Map and Compass – Page 14

Bruce and me, Leeds, 24th July 2013

On Monday I went to see the film “Springsteen and I” at the National Media Museum in Bradford. The cinema has had a refurb and it’s an even better venue now. The film was ok but I would much rather see Bruce live, so on Wednesday I did just that.

This was the first time I’ve been to a big gig on my own and given that my relationship with him is one to one this was fine!

I got to Leeds mid afternoon and parked the car easily at the top of the Merrion Centre which is bang next to Leeds Arena. It was 28 degrees and I thought that if I was going to stand in the queue for any length of time I would be roasted alive so I popped straight into Boots for some factor 50 and then into Sports Direct for a bargain cap.

I’d booked a ticket for the Badlands fan club pre-show party at Tiger Tiger. It was lovely and air conditioned. Mark Wright played some Springsteen songs, he’s a good performer but he just isn’t Bruce.

I drank a bottle of Peroni in the afternoon which was something I haven’t done for a very long time indeed. Then I was a bit chilled by the air con so I left to get in the queue for the Arena.

It was weirdly now quite cool outside and I had to worry if I would be warm enough! I got into the queue and had a chat with a nice couple from Boston Spa. They turned out to be friends with Nils!

Bruce was rehearsing so there was a bit of a wait, you would think they knew the songs by now, as it turned out he played some rare songs so these would have needed rehearsing. At last I got into the Arena and went straight up to the top. It’s very well designed so that there’s a good view from all seats, mine was right at the front of the top tier so not bad but I would have loved to be closer (some of my work colleagues managed to get much nearer, grr).

I got myself a pint of Heineken and a small veggie pizza, well designed, more like an actual pie in shape so it held the contents in. It wasn’t bad at all. As well as getting good marks for having a veggie option they also sold salad in a pot which is a first for this type of venue.

The only thing the Arena needs to sort out is that the loos didn’t have catches on them which meant that all the women coming out were having a good moan. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “there’s no catch on the door!!”

In my seat and Bruce was half an hour late getting on stage. On my left I had a man who just absorbed intensely and on my right was a couple who moved not a muscle and clapped politely. Really I don’t know why they bothered to come. Everybody around them was on their feet and joining in as per usual.

The show was one of the best I’ve seen and my highlight was If I Should Fall Behind as acoustic solo prior to Thunder Road at the end.

But still no Frankie for me so looks like I’ll just have to go again, I need to be closer to him. I have been once, at Milton Keynes on the Human Touch tour but perhaps if Bruce could just pop in for a cold beer and some home cooking then that’ll be just fine…

P1020144 — Max Weinberg, Soozie Tyrell, Nils Lofgren and Bruce

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Canal, Pennine Bridleway and Roman Road bike ride 13th July 2013

Bit late writing this but have been preoccupied with kidneys and life.
Chris and I started at her house using the canal path to get to Littleborough. It’s a well made path so a pleasure to ride on. Chris then guided me through Eelees woods which was a footpath so we walked across to Hollingworth Lake visitor centre via multiple kissing gates which was quite a challenge.
Got onto the bridleway to commence the big ascent we sensibly planned for a very hot day! This was a bit of pushing so we stopped for lunch and to gird our loins for what was to come.
A short flat stretch then we were at the base of the big hill going up to Blackstone Edge. We wanted to stay off the road but this meant footpath and Roman Road. A stiff climb indeed which was all push with frequent stops. Totally lathered when we got to the top.
Across to the White House pub which we’d held out as a carrot to reach the top. Imagine our disappointment to find it shut! Just like the last time when we were frozen and needed hot choc. They are missing a trick that’s for sure.
So onwards passing 3 reservoirs along the bridleway, destination Gaddings Dam. To reach it there is a paving stone footpath which we only sometimes managed to stay on. Extreme cyclists we are not! See video. Once at the dam Chris parked me in a quiet spot, got into her swimsuit and into the water. She only did a short swim but said it was lovely. I thought I was filming her but had pressed the wrong button so just a still.
After Chris had changed we got back on the bikes to some quite hard paths but then soon to the road and a lovely whizz down to Chris’ house.
She came over later to our house and we had barbecued chicken and mini burgers with salad We sat out by the new shed!

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Canal, Pennine Bridleway and Roman Road bike ride 13th July 2013

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Wetherlam, Swirl How and Great Carrs 7th July 2013

Left the car at Tilberthwaite (150 m) and started walking at 10. The plan was to climb Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar and Brim Fell. It’s a very pretty walk along the side of the gill, this time I took the shorter route by going down to the beck and crossing over on the footbridge and up the other side. I managed to keep up a reasonable pace all day but within half an hour I was soaked through and panting as it was incredibly humid. My new levels of fitness certainly paid off as the day involved a lot of ascent and stamina. I passed where Carol and I had lunched the week before after 40 minutes. The path then goes up to the ridge overlooking Langdale, this is a pretty route and passes a stand of pines which is a haven of cool loveliness. I greased up to counteract the sun but then walked through a section with lots of horse flies. Horrible, the humidity must have brought them all out but at least they didn’t bite me. Then it was time to start the serious climb which was quite scrambly, although nothing like the north face of Tryfan as only short but still good fun. I reached the summit at 12 and stopped to eat a piece of flapjack. The summit is at 762 m.

Then on to Swirl How, this meant descending to Swirl Hause at 620 m and ascending Prison Band to reach the summit at 790 m. I stopped here to have my pork pie and then it was a quick whizz over to Great Carrs at 780 m. On the way across there is the wreck of a Halifax bomber which crashed here in 1944, killing all 8 on board. There isn’t much wreckage to be seen, but apparently there is more that got chucked over the side of the mountain that’s still on the hill. It was a little cooler over this side which was very welcome. A semi naked runner and his dog passed me. He looked very hot and very pink just in his knickers. I saw a lot of very pink people and one man who asked me if he was nearly there yet! I also met a couple I’d been leapfrogging with for about the 4th time, we had a little chat and then it was time to return as I was too hot to face doing any more ascents than necessary.

Back to Swirl How, back down the Prison Band, passing a poor dog who looked like he’d had enough, and then back up to Wetherlam. I’d been slightly nervous about descending the Wetherlam scramble but I’ve no idea why as it was just a walk, with only a couple of places where I had to lever myself down. I got back down quickly to the car before 5. I was so hot, I got a bottle of water I wasn’t planning to drink and tipped it over my head, neck and back. Instant relief!

I climbed about 980 m in total which given the heat of the day is pretty damn good and I know I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the running regime, I was tired but my legs have been fine today. I got home a bit late as traffic was slow on the motorway.

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Bruce Coventry June 20th 2013

Chris and I managed to take quite a long time to reach our hotel on the east side of Coventry. We set off quite smartly but made the most of shopping opportunities: Lidl in Sowerby Bridge, the first services on the M1, then Waitrose at Leicester Forest services. We followed the instructions for getting to the hotel but they were poorly written and we took the wrong junction 2 which led us a merry dance round the villages. They had meant J2 on the M6 not on the M69. Grrr.

When we got the tickets for the gig, Chris booked us into the Royal Court Hotel via Easy Bookers. A week before the gig, Easy Bookers emailed to say the hotel had cancelled our booking. Chris then had to waste what seemed like about 3 days of her life getting through to them and getting us a new hotel which was the Mercure Brandon Hall. The hotel is on the edge of Brandon which is a pretty village with half timbered houses and is set in extensive grounds. It’s a 4 star hotel whereas the other one was I think 3 star. Certainly no stars at all after their behaviour. We got a spacious room in a new build at the back accessed via a “covered walkway”.

We had our Waitrose lunches and got changed and then set off for the Ricoh Arena. We got there very easily and were in the car when the only shower of the day turned up. Given that the forecast for Thurs and Fri had been rain all day, this was the only wetting we experienced. We reached the arena fairly easily, even with the large volume of traffic. We took the car because public transport meant going into Coventry and back out again which looked like it would take a long time and probably not happen at all later on. A taxi would be expensive for 2 trips and hard to get one afterwards.

So we had to park the car! The arena website had said that none of the parking on concert days was pre-bookable so we tried to get into the on site parks which then turned out to be pre-booked only, with AA signs saying that certain of them weren’t pre-booked, but it was all very confusing. We headed off towards the off site ones which were a long way away and got turned out of one of them, the next one had no access, presumably full, so in the end we parked up in a field with knee high wet grass for £20 which was very unofficial. The good thing with this was that it was right next to the arena.

Into the arena and straight to the casino! Badlands (UK fan club) was hosting a get together which really meant they had a table with T-shirts to buy. Chris bought one. The casino was a vast cavernous room which smelt of swimming pool thanks to its big water feature. We got chatting to a man from Mansfield who was quite sweet and who has never been able to persuade his wife to join him at a Bruce gig, she likes Michael Buble.

Time to take our seats, these were very good and in amongst the other Badlands ticket holders which was infinitely preferable to being in amongst the day trippers. This is especially true for the UK gigs where if we get non Badlands tickets, we end up with the beer swillers and talkers who don’t shut up for the quiet songs. In Euro land the fans tend to be much more polite and listen attentively during the quiet numbers.

Bruce came on at 7.20 and started with a solo of The Ghost of Tom Joad. The first few songs were great, including My Love Will Not Let You Down (played at mine and Carol’s civil partnership ceremony) and Trapped, another favourite of mine. Then as a tribute to James Gandolfini who was a friend of the band they did the whole of the Born to Run album which should have been a treat but came over as a bit lacklustre and it felt like they raced through it. We did think perhaps they weren’t on top form because not only Gandolfini but also Max Weinberg’s 97 year old mother had died at the weekend.

The last section of the set picked up a bit. I wish he would do more of the old stuff and less of the audience participation. Part of me wonders if they now have to include Tenth Avenue Freeze Out at every show because that’s when they show the photos of Clarence and Danny. And do they have to include Waiting on a Sunny Day because that’s when some hideous brat who doesn’t know the words to the song and who can’t sing anyway, is pulled out to do just that? Or do they have to do Dancing in the Dark just so that some “girls” get to dance with either Bruce, Stevie or Jake? Perhaps a bit too formulaic for me, but I’m prepared to put up with that if the other 27 or so songs include things I’ve wanted to hear him do for years.

Greasy Lake set list

This is my wish list:

Whole album (if he must do this, I can’t help feeling it’s a bit lazy) Tunnel of Love

Frankie

The Wish

Jersey Girl

My Beautiful Reward

I will dream on and see what the next gig brings.

We got back sometime after midnight and ate more snacks and drank more beer. I slept badly as had managed to develop a cold during the gig.

The next day we had a lovely breakfast, I actually had a cooked one!

We went to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve which was about a mile down the road. This was a lovely spot on reclaimed gravel pits. We looked in all the hides and spotted some birds! There weren’t many people about which was a plus, we managed to hide from a couple of women we found annoying and got chatting to another couple who we did like.

We had lunch of cake and coffee sitting outside the cafe in a courtyard. There were some people with learning disabilities who were not being looked after by their “carers”.

Then we headed homewards and this took a long long time because we had to stop to get tape to secure my wing mirror which is trying to leave its casing and because the traffic was just incredibly slow for miles and miles.

I still can’t wait to see Bruce again!!

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.