On Saturday we went to see Muse live at the Emirates in London. For some bizarre reason we chose to buy ‘standing only’ tickets, which in retrospect was completely ridiculous. We aren’t young anymore and seven hours of standing doesn’t do our old, tired bones any good. Incidentally, I used to wonder why old people wanted to go to gigs. Now, I’m the old person who gets wondered about. It’s a laugh, this grow’d up lark.
*grin*
But it was brilliant. Bastille weren’t bad (although I’m sure they didn’t play the song of theirs which I like the best, but being stood next to drunk Chelsea-type knobs who were shouting didn’t help with my hearing) and Dizzee Rascal was far more enjoyable than I’d been led to believe. Not enough to go out and spend my hard earned cash on his tunes, but good enough to bop along to in the atmosphere of the moment.
I’ve been trying to remember which bands I’ve seen live. It isn’t many (when compared to lots of people) but it is quite a handful (when compared to yet other people.) The first band I saw live (apart from dodgy local bands who were never going to cut the mustard and rise above the back rooms of greasy flea-ridden pubs) were the Manic Street Preachers. It was the autumn of 1992, I was eighteen and my new boyfriend at my new university took me to Newcastle to see them. I can still recall the way he stood behind me and held me tightly as I stood transfixed by the sight of seeing my idols right in front of me, barely ten feet away. Daft, the things we remember.
That boyfriend lasted just a few weeks and a few months later one of his best mates broke my heart. But that’s by-the-by. I’ve seen the Manics about six times in total, from their humble beginnings in Student Union bars, through their sell-out stadium tours and back down to the smaller venues. They are my most favourite band to see live. Oddly, I rarely listen to them but know all the words to most of the songs, and do consider them to be the best band of all time.
So, who else? Terrorvision, The Wonderstuff, The Damned, Chumbawumba, REM (x2), Pop Will Eat Itself (spoke to Clint, have his autograph), The Killers (second favourite band to see live), Eels, Scouting for Girls, Busted (supported by McFly), Kylie, Bjorn Again (shared post-gig drinks with the band), S*M*A*S*H (shared post-gig drinks with Salv [drinking = common theme apparently] who later briefly joined Carter USM), Robbie Williams, British Sea Power …
It seems so few. And far too eclectic. I also kick myself for missing out on Kasabian playing the diddy venues on their rise to stardom. Blokey doesn’t let me forget my vehement shaking of head when he suggested we see them a few years ago.
*sigh*
I’ve been rooting through my extensive collection of photos on my computer (somebody really needs to stop collecting photos of nothing and start tidying up her files) and found some to share. Nothing special, just an occasional memory.

Busted 2004, Ipswich

Manics 2004, Nottingham

Kylie 2005, Manchester

REM 2005, Ipswich

Robbie Williams 2006, Milton Keynes

Manics 2007, Cambridge

Eels 2008, Cambridge

Scouting for Girls 2008, Cambridge

The Killers 2009, Cardiff

Muse 2013, London
