I always think pop/rock gigs at the Royal Albert Hall are slightly odd and out of place – like kids playing in their grandparents old house full of antiques, but it is a gorgeous venue. It’s also a lot smaller than I think it is when I picture it in my head. It’s very tall and the high-up seats are practically reminiscent of the O2 (though nowhere near as bad), but I suspect that even from the back of the stalls, it would still be a decent view. As it was, I was so close I was practically front row! I was in the first row of the stalls circle, about parallel with the front row on the floor, but obviously raised up. There was a speaker stack in the way a bit & Harry was slightly obscured by a cymbal (why is it so damn hard to get a decent view of a drummer?!), but otherwise it was a pretty fabulous seat. I was on Dougie’s side (which I was suitably delighted by – he’s REALLY cute!) and clearly it was the right side. Danny (who, talented as he is, just doesn’t do it for me) kept running up and down the stairs (not that I could see much) and so did Dougie once or twice. Speaking of Dougie, I loved the lights on the fret markers of his bass – so funky! Also, his second bass was pink & glittery. Which is just awesome!
Anyhoo, they played a lot of classics & I think I got to hear everything I was even vaguely familiar with (as well as a fair few I didn’t recognise at all). I was hoping for a couple of new favourites discovered whilst listening to Memory Lane & was suitably delighted when they played Transylvania (complete with eerie intro by Dougie on the RAH organ). I knew the other one, POV (which incidentally could well be of my new favourite McFly song), was probably a long shot, so I wasn’t devastated not to hear it, but it was a shame nonetheless. Obviously (geddit?), I enjoyed the stuff I knew better than the stuff I didn’t (I always like to be able to sing along), but it was a good gig and they’re a talented band. Tom’s little ‘McFly The Musical’ bit at the piano was highly enteraining & I definitely enjoyed that bit! I mean, it was no Loserville, but it was a good effort :P.
Honestly (and don’t tell the McFly fans I said this) the absolute highlight for me was the bit with Busted (or the 2/3rds of it that will still have anything to do with the band, anyway). They did three numbers with Matt Willis & James Bourne: Year 3000, Air Hostess & a McFly song (I think it was Shine A Light?) and I screamed so much I nearly lost my voice. I mean, I was never a massive Busted fan, but I liked them a fair bit (I think I even had a poster in my first year or two at uni – even if it was inside my wardrobe so no one could see it :P) and I still think it sucks that thanks to Charlie’s musical morals we’ll never get a reunion, even as a one off. I was excited enough seeing Matt sing Year 3000 at West End Men, so this was even better, with James there too. Admittedly it felt a bit like watching adults play at being kids, but in a good, nostalgic sort of way. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Matt! I absolutely loved the whole McBusted set & it was the only time I really got into it the whole gig. I think they missed a trick not having a warm up act & I have to admit, the fact that they went from the insanity of the hybrid band to Danny on his own singing a ballad, for me at least, was a mistake. All my newfound energy vanished & I never really got it back. I mean, obviously if I was a massive fan, I’m sure I’d have felt differently and it’s probably not fair for me to criticise given that as a band I still think they’re a brilliant, talented bunch of guys. I just felt that the show was lacking something for me personally. Perhaps there was too much video blurb in between? It was interesting and the old footage was adorable, but I’d have preferred more banter.
So overall, I enjoyed the gig, I’m glad I went, but I’m not sure I’d bother going to see them again unless there was a particularly pressing reason. It’s nothing against them, or their show, I’m just not enough of a fan to get into it. Still, props to them for the big 10 year anniversary. They definitely deserve it :).
In TLC news, I had a nice little stress this afternoon when the Last Carnival announced Brighton VIP sale at exactly the time that McFly were due on stage. It was particularly annoying as I was trying to break my Justin twitter addiction and was determined not to tweet him at all today. Of course as soon as I saw the announcement, my resolve was out of the window! Typically he was driving and didn’t pick up my DM til much later anyway so I probably could have avoided it completely (and I was so annoyed at having to break my self-imposed tweet ban that I couldn’t even fully appreciate the fact that he replied!), but Adam saw the one I sent him, so managed to sort it anyway (I do love that boy :D). Of course, when I got out of the gig (and back to normal signal) there still seemed to be tickets left anyway, so I bought one, but it was a fair bit of drama during the afternoon! Still, all that said, I am still waiting on Ads for an email about some of the other VIPs and he promised he’d do it today when I nagged him, which (unless my email is playing up – which is possible since I don’t seem to have received anything to my inbox since lunchtime… Well except the paypal confirmation for the VIP…) he hasn’t, so hmph!
Anyhoo, depending on how I feel, I may re-attempt my Justin-specific twitter ban tomorrow, but I doubt I have that much self control. I’m guessing he was relocating again today & it’s a lot easier not to tweet him when he’s not tweeting either & inadvertently taunting me into replying…
On the plus, tomorrow night I’m back on the Strip for Dylan’s Drew *squee* so hopefully Mr. Turner will prove to be enough of a distraction!
So, until tomorrow,
Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,
K xx
So Currently Captivated 
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