Kaiser Chiefs at The O2

London. Saturday 01-February-2020

It seems that most of our concert going entails a nice meal beforehand and this was no exception. A pre-gig meal at Craft London. We, as often, opt for a set menu which was very tasty and reasonable value unlike the wines which had a hefty, not to say greedy, markup. We were there in plenty of time to allow for a leisurely meal and then wandered in just as Razorlight were starting their set.

Razorlight were okay but our enjoyment was somewhat spoiled by the two women in the seats next to us who decided to dance through the whole performance blocking our view as a result. Basically they were going to have a good time and sod anyone else.

Kaiser Chiefs delivered an good concert, better than the last time I saw them. Ricky Wilson makes an excellent front man pogoing about the stage with great energy. With these big arenas it is nice to have not only the screens showing what’s going on the stage but also a light show behind to provide visual interest.

At one point Ricky disappeared and emerged onto a small podium in the middle of the arena floor much to the delight of the groundlings. He performed for a couple of songs and then returned to the main stage.

Lots of greatest hits delivered so we were happy. We snuck out as they started the encore in order to beat the stampede for the tube - a wise move for what looked like a sell-out concert.

George Ezra at the O2 Arena

London. Tuesday 19-March-2019.

George seems like a jolly nice chap. I like an artist who comes across as being glad to be there and appreciative of the response from the audience.

We were not able to get two seats together and so bought separate seats in adjacent blocks quite some way back, such is the size of the venue and the popularity of the artist. I sat in someone else's seat, next to Mary, until they showed up and then moved a couple of rows back to a "no show" seat so that worked out ok.

The excellent support act was Sigrid who did an energetic and enjoyable set as she bounced about the stage. Then George came on and did a fair bit of chat introducing each song which I always enjoy. He sang all the hits from both his albums. As we have his first but not his second we only knew some of the songs but enjoyed even the unknowns.

The modern equivalent of holding up your lighters is waving your smartphone torchlight, an impressive sight with so many; read about the origins of this custom.

The show was well designed for a large venue with the big screens and a visual, animated backdrop for the stage. The sound quality was good - not always the case in a big venue. Now all the O2 Arena has to do is sort out the very limited air-side catering and hiked-up drinks prices!

All in all a fine show.

Emeli Sande at the O2 Arena

London. Wednesday 18-October-2017.

We flew back from Italy for this concert (and to visit Mary's Mum for her birthday) and well worth the trip. It was an excellent concert considering we only knew the one song from the Olympics closing ceremony back in 2012.

The support act was Calum Scott who seemed genuinely amazed and thankful to be there and perform before such a huge crowd thanks to Emeli.

Emeli herself was brilliant. I have to say big thanks are due to the sound engineers. We could hear every word she sang which really helps when you don't know the songs. At many concerts the audience is full of the faithful who know every line of every song.

Chloe Hubbard at The Independent called it "Powerful and captivating". I'd go with that. Full review here: Emeli Sandé at the O2 Arena, London.

As luck would have it, on our return from Mary's Mum, we saw a cheap copy of Emeli's first album in Glasgow airport so we snapped it up and have been listening to it regularly since with great pleasure.

Van Morrison and Jeff Beck at The O2

"London. Sunday 30-October-2016.

Once again Van Morrison's appearance at the BluesFest has coincided with our wedding anniversary, this year our 23rd. This time a double bill with Jeff Beck who we also last saw at The O2 back in 2010, then in concert with Eric Clapton.

So we preceded the concert with very nice meal at Gaucho and consequently felt suitably mellow as we took our seats.

Jeff Beck was up first and was excellent followed by Van The Man. Having seen Van Morrison many times (we think this is the eighth) we have never been disappointed. I particularly liked Moondance which he did in preference to Brown Eyed Girl which I have never been that fond of.

It was very different seeing him from way back in the O2 where you had to rely on the big screens as opposed to smaller venues where you can see him directly. The music is the same but the experience isn't quite the same. That aside it was a good concert, both The Evening Standard and The Upcoming gave it four stars.

Sarah Bradbury, The Upcoming: "What better way to end a packed weekend of blues, rock and soul than with two British masters of their craft: Jeff Beck and Van Morrison. [...] The Northern Irish songwriter may have failed to get his Sunday night crowd up and dancing but he proved his transcendental style and sublimely soulful voice still have much to offer with this masterclass in blues." Full review...

A great way to end the BluesFest and celebrate 23 year of marriage.

Bill Wyman and The Rhythm Kings at Indigo at the O2

London. Friday 28-October-2016.

The first of two visits to the BluesFest at the O2, this in the smaller venue that is the Indigo.

The show was billed as an 80th birthday gala for Bill Wyman with a host of guests.  The first dozen or so rows were clearly marked off for VIP tickets or invited guests. We had excellent seats in the middle of the second row of the bookable seats.

The general format was each guest came on for two or three songs. Behind the stage the screen showed images of the original artist and the original 45. Almost without exception the originals were black artists which shows the depth of gratitude rhythm and blues, soul, and rock'n'roll owes to African American musicians.

Joe Brown was the first guest introduced by Bill. It was entertaining to see a real rock'n'roll survivor. He's a bit like Cliff Richard, wholesome and aged very well. Nice man.

Joe Brown

Mark Knopfler joined Joe Brown. Boy can he play guitar! The genius behind Dire Straights. His guitar playing made it look so effortless, fluid, unmistakeable. Loved it.

We were due to see Van Morrison two days later on the Sunday so this was a bonus. He was on good form.

Van Morrison

Robert Plant was one of the highlights amongst the guests - never thought I'd tick him off my bucket list. More than slightly surreal to hear him singing Let the Boogie Woogie Roll.

Robert Plant

Bob Geldof gave a speech in praise on Bill. Very touching and clearly heartfelt, the man's OK but many commenters on Bill's FaceBook page seemed to think it's ok to be rude about him, I don't hold with that.

The full list of guests. These were mostly golden oldies.

• Joe Brown.
• Molly Marriott - daughter of Steve Marriott.
• Mark Knopfler
• Andy Fairweather-Low
• Van Morrison
• Martin Taylor
• Holly Stephenson
• Bob Geldof
• Little Steven
• Mick Hucknall
• Mike Sanchez
• Imelda May
• Robert Plant

The Telegraph gave this gig five stars and well they might, it was a superb night.

"The stage may have been filled by bald heads, grey hair and wrinkles, but close your eyes and that dirty blues remained as thrilling as ever. Great music is not just timeless, it effectively suspends time. And this was a night of really great music, played with love and style by masters of the art.

The vintage stars came out for Wyman’s 80th Birthday Gala at the O2 Indigo in London, as part of the Bluesfest. Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Mick Hucknall, Imelda May and Joe Brown all joined the Rhythm Kings for slick, rich, heartfelt runs through blues and soul classics." Full review...

Cracking evening.

Alice Cooper at The O2

The O2 Arena, London. Saturday 18-June-2016.

The Stone Free Festival was an opportunity to see the legendary Alice Cooper.

The first act Blackberry Smoke impressed. They are an American Southern rock/country rock band from Atlanta, Georgia.

Apocalytica were my first encounter with Cello Metal - who knew that was a thing? File under "Hmmm. Interesting".

The Darkness were OK-ish. Not Mary's thing so she went out for that set.

Finally the act I suspect was the real reason many were there - Alice Cooper. He kicked off with "No More Mr Nice Guy",  always one of my favourites.


The Evening Standard wrote: "Cooper’s tightly drilled, heroically daft pantomime was in fine fettle, despite the 68-year-old’s reduced mobility and absence of patter. As if it were 1972 (the whole point of Stone Free), there were explosions; the traditional live snake on Is it My Body; the guillotine ritual on the Killer/I Love the Dead medley which, not entirely unpredictably, ended with Cooper being resurrected by the love of a lascivious woman; a 20ft monster on Feed My Frankenstein and two fake Kennedys having a fake brawl during the closing Elected." Full review...

I think "heroically daft pantomime" describes it perfectly.

Louder Than War’s Sophie Sparham wrote: "The band’s encore consisted of a series of tributes to fallen rock stars such as Keith Moon, Hendrix, Lemmy and Bowie. It was great to see such a legend paying tribute to musicians that have passed and revved the crowd up for ‘Eighteen’ and ‘Schools Out’, which he sang accompanied by bubbles that came out from the side of the stage." Full review and pictures...

The tributes were great rock and roll songs and very touching all at the same time.

So that's another act ticked off the bucket list :-)

The Who Hits 50 at The O2

Monday 23-March-2015

This will be the third time I have seen The Who. Last time was in 1996 in Hyde Park when they played the whole of Quadraphenia. The first time was in 1970 at the Isle of Wight Festival when they played the whole of Tommy! I still have the original vinyl double gatefold album with the price sticker 85/- That is 85 shillings or four and a quarter of your English pounds.

This concert was the rescheduled from last year due to Roger Daltry's voice problems. Here he was on good form as he belted out the greatest hits for two and a quarter hours - not bad for a 71-year old. Pete Townsend was also irrepressible and very sweary. They did their signature moves - microphone swinging and arm windmilling respectively.

We went for the "Hot ticket package" so we had better seats, closer to the stage, worth it especially as I will probably never see them again. We also got "merchandising" - a Mod-style backpack, official souvenir brochure and laminate plus lanyard.

The Evening Standard writes: "[...] as you might expect from men of their vintage, things were a little flabby around the middle. By Townshend’s own admission, a lacklustre Slip Kid “sounded better in the sound check” while A Quick One, While He’s Away was The Who in self-parody. Thankfully, the frenetic strumming of Pinball Wizard jolted things back into life. When this was followed by the evergreen Won’t Get Fooled Again, a triumphant show was given its crowning moment. Townshend has suggested this will be the band’s final tour; if that’s the case, they’re going out on a high." Full review...

I would second that. The concert delivered exactly what it said on the tin: all the iconic hits including My Generation - how ironic to hear a pensioner sing "I hope I die before I get old". Unfortunately Mary had to leave at 10pm to get up to Stansted so I watched the last 40 mins on my own. That last segment included an excellent medley of tracks from Tommy. Superb!

Howard Jones - Engage at indigo at The O2

London. Friday 20-February-2015

This is the second time of seeing Engage. Last time was at Shepherds Bush Empire as an unplanned last minute outing - Howard Jones 30th Celebration. I was so knocked out by it that when this performance was announced I snapped up two VIP tickets.

Mary was not interested in going, not really her kind of music, so our friend Nigel took the spare ticket. We met up beforehand for a quick bite and in for the VIP pre-concert show. Last time Howard did an acoustic set. This time he did just one song but he talked through his 'rig' - how he had set up his keyboard for various effects and then performed the song to illustrate the effects.

Many concerts I have been to all you can see are the glow worm screens of smart phones. I do take a few photos but spend most of the time attending to the concert.

When I saw Kate Bush she appealed to her audience to be there in the moment: "It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows. I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras. " A sentiment I can agree with.

Howard has taken the opposite approach of "If you can't beat them, join them." He commissioned an app so that the phone becomes part of the show. Images synced to the show are broadcast to all the phones in the audience. And if you are using the phone to watch images you are not using it to take photos or record the show.

The first half of the concert proper was a performance of Engage. It features a see-through screen on which various images are projected and you could still see the performers through the screen.

In general the images broadcast to the iPhones matched the projection on the screen.

I also have the DVD of Engage for which Howard went the crowdfunding route at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/howardjonesengage. Options included everything from a signed copy of the DVD, through a set of hand-written lyrics, to a day in the studio with Howard and even his actual Roland keyboard.

After the interval it was the greatest hits with all the songs we know and love.

Part of the deal with the VIP tickets was a free glass of sparkling wine in the "exclusive" after show party (that is me and 299 other VIP ticket holders). The big surprise was Howard popping to do short jam with an accompanying guitarist. He sang for about 20 minutes a fairly random medley some of which were suggested by the audience.

My suggestion to Howard would be to include a VIP mosh pit option. Last time I was on the floor and really close up which was a much more Engage-ing experience.

All-in-all well worth the VIP ticket price

Monty Python Live (Mostly) at the O2 Arena

Saturday 19-July-2014.

The first time I saw the Pythons live was w-a-a-y back on Sunday 31-Jan-1971 at the Lanchester Polytechnic Arts Festival in Coventry.

I went to the "Mixed Media" show to see Ivor Cutler, Adrian Henri and Curved Air feat. Sonja Kristina. Then, en masse, the audience decamped down the road to the Belgrade Theatre for the midnight show by Monty Python's Flying Circus.

The crowd were chanting "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey-ey Goodbye" as we made the short journey between venues. Many wore knotted handkerchiefs on their head declaiming "My brain hurts". The Pythons did all the classics including the dead parrot - always a favourite.

I can tell you today's O2 Arena tickets cost a deal more than 12 shillings (that is 50p in your new fangled decimal money).

When this event came up we just had to go. There was a massive dead parrot in the concourse and I had to wait my turn for this photo opportunity with many others doing the same.

A suitably Gilliam-esque proscenium arch.

When the members of the cast appeared there was a surge of photo taking drolly anticipated by "Photo Opportunity" captions.

The show was a mix of live performance, vintage TV clips and song and dance routines from a much younger troupe. The photo below is Bruces sketch if I recall correctly.

I think the Telegraph summed it up best: "Poignant and predictable, but tremendous fun." [Three stars]

"If the best parts were predictable they were tremendous fun too. The arrival of the Spanish Inquisition showcased Python's gift for high-strung irascibility; Dead Parrot blurred the divide between end-of-pier and Beckett-esque existentialism (Palin briefly floundered, blindsided by what felt like an impromptu swipe by Cleese against the Daily Mail). Four Yorkshiremen, arguably their cleverest, least over-egged routine, was reprised beat for beat – ironic considering it skewers the same impulse to mythologize the past Python were now party to." Full review...

The Guardian gave it three stars as well.

"This was always going to be a parade of the greatest hits; everyone expected the Spanish Inquisition, not to mention the Lumberjack Song, Cheese Shop, Dead Parrot and Spam. These are all duly delivered, often ingeniously segued into one another. But there are some less familiar gems too. It was a joy to be reminded of the Exploding Penguin sketch, as well as Anne Elk's Theory on Brontosauruses, performed with such glorious deadpan by John Cleese that Idle fights to keep a straight face throughout." Full review...

So many people with knotted handkerchiefs on their head declaiming "My brain hurts". They did all the classics including the dead parrot - always a favourite.When we got home Team Fluffy were standing by their food bowls awaiting, nay demanding, a midnight snack. It was indeed the stroke of midnight as this was taken.

A fine evening's entertainment.

Mott the Hoople at The O2

Monday 18-November-2013

An opportunity to "carpe diem" and tick another artist off the yet-to-be-written, musical bucket list.

At work on that Monday I saw that a couple of cyber-chums were going to this concert. I'd never seen Mott The Hoople and "All the young dudes" was one of those evocative tracks from my teen years especially because of its mention of T.Rex.

I was home alone because Mary was on a business trip to Columbia and I thought "What the heck, why not?" The cats might be a bit peckish when I get home but there are plenty of nuggets for them to eat if they so deign.

Off to TicketMaster and purchased an excellent seat on the floor of the arena, Block A, Row H. Messaged my Facebook friends and said "hope to meet you there for a drink" and so it transpired.

I had briefly met Linda and Gordon at previous Bolan Bops but was not so egocentric as to be sure if they would remember me but at least I knew what they looked like. I spotted Linda behind me on the escalator and waited at the top to say hello.


Gordon, Rick, Linda. Alessandro


Alessandro, Mark (me), Linda, Gordon

The first support act was Fish of Marillion fame who Linda was keen to see so we all went in to catch the latter half of his set. We all reconvened for a beer and a chat during the second support act, Thunder, and then back into the arena for the main act.





They played a load of songs I didn't recognise and then all the greatest hits that the crowd were here to hear.



After the gig Gordon reckoned they were on a par with a fair pub rock band and the Telegraph was pretty much of the same mind: "The glam-rock giants overstay their comeback, but shine when they stick to energetic classics.

[...] the main set is largely composed of such stodgy, lumpen fare [...] Amid this muddy morass, the classic singles shine like diamonds. The magnificent The Golden Age of Rock'n'roll and All the Way from Memphis remain rollicking, rambunctious glam-rock anthems, alive to their own glory and absurdity, while All the Young Dudes and Roll Away the Stone are roustabout encore gems. Sadly, they come too little and too late to salvage a show that simply feels like a comeback too far."

Full review: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/19/mott-the-hoople-review

A great evening and great to meet up with fellow T.Rex fans in real life.

Madness at the the O2

O2 Arena, London. Saturday 22-December-12.

From one extreme venue to another: from the hyper-intimate Green Note cafe to the stadium rock of the O2 Arena.

These Madness tickets were bought a while ago before Mary knew she had another bunion screw loose and would need it removed. She had the screw removed the evening before so public transport was not a good idea. She did not want to risk the jostling throngs stepping on her toe nor could she walk far. We did consider taxi both ways but that was getting expensive.

Instead I drove and we used the valet parking which I can highly recommend. You get to drive right up to the arena VIP entrance so minimal walking for Mary. They park your car close by and you walk in the VIP entrance - no jostling crowds here. A short stroll brings you right to the main internal gate. Money well spent in the circumstances.

Going inside, our seats were in the middle of a row so we lurked at the end of the row opposite to postpone taking our seats till the last minute. When the occupants of those seats arrived we relocated to a wheelchair platform which had a reasonable view. Given the peril to Mary's foot I spoke to customer services about staying where we were. Initially they said no, space reserved, but just before the concert started they came and swapped our tickets for a "limited mobility" allocation. Well done O2 customer service!

It Must Be Love

The concert was the expected collection of greatest hits which got the crowds dancing in the aisles. See reviews in The Standard (4 stars) and The Independent.

Reversing our route through the VIP exit we made good time as we get a head start on the normal parking getting home in under an hour. And so to bed.

Ali Campbell at IndigO2

IndigO2, London. Friday 07-December-12.

Mary was delayed in South Africa on business so my friend Bill stepped in at the last minute to avoid the ticket going to waste (or me having to stand around outside the O2 like a ticket tout).

Alistair Ian "Ali" Campbell is a British singer, solo artist and songwriter who was the lead singer and founding member of UB40. As part of UB40, Campbell sold over 70 million records world wide and toured the globe for 30 years. Wikipedia

It was a concert that delivered exactly what you would expect: reggae inna UB40 stylee. A professional bunch of musicians delivered what they do best: a good smattering of UB40 songs for the faithful and, what I was not expecting, a couple of cover versions. Odd to hear "Paint It Black" and "Purple Rain" in a reggae arrangement - not in a bad way and interesting take on such familiar tracks.



I have to agree with most of the other reviews: Brilliant concert, DJ beforehand was on too long, Ali could have been on longer (hour and a half from 9pm). His final encore was, not unexpectedly, "Red, Red Wine".

Another fine evening out.

Alanis Morissette at The O2

The O2 Arena, London. Wednesday 28-November-12.

Mary was delayed in Poland on business so my sister Jane stepped in at the last minute to avoid the ticket going to waste (or me having to stand around outside the O2 like a ticket tout).

The main act was not due until 9pm so we skipped the support acts and went for a meal at Las Iguanas and a good old natter. I had the Incredible Xinxim which did not live up to its name. The first time I had it, it was delicious – this time not quite so. They were very busy and I am not convinced the kitchen was up to the volume. I would go back but I’d pick something different next time.

Then we went into the VIP O2 Lounge. Only for O2 customers and you have to text UPGRADE 2 (or the number in your group, max 6) to 60202 on the day for the limited availability access. It gets you into a quiet bar and your own private lift to the venue.

It used to be that venues said “No recording” and “No photography” but all you could see in the standing area was a sea of glow-worms as people held up their smart phones to capture the moment. Perhaps it got too hard to police or maybe they decided that the quality is so poor that they had nothing to fear or realised that many are destined to generate positive word-of-mouth or some social media goodness. Certainly from our vantage point the images are indicative only.

As at any gig there are the faithful who know all the songs and all the words and were singing along to whatever she sings. I am not so familiar with her works and so, not being able to make out the words, had to listen to her voice as the sixth instrument in the band, that is until we got to the hits.

Catherine Gee of the Telegraph gave the concert Three Stars:

"[...] It was the two-song acoustic section towards the end which best showcased her remarkable vocal talent. Sat atop a tall chair, ankle resting on her knee, she belted out Hand in My Pocket and the enchanting a cappella track Your House, bringing the huge crowd to near silence.

Mellow she may be these days, but Morissette can still command the attention of thousands with nothing but the power of her voice."

The Telegraph - Live Music Reviews

Toots and the Maytals at IndigO2

London, Friday 03-August-2012.

Part of Jamaica's 60th anniversary celebrations. Off to IndigO2 to watch Toots and the Maytals.

Cr*p iPhone photo

We dined at Gaucho beforehand - the classiest of the restaurants and eateries at the O2. A starter of ceviche (raw seafood) followed by delicious steak, then off the the venue. We were upstairs and had a relaxing drink in the nicely spacious and uncrowded bar while waiting for the music to begin.

Support was Toots Junior and one of the backing singers (Chantelle Ernandez) who had a solo spot. Then the man himself for a hefty dose of ska and rock steady ending up with Monkey Man for the grand finale. Another fine musical evening :-)

Supertramp at the O2

Mary was due to see Supertramp at the O2 with her friend Andrea but was unable to go so I stepped into the breach. Andrea had managed to get excellent seats - the closest to the stage that I have ever been at the O2.

Courtesy of my mobile service provider O2 I got us a free upgrade to access their O2 lounge and we were able to relax in uncrowded surroundings. If you are an O2 customer text 'upgrade' and the number of guests (max 4) to 60202 after 3pm on the day of the concert. If you are in the first 100 then you get access, 2-4-1 cocktails and a private elevator to the arena.



The concert is part of Supertramps's "Greatest Hits Tour" and so it was. Excellent concert with much toe-tapping. Afterwards we went for a glass of wine while the crowds died down and got home about 00:45. I must say was not fully refreshed, alert and ready for my day when the alarm went off at 05:45 but worth it.

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck at The O2

London, UK. Saturday 13-February-2010. [Published 04-Feb-2023]

I can’t believe that I didn’t blog seeing the legendary Eric Clapton at the O2. Prompted by the recent passing of Jeff Beck I went to check when it was that I saw him and Eric in concert only to discover that I had not done a post at the time. So this is a very belated retro-post.

I’m sure I didn’t imagine it so I went and checked back in Facebook memories. First I found Jeff Beck supporting Van Morrison in 2016 [Van Morrison and Jeff Beck at The O2].

Going further back, I found a reference which implied that Mary had been twice: once with me and once with her friend Andrea but she has no idea why she did such a thing. I was at home on the second occasion with our two rescue cats, Peaches and Blue, that we had picked up that very day from the re-homing centre.

Further googling revealed that Eric and Jeff had in fact done two concerts on consecutive nights the 13th and 14th. So I went and checked back through my picture archive, hey presto! there was a photo from the 13th. I didn’t imagine it, I was there.

Full song list from www.setlist.fm revealed that Jeff went first, then Eric, then a joint set. Despite his reputation I was less familiar with Jeff Beck's music but the rest was much more familiar. A great evening with some classic songs and legendary guitar playing. 

Bill Bailey at the O2

Mary Galashan wrote "when a friend of a friend of a friend invites to you at the last minute to see Bill Bailey in a hospitality box at the O2, don't even think about it, say YES!!! It was great fun and so clever."


Peter Blake guitar at The O2

An old friend of my brother rang me up last Friday lunch time and asked if I was free that evening to go see Bill Bailey at the O2. He had done someone a favour and they reciprocated by giving him the exclusive use of a corporate box on that very day. So he spent the entire day frantically phoning round to find short-notice guests. Mary and I were available so off we went for what turned out to be a most excellent evening.

We saw Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra which was hugely entertaining. I had not realised that he was a musician before he was a comic and was pleasantly surprised when he sat down at the piano to rattle off a few classical numbers. Google for more reviews.

There was catering, as much drink as we wanted all for free, plus the entertainment. Afterwards, as it was still early, we went down to the VIP lounge bar and had a glass of champagne to round off the evening.

Bill Bailey at The O2. Slumming it in the corporate hospitality box. Free booze. Free food. Peter Blake original on the wall. Party on dudes!!

James Taylor at The O2

Mon 06-Jul-09. A fantastic concert and a great evening. Also catching what I missed in New Orleans and a whole load more. At the Jazz Fest I mistakenly decide to miss the first half of JT's set in favour of Johnny Winter, blues legend. Big mistake. Mary raved about JT so when we learned that he was on at the O2 is was an easy decision to go.



We went with our friend Elizabeth from the US who was staying with us for a couple of days. We had a Thai meal beforehand but due to our contingency-free timing and their slow service we missed the first 10 minutes of his set - fortunately none of the greatest hits.

He played all the old songs you could hope for (Sweet Baby James, You've Got a Friend, Carolina in my Mind, Fire and Rain) plus loads of interesting covers - country, jazz, blues, even an Elvis number. The PA system sounded top quality to my ears and he was in excellent voice so much listening pleasure :-)

Tina Turner at the O2

Simply the best :-)

Saturday morning we had nothing planned for that evening. "Fancy seeing Tina Turner at the O2?" said Mary. Yeah, right like there will be any tickets available. But I looked on TicketMaster anyway and there were some tickets, cheapest in the house, "restricted view" which, looking at the seating plan, basically meant "behind the stage and you might just see something if Tina came right to the wings".

A quick Google revealed some secondhand tickets at face value from people who could not go - but the tickets had - and a couple of pairs offered at USD 1,000 - no way!

Anyhow I tried again at about 3 o'clock and would you believe it: a pair of top price tickets in block A2 (the block right in front of the stage) in the centre of row X, just 24 rows from the front. Brilliant seats so close we didn't need to look at the big screen to see Tina's expression.



The concert was a greatest hits and you can't ask for better than that.



Lots of costume changes including a "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" for "We don't need another hero".



For a woman of 70 (!!) she still had the skin, the legs and the, ahem, upper torso and she wasn't afraid to flaunt it. And with what energy - "I'll have what she's having".



Right near the end she came out on an extending walk way that cantilevered out over the front section of the auditorium until she was practically over our heads. A fantastic concert and an unexpected surprise, as evenings go simply the best.

A Weekend of Culture

Last weekend was a weekend of culture.

Friday night we went to See "Love's Labours Lost" at The Rose Theatre in Kingston. An excellent production directed by Peter Hall. The costumes and set were particularly a visual delight. What the papers said:

"An absolute feast for the ear...Peter Bowles's Don Armado is a delight...a Shakespeare production of the highest calibre." The Guardian

"A production full of the ripe pleasures of a classic comedy" The London Paper

"William Chubb is both hilariously pompous and unexpectedly touching as the pedantic schoolmaster Holofernes, and Greg Haiste's Costard is a genuinely funny clown...this comedy may be demanding but it pays rich rewards." Telegraph

"An elegantly staged piece, and as with most Hall productions, beautifully spoken." What's On Stage

"Shakespeare as Shakespeare intended it." The Guardian

Saturday we went to a Festival New Orleans at The O2, mainly to see John Mooney. We saw his set and then went to eat at Los Iguanas. We sat outside and were able to watch Buckwheat Zydeco followed by Dr John from the comfort of our table. Excellent :-)



We are really looking forward to next year's jazz fest. We are going over to New Orleans for The French Quarter Festival and the first weekend of the Jazz and Heritage Fesitval.



Laissez les bon temps roulez!