Fleetwood Mac: On With the Show Tour, The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 8th July 2015

A few weeks ago, my family and I caught the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac's third and final concert in Glasgow as part of their "On With The Show" tour. If you've been keeping up with my other blog you'll probably have heard the exciting news that thanks to an amazing charity named Rays of Sunshine, I actually had the chance to go backstage at Fleetwood Mac's first Glasgow concert back in June and met with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood. That was an amazing experience, I'm still in awe that my dream of meeting Stevie came true. It was definitely one of the most surrealist things I've ever experienced. So if you'd like to read more about my special night click here.

Again, Fleetwood Mac put on yet another outstanding show! Having seen them live on three occasions now, twice during this tour and once in the previous tour back in 2013; I'd definitely say that was the best out of the three shows. I'm only sixteen years old and have been lucky enough to see some of the most iconic/legendary bands and artists during the past few years that I've been gig-going. Out of all the bands I've been fortunate enough to see I am having serious deliberations whether Fleetwood Mac or Queen are my favourite. It's an extremely close call shall we say!

From the very second the lights fade into darkness and there's this eerie but rather exciting cricket like sound filling the room, a shiver runs down your spine. You just know it's going to be special. Before long, one by one each member of the iconic band made their way onto stage welcomed by the roars of the Scottish crowd. The loudest roars of which was probably received by Stevie and Lindsey as they walked on stage hand in hand. Moments later, arguably one of Fleetwood Mac's most famous songs "The Chain" kicked off the evening's set list. I personally, couldn't think of a better song to start with. That song instantly catches your attention but it isn't until a single spot light falls upon the band's bassist John McVie and that iconic bass line fills the rooms; it just hits you and shivers run down your spine. A great start to an amazing evening!

John McVie

The evening's set list consisted of 23 of the band biggest hits including Dreams, Rhiannon and Everywhere to name just a few. Tusk, the title track of one of the band's album released in 1979 was definitely a performance to remember. It was probably one of my favourite performances of the evening. It's what I would describe as a lively, folk rock song which really showcases just how incredible an musician and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham truly is.

Tusk was soon followed by another song from the same album, Sisters of the Moon. A large moon is projected onto the screen and develops through the different stages such as a crescent moon and a full moon, this definitely adds to the already eerie atmosphere that the song creates. As you'll probably have gathered I am extremely inspired by Stevie Nicks, her music and of course how she brings her songs to life. Hearing Sisters of the Moon sung live gives me shivers and captures my imagination.

Before long, the audience are treated to a stunning acoustic section which if you've ready any of my other blog posts you'll know is one of my favourite parts of a concert. Like I've said before, acoustic performances capture the artists true emotion and of course the beauty of the song. During Fleetwood Mac's acoustic set, Lindsey Buckingham dedicated Big Love a song from the Tango in the Night album to his eldest son William who was celebrating his 17th birthday back home in America. Every time without fail, Big Love completely blows me away. Lindsey Buckingham is in my opinion one of the best guitarists ever and deserves so much more credit for it than he actually receives. He has one of the most unique fingerpicking styles when playing as opposed to the typical playing with a plectrum. Big Love really blows me away, it seems to catch the audience's attention as we all watch in complete and utter awe. Simply amazing!

Stevie Nicks soon joined Lindsey to perform a stunning song named Landslide-one of my Mum's all-time favourites. Prior to the song she spoke about a previous visit to Scotland where she visited Turnberry, which is situated on the West Coast of Scotland and how she spent time with the falconer and flew the birds there. She fondly told the audience of how she was asked by the falconer to name one of the birds and can anyone guess what she decided to name it? Well, she named the little bird Rhiannon after her song which is pretty special! And of course the performance of Landslide was just as breath-taking as I remembered. How can you not love that song? The mini acoustic set was concluded with Never Going Back Again from the band's biggest album, Rumours.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham performing 'Landslide'

Another song that the audience was treated to was Gypsy from the Mirage album. Over the past few months Gypsy has become one of my all-time favourite Fleetwood Mac songs, it wasn't that I didn't like it before I just think I really began to listen to the song and the words really spoke to me. Stevie tells the most inspiring story prior to performing the song about a shop named "The Velvet Underground" that she used to visit before she became a member of Fleetwood Mac and how all her heroes such as Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell used to shop their. Basically the underlying message of Stevie's "Velvet Underground" story was to never give up on your dreams no matter what anyone tells you. Those words are of course extremely relevant and meaningful to me, more so now than ever. Towards the end of the song, as Lindsey performs his guitar solo Stevie steps to the side a little and twirls round and round. On the large screen behind the band, the camera focuses on Stevie as she twirls and a video effect is used to make it look as if though she's dancing rain-very atmospheric and fits perfectly with the feel of the song. It's very beautiful and absolutely breath-taking to sit there and watch.

After a great performance of the well known 80s hit Little Lies, my very favourite performance of the evening then took place. This was of course, Gold Dust Woman. Like I said during one of my previous posts, Gold Dust Woman blows me away every single time without fail. For me, there is something special about that song and the performance Stevie Nicks gives the audience during is mind blowing. She evidently puts her heart, mind and soul into it; the power and emotion she portrays is incredible and extremely enchanting. I sat there that night completely mesmerised by the song and awe of just how amazing a performer Stevie Nicks truly is. If you want to know the reason why I love and admire Stevie Nicks so much go look up videos of Gold Dust Woman on YouTube and you'll see why. That song is extremely special to me and hearing it live really brings the words to life in ways that I can't even begin to describe.

Lindsey Buckingham continued to enchant us with a mind-blowing performance of I'm So Afraid. The guitar solo during the song was absolutely outstanding. I can only begin to imagine just how painful and tiresome it is to play guitar like Lindsey. There are so many great guitar players out there but in my opinion Lindsey is a hidden gem that so many often forget about. Seriously, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing is nothing short of amazing and his performance of I'm So Afraid proves just that.

Christine McVie

As the night went on the crowd became more and more wilder. According to my parents this was a REAL Glasgow audience. I've to numerous concerts in Glasgow throughout the past few years but I don't think I've ever witnessed a crowd as lively as that before. By the time Go Your Own Way began to play everyone really lost it, everyone was up dancing, having a good time and enjoying themselves. Why shouldn't they!? Although, I must say my family and I were extremely taken aback to turn to our side and see a woman sitting there KNITTING! Seriously, who would pay good money to attend a concert and spend the entire show engrossed in knitting a scarf or jumper. No offence but there's something far wrong with that! What's the point in even going in the first place? I've certainly seen it all now!

Anyway, despite the strange person beside us Go Your Own Way was electric and the crowd was probably as loud as the band which says a lot. My family and I were up dancing around in the isle, me included in my wheelchair-it's too hard not too! The electric atmosphere continued into World Turning which consisted in a lively drum solo from Mick Fleetwood who is by far one of the craziest drummers I've seen. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, making all sorts of crazy noises. I must admit I was a little hoarse by the end of the show from participating in the mad antics-oops!

Don't Stop came next much to the delight of the audience before a stunning performance of Silver Springs. And last but certainly not least was the song that my Mum in particular had waited a VERY long time to finally here live; that was of course Songbird. Christine McVie took centre stage with a grand piano to perform this with Lindsey Buckingham perched on a stool beside her, accompanying on guitar. It was a perfect ending to yet an another amazing show!

Mick Fleetwood

The entire band gathered together on stage for one final time that evening to take a bow before disappearing off into the darkness of the wings leaving Mick Fleetwood to say his final farewell to the audience. What an brilliant evening! I can't quite believe I booked tickets to see Fleetwood Mac all those months ago and it's over already! I sincerely hope I will have another opportunity to see them perform live as every single show I've attended has been nothing short of amazing! To those of you living in Australia and New Zealand, if you can go buy tickets for one of their shows towards the end of the year! If I could, I'd be over there on flash for one of the shows (okay, maybe two or three!). I'd seriously do anything to see them live again so seriously, if you ever get the opportunity to see Fleetwood Mac DO IT!

Graeme Clark: An Clachan Cafe June 2015

Graeme and I after the gig

Less than two weeks ago, my Mum and I went on another of our mad music treks to Glasgow to see Graeme Clark, bassist of Wet Wet Wet who happened to be playing an intimate gig in a tiny café named An Clachan situated in Kelvingrove Park. I first attended one of Graeme's solo concerts last year when he played a gig at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine. Had we not picked up one of those "What's On" guides in our local supermarket we'd probably never have even heard about it. Thankfully on that occasion we did and decided to go along-if you know me well you'll know that I never need an excuse for live music! Both Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and were extremely excited to hear that Graeme was holding another gig in Glasgow this year. Literally the very second that the show was announced and tickets went on sale; I quickly added them to the online shopping basket and confirmed the order just seconds later.

So on Wednesday 24th June, we arrived at the tiny café situated behind the gates of Kelvingrove Park just a short period of time before the doors were due to open. At this point a small crowd of people had already accumulated and there amongst them was Graeme Clark and his fellow bandmate/drummer of Wet Wet Wet, Tommy Cunningham chatting with those who had come along for the gig. Having spoken via twitter on a couple of occasions, Graeme recognised me and came over to chat before popping off to get a bite to eat whilst everyone else went inside to get a seat.

The café was so small, very cute and reminded Mum and I of a café we often visited during my regular visits to London as a small child. It's small, intimate setting was the perfect place for live music in my opinion! Initially, there was meant to be only 25 tickets available for the gig but due to such high demand they managed to increase the numbers to something like 42 (I'm pretty sure that's what I heard anyway!) which considering the size of the room, was pretty remarkable.

At around 7pm, Graeme's support act took to the stage to perform for us all. Fiona Cuthill and Stevie Lawrence are a Scottish contemporary guitar and fiddle duo who successfully warmed us all up by playing a range of music from their album "A Cruel Kindness". Throughout their entire set, the sound of people clapping along to the beat of the music filled the room around us. It's infectious in a way, without warning you find yourself joining in and clapping along-there's nothing wrong with that though! I'm sure those who were in attendance would all agree that their set was most definitely a great start to what was most definitely a great evening!

After a short interval Graeme arrived through the backdoor, with his guitar in hand to a warm applause from the Glasgow crowd. Over the course of the evening we were treated to a set list which was filled to the brim with music from Graeme's career as a solo artist and as a member of Wet Wet Wet. I'm pretty sure there'd have been a few disappointed members of the audience had the Wet Wet Wet hits not been included! In between songs we were entertained with Graeme's humorous stories of his time in the Wets and the back stories of how they came to write some of their biggest hits, which is always interesting to hear as you really learn a lot.

As I mentioned a little earlier in the post Tommy, drummer of Wet Wet Wet was also in attendance and filmed the entire show on Graeme's behalf with the intentions of uploading the footage to Graeme's YouTube account. At one point towards the end of the concert, Tommy decided to film from a different angle which happened to be just a short distance in front of me. Being the camera fanatic that I am; I couldn't help but find myself engrossed in the recording of the gig-it was rather fascinating to watch I must admit! Tommy's evidently got an eye for filming and from what I could see captured each moment in an unique and creative perspective. So be sure to pop over to YouTube and check out the concert footage once it's uploaded but in the meantime why not check out Graeme's other videos via the link at the end of this post!

Like I said, Graeme played a bunch of songs from his solo catalogue which I've been a big fan of ever since I first heard it performed live at his concert in Irvine last year. Graeme is a very talented singer, songwriter and musician and I really admire the work he's produced over the years. Not only does his music sound great recorded on an album, it also translates perfectly when performed live in front of an audience.

As well as performing a selection of his older songs, Graeme treated us, the audience to a new acoustic track named "Sometimes". Just a couple of weeks prior to the gig, I'd seen a clip of "Sometimes" that he'd posted up on his Facebook account. I instantly fell in love with this song and was absolutely delighted that Graeme had decided to play it live at his concert. Just like his other songs it sounded great and I for one can't wait until it's released as part of an album or on iTunes so I can purchase a copy and listen to it on the move.

Just as I had the previous time I saw Graeme in concert, I left the gig absolutely raving about his cover of "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers. Of course I love the original, but Graeme's cover absolutely blew me away on the two occasions I've heard him sing it live. "Summer Breeze" is a magical song anyway but Graeme's take on it is something extremely special! It's absolutely breath-taking to listen to! To be completely honest I actually prefer Graeme's version to the original recording and would've been extremely disappointed had he not included it in the evening's set list. That was the one song that I really wanted to hear him sing so as you can imagine I left the venue one happy girl after hearing it again! I really hope that one day Graeme might even record his version of this amazing song to include in one of his future albums-it's far too good not to in my opinion!

As the concert came to an end, Fiona and Stevie who opened for Graeme were invited back up in front of the audience to perform Wet Wet Wets' biggest hit "Love Is All Around" much to everyone's delight! There was such a nice buzz within the room as everyone joined in singing the lyrics we all know and love. It's so nice to look around and see so many people enjoying themselves and of course enjoying the music. That's the power of music for you; it brings people together, uplifts them and puts a big smile on their faces! That's one of the very reasons why I love it so much! 

Unfortunately, all good things have to come an end and so did the gig! It was another excellent show from Graeme, filled with amazing music and good Scottish humour! I seriously hope it's not too long until next time! If you ever get the chance make sure to pop along to one of Graeme's future gigs in your area-you don't know what you're missing out on!

 

If you want to find out more about Graeme's music be sure to click on one of the following links:

Official Website: http://www.graemeclark.co.uk

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/graemeclark1000?ob=5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraemeClarkOfficial?sk=wall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/graemeclark1

 

Fleetwood Mac Concert Review Rant

As you'll probably have noticed I posted this alot later than I had initially anticipated, I've had an extremely crazy few weeks which as a result means that keeping up to date with my blogs has been a little tricky at times. If you follow one of my social media accounts you may have noticed that I had a special meeting with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood at their concert in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago. If you'd like to read all about my experience please click here.

This blog post was initially intended to be a Fleetwood Mac concert review however my dynamics and intentions have changed direction meaning that my plans for this particular post has changed a little. I am however, attending another Fleetwood Mac concert in just over a week so I will have a proper concert review posted here on my blog in the not so distant future.

A few days ago I found myself checking out the influx of concert reviews following Fleetwood Mac's first show in Glasgow of their "On With the Show" tour like I do following most concerts I attend. Unfortunately, I came across a review which absolutely riled me if I am being completely honest. I mean most of the review was in my opinion acceptable although in my eyes the show deserved a lot more credit than this review actually offered. However, it wasn't until my eyes fell upon a sentence towards the end of the review which described the performance of Gold Dust Woman, a song from the band's most famous album Rumours as having "too much hammy latitude". I'm sorry but that is completely criminal to even suggest that!

I am unsure of who exactly wrote the article but one thing for certain is that I completely disagree with their thoughts on the portrayal of Gold Dust Woman. On both occasions that I have been lucky enough to see Fleetwood Mac live in concert I've left the show both mesmerised and raving about Gold Dust Woman. I even described that particular song on both instances as my favourite performance of the entire concert. The portrayal of Gold Dust Woman that I witnessed was absolutely breath-taking and most definitely a work of art. With that in mind I cannot help but wonder if the gig reviewer was actually at the same concert as me in the first place?

Yes, I do not for one second dispute that what I saw was dramatic but the way in which Stevie Nicks portrays the drama within the song and in her live performances is extremely tasteful. I felt that the review I came across looked at Gold Dust Woman in a negative light and didn't give it the credit that it truly deserves.

Firstly, what I'd like to ask the author of the review if the opportunity were to arise is 'have you actually read and studied the lyrics of the song? Have you ever considered what the song is really about?' Yes, we'll never fully discover the exact meaning behind it and of course there will always be the element of mystery behind the songs we all know and love but it's always interesting to have some sort of knowledge and understanding of the lyrics. I personally have spent time over the past few years studying the lyrics and to some degree I think I've sussed the meaning behind the words. Having intently watched Stevie perform Gold Dust Woman live on two occasions and again, via video footage posted on YouTube I feel that my interpretation of the song lyrics accurately gels with the story Stevie tells on stage through music and movement. Then again I could be completely wrong but that's the beauty of interpretation and I'm sure the same lyric will mean something completely different to every set of ears that listens to it. I truly admire the fact that artists and musicians alike can quite literally create a work of art by channelling their inner thoughts and feelings; they put their blood, sweat and tears into it and at times I'm sure could easily give up. But for whatever reason they don't and something encourages them to go on and well, the final result they've created can then go on to touch and inspire the lives of so many others. People look at a piece of art or listen to a piece of music and instantly relate to someone else who once felt the same thoughts and emotions as they did. Music is both calming and comforting in that way and that's one of the many reasons I love it so much.

Anyway, the long in the short of what I'm really trying to say is that what I saw and what the other person saw were evidently two very different things. Opposites to be precise. The reviewer saw the performance as over the top, dramatic or "hammy" as they described it, whereas I saw something hauntingly beautiful and filled with power. That is one of the many reasons why I alongside many others love and admire Stevie Nicks. Her beauty and her individuality is something that stands out and separates her from other female singers in the music industry; past, present and future. I do not believe that there will ever be another singer/performer like her and that is exactly why she'll be remembered; for being herself and expressing herself and through Gold Dust Woman she does just that!

Paul McCartney: Out There Tour, Liverpool Echo Arena 28th May 2015

 

On Thursday 28th May 2015, one of my biggest dreams came true. After years of waiting I finally got to see one my musical inspirations live in concert. Yes, I got to see the Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney at The Echo Arena in his hometown of Liverpool.

After spending the day exploring Liverpool with my family, Mum and I joined the quickly growing line outside the arena filled with the lucky fans who'd managed to bag tickets for the Liverpool show. Bagging tickets for Paul's Liverpool gig felt like I'd won one of Willie Wonka's golden tickets, tickets were so badly sought after and I still can't believe I actually managed to get hold of them! Once the venue doors were finally opened the arena quickly began to fill up and I could feel my excitement growing and growing.

The view from our seats were amazing! We were so close to the stage it was unbelievable-I couldn't have asked for better seats! Usually, accessible seating in venues are quite far back and often the bands are like little dots in the horizon. This however, would put a lot of other venues I've visited to shame.

Paul didn't arrive on stage until around half past eight but in the meantime they played a soundtrack of songs spanning through Paul's entire career including music from The Beatles, Wings and his solo work. Video footage and photographs of Paul as a child up until the present day alongside his friends and family were projected onto the screen at either side of the stage.

At around half past eight the lights dimmed into darkness and the music was brought to a halt. People began to stand up in what looked like a Mexican wave motion. Seconds later the man himself, Sir Paul McCartney appeared from the wings of the stage as the room erupted in roars of excitement. Everywhere I looked people held their "Welcome Home Paul" signs that we'd been given by the stewards when entering the venue, high above their heads. It must have been quite something witnessing such a sight from the stage.

Before long the first song "Eight Days a Week" began to fill the room, marking the first of many classics the audience would hear through he course of the evening. Now, I could easily have written a brief summary of each song played during the show but considering that it was a 40 song set list spanning over 3 hours I think I'll mainly discuss the highlights. Otherwise, we'd be here all day.

Paul and his band performed a bunch of songs from Paul's lengthy career including music from his time in The Beatles, Wings and of course songs from his solo work. Towards the end of the Wings song "Let Me Roll It" the tune changed as they burst into Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady (love that song!). This lead onto Paul telling us the about Jimi playing "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" at one his gigs just days after the album's release. Jimi's guitar apparently went out of tune to which he peered into the audience and shouted "is Eric there?". Yes, he was looking for Eric Clapton. So it turns out Eric was there right enough and basically told Jimi to tune the guitar himself. 
 

 

 A song or two later Paul took to one of the two pianos they had that evening to perform a song called "My Valentine" which he wrote for his wife Nancy who happened to be somewhere amongst the audience. Unfortunately, I didn't see her. He also dedicated "Maybe I'm Amazed" to his first wife Linda who unfortunately passed away back in 1997. Throughout the song a combination of photographs and video footage of Paul and his children were used to create a moving picture effect. It's such a beautiful song and my goodness did Paul hit some impressive notes during it!

"Hope for the Future" one of Paul's latest releases, which was written for a video game named Destiny was also performed. I have to say I really like that song, it's quite eerie but at the same time very powerful. I'm so glad I actually got to hear it performed live!

Paul stepped out onto an extended part of the stage to perform one of Mum's favourites "Blackbird". Slowly the stage began to rise up into air and stopped when Paul was at the same height as those seated in the second tier of the arena. Usually, I spend a lot of time watching concert footage on YouTube before attending gigs yet somehow I'd missed the footage of "Blackbird" so it was a nice surprise.

Paul's colourful "Lady Madonna" piano (I'm pretty sure that's what it's nicknamed-but don't hold me on that!) was brought out onto centre stage as Paul performed yet another handful of songs including newer releases such as "New" (funnily enough) which could easily have made it's way onto one of The Beatle's albums back in the 60s. I was so excited to actually hear "New" live, I remember hearing it for the very first time just minutes after its release.

He also performed a song named "Queenie Eye" which was also featured on his "New" album released back in 2013. The song is absolute genius! Only Paul McCartney could write a song about a game he used to play as child with his friends in the streets of Liverpool. Again, I was absolutely delighted to hear this song live after hearing it so many times on the album. I have to say the colourful piano really brought Paul's childhood memories of a game he evidently loved alive, even to someone live me from a completely different generation.

"Altogether Now" from the Yellow Submarine film/album was dedicated to the "kids" in the audience although it looked like the adults seemed to be enjoying it just as much! It was a very fun and light hearted performance that put a smile on everyone's faces.

After a selection of yet more Beatles classics including "Lovely Rita", "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Benefit of Mr Kite", Paul pulled an ukulele out of what seemed like nowhere. He told the audience that he discovered his love for the instrument (the ukulele) thanks to George Harrison. Apparently, they'd spend hours visiting each others homes contently jamming on their ukuleles together. In tribute to George he began to play "Something" which was pretty special. The audience as you can imagine were ecstatic! There obliviously were a lot of big Beatles fans in the house and as soon as there was even mention of one of Paul's legendary bandmates, the room erupted in roars. I'm sure it brought back a few memories for Paul of the audiences back in the 60s, we certainly didn't hold back that evening!

There was back to back hits including one of my very favourite Beatles songs "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" which I hoped would be a part of the evening's setlist. I'd been pretty loud and excitable all evening anyway but as I heard those cheery chords on the piano, I was on a complete and utter high. I was belting out the words just as loud as the band and of course I was dancing around in my wheelchair like there was no tomorrow.

A couple of women sitting along from us caught my eye on a couple occasions, I'd obliviously been entertaining them with my enthusiasm and excitement-it can't be helped! You'll probably be bored sick of me saying this but "I'd waited such a long time for this" so I was going to make the most of every, single second! Funnily enough, when we arrived back at the hotel later that evening the same two women were right in front of us in the queue for the lift. So much for going somewhere, letting loose and thinking that I'd never see these people again-typical!
 

 

 "Live and Let Die" which was written for one of the James Bond films, was absolutely amazing live! Despite the fact that I already knew what was coming, I jumped out my skin when massive flames came shouting up from the stage. I seriously, don't think I ever seen as much stage fireworks and flames. The heat up there on stage must have been extremely oppressive, particularly for Paul's guitarist and bassist who were constantly on the move. They actually looked more tired than Paul who just kept going and showed no signs of exhaustion whatsoever! 

My favourite part of the entire show came next and that part just so happened to be arguably one of The Beatle's most famous songs "Hey Jude". Hearing that song live was such a magical moment. It was one of those moments that you had to pinch yourself to check you weren't dreaming. Thankfully, I wasn't; I was well and truly there!

The atmosphere in that room was out of this world, everyone was singing along proving just how powerful music can be. That song has played such a big role in music history and I'm so glad I can say I've hear it sung live. After probably the best eight minutes of live music I've ever heard the song came to an end (I wish it went on forever!) and Paul and his band came to the centre of the stage and bowed for the audience. The stage lights turned off leaving the room in darkness as the crowd went into a frenzy of cheers and roars, before long everyone was singing "Hey Jude" louder than they had minutes before. I can honestly say I have NEVER seen anything like this before and I've seen some of the biggest names in music over the past few years.
 

 

 Where Mum and I were seated, we could see figures standing in the doorway leading to the dressings. I'm guessing it was Paul and the band-it must have been quite something standing there listening to a room filled with thousands of people singing the lyrics to a song you wrote. This continued for a further few minutes before Paul reappeared waving the British flag in the air much to the crowd's delight.

He treated the audience to two encores, the first consisted of "Hi Hi Hi", "Another Girl" a song by The Beatles that had it's live debut earlier last month which was followed by "Can't Buy Me Love". He dedicated this to a couple that he invited up on stage after reading a sign the gentlemen had brought asking Paul if he could propose to his girlfriend on stage. What a story to tell the grandkids!

Sitting down at his piano for the final time that evening, Paul told the audience that the next couple of the songs would be the final few songs of the evening

 and that it was time to head home. Let's just say I didn't ever think I'd see 12,000 argue with Paul McCartney-it was like going to a pantomime!

A medley of "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight" and "The End" from the legendary Abbey Road enchanted the room at the end of an incredible night. Paul bid the audience farewell as canons of red, blue and white confetti exploded filling the air with colour. What a night that was!

At long last I can tick off seeing Paul McCartney in concert off the bucket list and maybe one day I'll be able to tick off actually meeting him too-until then I'll just keep dreaming! As I'm sure you already have gathered, it was an absolutely incredible night and I'm so glad I got to spend it in the city of Liverpool!

Take That: Thursday 30th April 2015, The SSE Hydro Arena Glasgow

 

 

Last week my Mum and I took a little moment of madness after seeing footage of Take That's first show of their UK tour on ITV's This Morning. The TV footage of their opening night convinced us to phone the venue's box office and see if there were any tickets left for one of the Glasgow gigs. We were pleasantly surprised when we soon discovered that there were in fact tickets still available for the third show of the tour on Thursday 30th April 2015 at The SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow!

We arrived at the venue with plenty of time to spare so that we could pick up our last minute tickets from the box office. Fortunately, we arrived after the arena doors were opened-standing outside in the cold didn't sound so appealing!

At any of my previous visits to The Hydro I have always been seated in the accessible/wheelchair seating on the ground level. However, on this occasion we were seated in the wheelchair area on the second floor and had no idea what exactly to expect. Both my Mum and I were extremely impressed with both the assistance I recieved and seating we were designated. Due to the nature of the show, sitting on the second level gave us a fabulous view of every angle on the entire stage. Had we been seated on the ground level we'd not have seen the show in as much detail.

At around half past seven the show began with Take That's support act, 2012 X Factor contestant Ella Henderson. She performed a set of songs featured on her debut album Chapter One. This included songs such as Glow and Ghost both of which have been pretty successful here in the UK. After hearing her sing live, I have to say that Ella has a really strong and impressive voice.

Around an hour later, at eight thirty the lights dimmed after a short interval and the show began. It all started with the dancers on stage; there was so much going on from every angle. Some of the dancers were sporting what I would describe as Inspector Gadget type jackets and hats. A threesome in matching apparel appeared out of nowhere, marching their way round the long walk way connecting stage A and B. Loud cheers from the audience surrounding the stage filled the air, so my guess was that it was actually Take That themselves! As they reached the part of the walkway nearest to where my Mum and I were seated, they literally walked down into the floor below them and disappeared! I couldn't quite believe my eyes!

Before I knew it they reappeared dressed in colourful suits from behind a raised block on the main stage. Within a short period of time the colour scheme within the staging and dancers outfits had transformed from cold blue tones to a carnival of colours! Bursting into the first track "I Like It" from their latest album the show had well and truly begun. The opening song was then followed by "Love Love", "Greatest Day" and another of their recent tracks "Get Ready For It" where flames were seen shooting up from the stage throughout the chorus. My goodness! You could really feel the heat from the fire! One could only begin to imagine the heat on stage.

After a couple more songs "Hold Up The Light" and "Patience" came what I personally would describe as probably my favourite part of the entire show. The performance of "The Garden" was simply breath-taking and magical! During the song a large curtain was pulled round the walkway and audience in the middle (I'm not very good at describing what the stage looked like but hopefully the photos will make a little more sense!). Using a projector silhouettes were projected onto the curtain to create a shadow puppet show which was stunning and extremely clever! The curtains were then pulled back to reveal the most amazing underwater scene. There were huge fluorescent jellyfish bobbing up and down as well as underwater plants in many different shapes and sizes swaying as if they really were under the sea. You really had to be there in person to fully experience the magic, let's just say that it was completely out of this world!

Next in line was "Up All Night", "Said It All" and a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" which started as a ballad but quickly escalated into an upbeat, dance track which had everyone dancing. During "Let In The Sun" a huge globe soared through the air above the audience's heads to the second stage where it was lowered within reach of the cast/dancers. Each dancer produced glowing panels from boxes which they attached to the globe. A gymnast got inside the "sun" and performed a spectacular routine as the globe was slowly lifted back into the air. Once reaching its peak point sparks came flying out of it as it gracefully spun round and around. This was another of the many reasons why this show was so spectacular.

 

 

"Affirmation" started with Howard standing on a raised tier playing a single electric drum pad (I think that's what it's called) and was soon joined by Gary and Mark on either side. All three were dressed in what looked like a cross between a raincoat (like the ones worn in the film Singing In The Rain) and a white doctors coat. As the song ended and 'The Flood" soon began the coats made a little more sense. The room darkened there was a thunderstorm consisting of both loud rumbles and flashes of lightning. Their coats came alive, with an 'electrical' image projected onto them. Pretty cool! The choir seated on stage pulled out umbrellas as it actually began to rain right there on stage!

"Flaws" another of the tracks featured on Take That's latest album came next. The performance I witnessed during this song was extremely powerful and full of emotion. As Gary Barlow took place on lead vocals both Mark Owen and Howard Donald poured every ounce of their energy into an absolutely breath-taking piece of choreography. It was simply stunning.

Within minutes we were then transported to China in "Relight My Fire". There was a Chinese Geisha, warriors and even a Chinese dragon! A set of three stools were then brought out for a more intimate setting as they introduced their backing band and proceeded to perform "Back For Good" followed by "Pray" which gave the audience a flashback to the 90s with those classic Take That dance moves.

Another highlight for me personally, was during a song named "Portrait" where the band climbed aboard a bike and pedalled up into the air. For the duration of the song they soared through the sky above the audience heads whilst waving to their fans. I have never seen anything like this done before at a concert-it was so cool! It also meant that people like my Mum and I who were seated on either the second or third floor got a closer view of the band.

A performance of their recent hit "These Days" came next before the audience were treated to "Rule The World" a track they released back in 2006 for the soundtrack of a film named Stardust. Again, this was another atmospheric performance as the audience slowly waved their phones in their air at the band's request. As I gazed around the room there were what looked liked hundreds of tiny stars twinkling in the night sky. I can only imagine just how beautiful that must be standing there on stage.

The final two songs "Shine" and "Never Forget" were real crowd-pleasers. I don't think there was one person sitting still in the audience, even the event staff were dancing!

Take That most definitely put on an incredible show; within the space of just over two hours so much happened. I would urge anyone out there to go catch one of their shows-you'll not be disappointed!

Meeting Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) & Orianthi Panagaris

Last July I had the opportunity to meet Richie Sambora, former guitarist of the world famous rock band Bon Jovi and Orianthi Panagaris who has played guitar alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Prince and Alice Cooper. I've been a big fan of Orianthi ever since I first saw her in Michael Jackson's This Is It film when I was just eleven years old. Watching Orianthi play guitar alongside one of my all-time favourite singers Michael Jackson was what inspired me to learn guitar. I was completely mesmerised watching her perform and wanted to one day play guitar with the skill and talent that she has!

Orianthi & I

Around this time last year, I heard that Orianthi would be joining Richie Sambora on his tour of the UK and Europe. The best part was that the final show of the tour would take place here in Scotland! I'd previously seen Orianthi perform live with Alice Cooper and was extremely hyper that I might actually get to see her live in concert for the second time! I was also extremely delighted about the prospect of seeing Richie Sambora in concert as I've always loved Bon Jovi-who doesn't?! For me, it was one of those win-win situations.

One of my biggest dreams was to one day meet Orianthi. With this in mind my lovely Mum managed to get in contact with a member of her team who kindly arranged for me to meet with Orianthi prior to the show in Glasgow! I cannot begin to describe just how excited I was!

On the day of the show my Dad and I were also invited to watch Richie and Ori's pre-show sound check. By the time we arrived at the venue that day there was a huge queue of people also attending the concert spanning right up the street. As we walked past them, I could feel the infectious buzz coming from those waiting. 

After letting the appropriate people know that we'd arrived, we were then escorted inside to watch the sound check. I'm extremely interested in what goes behind the scenes at events such as concerts and loved every second of it watching all of the comings and goings happening around me. Instruments were being tuned, the merchandise stall was in the process of being set up and the lighting was being adjusted. So much work goes on behind the scenes to make each show run smoothly and to the perfection that we the audience see. We're all unaware of just how much time, hard work and effort each member of the crew puts into every show. Without them there would be no show! From spending such a short period of time in that environment it was evident that both the crew as well as the band are extremely close. I can only imagine that whilst on tour everyone becomes like an extended family.

After a short wait both Richie and Ori arrived at the venue in time for sound check. They appeared on stage from the darkened wings and began to set up their guitars with the help of the guitar techs. Once organised, Orianthi looked in my direction and waved! It was one of those exciting moments in life where it all seemed like a dream. Even if I hadn't actually met her, having Orianthi wave in my direction would have made my night!

Watching sound check was such a cool experience-it was like having your own private concert! During sound check they performed a bunch of songs by some of the biggest names in the music industry. I can't remember the exact list of songs they performed however, I'm pretty sure it included numbers from artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.

We were then taken backstage towards the end of the band's sound check. As you can probably imagine at this exact moment I was rather excited! I'd wanted to meet Ori for years and the moment was finally going to happen!!!!

We waited in the hallway outside of the dressing rooms whilst Ori got ready for the show. I'd never properly been backstage before, so I really enjoyed soaking everything in. For whatever reason I had always imagined backstage areas to be quite glamorous (I have no idea why to be honest!). However, it wasn't at all what I expected. I liked it though, there was a nice buzz about the place.

After waiting for a few minutes, a small crowd of people appeared at the other end of the hall. It took a few moments for my brain to click and for me to realise that there, at the other side of the corridor was Richie Sambora himself! He immediately came right over to me and started chatting. Richie was such a lovely, genuine and down to earth type of guy! He certainly wasn't one of those rockstars/celebrities that couldn't care less about their fans. I wish I could tell you more of what he said but I had one those star struck moments-typical me!

I had my photo taken with Richie but didn't realise until later on that our camera had decided to play up and didn't save the photograph which was frustrating-but at least I have the memory! Before bidding us farewell and heading to his dressing room, Richie gave me a big hug and shook hands with my Dad! What a special moment!

Before long one of the dressing room doors opened and out came Orianthi! Both Dad and I shook hands with her and she then gave me a big hug! Ori was seriously one of the loveliest people I've met! I felt at ease chatting with her, which was lovely as I really got to enjoy the time I spent with her. It wasn't one of those moments that I had gotten so hyped up about, my mind went blank and then all seemed liked a blur afterwards. Instead, I can replay the moment in my head, recalling every detail and remembering the exact conversation.

I really admire Orianthi's sense of style and one of the first things I really noticed was her outfit which you'll be able to get a glimpse of in the photo I have added to this post. She was even wearing one of her famous hats that I'd admired in so many of her photographs posted on Instagram. But before I could even mentioned how much I love her style, she complimented my outfit and hat!

I chatted with Orianthi about her time touring with Alice Cooper, I'd seen them live in Edinburgh almost two years before. She told me about one of their shows (which funnily enough I happened to have watched footage of on YouTube) where during School's Out, Alice and the rest of the guys in the band all appeared wearing blonde wigs similar to Ori's hair. It was interesting to hear her account of what happened, as I often watch concert videos and wonder what it's like from the musician's point of view.

Orianthi even told me about some of the new musical projects she'd been working on such as recording at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and her greatest hits album which at the time was just weeks away from being released in Japan. She also told me a little bit about the new album that both her and Richie are currently working on, which of course I can't wait to hear as it sounds like it'll be right up my street!

I brought along my copies of Orianthi's albums in hope that she would sign them for me. Kindly obliging, she turned to me and thanked me for supporting her work and purchasing her albums. Meeting someone who I really admire and having them thank me for my support really meant a lot! It's lovely to hear directly from the artist that they appreciate their fans support. Before making our way to our seats to watch the show, I then had my photograph taken with Ori. Fortunately, the camera decided to cooperate this time-phew!
This just so happened to be the final show of Richie's tour of the UK and Europe and it was great end to the tour I must say! Richie played a range of songs from his time as a member of Bon Jovi and also performed material from his solo albums. Together, they even performed a song named "You Don't Wanna know" which featured as one of the tracks on Orianthi's latest album "Heaven In This Hell". As you can imagine there was some amazing guitar solos which of course I could happily sit there and listen to for days without end. And of course, I can't forget the amazing Glasgow audience who love to have a good time!

At the end of the show one of the roadies came and found me with a Richie's copy of the show's set list that he had on stage with him for me to keep. I've never had the opportunity to stand at the front of the stage at a concert before because of my health. Due to that I've never had the opportunity to catch a plectrum from the band or a copy of the set list. As you can imagine I have and will continue to treasure the set list and plectrums I received that evening as memento from the amazing night that I had.

I highly doubt that Richie, Ori or any or their wonderful team will ever come across this post but if they do, I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to each and everyone of them for making my dream come true! They were all so sweet and kind and really made me feel special! I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing Mum as without her this would never have happened!

Queen & Adam Lambert: The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 2015

 

Ever since I was little I have enjoyed listening to the music of the legendary, world famous rock band Queen. Their music is extremely influential to me alongside so many others out there. I mean who doesn't know their catalogue of hit songs such as We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody and Somebody to Love?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I'd see them in concert! From experience I've discovered that dreams do in fact come true. Last Wednesday one of my dreams actually came true; I finally had the opportunity to see Queen in concert!

A couple of months ago Queen announced that they'd be touring the UK, one of the shows happened to be at Glasgow's newest concert venue The SSE Hydro Arena. Of course I had to buy tickets, I could not have missed the opportunity to see them live!

The entire show was absolutely amazing from start to finish; up until now Fleetwood Mac had topped my list as my all-time favourite concert. Queen however, may have just knocked them off the top, I seriously thought I'd never see another band put on a show at such a high standard!

 

Adam Lambert, a former contest from the popular TV show American Idol is currently touring with Queen as their lead singer. I was already familiar with some of Adam's work but decided to do a little more research by checking out footage of his performances on YouTube. After watching a few videos I knew I was in for a real treat-I was extremely impressed! Seeing Adam perform in person was even better than I had initially expected. His vocals are phenomenal! There are very few people out there who can sing Queen songs and pull it off like Adam did.

 

From around twenty minutes before the show started the sounds of instruments could be heard, there were blasts of smoke which were also used at points during the show. Bizarrely, even the noise of what sounded like a helicopter filled the room. I still haven't quite worked out where it came from but nevertheless it definitely hyped the audience up.

Unlike a lot of bands I've seen they arrived on stage as scheduled at exactly quarter past eight. The arenas lights dimmed and the music began. There was a large curtain covering the stage where a large silhouette of Brian May playing guitar appeared. Moments later the curtains parted revealing the band that we all braved such a cold winter's night to see. As you can imagine by this point the room had erupted in cheers as they performed the opening number One Vision. I sat there and found myself remembering watching one of Queen's concerts on television when I was younger. There was all the lights and smoke that had made it look so spectacular on television and seeing it right in front of me gave me a rush of adrenaline.

 

Before long the famous bass line of my favourite Queen song Another One Bites the dust filled the room. I have been learning to play bass myself and this is one of the songs that have really inspired me as a bass player. It is such catchy song that I am so pleased to have been able to hear performed live.



Adam Lambert

Killer Queen was an absolutely brilliant way of showcasing just how much of a showman Adam Lambert is. The performance that he brought to the Glasgow audience whilst singing Killer Queen for me, was definitely one of the highlights of the entire concert. If you're having a bad day it's definitely worth checking out Killer Queen videos on YouTube as its sure to put a smile on your face.

 

 

Following a few of Queen's other electrical hits we were treated to an acoustic set on the B stage. The B stage shaped like a circle sits out amongst the audience connected by a walkway leading to the main stage. By having a secondary stage it allows the audience to have an up close and personal experience with the band.

Speaking from the view point of a wheelchair user; I've never had the opportunity to see any of my favourite bands up close due to where the accessible seating is situated. The Hydro is definitely one of the better venues I've visited when it comes to accessible seating however the stage is still a fair distance away. On this occasion it was great to see a performance in more detail from the disabled area. I would love to see more bands provide this sort of experience for their fans.

Brian May

 

Brian May treated the audience to a beautiful and heartfelt acoustic performance of Love Of My Life in tribute to their legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It was one of the moments where the audience sing along and the atmosphere feels simply magical. The miniature acoustic set continued with Brian singing  a song named '39. I really love acoustic performances during a show as you really get to hear the power and emotion in someone's voice.

 

On opening night of the UK tour in Newcastle, Brian used his selfie stick to take a selfie or two with the audience in the background. In Glasgow he decided to change things a little and this time took a panoramic photograph of the entire audience which was posted to his social media accounts and website. It's pretty cool to be in the photograph despite the fact I'm struggling to actually find myself amongst the crowd!

 

Roger Taylor and his son Rufus, took to stage and had a drum battle. A set of drums was set up on the B stage and the actual drum kit on the main stage was used too. Although at this exact minute I cannot remember who played on which stage. 

There was also the most spectacular guitar solo performed by Brian May. I was in awe watching and listening to such a breath-taking performance. The guitar solo has a sort of sci-fi type feel to it, I could picture the images of space ships, planets and stars that fill our solar system. That's what I like about music, it can take you to a completely different world and really provoke your thoughts and emotions.

 

As the solo drew to close they blasted into back to back hit after hit consisting of Tie Your Mother Down, I Want It All, Radio GaGa and then of course everyone's favourite Bohemian Rhapsody!



Bohemian Rhapsody



Adam started by singing Bohemian Rhapsody before the stage lights faded and a video of Freddie singing appeared on screen much to the crowd's approval. They even had footage from the music video for those famous operatic parts-it was so cool! Of course to top it off Brian came on and preformed that amazing guitar solo! 



 I don't know about you but have you ever seen one of those pictures on social media where it mentions that familiar moment where you find yourself singing all of the different parts during Bohemian Rhapsody? Well I put my hand up and admit that I do-I suppose it's just too hard not to!

When Bohemian Rhapsody sadly came to an end Queen vanished off the stage leaving the room to fade into darkness. Minutes later a piper appeared on stage playing Scotland's iconic instrument (the bagpipes) as an introduction to We Will Rock You. By this point the entire audience were chanting the lyrics to We Will Rock You. The atmosphere was incredible with the crowd singing and clapping along, I don't think it's possible to listen to that song and not join in. 

 

The entire band entered on to the stage once again welcomed by the crowds seal of approval towards the Scottish themed intro. Adam was dressed in a leopard print suit, gold coloured shoes and a crown encrusted with sparkly gems. His gold toned attire perfectly matched golden confetti that fell from the ceiling as they brought the show to a close singing We Are The Champions. I even managed to catch a couple pieces of confetti to keep as small reminder of the gig.

Overall, the show was absolutely amazing! I knew it would be good but didn't expect it to be that good! I really hope that I'll have the chance to see them in concert again one day. If any of you get the opportunity to see them live; don't think twice! It's worth every single penny! You won't be disappointed-promise!