Parklive concert 2012
12th August 2012
07:00: Me and my sister Georgia joyfully skip off to see Blur at Hyde Park, armed with three carrier bags jam packed with unhealthy food and our minds blissfully unaware of the day's endurance test which was yet to come.
08:00: Arrived at the park, take places in the queue amongst the creme-de-la-creme of crazy fans. Please note, we do not belong to this category. Just noticed sign saying that no food or drink is to be taken into the park. This does not phase us.
09:00: Still 4 hours to go before the gates open.
7 hours to go before the first band plays.
12 hours left before Blur play.
10:00: Have made little impression on food. Begin to realise the impossibility of the task which we have set ourselves. Also, what kind of evil genius covers an entire park in wood chips? Not comfy. Not comfy at all.
11:00: Distant sounds of the sound check give all new hope. Learn worrying facts about our new (creepy) friends. Meet loud Russian fan, who proclaims her love for drummer Dave Rowntree.
12:00: Oldest sister Lucy and her husband decide to rock up. We learn that our last chance of consuming the large remainder of food has decided to have a full English breakfast. Half hour of seething ensues.
12:30: Georgia and I desperately stuff our faces with an entire days worth of food and fizzy drinks, whilst Lucy and husband lament the wasting of the food which they themselves made no effort to decrease the volume of. The atmosphere is sour.
13:00: Gates open, everyone else rushes to the stage, but Georgia and I being delightful sisters, wait for Lucy and husband to stroll through the barriers. After what seems like forever, they join us, only to say they're going to get some food before going to the stage. Hungry now, are they? Georgia and I race to the stage, and to my embarrassment I spot some familiar faces from school. Casually slow down.
13:10: This has cost us valuable time. We are now approximately three rows back, and have to resign next to some New Order fans.
14:00: Already sun burnt, one of the many joys of being ginger. Foolishly turn down ice cream from ice cream guy. Still 2 hours to go until Bombay Bicycle Club. Really need the loo but can't afford to lose my place in the crowd.
15:00: Where has ice cream guy gone?
16:00: Subjected to watching boxing match on big screen, never longed for some mainstream indie pop more in my life.
16:15: Bombay Bicycle Club decide to show up. Realise with horror that this means standing up and bopping. At least it's up-tempo. Have lost Lucy and husband. Don't care.
17:30: New Order bring back the gloom. Man to our left doing some admirable dancing. Guitarist from band awards this display of spirit by presenting him with a plectrum. Man is overjoyed.
19:00: The Specials. Best music so far, worst fans. Am fearing for my life as drunk bald guy single-handedly creates mosh-pit. Need water. Dying of dehydration. Thinking longingly of ice cream guy.
20:15: Manage to get friendly Bouncer to re-fill water bottle. Am forever in his debt.
20:30: Why are we watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics on big screen? Crowd begins to turn nasty. Spontaneous renditions of the chorus of Tender are heard.
21:00: Beginning to wonder if Blur are actually here. Find ourselves unknowingly being shifted backwards from the stage, as crowd in front mysteriously begins to increase in size.
21:30: Around 27 rows back, still watching closing ceremony on big screen. Can barely hear it above the heckles.
21:45: The blur logo appears on the screen. Crowd is momentarily stunned while screen opens up and lead singer Damon Albarn bounds onto the stage. All tiredness evaporates as Girls and Boys starts up, the crowd shouts along with gusto. Well worth the wait.
Isabella F.
Thanks Isabella: an interesting and entertaining piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteIt takes me back to Glastonbury 1997 when my then girlfriend and I waited all day at the front of the Pyramid stage to ensure that we’d get a good view of Radiohead. We had to endure a seemingly inexhaustible parade of lame indie bands (Ocean Colour Scene, Cast and others whose names escape me) and there are inevitably moments when you consider giving up and just GOING FOR A WEE! But ultimately it’s always worth it. Those massive gigs are rubbish if you’re stuck at the back watching specks on a distant stage or big faces on a screen, the sound being blown about like a plastic bag in a car park.
I used to love Blur (and probably still would if I ever listened to them). ‘Parklife’ was one of those albums that defined my teenage years and works almost like a time machine whenever I hear songs from it now. It was one of those albums that I knew every word to.
And Damon Albarn still continues to move forward as an artist (he produced an interesting record recently – ‘Dr Dee’ – about the Elizabethan occultist John Dee) and has promoted some great music through his label, Honest Jon’s.
Is your band playing any gigs at the moment?
Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteYes I'm definitely glad that I stuck it out through the bad stuff and got to see Blur! Damon said that it might be their last gig...I hope not though. He was so nice, he kept asking if everyone in the audience was okay! And I think that Graham Coxon doesn't age. I was looking through some old videos (I have one from when my oldest sister went to see Blur at Wembley in 1995) and he looks the same! Spooky. Oh and my brother got dragged along by his girlfriend to see Ocean Colour Scene the other day...
Yes we are, we're meant to be playing at Wanstead Festival in early September but we haven't really rehearsed yet, should be interesting!