We're on our way to Wembley...
Ten months ago, The Cat who Walked Alone rang me up to say that MUSE were playing Wembley and did we want to go... well... my initial reaction was to blanch, naturally, at the cost of the tickets ... On the other hand though, I've never been to a proper gig and I've never been to Wembley and since MUSE are the only band I like enough to have acquired all of their albums, and we promise each other solemnly that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime jaunt, we agree that we will try to get tickets. Said tickets were procured and then, we waited.
The day finally arrives. I am so excited that I think I will actually be sick... but I decide to have a sausage muffin from a well-known fast food franchise and go to sleep on the coach instead. Three long hours later, I arrive at Victoria and meet The Cat... service on the Jubilee line is suspended, so we have to take a random route towards the hotel we've booked. We decided to stop off at Baker Street to get some lunch and after going quite the wrong way down a very long road, we get back on track and find a Pizza Express... yum yum. There's a new dish on the menu and I decide to try it - it's a pasta thing with mushrooms and truffles that I can't taste but other than the disappointing lack of truffle, it's really good. The Cat has lasagne and we spurn dessert. We have to find Boots or Superdrug because I need some mascara - I've managed to lose mine. The Cat wants to know why I need it NOW and I say because we haven't got MUSE t-shirts; we will look like squares if we don't at least make the effort. I tell The Cat that I have brought all my sparkly make up so that I can get the rock look. The Cat says something to the effect that she can't be doing with eye make up and she'll get some glam from me! We get back on the train and head to the hotel, we are a little concerned about being able to find it but it's actually quite easy and we settle in.
We have a cup of tea and a wash and I put on a lot of slap and then we go. Naturally there is not a train in sight and as it gets closer to 6, I get fidgety, convinced they will not let us in if the first support band has already gone on. I tell The Cat what time it is every minute and a half and point out that there is still no train. She isn't impressed. Eventually, the train arrives and we get to Wembley. I am staggered by the sheer volume of people walking at varying speeds towards the stadium... I knew it was big, of course... No one seems to be in a hurry so I relax and decide that they can't possibly refuse to let this many people in support band or no support band... As it happens, by the time we finally find our seats the first support band have gone on but I am surprised that the stadium is half empty - I've heard of this band - I am Arrows- but only because it was formed by the drummer from another band called Razerlight and I couldn't name one of their songs if my life depended on it. I could take them or leave them, they aren't doing a great deal for me but they are not hugely offensive, either. They just... are. Next we have a band I've never heard of called White Lies, their lead singer sounds like Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet and I really like them; I make a mental note to look them up when I get home. Last of the support is Biffy Clyro, I've heard of them, but not any of their stuff and when they arrive on stage, I am glad I've never heard any of it before; I don't want to hear any of it again. They look like Hulk Hogan impersonators and have too many tattoos. Screaming into the mic, rather than anything that could be called singing, it's all a bit... much... The crowd loves them, however and sings along with most of their songs... still... people loved the Spice Girls and that did not make them talented...
By the time MUSE turn up at 8.45, I've almost had enough; the noise of 70,000 people screaming against the bands at full volume is quite literally deafening and I am concerned about leaving the stadium with damage to my ears... it's painful and I am very thankful that The Cat has brought ear plugs... old and square, that's what we are, but the ear plugs mean that the music is now at a volume my ears can bear without bleeding so ... square, I will remain...!
MUSE don't talk to us, they just play. They are no less insanely theatrical live than they are recorded and Matt, the singer, is an extremely talented guitarist and pianist as well as being the composer. I am in awe. The staging is incredible and the light show defies description, the only down side is that they do a lot of stuff from their latest album which I don't know so well because I am in love with the third one and listen to that all the time. Still, despite being completely square, we are not the only ones without tour t-shirts and we are not the oldest by a mile so we don't feel too badly about things and enjoy the show immensely.
MUSE play for two solid hours, which is unbelievable by anybody's standards and we can't quite bring ourselves to accept it when they finish by bringing Matt on in a suit made of flashing red lights for his final encore... but accept it, we must, for they bid us goodnight and leave the stage.
We brace ourselves to deal with navigating the way out. As we wend our way through hordes of other revellers, we notice that the police are out in force. Lines of police horses guard the path to the station and officers line the way but nobody misbehaves. The stadium staff are polite and efficient, a real credit to their employers, as are the station staff who only let a set number of people onto the platforms at any one time. The police deserve a special mention here as they've been much maligned in the press lately for their poor efforts at crowd control, I can only say that they behaved impeccably and I was jolly glad to have them out in such numbers. There wasn't any trouble where we were, but if there had been a fall, say, the effects in such a massive crowd could have been devastating - it was good to know that the police were there to help, they were jolly good natured about people petting the horses, too. Not that I try, I am too afraid that they'd nick my chips!!
We get back to the hotel eventually and have a cup of tea to celebrate the fact that we have managed to do something... cool...!
Incidentally, there's been a new addition to the family - this is Mad Izzy...
A little camera shy but cute all the same...
The day finally arrives. I am so excited that I think I will actually be sick... but I decide to have a sausage muffin from a well-known fast food franchise and go to sleep on the coach instead. Three long hours later, I arrive at Victoria and meet The Cat... service on the Jubilee line is suspended, so we have to take a random route towards the hotel we've booked. We decided to stop off at Baker Street to get some lunch and after going quite the wrong way down a very long road, we get back on track and find a Pizza Express... yum yum. There's a new dish on the menu and I decide to try it - it's a pasta thing with mushrooms and truffles that I can't taste but other than the disappointing lack of truffle, it's really good. The Cat has lasagne and we spurn dessert. We have to find Boots or Superdrug because I need some mascara - I've managed to lose mine. The Cat wants to know why I need it NOW and I say because we haven't got MUSE t-shirts; we will look like squares if we don't at least make the effort. I tell The Cat that I have brought all my sparkly make up so that I can get the rock look. The Cat says something to the effect that she can't be doing with eye make up and she'll get some glam from me! We get back on the train and head to the hotel, we are a little concerned about being able to find it but it's actually quite easy and we settle in.
We have a cup of tea and a wash and I put on a lot of slap and then we go. Naturally there is not a train in sight and as it gets closer to 6, I get fidgety, convinced they will not let us in if the first support band has already gone on. I tell The Cat what time it is every minute and a half and point out that there is still no train. She isn't impressed. Eventually, the train arrives and we get to Wembley. I am staggered by the sheer volume of people walking at varying speeds towards the stadium... I knew it was big, of course... No one seems to be in a hurry so I relax and decide that they can't possibly refuse to let this many people in support band or no support band... As it happens, by the time we finally find our seats the first support band have gone on but I am surprised that the stadium is half empty - I've heard of this band - I am Arrows- but only because it was formed by the drummer from another band called Razerlight and I couldn't name one of their songs if my life depended on it. I could take them or leave them, they aren't doing a great deal for me but they are not hugely offensive, either. They just... are. Next we have a band I've never heard of called White Lies, their lead singer sounds like Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet and I really like them; I make a mental note to look them up when I get home. Last of the support is Biffy Clyro, I've heard of them, but not any of their stuff and when they arrive on stage, I am glad I've never heard any of it before; I don't want to hear any of it again. They look like Hulk Hogan impersonators and have too many tattoos. Screaming into the mic, rather than anything that could be called singing, it's all a bit... much... The crowd loves them, however and sings along with most of their songs... still... people loved the Spice Girls and that did not make them talented...
By the time MUSE turn up at 8.45, I've almost had enough; the noise of 70,000 people screaming against the bands at full volume is quite literally deafening and I am concerned about leaving the stadium with damage to my ears... it's painful and I am very thankful that The Cat has brought ear plugs... old and square, that's what we are, but the ear plugs mean that the music is now at a volume my ears can bear without bleeding so ... square, I will remain...!
MUSE don't talk to us, they just play. They are no less insanely theatrical live than they are recorded and Matt, the singer, is an extremely talented guitarist and pianist as well as being the composer. I am in awe. The staging is incredible and the light show defies description, the only down side is that they do a lot of stuff from their latest album which I don't know so well because I am in love with the third one and listen to that all the time. Still, despite being completely square, we are not the only ones without tour t-shirts and we are not the oldest by a mile so we don't feel too badly about things and enjoy the show immensely.
MUSE play for two solid hours, which is unbelievable by anybody's standards and we can't quite bring ourselves to accept it when they finish by bringing Matt on in a suit made of flashing red lights for his final encore... but accept it, we must, for they bid us goodnight and leave the stage.
We brace ourselves to deal with navigating the way out. As we wend our way through hordes of other revellers, we notice that the police are out in force. Lines of police horses guard the path to the station and officers line the way but nobody misbehaves. The stadium staff are polite and efficient, a real credit to their employers, as are the station staff who only let a set number of people onto the platforms at any one time. The police deserve a special mention here as they've been much maligned in the press lately for their poor efforts at crowd control, I can only say that they behaved impeccably and I was jolly glad to have them out in such numbers. There wasn't any trouble where we were, but if there had been a fall, say, the effects in such a massive crowd could have been devastating - it was good to know that the police were there to help, they were jolly good natured about people petting the horses, too. Not that I try, I am too afraid that they'd nick my chips!!
We get back to the hotel eventually and have a cup of tea to celebrate the fact that we have managed to do something... cool...!
Incidentally, there's been a new addition to the family - this is Mad Izzy...
A little camera shy but cute all the same...
posted by OrientBird | 08:36
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