The Last Carnival – July Tour, Newcastle

For the first time since tour started, I actually got some sleep last night and it was bliss. Crisp white sheets on a huge king sized bed, all to myself, for eight whole hours. I could get used to this! Of course, I was still knacked but my emotional stability was restored following yesterday’s slip, which very nearly cost me those shoes…!

I actually had almost two hours to kill between check out and my train so I passed the time hanging about in a cafe, repeating my caffeine mistake from earlier in the week (although I was just a bit buzzed this time rather than approaching a heartattack). I did very little else (aside from getting distracted by a guy in a giant furry animal suit doing promo for something outside the station; I don’t know how he stayed in his feet, it was so hot), which was enjoyable but didn’t do much for my blogging the whole tour mission. I did much the same for the first hour of my journey before finally caving in to internal pressure and getting back to writing up last night. It’s helping that the ‘don’t publish’ section (which doesn’t need to be censored or rephrased into full sentences) is getting longer and the ‘publish’ section is getting shorter, but there’s still a lot to do. This would be so much easier if I could just remember things. And with that in mind, I’d also like the record to state that my journey was somewhat brightened by the receipt of a completely unexpected snapchat from someone who’s finally added me back, months after I first added them. It was thoroughly unexciting (a selfie with a generic ‘what’s happening?’ type caption) but it made my day nonetheless.

On arrival in Newcastle, aside from reliving some fond memories of Take That tours past whilst utilising the metro system, it all went a bit pear shaped. I went to the wrong hotel (because there are two on the same road with the same name, except that one is prefixed by ‘Newcastle’), then had to wait ages in reception as the man in front of me had accidentally booked for next month instead of this one, before the very friendly receptionist talked my ear off for five minutes before she actually let me go to my (admittedly lovely) room. On any other day it wouldn’t have been a problem, but I was actually hoping to meet some friends before the gig for more than half an hour. I could have done without the rush on such a hot day too, particularly one on which I caved in to temptation and wore my swanky new faux leather boots. Although I did abandon the wetlook jeans plan plus I compensated with my ventilated Steel Panther tee.

So I obviously didn’t have as much time with my friends as I’d hoped but I did at least get to see them for a while. I also saw Lacey who came round on a promo run and got hugs from Graz, Josh and Pete, who I also chatted to about the album for a bit. It was good to see them after missing most of them in Sheffield.

Club:

It was another great VIP session with much chatting and selfie taking. I spoke to Russ for ages, although don’t ask me what we talked about. The background music was Bon Jovi again and I chatted to Kieran about seeing them live. I told him about seeing them at Party In The Park, but not remembering them at all and complained that the cheap tickets on their last tour pushed the standing tickets out of my price range. He told me he’s seen them a few times. I was also telling Mike about blogging on the train or rather not blogging, which inevitably descended into me moaning about touchscreens. He reiterated what everyone else has told me; that I’ll get used to it. Meh. Anyway, ended up chatting to Justin about photos and I was saying I always look the same, especially in selfies, so if you flick through a bunch of them I don’t move and it looks like I’ve been photoshopped. I used my stage door album as an example, but clarified that although they’re not all selfies, most are, to which he pointed out that I do have a disclaimer… And I know I sometimes update that album several times in a single week so it’s constantly on people’s feeds, but it still threw me that he’d noticed. I really do seem to have this complex that when I’m not right in front of them, I don’t exist in their world at all.

Anyway, we were also talking about the band photo thing with me photoshopped in between all of them, so I pointed out I’d have to split up Russ and him as it was the only spot I’d not done yet. I also mentioned that I want to do something funny and Kieran will need bunny ears at some point. He joked I should have one where I’m not in it, so I said I’d have to hide behind them and just stick my head out. I’m actually tempted to reorder them so I can stand between Justin and Kieran and give them both bunny ears, but I refrained from telling him that. I’ll see how the land lies tomorrow, whether I think I can get away with it or not. When it actually came time for the photos tonight, I was up first and Justin moved to let me in between him and Russ before I could say a word. Advance warning may be the key to this! I was also raving about how I’d get a proper lie in on Monday morning (even if it was just on an air mattress), which in retrospect was slightly ironic as I got a message from my friend while I was hanging in the van just before they left to say her spare keys had been lost and I’d have to leave when she heads to work instead. Oh well!

The acoustic set was a little different for me this evening, mostly because I left it a bit late to pick a spot so I wasn’t in front of Justin. I keep saying I should do that for a show (half to give him a break from having to look at me), but I can’t quite bring myself to do it. Yes, I adore them all, but there’s just something about watching him play (and strut around like a peacock, as my friend put it) that makes me melt and I can’t quite force myself choose not to watch that from close up. Besides, I’ve actually had a fairly decent view of the whole band at the last couple of venues, even Mike. Anyway, I digress. The acoustic set was fabulous as always and once again I was mightily amused watching the tallest and shortest members of the band sharing a microphone :P. I was chatting to Russ after and he mused aloud that he might record an acoustic version of There’s A Road. I told him quite vehemently that he had to!

Support:

Lost At Home supported again and they’re not bad but I’ve still not been grabbed. I did however notice that the lead singer was very tall and with the added height of his hair, he was nearly brushing the ceiling. My obvious train of thought at that point was that Justin will give himself a concussion if he jumps. I also couldn’t help but notice the general guitar height. And I was carefully positioned right in front of Justin’s pedal board… 😉

The Afterparty’s intro music this evening was the Eastenders theme tune. I think they’ve peaked. I can’t see how they’ll be able to top that one! They’ve also massively grown on me. Each time I see them the songs are getting more familiar and I’m really rather enjoying their sets. I was also slightly amused by the guitarist choreography during When The Lights Go Out – the three of them (Matt, Joe & Dave) in a row, throwing their heads forward in unison.

Lacey were the main support so that was kinda awesome. I was watching them set up and noticed that Josh had photos of the settings on Justin’s Mesa on his phone, which amused me for some reason – probably because that’s exactly the sort of thing I would do. Anyhoo, it was a really great set, a little longer than last night. I got tingles listening to Contender. There’s something special about that song and I love Graz’s vocals on it, especially the big long notes at the end. It was also nice watching Dave. He seemed really off and quiet when I saw him earlier, but he had his usual adorable grin as soon as he started playing. Plus I got my own personal smile off of Graz ;).

Show:

So I was certainly right about the fabulous stage height. I got slightly edged out of my spot by the girls next to me (I’ll admit I was a tad irritated by it – they kept vanishing for ages so their space got smaller and I was then the one who had to pay for it when they squeezed back in), so ended up just past the right-hand edge of the pedal board but it was still pretty ok. And when I say ‘pretty ok’ I mean swoon.

The Peacock

I’ll confess I had a bit of a visual love affair with Justin’s left hand this evening. I mean I’ve always had a particular fondness for it, but live I usually watch his right as it moves so fast and, um, stuff. Tonight, however, was a completely different experience. Particularly during Roll Over Beethoven; I barely took my eyes off it. It was bizarrely fascinating, especially for someone who wishes they could play guitar with some level of skill. That said, I may also have paid a fair bit of attention to his left hand when he was stroking (see yesterday’s post for more on that subject) Russ’s guitar at the end of the Crazy solo too and that had very little to do with my admiration of his musical prowess. His technique this evening was to start off fast, then slow it down… so frickin’ hot… *ahem*. Fortunately, I captured the moment on film once again (does that phrase still work in the digital era?) as well as Futile (since I inadvertently missed it yesterday) and Love Motion.

Anyway, it possibly didn’t help my equilibrium much that thanks to Kieran’s teasing last night, my gaze kept straying to places it shouldn’t have. Which was further not helped by Justin’s frequent waving of his guitar in the air, often accompanied by sweeping the neck of it over the audience’s heads. Which basically reminded me of Stacee Jaxx and his mic stand. Just in case I needed to draw more comparisons… I did wonder if he had friends in, though. It was either that or he was in a particularly playful mood. Many additional faces were pulled, but they seemed to be aimed towards the back of the room, so I can only assume he was looking at someone and not just grinning at the vodka behind the bar. His choreography also seemed particularly exuberant tonight and I’m pretty sure he was doing the Can Can at one point :P. He also still managed to jump, although there were a few moments when I was genuinely worried he might actually hit the ceiling. I think I even cringed a few times. It’s not quite what I usually think of when contemplating a rock star living dangerously…! Living life full throttle, eh?

So contrary to how my posts seem to keep coming out, not only are there actually other bands members on stage (I know, right?!), I even watch them at times (shocker). In fact, despite the way it sounds, I think on average Russ probably gets the most attention from me during a show. He’s a captivating front man, not to mention a phenomenal musician, and he constantly draws my gaze no matter how much I enjoy fangirling over Mr. Morris. He also pulls his own fair share of rock faces…

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Tonight, however, was particularly special because I saw something I very rarely get to see on stage; Kieran’s hands! The set up was very different to the other venues I’ve seen them at; the stage was situated in the corner of the room and curved round. It gave me quite a nice view across the front line, so to speak, right the way down to Mike (although the breadth of the stage as it fanned out did mean he was rather far away), but also put Kieran very close to the front and therefore very close to me. With the stage height and proximity seemingly perfectly aligned, I could easily see his fingers on the keys and I made sure to give him/them extra attention while I had the opportunity!

The lord surveys his minions

Post-show:

I stole Justin’s setlist before he’d even left the stage, or at least, I tried to. It was stuck under his pedal board and I had to lift it slightly to get it out. I managed, however, and thereafter claimed it as my own. I got him to sign it, as is my wont, and as I was so impressed with his obedience yesterday, I gave him free reign to write whatever he liked on this one. He evidently took that to heart and scribbled one of his old favourites… without an actual autograph. Freedom of expression is all well and good, but there are standards to be upheld :P. I pulled him up on it and he dutifully added his name.

The Last Carnival – Newcastle Setlist

Anyhoo, I guess he asked about the gig because I ended up telling him that I liked the stage height; put a guitar in front of my face and I’m happy. That prompted him to ask what I have, so I told him (a Squire strat & an acoustic Fender), adding that I’m not musical and never have time to play, but I love it anyway.

I didn’t have much time to talk to anyone besides him immediately v after the show as the venue seemed keen to kick everyone out as soon as possible. I did manage to squeeze in a photo with Dave (Lacey) as he was at merch and I also bought an Afterparty CD and got it signed by them all. Joe drew a Homer Simpson on the disk too, although I’m not quite sure why…!

Of course, I still wound up hanging around for ages (I’m a dab hand at putting posters in boxes – Luke even joked that if I keep it up I’ll end up on payroll :P) so I collected a few more selfies when security wasn’t looking and had a nice long chat with Kieran. I mentioned that I’d been able to see his hands and he asked if it sounded the way it looked. I can’t recall exactly what I said, but I think I pointed out that I’ve seen his hands in videos so I at least had an idea of what he was doing. Plus I believe I mentioned something to the effect that the solos do pretty much sound how they look; difficult!

I possibly spoiled that a tad by also sharing with him what my friend said in London about keyboard players… which may have been a mistake as I then spent several minutes reassuring him that she had definitely not meant him and that he was a valuable member of the band. Which is very true. None of that music would sound the same without him (the first verse and chorus of Beautiful would be particularly lacking…) and he’s a fantastic musician. I was clearly on a roll with ill-conceived comments though as I also felt the need to point out that it was entirely his fault that my gaze had repeatedly stayed somewhere inappropriate during the show. It seemed like a perfectly fine idea until the words actually left my mouth… Sigh. Anyway, he just told me that I shouldn’t and if I’m taking his advice I shouldn’t tomorrow. If only life was that easy…

Anyhoo, outside I went on a bit of a selfie mission. I caught the rest of the Lacey boys and also finally got my tech/crew pics with Tia, Benji, Luke and Tony. During the last one, Justin very nearly photobombed, but the picture took a few seconds too soon for him to make it. Tony then grabbed him and pulled him in for round two only my camera battery, which had been flashing at me all evening but had valiantly battled on, chose that moment to finally die. I could’ve cried; what a missed opportunity. I did chase Justin for another selfie once I’d changed the battery (because in his usual stubborn style, he refused to give me another chance at the first one), but honestly I have tonnes of those, I’d have much rather had one with the three of us. Plus he was pulling a ridiculous face in the one I did get so it wasn’t a paticularly marvellous addition to the collection anyway.

I did finally get around to asking him a couple of questions regarding sensible things I was curious about, though. The one thing I really wanted to know was how much of his solos are him and how much of them are Russ. He said that they’re all him and that sometimes he’ll just take a solo as his own but more recently Russ has been asking him to take them. I also asked if he actually uses all his pedals (which in retrospect I think I’ve asked him before, but had evidently forgotten; my stellar memory wins once again…). He told me he does indeed, all the time; they run through the same controller thing so he can use different combinations of pedals easily. It still seems complicated to me, but then what do I know about pedals?! I really do wish there would be an appropriate moment to get him to explain them all, but I can’t see it happening.

Anyhoo I also got serenaded at one point which was rather fun. I was hanging around with Russ and he randomly started singing Edelweis before moving on to It’s A Kinda Magic. It was pretty cool :). Even when he’s not really trying he’s got a great rock voice. He wasn’t the only one, though. It started raining while they were all hanging around (I ended up sitting in Kieran’s seat in the van to escape it) and Tony started singing Setting The World Alight. Let it rain, eh?! That then prompted a conversation about the brilliance of Russ’s lyrics and I lamented the fact that it was really hard to catch most of them during the live shows; which is yet another reason I’m so looking forward to hearing the recordings.

They headed off soon after that and I reluctantly had to give up my seat in the dry to hug them all goodbye (and let them actually leave) at which point I made a mad dash for the station as it was raining in earnest by then. I was pretty sure that my hotel (as opposed to the one of an almost identical name further down the street…) was closer to a different metro station than the one I’d used earlier in the day, but my phone chose that moment to have a fit and restart itself repeatedly, refusing to stay on long enough for me to shut it down properly. I didn’t much fancy struggling with the back cover whilst I was out (I have a printed photo (of Russ and Justin in Paris) and two pieces of RoA confetti between the translucent case and the cover which make the task particularly arduous and difficult to accomplish on public transport) so I just left it to freak out in my pocket. It did however mean that I was stuck taking the straightforward but longer route back rather than the twisty turny shorter route that I could only have successfully achieved with the assistance of a map. And naturally I had neither coat nor umbrella with me (the former was located at home in London and the latter was usefully waiting for me in my hotel room…). Still, I made it back eventually without getting too damp and spent a tad too much time appreciating the free wifi before finally getting some sleep.

Manchester tomorrow. Let’s do this!

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,
K xx

[Actual publish date: 31/8/14]