Wow, this seems like ages and AGES ago, mainly cos it was BC, and also because, well, it WAS ages ago.........
I decided that, even though this was not a 'proper' Alice gig, as it were, I would like to see it anyway, so I made plans to go to Grona Lund, Sweden to catch the show there. Having been to the venue before, I knew what to expect, so I booked the hotel next door, and set off on my journey. But when I arrived at Gatwick I realised I had forgotten my phone...duh....OMG, How ever will I manage???
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| How dare all these people arrive before me |
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| Y'know what? at £40+, I think I can live without the T shirt |
I
unpacked and decided to go over to the venue about 2 pm. I thought that
would be ample time to get a spot on the barrier, but when I arrived it
was already about 5 deep, owing to the Johnny Depp Effect I
guess......pah. Luckily I had arranged to meet up with FB friends Tamara
and Sarah, and they were already at the barrier, although right round
at the side. Which was perfect actually, as it was on Tommy's side. The
stage is a bit high, so it's hard to see more than about half of it, but
the guys always come over to the side, right to the edge, so it's a
good spot to get decent pics, and catch stuff.So we waited, and had drinks, and went off for walks, and sat in the sun, (got myself a bit of a tan!) and waited etc etc etc...............at some point late in the afternoon, Patrick who Steve and I met ages ago, spotted me and came over to say hi! Was very happy to see him, it's been a year or more. I love the Alice fan community, it's like there's nowhere in the world you can go without seeing someone you know! Made a few new friends too. Love it.
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| Ridiculous ride goiing on behind us. No Thank You. |
Eventually 8 o'clock came around and they came on stage, Alice looking so gorgeous in his frilly white shirt and long black vampire jacket. Gotta say Johnny D looked a bit scary.....I guess it's that thing with famous good looking people, they always seem to try and make themselves look as ugly as possible sometimes....
Kyler came out with his camera and took some great pics as usual - I got one of him at last! He gave me a very big hug, which made my day.
Johnny came over to our side of the stage quite a lot, and sort of leered at everybody...Hah, I think he thought he was smiling, lol. He's quite creepy really......He kept doing this kind of low key 'waving' his fingers at us whilst still playing the guitar thing.
Cute.
I think he WAS actually playing his guitar, rather than just pretending just for show like, but you never know. Joe Perry , Tommy and Bruce Witkin were also there as backup, y'know what I mean....
On the whole, I got the impression he was rather enjoying himself, maybe he always wanted to be a rockstar rather than an actor. But now he's so rich, he can do what he wants.........well, good luck to him I say. I didn't do the VIP meet and greet, as it costs a whopping $1500, and I can live without meeting him......makes Alice's VIP seem very cheap, although I always thought they were reasonable anyway.
Alice of course was the ultimate showman, And, as he was not in 'Alice' mode, he talked to us quite a bit, introducing songs, even explaining them, and of course, telling us about the Hollywood Vampires in LA. I know lots of Sick Things don't like him doing the covers etc, but I've seen Raise The Dead 19 times, so I gotta say it was a refreshing change to see him singing different songs, at last. Lots of my 70's favourites, Suffragette City, 20th Century Boy, Pinball Wizard, My Generation, Rebel Rebel, Train Kept A Rollin', Come Together, plus loads of tracks off the new CD, even Whole Lotta Love, which I though I love, I didn't think would happen! It's my fave track off the CD, but without Brian there for the vocals, Alice did a pretty credible job, I gotta say. A few new songs too, like Raise The Dead, My Dead Drunk Friends and Johnny Depp's Bad As I Am. And some Aerosmith stuff too! Not that they ever appeared on my radar, but good nonetheless.
TOMMY TOMMY TOMMY!
Various guitar picks sailed past me, Alice had only one cane......or it might've been a whip, but that never went anywhere near me either, hey ho. One of JD's picks landed in the flower bed, I made a mental note to check it out later but was pre-empted by a number of other people, so I ended up with nada. Such is life!!
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So, it was all over much too soon. Sarah and Patrick were off to the Grand Hotel, where Alice was staying but I'd had enough and I wandered the 100 yards back to my hotel, collapsed in a heap, and had a very good sleep. Managed to get up in time for brekkie, I love a hotel breakfast, and there was lots of bacon and dinky little pastries, plus the usual ham and cheese, and lovely bread so I made the most of it. And I made a cheese and ham sarnie for lunch too!
Seeing as the hotel was the home of Swedens ABBA museum, I thought I would have a look. But they wanted £25 for it, so, I decided that seeing Agnetha's blue pants and Benny's lovely white catsuit was not really worth the cash, so I decided to go and see Gamla Stan, the Old Town instead. The ferry from the hotel went right across the bay, direct to it, so I hopped on and disappeared into a maze of winding streets. What a brilliant place!! I pretty soon found a great cafe to sit and people watch - one of many that day! My flight wasn't til late so I didn't have to rush, the weather was gorgeous, so I had plenty of time to explore.
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| YUM YUM |
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| He gets everywhere |
Since I forgot my phone, I wrote a journal as I went along, actually better for blogging purposes, as I have a record now all these months later - this doesn't happen when you're online the whole time.................I am a little bit tired of lugging my suitcase around, it does have wheels but all the streets are cobbled which is a bit tedious after a while.
So I sat in many coffee shops, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and asked for black tea with milk......it often took several attempts, and the I often ended up with Earl Grey, which I love. But the Europeans don't really get it, you have to put the T bag in before the water, guys, honest....
Saw the Grande Hotel as I was crossing a bridge, this is where Alice was staying, bur, as I'm sure he's gone by now, I decided not to bother with a visit. Some lovely shops enticed me in and I bought a few things inc a beautiful glass lantern, no idea how I'm gonna get it home, lol. Missing my phone................................... even though I am enjoying some lovely fresh orange juice, accompanied by a really bad accordian player........
I caught the bus just down from the Royal Viking, where Steve famously walked straight past Alice and Sheryl last year, and ended up at the airport far too early as usual. And my flight is delayed by 20 mins, gah. I toyed with the idea of having a glass of vino, but it was £11..............OMG, forget it!!!
Except that 2 hours later, I am so bored, and, getting through passport control, I discover that it is only £8.50, so I have one ^_^
Still missing my phone....................
Hi, stranger, always nice to catch up with your Alice jaunts!
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