Last night I got to see Darren.. ON A BOAT!!! Lol, when booking the tickets we were trying to be strict with ourselves with the number we went to.. but how can you turn down a concert on a boat?! Anyway despite my Mums slight worry we were going to sink, and my hopes that the boat would sway along with the music the boat didn't seem to move at all (which is probably a good thing really lol) and seemed more club like than boat like anyway! Definitely wasn't the fancy cruise ship I'd secretly imagined!
As always, Darren was amazing! In fact he still seems to get better every time I see him (which seems impossible as I am always saying how amazing and brilliant he is, but it really is true!). He seemed extra chatty last night which was fab, he seems to talk more each night! He was funny as ever, at one point he was asking someone at the front to turn his fan on, and when they did he told the guy helping out that it was OK, his fan had turn his fan on lol, he then said how that was a really bad joke, and that whenever jokes that bad are told they call it 'dropping the funny egg' and that when someone does it you're supposed to pick it up and hand it to them. He then said his joke was so bad he'd made a whole omelette. When introducing 100 Challenging Things he was talking about reviews he'd had, and how he'd had a Malaysian phone interview and they asked him did he realise that his album was so GAY and that him being GAY was so controversial and did he realise that he was being so controversial.. the way he said the word gay can not be portrayed by text but it was very funny and then a few times later in the night he brought it back up again making everyone laugh.
At one point someone shouted out something, and Darren said 'is that a Thekle heckle?!' and said that he'd been waiting all night to say that lol. He also mentioned a few times about being on a boat! And teased us saying that he was sure we were tilting and perhaps we ought to move over to the left some. He then sang out Don't Rock the Boat, Don't Rock the Boat Over! (he also fitted this into one of the songs.. I think it was Dirty) which was cool -and fortunately for us all the boat did not tip over!
He sounded great, and you know it never fails to amaze me how stunning his voice actually is! Sometimes when I'm listening I just feel a sense of awe and realise how lucky I am to be there listening.
He sang Dublin Sky after the encore, acoustically with only Steve on the guitar and it sounded amazing. I got all excited when it started realising that we was getting a chance to hear something different! He then sang Unloveable, but very sweetly reminded people that the questions in the song are actually rhetorical and that it is not a pantomime and people aren't actually meant to respond. He put it much more tactfully than I could have done lol! But it worked, and people just listened rather than shouting throughout the song, and it sounded stunning.
The atmosphere on the boat was brilliant, and everyone seemed to be singing along, especially in Casey which to me seemed like the best performance of the song yet.. I really can't wait to hear the recordings of these performances! I Don't Care was probably my favourite song of the night, it just seemed extra special!
All in all another fantabulous night, and I can't believe I've passed the half way mark in concerts I'm attending! Only two left ;( But so far I am enjoying every minute of the gigs, and even the excitement inbetween the gigs. Definitely loving the Side 2 Tour!!
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Friday, 8 February 2008
Darren Hayes, Side 2 Tour, Manchester - 7/2/08
OK so Darren was PHENOMENAL tonight. It surpassed amazing, and in my opinion even better than the London gig. I don't know if it was because of the new order of songs (which I liked and think flowed really well), or the touches added to Dirty (All Around Me - YAY!! Quake - Coolness! I Want You, and I Need You Tonight - Brilliant!), Mine (Keep Bleeding, Keep Keep Bleeding!), and Conversation with God (Running Up That Hill), or perhaps just the audience - who were fabulous! Certainly louder than the London crowd, everyone seemed to love every minute of the show, and did not stop chanting for him to come back on in the break before the encore! It must be so weird to have three hundred odd people chanting for you to come back on stage lol. The atmosphere was great!
I could see a lot more of the stage this time (I couldn't really see any of it in London!) and its really pretty with a some fairy lights and those flowery lights in a vase. It's cool because it kinda give the whole thing the more relaxed feel I was talking about in my last blog, great!
Darren himself seemed a lot more relaxed too, perhaps as it was the 4th gig for him now so he's had time to settle into it all! He looked and sounded amazing, and was extremely funny when telling us about the 'theiving bitch' who took his mug yesterday and emailed him to ask what tea he drank. He then went on to tell us how he had the runs last night and how she probably had it now and it served her right! lol! He slipped up at the same place in Setting Sun - which is probably still my favourite bit of the gig, I completely love the song anyway but it sounds even better live! I want a keyboard that can play that beat!! He also slot in Unloveable at the start of the (fake)encore which was beautiful, at one point he was singing in almost a whisper and then cranked it up to sing loud again and the effect was quite stunning.
Anyway I think thats about everything without repeating myself over and over (which I would quite willingly do but then the two readers I have would probably abandon me!), needless to say I had a completely brilliant night (again) as Darren was fantastic (again) and I SO can't wait (though can wait at the same time!) for the next one! Which I think is Bristol - on a boat!! How cool!!! It feels so weird not doing them all this time (and I keep getting seriously tempted by the ones I'm not going to), though when I remember that we were only supposed to be doing two and ended up doing five, I am more than happy about it!!!!!
I could see a lot more of the stage this time (I couldn't really see any of it in London!) and its really pretty with a some fairy lights and those flowery lights in a vase. It's cool because it kinda give the whole thing the more relaxed feel I was talking about in my last blog, great!
Darren himself seemed a lot more relaxed too, perhaps as it was the 4th gig for him now so he's had time to settle into it all! He looked and sounded amazing, and was extremely funny when telling us about the 'theiving bitch' who took his mug yesterday and emailed him to ask what tea he drank. He then went on to tell us how he had the runs last night and how she probably had it now and it served her right! lol! He slipped up at the same place in Setting Sun - which is probably still my favourite bit of the gig, I completely love the song anyway but it sounds even better live! I want a keyboard that can play that beat!! He also slot in Unloveable at the start of the (fake)encore which was beautiful, at one point he was singing in almost a whisper and then cranked it up to sing loud again and the effect was quite stunning.
Anyway I think thats about everything without repeating myself over and over (which I would quite willingly do but then the two readers I have would probably abandon me!), needless to say I had a completely brilliant night (again) as Darren was fantastic (again) and I SO can't wait (though can wait at the same time!) for the next one! Which I think is Bristol - on a boat!! How cool!!! It feels so weird not doing them all this time (and I keep getting seriously tempted by the ones I'm not going to), though when I remember that we were only supposed to be doing two and ended up doing five, I am more than happy about it!!!!!
Monday, 4 February 2008
The Side Two Tour - London, 3rd February 2008.
Brilliant. 'nuff said.
OK no that really isn't enough. The gig was fantastic and I really really really REALLY enjoyed myself. However, it was extremely different to the other shows of his I have been to (not that it's a bad thing.. just different!). The Time Machine tour was amazing, and very much a show, thinking back to the first gig I was hit almost immediately with Darrens star quality and a real disbelief that more people didn't see it - and even after all this time I can't think of any other word to describe it except for amazing. Last night was extremely different. It didn't really feel like a proper concert, it was more like we were just popping along, listening to some songs.. most of which have not been heard live for a long time and some not at all. I have a friend who sings, and it was almost like when we get together with him and we're all calling out random requests (most of which he doesn't sing in regular live gigs), going play this one.. OK now do this one.. ooo great.. now this one! If you can sort of understand what I mean!
Because of this, it felt almost more relaxed and even at times more respectful of the music. One of the songs he sand was 100 Challenging Things.. and noone made a sound, (Or at least around me they didn't seem to be), and I got a completely new perspective on the song and just thought wow! And then we got to hear stuff I've never heard live before.. I don't Care and Mine, and RBL and it was so cool to hear these, because even when I'm plotting in my head prospective lineups I tend to think how unlikely it is they will come up - but they did! SO good to hear things from such a long time ago. And then things I haven't heard live in an age, Dirty brought flashbacks of TCFC which was just cool.
And then theres the stuff off Delicate.. Sing to me was brilliant live and I am so glad he sung it! Ever since hearing the album I seem to keep dreaming of him singing it live so was a bit weird for it to actually happen! Casey was brilliant, even when Darren had to start again because of people clapping out of time! Lol, everyone got so excited and in to the song as the beat properly kicked in that the clapping was all over the place and Darren missed his 'click' or something and started laughing that he had to start again, specially after saying at the start that as he was recording this he better do it properly!
Aside from the singing Darren was his usual charming and funny self, he told of his hat theory which was brilliant, particularly as I know someone who actually seems to be like that (though not with a hat, a particular jacket), he made a joke about the 'fake encore' and stayed on the stage throwing out phrases that we would be saying if he had of gone off.. 'he's much better looking in real life!' 'he didn't sing I want you.. that pissed me off!' etc, very funny. Shave and Steve went off but they were back super speedy and it was the shortest fake encore I've ever seen! Darren said that in other gigs he might try going off, so for the people going again, if that happened make sure we clap as if he's never coming back lol.
Set list time..
Hero
Bombs Up In My Face
Sense of Humour
A Conversation With God
Gunning Down Romance
Random Blinking Light
100 Challenging Things A Boy Can Do
Setting Sun
Maybe
Mine
Dirty
Casey
Sing to Me
*Fake encore*
I Don't Care
So Beautiful
Which reminds me Setting Sun.. was possibly the song I was most hoping he would sing and most looking forward to and he didn't dissapoint. It was brilliant! And funny too with Shave on the keytar and when Darren messed a bit up he sang along saying how great it was that the beat was the same throughout so he could just join in again. But it sounded fab live and can't wait to hear it again :D
All in all, was a completely brilliant night, though I am glad my friends I was trying to bring a long declined as I don't think they would have known any of the songs.. but it was the perfect gig for me (and I'm sure other fans too lol). Complete brilliance!!
I also picked up a bit of merchandise.. a faberoonie mug and bag, and some badges (can not resist merchandise), the CD was also on sale which before I identified properly I nearly bought aswell lol. The only slightly annoying thing was despite it being announced before hand that there were to be no cameras there seemed to be many people clicking, flashing and even filming away - how rude!
As I don't want to end on a bad note, I will just mention again how completely amazingly fabulously brilliant Darren is and how fantastically great the gig was ;)
OK no that really isn't enough. The gig was fantastic and I really really really REALLY enjoyed myself. However, it was extremely different to the other shows of his I have been to (not that it's a bad thing.. just different!). The Time Machine tour was amazing, and very much a show, thinking back to the first gig I was hit almost immediately with Darrens star quality and a real disbelief that more people didn't see it - and even after all this time I can't think of any other word to describe it except for amazing. Last night was extremely different. It didn't really feel like a proper concert, it was more like we were just popping along, listening to some songs.. most of which have not been heard live for a long time and some not at all. I have a friend who sings, and it was almost like when we get together with him and we're all calling out random requests (most of which he doesn't sing in regular live gigs), going play this one.. OK now do this one.. ooo great.. now this one! If you can sort of understand what I mean!
Because of this, it felt almost more relaxed and even at times more respectful of the music. One of the songs he sand was 100 Challenging Things.. and noone made a sound, (Or at least around me they didn't seem to be), and I got a completely new perspective on the song and just thought wow! And then we got to hear stuff I've never heard live before.. I don't Care and Mine, and RBL and it was so cool to hear these, because even when I'm plotting in my head prospective lineups I tend to think how unlikely it is they will come up - but they did! SO good to hear things from such a long time ago. And then things I haven't heard live in an age, Dirty brought flashbacks of TCFC which was just cool.
And then theres the stuff off Delicate.. Sing to me was brilliant live and I am so glad he sung it! Ever since hearing the album I seem to keep dreaming of him singing it live so was a bit weird for it to actually happen! Casey was brilliant, even when Darren had to start again because of people clapping out of time! Lol, everyone got so excited and in to the song as the beat properly kicked in that the clapping was all over the place and Darren missed his 'click' or something and started laughing that he had to start again, specially after saying at the start that as he was recording this he better do it properly!
Aside from the singing Darren was his usual charming and funny self, he told of his hat theory which was brilliant, particularly as I know someone who actually seems to be like that (though not with a hat, a particular jacket), he made a joke about the 'fake encore' and stayed on the stage throwing out phrases that we would be saying if he had of gone off.. 'he's much better looking in real life!' 'he didn't sing I want you.. that pissed me off!' etc, very funny. Shave and Steve went off but they were back super speedy and it was the shortest fake encore I've ever seen! Darren said that in other gigs he might try going off, so for the people going again, if that happened make sure we clap as if he's never coming back lol.
Set list time..
Hero
Bombs Up In My Face
Sense of Humour
A Conversation With God
Gunning Down Romance
Random Blinking Light
100 Challenging Things A Boy Can Do
Setting Sun
Maybe
Mine
Dirty
Casey
Sing to Me
*Fake encore*
I Don't Care
So Beautiful
Which reminds me Setting Sun.. was possibly the song I was most hoping he would sing and most looking forward to and he didn't dissapoint. It was brilliant! And funny too with Shave on the keytar and when Darren messed a bit up he sang along saying how great it was that the beat was the same throughout so he could just join in again. But it sounded fab live and can't wait to hear it again :D
All in all, was a completely brilliant night, though I am glad my friends I was trying to bring a long declined as I don't think they would have known any of the songs.. but it was the perfect gig for me (and I'm sure other fans too lol). Complete brilliance!!
I also picked up a bit of merchandise.. a faberoonie mug and bag, and some badges (can not resist merchandise), the CD was also on sale which before I identified properly I nearly bought aswell lol. The only slightly annoying thing was despite it being announced before hand that there were to be no cameras there seemed to be many people clicking, flashing and even filming away - how rude!
As I don't want to end on a bad note, I will just mention again how completely amazingly fabulously brilliant Darren is and how fantastically great the gig was ;)
Not only am I addicted to blogging I'm addicted to making new blogs..
Hah! Anyway, as much of my hobbying time is devoted to Darren in some way or another, I figured I'd make it all separate. Maybe even when I find masses of time I can add in all my old bits and bobs I've written about him! Flashback mania :D
Anyway.. ON WITH THE BLOG!
Anyway.. ON WITH THE BLOG!
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