2015
Sunday, 15 November 2015
A Pianist of Great Style & Talent , ILYA KONDRATIEV
..as the Kensington Classical Music group advertised it. Which is where I got the idea. Not to go with them, though - they were charging £1.50. Not for a ticket - those you had to book with the Royal Albert Hall! No, this was, as far as I can gather, for the convenience of having someone hold you a seat.. seating was unreserved, you see - cabaret-style. I skipped it, and booked a ticket myself, eschewing the chance of having a seat held for me..
This is the first time I've been to a coffee morning concert at the Albert Hall. They're held in the Elgar Room, which has a baby grand permanently situated there, so is perfect for the purpose. I woke nice and late, which meant a hasty exit, with no breakfast - the Albert Hall always takes that bit longer to get to, because it's such a walk from the nearest Tube. Speaking of which, I was very lucky with my Tubes, though - one arrived just as I arrived at West Brompton. I had to change at Earl's Court, but again, there was one waiting at the opposite platform when we pulled in. After a blustery walk up Exhibition Road - no rain today though, thankfully! - I got there with about 10 minutes to spare.
Entrance 6, it says on the tickets. Inside, you couldn't get lost - it's well signposted, with ushers at every turn. It was quite packed by the time I got there, and I quickly determined that the handiest course of action was to take one of the bar stools, aligned against the wall. There was a good view from there, and you didn't have to share a table. I was soon joined by someone from the Meetup last Friday, who followed my example and took the seat next to me. Your ticket includes a free tea or coffee, and a pastry - I didn't want tea or coffee, but when the queue died down a bit I went for a rather decent apple slice. Mind you, you don't get extra at the Albert Hall - one they said, and one they meant! He confiscated my ticket after I picked up my pastry - which was odd, as I thought you got a discount at Verdi's Italian Kitchen upon presentation of the ticket. Not that I was going there, but.. and as soon as the pianist appeared, the remaining trays of pastries disappeared into a back room! Definitely no seconds.
The aforementioned pianist is Russian, and duly treated us to about an hour of music. Handily, they'd distributed free programme fliers as we entered, which is how I know we had a mixed programme of Scarlatti, Mozart, Liszt, Debussy, and Gershwin. For my money, the Liszt and Debussy were a bit heavy for the occasion - but never mind. Latecomers were admitted between pieces, and the place was packed - booking definitely required. The poor pianist had to return for three encores - which were sublime.. he signalled the definite end of the concert by closing the lid over the keyboard.
My companion had booked the optional add-on of a tour of the auditorium, but I hadn't felt the need, so scurried home in the wind - passed on the way by one of those afternoon tea buses, which seemed quite busy - and have had a lazy afternoon indeed! What a difference it makes, not to have to flat-hunt! Why, just last night I was messaged by someone who said I could view today..
Tomorrow, the Crick Crack Storytelling club has a meeting in the Soho Theatre, and I'd have loved to have gone - but, as usual, it's booked out. Instead, I got a cheap ticket to Showstoppers: the Musical, which has been recommended to me. On Tuesday, I'm headed to Guildford, and wouldn't normally go out that night - but I'll have to get used to going out on Guildford nights, eh?! So I got another cheap ticket - this time, to the Russian Ballet School that I missed during the week, because of flathunting. On Tuesday, they're performing in Wimbledon..
This is the first time I've been to a coffee morning concert at the Albert Hall. They're held in the Elgar Room, which has a baby grand permanently situated there, so is perfect for the purpose. I woke nice and late, which meant a hasty exit, with no breakfast - the Albert Hall always takes that bit longer to get to, because it's such a walk from the nearest Tube. Speaking of which, I was very lucky with my Tubes, though - one arrived just as I arrived at West Brompton. I had to change at Earl's Court, but again, there was one waiting at the opposite platform when we pulled in. After a blustery walk up Exhibition Road - no rain today though, thankfully! - I got there with about 10 minutes to spare.
Entrance 6, it says on the tickets. Inside, you couldn't get lost - it's well signposted, with ushers at every turn. It was quite packed by the time I got there, and I quickly determined that the handiest course of action was to take one of the bar stools, aligned against the wall. There was a good view from there, and you didn't have to share a table. I was soon joined by someone from the Meetup last Friday, who followed my example and took the seat next to me. Your ticket includes a free tea or coffee, and a pastry - I didn't want tea or coffee, but when the queue died down a bit I went for a rather decent apple slice. Mind you, you don't get extra at the Albert Hall - one they said, and one they meant! He confiscated my ticket after I picked up my pastry - which was odd, as I thought you got a discount at Verdi's Italian Kitchen upon presentation of the ticket. Not that I was going there, but.. and as soon as the pianist appeared, the remaining trays of pastries disappeared into a back room! Definitely no seconds.
The aforementioned pianist is Russian, and duly treated us to about an hour of music. Handily, they'd distributed free programme fliers as we entered, which is how I know we had a mixed programme of Scarlatti, Mozart, Liszt, Debussy, and Gershwin. For my money, the Liszt and Debussy were a bit heavy for the occasion - but never mind. Latecomers were admitted between pieces, and the place was packed - booking definitely required. The poor pianist had to return for three encores - which were sublime.. he signalled the definite end of the concert by closing the lid over the keyboard.
My companion had booked the optional add-on of a tour of the auditorium, but I hadn't felt the need, so scurried home in the wind - passed on the way by one of those afternoon tea buses, which seemed quite busy - and have had a lazy afternoon indeed! What a difference it makes, not to have to flat-hunt! Why, just last night I was messaged by someone who said I could view today..
Tomorrow, the Crick Crack Storytelling club has a meeting in the Soho Theatre, and I'd have loved to have gone - but, as usual, it's booked out. Instead, I got a cheap ticket to Showstoppers: the Musical, which has been recommended to me. On Tuesday, I'm headed to Guildford, and wouldn't normally go out that night - but I'll have to get used to going out on Guildford nights, eh?! So I got another cheap ticket - this time, to the Russian Ballet School that I missed during the week, because of flathunting. On Tuesday, they're performing in Wimbledon..
Saturday, 14 November 2015
St. Martin's Church Concert by Candlelight & Free Entry to St. Paul's Cathedral
Hello, faithful readers! (In a nod to Stephen King.) Yes, last night I was back in action - hang the flat-hunting, I was having a night to myself, and the Man with a Hat had something interesting on. Another Concertante concert in St. Martin-in-the-Fields, to be precise. Interestingly, he had three ticket bands.. and the cheapest wasn't with Let's Do London - for Less!, it was with London for Less Than a Tenner. Someone once called that "The Tyranny of Choice". This "Less Than a Tenner" group is his too - so I finally joined, and booked one of those. It'd mean a gallery seat, but I've sat there before and it's just fine.
I see the Christmas lights are on in the Strand.. sorry, my phone battery was out, as usual, so no photos of last night. I got there in time to catch him before he gave the tickets back to the box office, and then fecked off, as he was typically busy. This is what comes from running a ticket distribution empire.. I was quite confused as to my entrance door. It's literally years since I've been in the gallery, here. So I asked an usher, and was told to head back to the other entrance - the right-hand one, as you face the church. Seems they only filled up one side of the gallery. Well, I had an unreserved seat, which meant I could sit anywhere but the front row. So I plonked myself in a corner, so I could have back support if I wanted to turn sideways. I was told that cushions and programmes were only available downstairs, but who needs a cushion? I'm a veteran of the Globe! Pah, no cushions required. As for programmes, the Man with the Headgear had provided.
Bach featured prominently. As the music started, and I concentrated on the wedding-cake ceiling (again, sorry, no photos), I reflected that I do prefer to meditate, if you will, on the music - when it's classical - and not being able to see the performers helps with that. So I didn't join those who kept hopping up to catch a glimpse.
I've seen Concertante a few times before, and to be honest, they recycle most of their jokes. Mind you, that doesn't make them any the less good..The Violin Concerto in A Minor was followed by Albinoni's Oboe concerto in D Minor, whose second movement was, for me, the highlight of the evening - absolutely sublime. More Bach to finish the first half, with the Concerto for Oboe & Violin.
During the interval, I could've moved - but didn't. Sat and read my paper instead. Was briefly interrupted by the Man with the Head Covering, who told me that afterwards we were headed somewhere posh, but affordable. Fine by me.. The second half was Mozart's Oboe Quartet in F Major, and Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins to finish. And you couldn't have had lovelier, in such a setting. Both halves, mind you, were ended in typical Concertante fashion, indulging their inexplicable obsession with Piazzolla. Can't say I share it, myself.
We gathered outside, in a shivering clump, waiting for everyone to appear before we headed off. Turned out we were headed to the Amba - the hotel attached to Charing Cross Station. And oh, it was good to get into the warm.. the bar turned out to be up the grand staircase, and festooned with chandeliers and plush red velvety seats. And you could order food! so I had a large wine and a warm chocolate fondant. And plenty of delicious, free, spicy peanuts. Indeed, the prices were not excessive, service could be had at the tables, and there was plenty of seating and no atrociously loud music to drown out conversation. An excellent choice for a Friday night in central London, actually, and I'd happily head there again. Well done, the man who suggested it..
As the night wore on, the crowd diminished one by one, and as the talk turned to economics (!) I fled. Great to be back with this group though. Roll on the next meeting. Typically after meetups with them, I was back pretty late, and then got distracted by the terrible news from Paris. Plus, I had a flat viewing at 12 today.. so no blog.
Today's viewing was productive - I now have a new flat! (Despite him showing up late.) Move date end of the month / first half of next month. Has green space outside, has a balcony, has more space inside.. a short walk to Clapham Junction.. after sorting that, I headed into town, in miserable weather. What disappointing weather for the Lord Mayor's Day! The fireworks were cancelled anyway, out of respect for Paris, but I headed into St. Paul's, on the only day in the year that you can go around it for free. And.. it's a cathedral. A big one, with lotsa tombs. Somehow, I missed Churchill's - ah well. Photos here.
I nominally went with Ken's Events - but well, I couldn't be bothered with the 230 of them, really. I wasn't ready at the appointed time - not that they probably kept to it anyway, knowing their timekeeping. And I wasn't pushed about joining them for dinner. Instead, afterwards, I headed down to Tower Bridge, which was to be lit up in the colours of the French flag - again, as a mark of respect. London Bridge, one down from it, provides a perfect viewpoint. It was indeed lit in the French colours - one at a time, for about five minutes each - which, unfortunately, meant you had to stand for about 10 minutes in the cold to see the full set. Photos at the above link.
On my way home, I passed a Pret, which had festive ads for a mint hot chocolate. Perfect for the bitter weather, and I went in and ordered one, figuring that a sit-down would be just the thing. And it was ok.. the cocoa powder scattered on top gave it an unpleasant texture, though. And so home, and ate at home. Rather glad I didn't have to hang around for fireworks.
An early night will be very welcome - I've booked for a coffee morning tomorrow (although I don't drink it) piano recital at the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall. Includes tea/coffee and a pastry. (Must remember to get up for it.) This was an idea I got from the Kensington Classical Music Group. Not that I'm going with them, you understand.. they require you to book your own ticket with the venue, then pay them £1.50 for.. I'm not sure what. The privilege of sitting with them? So I'll be avoiding them - if I happen to recognise them.
And on Monday, I got a cheap ticket to Showstoppers: the Musical. I hear good things..!
I see the Christmas lights are on in the Strand.. sorry, my phone battery was out, as usual, so no photos of last night. I got there in time to catch him before he gave the tickets back to the box office, and then fecked off, as he was typically busy. This is what comes from running a ticket distribution empire.. I was quite confused as to my entrance door. It's literally years since I've been in the gallery, here. So I asked an usher, and was told to head back to the other entrance - the right-hand one, as you face the church. Seems they only filled up one side of the gallery. Well, I had an unreserved seat, which meant I could sit anywhere but the front row. So I plonked myself in a corner, so I could have back support if I wanted to turn sideways. I was told that cushions and programmes were only available downstairs, but who needs a cushion? I'm a veteran of the Globe! Pah, no cushions required. As for programmes, the Man with the Headgear had provided.
Bach featured prominently. As the music started, and I concentrated on the wedding-cake ceiling (again, sorry, no photos), I reflected that I do prefer to meditate, if you will, on the music - when it's classical - and not being able to see the performers helps with that. So I didn't join those who kept hopping up to catch a glimpse.
I've seen Concertante a few times before, and to be honest, they recycle most of their jokes. Mind you, that doesn't make them any the less good..The Violin Concerto in A Minor was followed by Albinoni's Oboe concerto in D Minor, whose second movement was, for me, the highlight of the evening - absolutely sublime. More Bach to finish the first half, with the Concerto for Oboe & Violin.
During the interval, I could've moved - but didn't. Sat and read my paper instead. Was briefly interrupted by the Man with the Head Covering, who told me that afterwards we were headed somewhere posh, but affordable. Fine by me.. The second half was Mozart's Oboe Quartet in F Major, and Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins to finish. And you couldn't have had lovelier, in such a setting. Both halves, mind you, were ended in typical Concertante fashion, indulging their inexplicable obsession with Piazzolla. Can't say I share it, myself.
We gathered outside, in a shivering clump, waiting for everyone to appear before we headed off. Turned out we were headed to the Amba - the hotel attached to Charing Cross Station. And oh, it was good to get into the warm.. the bar turned out to be up the grand staircase, and festooned with chandeliers and plush red velvety seats. And you could order food! so I had a large wine and a warm chocolate fondant. And plenty of delicious, free, spicy peanuts. Indeed, the prices were not excessive, service could be had at the tables, and there was plenty of seating and no atrociously loud music to drown out conversation. An excellent choice for a Friday night in central London, actually, and I'd happily head there again. Well done, the man who suggested it..
As the night wore on, the crowd diminished one by one, and as the talk turned to economics (!) I fled. Great to be back with this group though. Roll on the next meeting. Typically after meetups with them, I was back pretty late, and then got distracted by the terrible news from Paris. Plus, I had a flat viewing at 12 today.. so no blog.
Today's viewing was productive - I now have a new flat! (Despite him showing up late.) Move date end of the month / first half of next month. Has green space outside, has a balcony, has more space inside.. a short walk to Clapham Junction.. after sorting that, I headed into town, in miserable weather. What disappointing weather for the Lord Mayor's Day! The fireworks were cancelled anyway, out of respect for Paris, but I headed into St. Paul's, on the only day in the year that you can go around it for free. And.. it's a cathedral. A big one, with lotsa tombs. Somehow, I missed Churchill's - ah well. Photos here.
I nominally went with Ken's Events - but well, I couldn't be bothered with the 230 of them, really. I wasn't ready at the appointed time - not that they probably kept to it anyway, knowing their timekeeping. And I wasn't pushed about joining them for dinner. Instead, afterwards, I headed down to Tower Bridge, which was to be lit up in the colours of the French flag - again, as a mark of respect. London Bridge, one down from it, provides a perfect viewpoint. It was indeed lit in the French colours - one at a time, for about five minutes each - which, unfortunately, meant you had to stand for about 10 minutes in the cold to see the full set. Photos at the above link.
On my way home, I passed a Pret, which had festive ads for a mint hot chocolate. Perfect for the bitter weather, and I went in and ordered one, figuring that a sit-down would be just the thing. And it was ok.. the cocoa powder scattered on top gave it an unpleasant texture, though. And so home, and ate at home. Rather glad I didn't have to hang around for fireworks.
An early night will be very welcome - I've booked for a coffee morning tomorrow (although I don't drink it) piano recital at the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall. Includes tea/coffee and a pastry. (Must remember to get up for it.) This was an idea I got from the Kensington Classical Music Group. Not that I'm going with them, you understand.. they require you to book your own ticket with the venue, then pay them £1.50 for.. I'm not sure what. The privilege of sitting with them? So I'll be avoiding them - if I happen to recognise them.
And on Monday, I got a cheap ticket to Showstoppers: the Musical. I hear good things..!
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Russian Ballet School
I got a free ShowFilmFirst ticket to the Russian Ballet School performance at Fairfield Halls tonight - ShowFilmFirst used to be great, but this is the first thing I've got in ages from them. Unfortunately, I also now have three confirmed flat viewings for tonight! :-) So that scuppers that, realistically, and I've cancelled.
I also have one at 7.30 tomorrow, which effectively scuppers tomorrow night, too. But hey, I'm back with the Man with the Hat on Friday, for a Concertante concert in St. Martin-in-the-Fields. And since he had ultra-cheap tickets in the gallery, with his other Meetup group - London for Less Than a Tenner - I've joined them and got one of those! And I do intend to make that event, so flat-viewing can take second place that night..
I also have one at 7.30 tomorrow, which effectively scuppers tomorrow night, too. But hey, I'm back with the Man with the Hat on Friday, for a Concertante concert in St. Martin-in-the-Fields. And since he had ultra-cheap tickets in the gallery, with his other Meetup group - London for Less Than a Tenner - I've joined them and got one of those! And I do intend to make that event, so flat-viewing can take second place that night..
Monday, 9 November 2015
Concert: U2, SSE Hydro (#2)
Hello, hello.. last U2 concert in Britain this year! After an amazing show the night before, I was hoping for great things. I had a lie-in, of course.. the exorbitant price charged for hotel breakfasts means I don't pay for them, which has the added bonus of not having to get up for them. Mind you, the mattress was too hard for me, and I woke up stiff and sore several times, eventually putting a pillow under me for some softness.
When I finally did get out of bed, it was to a grey and drizzly day. I went foraging, in the vague direction of where I'd seen some restaurants across the river. Before I found them though, I struck gold in the form of a Tesco Express, which I dived into for some supplies - breakfast, wine, chocolates, toiletries.. that empty fridge in my room would prove handy. I then decamped back there - they hadn't cleaned my room yet, but that was ok - and pigged out for the afternoon. On a rainy day in Glasgow, what else are you gonna do?
I had intended to return to the restaurants for my evening meal, but in the event my stomach was a bit dicey, so I decided it'd be wiser just to repeat my chicken burger option of the night before. Also meant a later departure. My phone camera was working this time..
That's the venue - the SSE Hydro - with the Clyde Auditorium to its left. Note the lack of pedestrian crossings..
Once inside, it was busier than the night before - I'd left an hour later. Unfortunately, this meant a really long queue for my burger, during which they started announcing that the concert would start in x amount of time, and would people please take their seats. I knew they were fibbing, but it was still unnerving, since I hadn't had a chance to order yet. Even when I had got my burger, they were still at it, so that I gulped it down and dashed in search of my entrance.
This time, I was seated on Level 2 (of 3 in total). There are escalators, but not many, so stairs it was - I found my entrance door, and asked the nice man where to go for my seat. He gestured upwards. Row T, it seemed, was third from the back of this section. But my seat was on the other side of the row, so rather than push past everyone (most people had taken their seats by now, it was well after 8), his advice was to go up to the walkway just at the top of that section, walk across and take the steps down on the other side.
Sensible advice, and up I went - a bit dubiously, as it was both high and steep, and regular readers will know I have a problem with steps. And these places never, never have handrails. Well, I made it up to the walkway, hurried across to the next steps.. and froze. A phobic's nightmare - I had to descend a steep flight of stairs, with no rail, and a long, uninterrupted view in front of me, not even a barrier at the end. "Oh shit!" I groaned, audibly. Well, the nice lady at the end of the back row heard me, understood the problem, and grabbed my arm to steady me - which got me down the first row. I managed to clamber - undignifiedly - down two more, and with no small amount of relief, excused myself to the people at the end and climbed into my row. Kicking over a drink container in my haste - I hope it was empty..
So yes, I was higher than the night before..
In this shot, you can see the round, e stage, with the catwalk leading to the i stage, a vidiwall suspended from the ceiling above the catwalk. The passage left clear to the left of the e stage is for Bono's grand entrance. The standing crowd is clustered around the stages and catwalk - and indistinguishable from them, the Level 0 seating, where I was the night before. Above that, you can see the seating in Levels 1, 2 (where I was), and 3 - a little bit, to the left of the ceiling lights. That smaller light on the right is the famous lightbulb that is suspended above the i stage before the concert starts..
I found myself seated with two girls to my right who had Yorkshire accents by the sound of it, and were just thrilled to be there. You could tell by the spontaneous shrieking. One of them was examining the celebrity section with her zoom lens - and how gratifying it was that the celebrity seats were side-on to the vidiwall: worst seats in the house, for this show! Anyway, she spotted Jim Kerr through her lens, and was good enough to point him out to me - he was the one who was waving at the crowd, it seems. Those on the floor had spotted him too, and were waving back.
When People Have the Power started, as usual, I jumped up - well, rather carefully, given my elevated position! Yes, it did make me a bit woozy at first.. it was gratifying to see the people on both sides of me in my row do the same: particularly since ours seemed to be the only row nearby that was standing. Cue a night of terrific audience participation - hang the rest of our section, we in Row T inspired each other!
Setlist:
It was nice, particularly for the video sections, that the people in front of me didn't stand. I say this just as an observation - I'd have had no objection if they had, it was just handy if they didn't - but even if they had, the rake was so steep that you still had a good view. Actually, the girl behind me asked the woman behind whether she'd mind if she stood, and received the reply that why would she, when she'd be standing herself! In parts, it would've been nice if the people in front of me had stood.. when I was standing and they weren't, I was suffering some serious vertigo - and for once, I was glad not to be on the aisle.
The girl pulled onstage for Mysterious Ways was Elena, from Italy. As I sat for Every Breaking Wave - as is my wont, and as the people around me mostly did as well - I suddenly noticed that I had a great view of the mixing desk. Now, I don't usually take photos during a U2 concert, but this was a good opportunity, and I've had the emotional experience of the song before. So..
It's a complicated mixing desk, with the screens at the side devoted to video. In the second shot, of course, I got the e stage in as well, with Bono singing in front of The Edge, on piano.
During Bullet the Blue Sky, Bono has developed a habit of making paper planes and throwing them into the audience. During Pride the night before, someone threw one back at him. No such efforts tonight. :-)
During City of Blinding Lights, Bono - for the first time in ages - pulled a guy out of the audience and exchanged jackets with him, giving him his sunglasses. This impressed the girl to my left no end, who looked at me in amazement.. he returned his jacket to him later, remarking that the guy's phone was ringing.
Highlight of the night for me, and others, was Bad. They tend to finish their run in any given city with that, and 40 - this was obviously news to the girl with the zoom lens, who broke down when she heard the opening chords of Bad. She set me off not long after - it's a song with a lot of meaning for us longterm U2 fans. Towards the end of the song, Bono started collecting flags from the audience, finally clutching them all together in his fist - I hadn't realised before that that line went "like a burning flag". I saw Ireland, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium.. they were throwing them at him. I'm sure none of the owners took it personally when he flung them from him at the end of the song - he's never been one for flags, and we know it.
40 finished the night, with the crowd in fine voice. Even after the lights came up, and Simple Minds started to play over the pa, the crowd took up the refrain of 40 again. And the girl to my left turned to me, and the Yorkshire girls to my right, and in an American accent, thanked us profusely for being so enthusiastic - she'd thought she'd be the only one. Turned out this was her 21st U2 concert. She was lucky - this was the concert of the tour so far, for me at least. If the night before had been special, this was transcendent. Made by the size of the venue, as well as the devotion of the crowd.
I had planned my exit carefully - up to the overhead walkway again and take one of the back stairs, which I wasn't sure had rails, but they did have walls I could hold onto. On the way, I passed that helpful woman, and assured her that I wouldn't go down the way I had earlier. The back stairs did indeed have railings, and I exited without incident - passing the escalator on the way, and wondering how on earth that was accessed. And all the way out.. and all the way back to the hotel.. I heard people around me singing the refrain of 40. And people remarking how phenomenal that was. One guy remarked to his pal, "That's made my year!" to which his pal replied, "It's made your life!" The first guy just smiled and spread his arms wide..
This is a terrific tour for fans - not only do we get a great show, with unprecedented visuals, but all these classics that we normally have to pray to see are written into the permanent setlist. And there are more, on rotation, and surprises every now and again. And o my, I still have Dublin to go..!
I'd have loved to blog that night, but had an early start to make my flight. As it was, I was late to bed - didn't have enough sleep, but got myself out in good time. Checkout was quick, with everything paid already, and my map helped me to get to the bus stop, whose location I'd noted the day before, looking it up online. It wasn't long till the bus arrived - whose driver didn't bat an eyelid that I'd paid less than the proper rate - and I was soon at the airport. Where I checked in - somewhat delayed, being after a family of seven, whom I passed at the automatic boarding pass scanners while they were trying to figure out how to get the kids through - and then had half an hour to kill before my gate was announced..
..and our plane was a twin-prop. On a windy, cloudy day. Hmm. At least I was in the front row - I usually wouldn't like this, what with having to stow all my cabin baggage in the overhead lockers. On this occasion, I didn't mind - and given how bumpy the flight was, I'm very proud of myself for surviving so well without travel pills! This was the first time I've flown without them on such a small plane.
Crossing Dublin was a blast from the past - it's the first time in a long time I've heard a Dublin accent, apart from watching Fair City. If the weather was bad in Glasgow, however, it was worse in Dublin, and it did strike me how terrible it typically is in Celtic countries. Torrential rain dogged us on the bus to Heuston Station - there was no way I could get a direct flight to Shannon, so a train from Dublin was the only answer. And, by the way, Heuston - which is pretty much exposed - was freezing. I started with a light lunch in the café, where I adopted one of the pigeons fluttering about, which pecked up all the mess I made from my overstuffed turkey and stuffing sandwich. I didn't make as much mess with the éclair. And then the pigeon shat on the floor..
I mooched around the concourse for ages, waiting for a platform announcement - it was too cold to sit, way more so than even Glasgow. When it finally came, I joined the scrum - after a long trek to Platform 8, we crushed together at the barriers, which only opened when everyone was off the inbound train. When I booked my ticket, they made me reserve a seat - ironically, because when I found it, it was occupied. No surprise - my name was not displayed in the LCD display overhead, as promised. Typical Irish Rail - I'd forgotten how unreliable they are. Anyway, I got another seat in the same set of four - which, by the way, wasn't the configuration as advertised on the website. And I was privy to the most boring conversation, between a medical student (sat in my seat) and his college pal, an accountant - centring mainly on the student's life in Budapest, where he's studying, and how hot foreign girls are in comparison with Irish ones..
Well, it's a long, long train journey when you're not used to it, and I was exhausted by day's end. So, no blog. And today, I got caught up with other things, including a typically delicious dinner at the Abbey Tavern. But hey, I made it at last! I fly back to London tomorrow - and after a flat viewing on Wednesday, I have a free ticket to the ballet at Fairfield Halls, assuming I get there in time.
When I finally did get out of bed, it was to a grey and drizzly day. I went foraging, in the vague direction of where I'd seen some restaurants across the river. Before I found them though, I struck gold in the form of a Tesco Express, which I dived into for some supplies - breakfast, wine, chocolates, toiletries.. that empty fridge in my room would prove handy. I then decamped back there - they hadn't cleaned my room yet, but that was ok - and pigged out for the afternoon. On a rainy day in Glasgow, what else are you gonna do?
I had intended to return to the restaurants for my evening meal, but in the event my stomach was a bit dicey, so I decided it'd be wiser just to repeat my chicken burger option of the night before. Also meant a later departure. My phone camera was working this time..
That's the venue - the SSE Hydro - with the Clyde Auditorium to its left. Note the lack of pedestrian crossings..
Once inside, it was busier than the night before - I'd left an hour later. Unfortunately, this meant a really long queue for my burger, during which they started announcing that the concert would start in x amount of time, and would people please take their seats. I knew they were fibbing, but it was still unnerving, since I hadn't had a chance to order yet. Even when I had got my burger, they were still at it, so that I gulped it down and dashed in search of my entrance.
This time, I was seated on Level 2 (of 3 in total). There are escalators, but not many, so stairs it was - I found my entrance door, and asked the nice man where to go for my seat. He gestured upwards. Row T, it seemed, was third from the back of this section. But my seat was on the other side of the row, so rather than push past everyone (most people had taken their seats by now, it was well after 8), his advice was to go up to the walkway just at the top of that section, walk across and take the steps down on the other side.
Sensible advice, and up I went - a bit dubiously, as it was both high and steep, and regular readers will know I have a problem with steps. And these places never, never have handrails. Well, I made it up to the walkway, hurried across to the next steps.. and froze. A phobic's nightmare - I had to descend a steep flight of stairs, with no rail, and a long, uninterrupted view in front of me, not even a barrier at the end. "Oh shit!" I groaned, audibly. Well, the nice lady at the end of the back row heard me, understood the problem, and grabbed my arm to steady me - which got me down the first row. I managed to clamber - undignifiedly - down two more, and with no small amount of relief, excused myself to the people at the end and climbed into my row. Kicking over a drink container in my haste - I hope it was empty..
So yes, I was higher than the night before..
In this shot, you can see the round, e stage, with the catwalk leading to the i stage, a vidiwall suspended from the ceiling above the catwalk. The passage left clear to the left of the e stage is for Bono's grand entrance. The standing crowd is clustered around the stages and catwalk - and indistinguishable from them, the Level 0 seating, where I was the night before. Above that, you can see the seating in Levels 1, 2 (where I was), and 3 - a little bit, to the left of the ceiling lights. That smaller light on the right is the famous lightbulb that is suspended above the i stage before the concert starts..
I found myself seated with two girls to my right who had Yorkshire accents by the sound of it, and were just thrilled to be there. You could tell by the spontaneous shrieking. One of them was examining the celebrity section with her zoom lens - and how gratifying it was that the celebrity seats were side-on to the vidiwall: worst seats in the house, for this show! Anyway, she spotted Jim Kerr through her lens, and was good enough to point him out to me - he was the one who was waving at the crowd, it seems. Those on the floor had spotted him too, and were waving back.
When People Have the Power started, as usual, I jumped up - well, rather carefully, given my elevated position! Yes, it did make me a bit woozy at first.. it was gratifying to see the people on both sides of me in my row do the same: particularly since ours seemed to be the only row nearby that was standing. Cue a night of terrific audience participation - hang the rest of our section, we in Row T inspired each other!
Setlist:
SET 1
The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
Gloria
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Cedarwood Road
Song for Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World
Gloria
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Cedarwood Road
Song for Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World
SET 2
Invisible
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Desire
Angel Of Harlem
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Desire
Angel Of Harlem
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
ENCORE
It was nice, particularly for the video sections, that the people in front of me didn't stand. I say this just as an observation - I'd have had no objection if they had, it was just handy if they didn't - but even if they had, the rake was so steep that you still had a good view. Actually, the girl behind me asked the woman behind whether she'd mind if she stood, and received the reply that why would she, when she'd be standing herself! In parts, it would've been nice if the people in front of me had stood.. when I was standing and they weren't, I was suffering some serious vertigo - and for once, I was glad not to be on the aisle.
The girl pulled onstage for Mysterious Ways was Elena, from Italy. As I sat for Every Breaking Wave - as is my wont, and as the people around me mostly did as well - I suddenly noticed that I had a great view of the mixing desk. Now, I don't usually take photos during a U2 concert, but this was a good opportunity, and I've had the emotional experience of the song before. So..
It's a complicated mixing desk, with the screens at the side devoted to video. In the second shot, of course, I got the e stage in as well, with Bono singing in front of The Edge, on piano.
During Bullet the Blue Sky, Bono has developed a habit of making paper planes and throwing them into the audience. During Pride the night before, someone threw one back at him. No such efforts tonight. :-)
During City of Blinding Lights, Bono - for the first time in ages - pulled a guy out of the audience and exchanged jackets with him, giving him his sunglasses. This impressed the girl to my left no end, who looked at me in amazement.. he returned his jacket to him later, remarking that the guy's phone was ringing.
Highlight of the night for me, and others, was Bad. They tend to finish their run in any given city with that, and 40 - this was obviously news to the girl with the zoom lens, who broke down when she heard the opening chords of Bad. She set me off not long after - it's a song with a lot of meaning for us longterm U2 fans. Towards the end of the song, Bono started collecting flags from the audience, finally clutching them all together in his fist - I hadn't realised before that that line went "like a burning flag". I saw Ireland, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium.. they were throwing them at him. I'm sure none of the owners took it personally when he flung them from him at the end of the song - he's never been one for flags, and we know it.
40 finished the night, with the crowd in fine voice. Even after the lights came up, and Simple Minds started to play over the pa, the crowd took up the refrain of 40 again. And the girl to my left turned to me, and the Yorkshire girls to my right, and in an American accent, thanked us profusely for being so enthusiastic - she'd thought she'd be the only one. Turned out this was her 21st U2 concert. She was lucky - this was the concert of the tour so far, for me at least. If the night before had been special, this was transcendent. Made by the size of the venue, as well as the devotion of the crowd.
I had planned my exit carefully - up to the overhead walkway again and take one of the back stairs, which I wasn't sure had rails, but they did have walls I could hold onto. On the way, I passed that helpful woman, and assured her that I wouldn't go down the way I had earlier. The back stairs did indeed have railings, and I exited without incident - passing the escalator on the way, and wondering how on earth that was accessed. And all the way out.. and all the way back to the hotel.. I heard people around me singing the refrain of 40. And people remarking how phenomenal that was. One guy remarked to his pal, "That's made my year!" to which his pal replied, "It's made your life!" The first guy just smiled and spread his arms wide..
This is a terrific tour for fans - not only do we get a great show, with unprecedented visuals, but all these classics that we normally have to pray to see are written into the permanent setlist. And there are more, on rotation, and surprises every now and again. And o my, I still have Dublin to go..!
I'd have loved to blog that night, but had an early start to make my flight. As it was, I was late to bed - didn't have enough sleep, but got myself out in good time. Checkout was quick, with everything paid already, and my map helped me to get to the bus stop, whose location I'd noted the day before, looking it up online. It wasn't long till the bus arrived - whose driver didn't bat an eyelid that I'd paid less than the proper rate - and I was soon at the airport. Where I checked in - somewhat delayed, being after a family of seven, whom I passed at the automatic boarding pass scanners while they were trying to figure out how to get the kids through - and then had half an hour to kill before my gate was announced..
..and our plane was a twin-prop. On a windy, cloudy day. Hmm. At least I was in the front row - I usually wouldn't like this, what with having to stow all my cabin baggage in the overhead lockers. On this occasion, I didn't mind - and given how bumpy the flight was, I'm very proud of myself for surviving so well without travel pills! This was the first time I've flown without them on such a small plane.
Crossing Dublin was a blast from the past - it's the first time in a long time I've heard a Dublin accent, apart from watching Fair City. If the weather was bad in Glasgow, however, it was worse in Dublin, and it did strike me how terrible it typically is in Celtic countries. Torrential rain dogged us on the bus to Heuston Station - there was no way I could get a direct flight to Shannon, so a train from Dublin was the only answer. And, by the way, Heuston - which is pretty much exposed - was freezing. I started with a light lunch in the café, where I adopted one of the pigeons fluttering about, which pecked up all the mess I made from my overstuffed turkey and stuffing sandwich. I didn't make as much mess with the éclair. And then the pigeon shat on the floor..
I mooched around the concourse for ages, waiting for a platform announcement - it was too cold to sit, way more so than even Glasgow. When it finally came, I joined the scrum - after a long trek to Platform 8, we crushed together at the barriers, which only opened when everyone was off the inbound train. When I booked my ticket, they made me reserve a seat - ironically, because when I found it, it was occupied. No surprise - my name was not displayed in the LCD display overhead, as promised. Typical Irish Rail - I'd forgotten how unreliable they are. Anyway, I got another seat in the same set of four - which, by the way, wasn't the configuration as advertised on the website. And I was privy to the most boring conversation, between a medical student (sat in my seat) and his college pal, an accountant - centring mainly on the student's life in Budapest, where he's studying, and how hot foreign girls are in comparison with Irish ones..
Well, it's a long, long train journey when you're not used to it, and I was exhausted by day's end. So, no blog. And today, I got caught up with other things, including a typically delicious dinner at the Abbey Tavern. But hey, I made it at last! I fly back to London tomorrow - and after a flat viewing on Wednesday, I have a free ticket to the ballet at Fairfield Halls, assuming I get there in time.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Concert: U2, SSE Hydro (#1)
After much organisation, the day finally arrived to head to Glasgow to see U2! I even got ready early enough that I had time for a decent breakfast. Took the Tube to Heathrow - much less crowded than at my usual time, of course. Made security with 10 minutes to spare, and headed to the gate.. where there was no hurry at all. Typical BA. Now, when I checked in for this flight, I was surprised to see there were three blocks of seats - it'd be the first time I'd flown on a plane like that since 2003, when I flew to Vancouver for a few months. They wanted to give me a window seat in Row 24 - I switched that for a middle seat in Row 4. Because that'd be much more comfortable if we had turbulence. And as I waited, interminably, for boarding to commence, I mused how airlines never rate that as a priority - I'm guessing they don't want to remind us that turbulence exists, and is something they can't do much about.
There was just one boarding announcement, saying that priority boarding passengers should board first. The screens, in contrast, said all passengers should board. So I did like everyone else, and joined the end of the queue. When I got on board, I was directed to the left - you know, I'd even forgotten that there are twice as many overhead compartments on these planes! It was a 767, out of interest. Well, I disturbed the businessman with the tattoos, and took my seat. In the middle.
Good job I brought my book - we were about an hour late taking off. Seems there was a tug that they couldn't detach from the front of the plane. And we were blocking other planes, so they said we'd reverse onto the stand. Except then we couldn't. I was relieved we took off at all! The flight itself was indeed pretty turbulent, even from my elevated position at the front of the cabin - but their free wine and snacks did much to improve the journey. Again, they advertised that they were collecting change for charity.. again, they did nothing to collect it. Oh, and good luck drawing their attention - there were no call bells.
Arriving at Glasgow airport, I had a long, long trek to the exit. Found the bus stop without difficulty - it was right outside, and I knew I needed the 500 Shuttle bus. There were a lot of people for it - there were also a lot of buses, queueing at the stop (or stance). I had my return ticket to show the driver, and was soon onboard - where he said something incomprehensible in Glaswegian, then asked me when I had booked it. Seems the price had increased. Hey, no' ma problem! So, you heard it here.. they're still charging the lower price on the website. Off you go..
It was a damp day - not actually raining, but had been. A huge grey cloud lowered over the city - with brilliant sunshine coming from where the sun managed to crack through, illuminating the sandstone. Quite lovely, really. The driver obligingly told those of us staying in the Hilton (and a list of other hotels) to get off at the first stop - which I already knew. Got my map out, but it's easy really - just head towards the river (which is downhill), and when you get to the quay, turn right and continue past two bridges. You'll find it.
An apparently friendly receptionist wasn't really engaged at all with what she was doing. I mean honestly - she was telling me that the restaurant would be busy tonight, and if I wanted it I'd need to book, "because U2 is playing across the road". Now, this was said to someone wearing a U2 t-shirt. I ask you. As if I needed to be told. As for my online check-in.. my designated room wasn't ready yet, despite me arriving an hour later than I'd said I would. This surprised her, because the system is supposed to notify them when a room needs to be ready. Anyway, she moved me to a higher floor, for which I was grateful - I hadn't realised it was on a busy road! I'm now on the 3rd floor, which seems decently quiet. And it's a comfy room.
I didn't bother with the restaurant in the end - just headed straight to the venue, figuring I'd find something to eat there. I can see it from my window, actually, but my phone battery was dead, so I left it charging in the room. And didn't take any photos. There's no direct pedestrian route to the venue, which is awkward - I, and the many walking along with me, ended up doing a lot of jay-walking, and tramping across muddy grass patches. Anyway, with the venue constantly in sight, we didn't get lost. As we approached, I saw a long queue snaking to the side, where a sign indicated that this was for people with standing tickets. Crikey, they were only letting them in now?! I was pretty early, but it was about 6:20..
I headed to the other door, where an usher expressed surprise when I said I needed Door A, as written on my ticket. She'd thought that was standing only - anyway, I got in, and saw two fast-food stands inside: a noodle place and a "Big Grill". Decided I'd rather the latter, and was gratified to see they also sold alcohol. So I had a chicken burger and a glass of wine. The wine came in a plastic container, with a sealed lid - she screwed a stem onto it before giving it to me. As for the food, we all had to wait in a second queue to the side, simply because it was taking so long to get ready. Mind you, it was worth it - the burger was absolutely delicious, coming as it did in a brioche bun with jalapeno mayo. I ate it standing at the bin, which was the only table available.. they were kind enough to provide cardboard trays to eat out of, but no napkins..
When I'd finished, I headed for the entrance door to the arena, and soon understood the usher's surprise. I was entering at one of the floor entrances! O my, wouldn't I have loved to be standing near the stage. Those tickets are like gold dust, though. Instead, I turned to the side, where another usher directed me up the steps of the seating - I was second row from the back of that block. But you know, it's a more intimate venue than the O2 in London - capacity of only 13,000, it seems - and it looks it. DO YOU KNOW.. that makes it the smallest venue where I've seen U2.. since 1989!! Omigod. And I was practically at floor level.
Two ladies arrived during People Have the Power - good timing, as I remarked. Their seats - further along my row - seemed to have been occupied already. So they just sat in the free seats beside me. When the occupants of those seats finally arrived, they just sat in the free seats in the row in front - an upgrade for them! Mind you, there were two free seats only because people were standing for a song. To his credit, the guy on the end spent the rest of the concert standing, to accommodate everyone. A most pragmatic solution, I think.
So, the band members were the biggest, relative to my seat, that I'll probably see them this tour. Setlist:
There was just one boarding announcement, saying that priority boarding passengers should board first. The screens, in contrast, said all passengers should board. So I did like everyone else, and joined the end of the queue. When I got on board, I was directed to the left - you know, I'd even forgotten that there are twice as many overhead compartments on these planes! It was a 767, out of interest. Well, I disturbed the businessman with the tattoos, and took my seat. In the middle.
Good job I brought my book - we were about an hour late taking off. Seems there was a tug that they couldn't detach from the front of the plane. And we were blocking other planes, so they said we'd reverse onto the stand. Except then we couldn't. I was relieved we took off at all! The flight itself was indeed pretty turbulent, even from my elevated position at the front of the cabin - but their free wine and snacks did much to improve the journey. Again, they advertised that they were collecting change for charity.. again, they did nothing to collect it. Oh, and good luck drawing their attention - there were no call bells.
Arriving at Glasgow airport, I had a long, long trek to the exit. Found the bus stop without difficulty - it was right outside, and I knew I needed the 500 Shuttle bus. There were a lot of people for it - there were also a lot of buses, queueing at the stop (or stance). I had my return ticket to show the driver, and was soon onboard - where he said something incomprehensible in Glaswegian, then asked me when I had booked it. Seems the price had increased. Hey, no' ma problem! So, you heard it here.. they're still charging the lower price on the website. Off you go..
It was a damp day - not actually raining, but had been. A huge grey cloud lowered over the city - with brilliant sunshine coming from where the sun managed to crack through, illuminating the sandstone. Quite lovely, really. The driver obligingly told those of us staying in the Hilton (and a list of other hotels) to get off at the first stop - which I already knew. Got my map out, but it's easy really - just head towards the river (which is downhill), and when you get to the quay, turn right and continue past two bridges. You'll find it.
An apparently friendly receptionist wasn't really engaged at all with what she was doing. I mean honestly - she was telling me that the restaurant would be busy tonight, and if I wanted it I'd need to book, "because U2 is playing across the road". Now, this was said to someone wearing a U2 t-shirt. I ask you. As if I needed to be told. As for my online check-in.. my designated room wasn't ready yet, despite me arriving an hour later than I'd said I would. This surprised her, because the system is supposed to notify them when a room needs to be ready. Anyway, she moved me to a higher floor, for which I was grateful - I hadn't realised it was on a busy road! I'm now on the 3rd floor, which seems decently quiet. And it's a comfy room.
I didn't bother with the restaurant in the end - just headed straight to the venue, figuring I'd find something to eat there. I can see it from my window, actually, but my phone battery was dead, so I left it charging in the room. And didn't take any photos. There's no direct pedestrian route to the venue, which is awkward - I, and the many walking along with me, ended up doing a lot of jay-walking, and tramping across muddy grass patches. Anyway, with the venue constantly in sight, we didn't get lost. As we approached, I saw a long queue snaking to the side, where a sign indicated that this was for people with standing tickets. Crikey, they were only letting them in now?! I was pretty early, but it was about 6:20..
I headed to the other door, where an usher expressed surprise when I said I needed Door A, as written on my ticket. She'd thought that was standing only - anyway, I got in, and saw two fast-food stands inside: a noodle place and a "Big Grill". Decided I'd rather the latter, and was gratified to see they also sold alcohol. So I had a chicken burger and a glass of wine. The wine came in a plastic container, with a sealed lid - she screwed a stem onto it before giving it to me. As for the food, we all had to wait in a second queue to the side, simply because it was taking so long to get ready. Mind you, it was worth it - the burger was absolutely delicious, coming as it did in a brioche bun with jalapeno mayo. I ate it standing at the bin, which was the only table available.. they were kind enough to provide cardboard trays to eat out of, but no napkins..
When I'd finished, I headed for the entrance door to the arena, and soon understood the usher's surprise. I was entering at one of the floor entrances! O my, wouldn't I have loved to be standing near the stage. Those tickets are like gold dust, though. Instead, I turned to the side, where another usher directed me up the steps of the seating - I was second row from the back of that block. But you know, it's a more intimate venue than the O2 in London - capacity of only 13,000, it seems - and it looks it. DO YOU KNOW.. that makes it the smallest venue where I've seen U2.. since 1989!! Omigod. And I was practically at floor level.
Two ladies arrived during People Have the Power - good timing, as I remarked. Their seats - further along my row - seemed to have been occupied already. So they just sat in the free seats beside me. When the occupants of those seats finally arrived, they just sat in the free seats in the row in front - an upgrade for them! Mind you, there were two free seats only because people were standing for a song. To his credit, the guy on the end spent the rest of the concert standing, to accommodate everyone. A most pragmatic solution, I think.
So, the band members were the biggest, relative to my seat, that I'll probably see them this tour. Setlist:
SET 1
The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
The Electric Co.
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Cedarwood Road
Song for Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World
The Electric Co.
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Cedarwood Road
Song for Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World
SET 2
Invisible
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Sweetest Thing
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Sweetest Thing
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
ENCORE
The girl who danced with Bono during Mysterious Ways was familiar to him - she hadn't been on stage before, but he'd seen her at several concerts. She was coy about saying exactly how many she'd been to though! Her name was Jackie, she was from Fife, and she did a sterling job of camerawork during Elevation. During Sweetest Thing, Bono tried the piano again - briefly - and told us that his wife once asked him whether the song was really hers. "Yes," he said, "it was written for you." "No," she replied, "are the publishing rights mine?" "What would you do with them?" Well, now the rights are hers, and she puts them to good use helping the Children of Chernobyl, with whose charity she's deeply involved.
Tonight was a special night - best yet of the tour. The sense of camaraderie was helped - for me - by the fact that all I could see was a sea of people, no division between seats and floor. The man in front of me turned around during Where the Streets Have No Name, just to say "awesome"! Quite. I was still singing when I got back to my room - that doesn't often happen. On the way, mind, I did stop off at the lobby to buy a soft drink - I was parched, as usual after a concert - and a small bottle of wine. Very practical system they have at the Hilton - buy whatever you want at reception, pop it in the (empty) fridge in your room. Saves them having to restock the minibar, saves you having to remember how much you're spending.
Oh, and my phone was charged:
(you can just see the SSE Hydro, behind "The Rotunda"). And the building you can see on the right is a hotel - turns out there are two closer than mine! Huh. Well, I'm still only five minutes' walk away..
As usual, I'm not having breakfast - I'd have to pay extra, and it's never worth it. Plus it means you have to get up early. The receptionist was surprised at my not wanting to do that.. instead, I'll head across the river for brunch, there are a number of restaurants over there.. And I have great expectations for tomorrow night, despite being seated much higher up.
Flying back to Ireland on Sunday, and to London on Tuesday..
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Oud & Song Solo Concert by Acclaimed Arab Musician Kamilya Jubran
I nearly went to a film tonight; then I checked out Kamilya Jubran on YouTube - since the Kensington Classical Music group was headed to see her - and thought her very good. So I booked for that instead, delighted to see that it was walking distance from me! Not so delighted with the venue website, which pops up a dialog on every page, asking whether you want to join the mailing list - even if you already have! Very poor.
It was a drizzly evening, but not too bad, and I was curious to see the Mosaic Rooms, which I'd never been to before. Turns out it's a white building, just on the corner of Cromwell Road and Earl's Court Road, across from the Metro bank. A brisk walk got me there in about 15 minutes, and I was delighted to discover a new venue, just as I'm planning to move from the area. People thronged the steps, barely moving enough to let me inside - where someone checked my name off a list and told me the house was open and I could go straight in. Which I did, passing, along the way, lines of people chatting as though it wasn't about time for the concert to start!
It's a tiny room, apparently generally used as an art gallery. About five large paintings graced the walls - I'm afraid to say I brushed off one as I took my seat. The room was filled with chairs, most of which seemed to be reserved by people's coats - I took a seat at the end of the back row. I saw no-one I recognised.
It didn't stay the back row very long. People scoured the building for chairs, forming two rows behind that - and when they ran out of chairs, people sat on the floor, and stood in a crowd at the back of the room. Honestly, did they not limit the number of tickets they sold? There was no air-conditioning either, and it soon became uncomfortably stuffy. Not to mention the hard seats..
The artist took her place onstage eventually - at least 20 minutes late. I think they were waiting for people to stop chatting and come in. She was very softly spoken, and had no mic, and when she wasn't playing music I could barely hear her - which was a shame. Because her music was beautiful. She's Palestinian, the music is Arab-influenced, and it was sensual and otherworldly. I'm biased, but this sort of music always reminds me of Andalucía, and the Alhambra in particular. Or maybe that reminded me of the music. Whatever, it's a hypnotic combination (and I guess, in that context the heat of the room was appropriate). She only played for an hour or so, in the end - and I was so glad to get out of that room (once I squeezed past the people who'd started chatting again) - but had it been a more attractive venue, I'd have stayed all night. I absolutely loved it.
And was home delightfully early - the great advantage of going to something local. Gee, that's two early nights now! I could get used to this.. except, of course, I shan't. I fly to Glasgow tomorrow for the first of two U2 concerts. I did a power of organising today - checked in for tomorrow's flight, and the hotel, booked a return shuttle bus from the airport to town, researched my walking route to the hotel. On Sunday I fly to Dublin (there being no direct flights between Scotland and Shannon any more!), and today I booked my train ticket from there. I fly back to London on Tuesday. And today I also printed tomorrow's boarding pass, bus ticket, map of the city centre, and hotel confirmation, the concert tickets, the details of my other flights and the train ticket. I ask you, my life ain't complicated at all, now is it?!
It was a drizzly evening, but not too bad, and I was curious to see the Mosaic Rooms, which I'd never been to before. Turns out it's a white building, just on the corner of Cromwell Road and Earl's Court Road, across from the Metro bank. A brisk walk got me there in about 15 minutes, and I was delighted to discover a new venue, just as I'm planning to move from the area. People thronged the steps, barely moving enough to let me inside - where someone checked my name off a list and told me the house was open and I could go straight in. Which I did, passing, along the way, lines of people chatting as though it wasn't about time for the concert to start!
It's a tiny room, apparently generally used as an art gallery. About five large paintings graced the walls - I'm afraid to say I brushed off one as I took my seat. The room was filled with chairs, most of which seemed to be reserved by people's coats - I took a seat at the end of the back row. I saw no-one I recognised.
It didn't stay the back row very long. People scoured the building for chairs, forming two rows behind that - and when they ran out of chairs, people sat on the floor, and stood in a crowd at the back of the room. Honestly, did they not limit the number of tickets they sold? There was no air-conditioning either, and it soon became uncomfortably stuffy. Not to mention the hard seats..
The artist took her place onstage eventually - at least 20 minutes late. I think they were waiting for people to stop chatting and come in. She was very softly spoken, and had no mic, and when she wasn't playing music I could barely hear her - which was a shame. Because her music was beautiful. She's Palestinian, the music is Arab-influenced, and it was sensual and otherworldly. I'm biased, but this sort of music always reminds me of Andalucía, and the Alhambra in particular. Or maybe that reminded me of the music. Whatever, it's a hypnotic combination (and I guess, in that context the heat of the room was appropriate). She only played for an hour or so, in the end - and I was so glad to get out of that room (once I squeezed past the people who'd started chatting again) - but had it been a more attractive venue, I'd have stayed all night. I absolutely loved it.
And was home delightfully early - the great advantage of going to something local. Gee, that's two early nights now! I could get used to this.. except, of course, I shan't. I fly to Glasgow tomorrow for the first of two U2 concerts. I did a power of organising today - checked in for tomorrow's flight, and the hotel, booked a return shuttle bus from the airport to town, researched my walking route to the hotel. On Sunday I fly to Dublin (there being no direct flights between Scotland and Shannon any more!), and today I booked my train ticket from there. I fly back to London on Tuesday. And today I also printed tomorrow's boarding pass, bus ticket, map of the city centre, and hotel confirmation, the concert tickets, the details of my other flights and the train ticket. I ask you, my life ain't complicated at all, now is it?!
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