Crazy nights

Good evening boys and girls; and before you say it yes I know it's been a while but please rest assured that we've not been ignoring you. We've not found the time to post because we've not really been home the past couple of nights - home has just been a base to come home from work, wash, change, go out, come back and go to bed before doing it all over again. If you think that's kind of rough my baby's had it much worse - he's gone out to work early morning and not come back home until way late at night or early the following morning; no joke! But it's okay, in fact it's more than okay and as you may know it's rare we go out partying on a school night but sometimes there are exceptions to that rule; Monday and Tuesday nights were such exceptions...........

They have been a crazy couple of nights - I've finished work, got home, washed and changed before leaving again to catch a train into Manchester to meet my baby. I feel for my baby because he's got washed and changed at work - he took a wash bag and a change of clothes with him to work Monday morning in preparation for the preceding nights; after speaking to him today and tonight he said it's felt like he's not left work for 48 hours. But he has and neither of us complain because whatever we've been through was worth it, oh my gosh the past two nights have been nothing if not glorious and the fun and enjoyment we've had as a result has been beyond any kind of measure.

Last night we went to see The Big Pink at Manchester Academy, it's the second time we've seen them live in a matter of months; and as ever they were just awesome. One of our favourite albums of 2009 and live they really do bring that kind of industrial sound to life and they seriously rock. There's a real edginess to them too, it's like there's a kind of buzz around them that you can feel, that takes over the crowd and the atmosphere it creates, well that's why we love going to gigs, for the atmosphere. Venues like the Academy especially, kind of small, intimate, standing only gigs create a real special atmosphere; it's hot, it's sweaty, it's crowded and kind of dirty. It's the grass roots of gigs in some respects and maintains the true ethics of live music; feelings that can get lost in vast arenas or open air gigs, such an atmosphere is lost because it doesn't translate well. The Big Pink could and should progress to such arenas; and if they do, well we can say we saw them when they were just starting out, when they played that little old venue called the Academy; all that energy and excitement so close you can almost touch it. The Big Pink would normally be the highlight of the week but on Monday night, we were blown away to different heights altogether; it was a different gig altogether and I appreciate I've just bemoaned the negative aspects of arena gigs but not all bands are the same. Some bands were made for massive arena gigs................

Many months ago I bought two tickets and for many months thereafter I kept it a secret because one of those tickets was part of my baby's birthday present; the other ticket was for me, I mean I wouldn't let my baby go on his own now, I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend if I did because that's what such occasions are for - for experiencing with someone you love. (Oh gosh I've gone all romantic, bless, look what you do to me baby! Love you baby xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox) This being despite the fact that I'm no big fan of the band in question but as my baby is, well come his birthday I just happened to be the best boyfriend in the World; and come Monday night neither of us were really sure what to expect. Neither of us have seen them live before, I don't think they've toured for years and what we didn't realise until we got to the gig and talked to some other fans - the band are like 60 years old now. Have they still got it? Are they past it? Can they still rock and put on a show? We didn't know, but we were both so excited - my baby in particular; oh my gosh his eyes were alight, his smile was never ending and he kept kissing me, cuddling me and wouldn't let go of my hand (which is never, ever a bad thing boys and girls!) But he was so alive with energy, happiness and excitement that it was worth the price of the tickets alone; gosh how I love to see my baby so happy and we were both hoping it was going to be a great gig, maybe me even more so because it was after all for such a special occasion - my baby's Birthday treat, a couple of months late admittedly but you can't always schedule a gig on the day of your boyfriends birthday. I wanted it to be something that he'd never forget...............

We went to see KISS and whatever we were expecting, anticipating and hoping so desperately for, they delivered and went beyond it, they blew us and everyone else packed inside a sold out MEN Arena away. We have never seen another gig like it, we may never see anything like it ever again because they absolutely rocked Manchester to the foundations, forget the MEN Arena, they rocked the whole of Manchester. They just blitzed the City to smithereens, absolutely tore it apart - the costumes, the stage, the set, the fireworks, the special effects, the guitarist flying out over the crowd to a turntable plinth down the far end of the Arena - you just would not believe it because we didn't even believe it ourselves; it honestly took at least 24 hours to appreciate what we had witnessed. I find their music a bit kind of middle of the road but live it rocks, not in a real hard way but in a feel good, sing a long, dance, jump and wave your arms in the air way. We were sat in the lower tier, or should have been, because from the moment they hit the stage we were up dancing, singing, jumping, playing air guitar and punching the air throughout. Which may all sound slightly extreme and out of place, the kind of behaviour that may get you thrown out of such a venue; except for the fact that as far as we could see everyone else was doing the same, the place was absolutely bouncing. Young, old, male, female, straight or gay - it didn't matter because everyone was drawn together as one, to pay homage to rock n roll.

I've seen some serious heavyweights in the music world - Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Lou Reed - serious rock royalty; I've always thought I would never see anything more spectacular than the U2 Zoo TV tour which was awe inspiring but I may have to think again. KISS are right up there with them all, something I would never imagine myself saying until after Monday night, but it's true. One things for sure we've never had so much fun at a gig, it was pure, unadulterated fun; such a feel good factor, such a buzz and so life affirming. The Arena, although vast, was absolutely buzzing from start to finish; we've never felt an atmosphere so electric and the noise, dear me; not only were KISS loud but the crowd were screaming and shouting just about every word from every song. And when they played crazy, crazy nights the crowd went absolutely mental singing the chorus back so loud that it sent a shiver down my spine; you looked around and the whole Arena was on their feet, their voices lifting the roof off the place; we've honestly never witnessed anything like it before.

The highlight of my night had nothing to do with the band, the music or the atmosphere; despite it being one of the best. It was the look of absolute joy and happiness on my baby's face, to see the guy I adore having the time of his life with the biggest smile I've ever seen; and he honestly did have the time of his life, we both did, well it was the best feeling in the World, the best night in the World. I'm so blessed to have been able to witness it, to be a part of it and to love you, so very blessed; one hell of a crazy night for all the right reasons xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox.