That's a first!

[vernon]

I nodded off at a gig.

Bruce Springsteen at the new First Direct Arena in Leeds. I dropped my bottle of water on the chap in front of me. Good job that I'd drank all of the water.

I can add it to other firsts:

• Cinema - sleep through most of the first of the new Star Wars film.
• Motor cycle - snoozed most of my way to London from Darlington on the back of a Triumph Bonneville.

It was a good gig though a little slow to start and the bass was a little wooly.

 

[MarkF]

I read that it was one of Bruce's most "intimate" gigs, with only 13500 fans in attendance.

Did the arena live up to expectations? I like the way it lights up at night, very soothing.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzh4hset4Gg

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Motor cycle - snoozed most of my way to London from Darlington on the back of a Triumph Bonneville.

I once slept all the way back from the Lake District to Harrogate in the middle of the night also on the back of a Triumph Bonneville, I only woke up because the visor of the person driving came off and hit me on the head

 

[threebikesmcginty]

My dad slept through a Joan Armatrading gig.

 

[vernon]

My dad slept through a Joan Armatrading gig.

I wouldn't have woken up to go to a Joan Armatrading gig.

 

[vernon]

I read that it was one of Bruce's most "intimate" gigs, with only 13500 fans in attendance.
Did the arena live up to expectations? I like the way it lights up at night, very soothing.

It's a good venue. The fan arrangement of the seats combined with the steep rake of the seating means that even those right at the back has a good clear view of the stage. I was in the 'nosebleed' seats with only four rows of seating between the back of me and the back of the arena and I was happy with the view.

Springsteen had a couple of walkways amongst the standing area and he spent a reasonable amount of time out there mixing it with the fans. He even crowd surfed back to the stage. He got some members of the audience onto the stage including a complete family. It was kind of intimate and he played the 'man of the people' role well.

I'm glad that he had the honour of playing the first gig there rather than Elton John. I've got a further two gigs to attend in September, Leonard Cohen and Kaiser Chiefs.

I'm going with my wife to the Cohen gig. She'll be going as a married woman and leaving as a widow.

There were lots of volunteer staff acting as stewards and there was a friendly buzz about the place. The exterior lighting wasn't used last night but I've seen it in action.

 

[User482]

Friends of mine bought tickets for the Springsteen gig, arranged transport, dinner out, a babysitter etc. They spent four hours trying to find said tickets before they admitted defeat...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Friends of mine bought tickets for the Springsteen gig, arranged transport, dinner out, a babysitter etc. They spent four hours trying to find said tickets before they admitted defeat...

We bought tickets for a rare Dwight Yoakam gig a few years back, got an extra ticket for a friend, when the time came he couldn't find his ticket and couldn't go. I was convinced he'd lost it as he's got form, found it at our house a couple of years later when we moved, I kept quiet about it.

 

[rich p]

We bought tickets for a rare Dwight Yoakam gig a few years back, got an extra ticket for a friend, when the time came he couldn't find his ticket and couldn't go. I was convinced he'd lost it as he's got form, found it at our house a couple of years later when we moved, I kept quiet about it.

He probably hid it there so he didn't have to go

 

[vernon]

Friends of mine bought tickets for the Springsteen gig, arranged transport, dinner out, a babysitter etc. They spent four hours trying to find said tickets before they admitted defeat...

I have a spot in the house where all tickets are deposited upon receipt. I've had moments of anxiety when I've looked for tickets that haven't yet arrived in the post. The latest they've arrived is the day before the gig.

I also have a folder for all ticket related email correspondence.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

He probably hid it there so he didn't have to go

Bog off, you wouldn't understand as it's quality stuff, stick to your James Last 78s.

 

[rich p]

Bog off, you wouldn't understand as it's quality stuff, stick to your James Last 78s.

I'm still reeling from the fact you had a friend. Was it one of those Facebook ones?

 

[User169]

Bog off, you wouldn't understand as it's quality stuff, stick to your James Last 78s.

Snapped this outside a local vinyl emporium a couple of weeks ago.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I'm still reeling from the fact you had a friend. Was it one of those Facebook ones?

I've never facebooked, all my friend are real.

Snapped this outside a local vinyl emporium a couple of weeks ago.

View attachment 26717

Bet that first track is a hit with the laydeez!

 

[Bollo]

Many many years ago while courting the future Mrs Dr Bollo, I was dragged along to a gig at Birmingham town hall to see a chap called Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. If you're into your world music or have Pakistani heritage, there's a chance you'll have heard of him. The young Bollo was not delighted at the thought of 4+ hours of Sufi devotional music, his tastes running more to the Dead Kennedys at the time. Despite not understanding a word, I did enjoy it and occasionally bung on a CD in the car to this day. The only problem I had was the the guy sitting next to me fell asleep. At first he just rested his head on my shoulders, but then slumped fully into my lap from where he did not stir, despite the volume of the music and my frequent attempts to wake him. At the end I just cupped his head while I stood up and laid him back across my seat. Not a peep. I don't think he was dead.