Bradford Lass wrote:
My spare ticket went to Bill from the states (my old man decided he wouldn't be able to cope with a standing gig, he has M.S) and it was wonderful to see him embraced by some of the others and welcomed into the fold. I'm so grateful for this forum and the friends I've made through it. Lovely to chat with Little Dickie and CPAWs before the gig and at long last put a face to the name of the elusive Egg! Great to catch up with people who I have come to consider as friends for life. Looking forward to the next one on Leeds but this will be up there as one of my favourite gigs, I think mainly because Mr H seemed back to his old self. Good to see.
Many thanks to the lovely Bradford Lass for getting me a ticket, which was the icing on my trip over from the States. A horrendous drive over the Pennines in lashing rain turned out to be well worth the effort. Arrived (very late) at the Old Bridge to find a lovely bunch of forum members (including Bradford Lass--thanks for waiting to eat dinner with me--Jean, Mandy and Paul, Nick, Lofty, Steve and Sue, I hope I remembered you all and got your names right--I don't know everyone's forum names!!!) who made me feel immediately at home. Some smashing craic in the pub before the concert. As for the concert itself, I was about five rows of happy dancing people from the stage and it was just incredible. A relative newcomer (last two or three years) to Richard's music, this was my first experience seeing him live and it was mind blowing on every level. Someone after the concert said there is an "aura" about him and it's true (I've only experienced this a few times; Dylan and Leonard Cohen come to mind). Richard is able to be both extremely professional and warm at the same time. Standouts for me: Soldier On (brought tears), Remorse Code, Lady Solitude, and The Ocean, and from the new album, Seek It and Before (more tears--probably the loveliest melody I've ever heard). That said, everything from the new album was amazing live and I think She Brings the Sunlight is close to being the most perfect rock-pop-psychedelia hybrid ever crafted.
Thanks all, especially Bradford Lass, for making the evening truly memorable. I hope this is the first of many Richard Hawley concerts and meet ups with forum members for me. BTW, the photos and videos of the concert are stunning. Enjoyed chatting about Blackburn Rovers (was that you Little Dickie??). Look forward to taking a more active role in the forum in future.
Finally, a special thanks to Richard Hawley for being such a treasure.