Reading, November 9th 2017

Had a nice day off in Sheffield. Did some shopping, walked around to look at the city, even got to bed early LOL. 😉 In Reading, I was meeting up with an online friend and it was nice to put a face to the name! Nothing fancy for lunch but just a nice visit and then it was off to the hotel to get ready. I knew my friends Kathryn and Steve were going to be there but both had packages so I’d have to see them later in line.

The venue itself was quite unique and really cool looking from the outside! 😀 Though it was really strange because google maps led me to a set of stairs downstairs but those were all locked. There was a sign saying OMD VIP wait by box office upstairs and my ticket was being held at the box office so I wanted to find it. However…no stairs around. There were a ton of security but they were having a briefing so I didn’t want to bother them LOL. Luckily a lady was walking by so I asked her. The way up…down the street, thru a car par, up a few flights of stairs and along another long walkway. Sheesh! 😮 But finally made it where I needed to be and saw Kathryn and another friend Andrew. Was happy to find the box office was open so I could get my ticket and actually TRULY get in the que. 😀 (I find some venues don’t open their box office until doors so then it’s a wasted attempt to get in the que early as everyone behind you goes past you while you’re waiting for your ticket. 🙁 ) We were standing at the top but then realized we were to go down a DIFFERENT flight of stairs to get us to that front door (cool looking but very confusing venue LOL). Got to talking with 2 girls behind me and the guy in front of me. He had seen the LIverpool show and was really impressed with TMP so decided to come to this show too.

Once inside, I scoped out where Kathryn and Andrew were plus was looking for Steve. Saw Ed and down the front row a bit I found Kathryn and Andrew. There was a guy holding a spot next to them but then an empty spot on his other side so I took it. The girls that had been behind me in line ended up behind me on the floor and shortly after, I saw another friend who I KNEW looked familiar but dummy me forgot his name…Andy (lots of Andy/Andrews in the OMD community LOL 😀 ). So nice to see him! So we chatted, I talked to the couple next to me some more and also found Steve to see if we were going to all head bang again (though he was on the side so we’d not be doing it together this time. 🙁 ). He said of course “Stuart wouldn’t expect any less” so I told him I’d try to get the gang around me involved and once back to my spot, told the couple, Andy, Andrew and Kathryn about it. Bless their hearts, they all said they’d do it. 😀 And near show start, I saw Duncan, another friend so it was a good crowd. 🙂

Not sure if it was due to having been back a bit the past couple shows or if it was truly closer but the stage seemed really close! 😮 TMP came out and I felt I could get better pictures this time (though in general, the lighting for both bands has been tricky with my camera as TMP is a bit darker and OMD are really flashy so neither lend to getting pictures too easily). Once they were done, I decided to make my usual pit stop between bands but funny enough, the girl behind me (again, never got names darn it) ended up in there too so we decided to try and get back together. And then as we were leaving, saw another friend I’d forgotten was going to be there…Debbie (and saw her sis Angie later). THEN, the wife of the couple next to me showed up so we all decided to go back together. LOL she was like “I have the boobs so I can get us thru”. 😮 OK then! 😀 . AND, a girl who was in the front to my right also emerged and was like “do we have a train going back?” I said yes and let her in front of me. 4 girls making our way back…and we did it! 😀

Really am enjoying Ghost Star as an opener for the show. So powerful, that was a great choice on the bands part! 😀 Once over, Mr. M. said “there will be new songs…and there will be old songs…and there will be dancing. Come on!” as Isotype started. I’ve actually come to a happy medium with that song as it IS so close to a bouncing song…I bounce to part of it and once the music gets going again, I stop LOL. Lots of clapping from the crowd and bopping around. 🙂

Earlier, Ed had said it was going to be a tight and strict night for photos and videos so I immediately thought of Cambridge and how the guard part way made Steve stop. I figured I’d get Messages as that was song #3 and would hopefully go un-noticed due to camera men still going out and about. Got going but then started hearing a rustle behind me and some talking. I glanced back and then to the wife of the couple next to me with a look like ‘what’s up?” but she didn’t seem to know either so I just ignored it and kept recording. But it continued so then I looked back at Andy and suddenly an older woman kind of half grabbed/half tapped my shoulder and started yelling something to me. I only heard “you” and she was pointing but I didn’t know what she was pointing at and honestly, I’m used to people pushing their way in or asking if they can squeeze in, hold the rail, put their coat up (already had had a few people ask if they could put their coat on the rail by me which I said sure as I don’t care) that I just thought “NO idea what she just said” so turned back to continue the recording. However, it continued so I looked back again and saw one of the girls behind me crying. Her friend was saying they should get security, they needed security and THEN It clicked with me that that was what the older woman was trying to tell me…I was up front, I could get the guards attention. So since there were none around, I tapped the shoulder of the camera guy who was sitting in front of me. Took 3 yells in his ear for him to finally hear (and that was due to the song ending so not so loud) but asked him to get security. He was like “really? Why?” so I told him I wasn’t sure but there was a girl crying so we needed security and off he went. Shortly after, a big husky guard came over slowly looking over the crowd. I started waving and eventually he saw me and came over. I leaned out of the way and pointed to the girl crying. By this time, the husband next to me took their coats and started moving them over so I took mine and those who had asked to put them up by me and moved over too in prep for the guard to come over. An older man (husband of older woman who had reached out to me earlier) leaned in to say something to the guard and then up and over the rail he came, along with another guard who came over. More people talking and then I saw them basically grab someone and pull them back and out of the crowd. All this time the band kept going and I saw Mr. H. with a concerned and confused look on his face (and Kathryn told me later Mr. M. was the same) and I THOUGHT it was over but then the wife of said man who got tossed out came CHARGING forward basically screaming at the girl, the older couple, at everyone really so a TON of us just pushed her back and blocked her from coming any further. MY GOODNESS! Someone got her out too and then it seemed the trouble was over but this poor girl was really shaken up. 🙁 Her friend came into the front row where the husband and i had moved over for the guard so I stepped back and offered her my front spot. I figured A)she just went thru an ordeal and B)let her be by her friend now but she shook her head and said no. When Tesla Girls was done, I turned and offered her the spot again as I figured maybe she thought I wasn’t serious or was just too upset at the time but she again shook her head and said no, she was OK where she was. What a commotion and it kind of threw me off to where we were in the setlist LOL. But glad the guards took care of things! 🙂

Mr. M. prompted us all to bounce and the girl’s friend who was next to me (I’m just going to call her girl A and her friend that got pushed around girl B since I just don’t want to be calling them girls and girls friend) turned around and said to Girl B “we’re to bounce now!” and they both laughed. Girl A was happy to have the rail too. Yes, that’s a definite advantage when bouncing! Quite a few bouncers too, not just along the rail but behind and around me which is good. 🙂 When it was all over, Mr. M. announced that it was democracy time and “if you didn’t vote…well…” I was hoping for Genetic Engineering and prior to the gig, the set list got put out so Ed saw me there and asked if I’d looked. I was like “NOPE! Don’t want to know” and hid my eyes. He laughed and said “well what did you vote for?” I told him I couldn’t as my phone doesn’t work here, he was like oh yeah and then asked me what I WOULD have voted for. I told him Genetic Engineering. He paused, then said “would you be unhappy with either of the others?” We had the choices of GE, Pandora’s Box or If You Leave so I laughed and said “Maybe IYL” but then laughed and said ‘no I’m just kidding. I know that’s a bigger deal over here in the UK. No, I’m ok with whatever, I just hope it’s GE” so he said “spoiler alert, it’s not IYL. That came in last.” Well, the fact he asked me if I’d be happy with one of the others led me to believe Pandora’s Box would win…but no it was GE!!! 😀 I saw Mr. M. come out with his guitar and turned to friend Andy and said “OMG it’s GE! He doesn’t play guitar in PG!” 😀 Mr. M. teased us saying ‘leave it to you Reading to vote for the intellectual and scientific song.” YUP! 😀 😀 😀 He then joked and said “we won’t hold it against you.” And off they went. Lots of bopping around and I couldn’t help but bounce a bit. It’s my fav OMD song so how could I not? 😉

Mr. H. came out to do FLaD and I leaned over to tell the gang that the next song was going to be Souvenir LOL. I love that we get to see Mr. H. out front 2 times this tour because FLAD is always great fun but so is watching him be the lead for a short time. 🙂 And of course Mr. M. is always swinging around on the keys during the mid part. Him swaying and Mr. H. doing his “buddaaap” bit with his hands. Classic! 😀 Of course once it was over…we were all revved up. I had told Girl A “Ok, you’re in the front row now so you have to head bang with us” so she was “OK sure!” and then when we were about to start, she turned to Girl B all ‘we have to head bang now.” LOL she was keeping everyone well in formed back there. 😀 Honestly, I couldn’t tell if Stuart saw us this time (though Kathryn later told me yes, she saw him laughing once when she looked up) but we did pretty well. Andrew, Andy and I banged the most but Kathryn and the wife did well. I had to get Girl A going mid song as she stopped so i was like ‘hey, gotta do it all the way thru” and laughed. She was like “I am, I am” and got going again. Didn’t have quite the same effect or feel as in Cambridge really but…some things you just can’t reproduce and I think that moment is one of those things. But still fun. 🙂

Nothing to say that hasn’t already been said about JoA/MoO other than there were a lot of bows to both Mr. M. and Stuart from Mr. H. LOL and the balcony was up well clapping too once it was over. Actually enjoyed OAtTWM with a smile tonight and once done, Andy leaned over and said “I wasn’t expecting that!” I told him I hadn’t been either first night but they do it at all the shows so he was happy about that! 🙂 Song #2 of Mr. H. out in the front and I had noticed this in Sheffield too (well and even in Nottingham thru my tears ) but saw it up close this time… Mr. H. really gets into this one. Not that he doens’t sing his other songs with emotion but this one he really seems to pour it out. Maybe because it’s new…or more personal…or whatever but personally I think it’s his best even if it does make me cry.

Once he was back behind the keyboards, Mr. M. said “well I know you all voted for GE but I hate to tell you that that was the end of the intellectual part of the show. From now on, it’s just non-stop, mindless dancing.” Lots of bopping around all over the place and when it was done, Mr. M. said “more? MORE?” to which the crowd kept cheering. They “slipped in one more new song” with TPoL and Mr. M. said “don’t worry about me. I do this for a living.” as he started dancing around and encouraged us all to start bopping/bouncing/dancing with him. During SotSS Mr. M. kept giving us the “louder…LOUDER” during our sing a long chorus LOL and then it was Enola Gay which got the crowd, including balcony really letting loose. When it was over, everyone came down and member introductions before lots of waves and thank yous. 🙂

When everyone came back out and the crowd cheered again, Mr. M. jokingly said “there’s a lesson here. Don’t be afraid of 50 something year olds playing keyboards.” He then jokingly pointed to Mr. H. and said ‘well Paul’s a bit scary but not Martin, Martin’s lovely”. Awww… Mr. H. isn’t scary. 🙁 But honestly, it was all in good fun and after they did WotMW, Mr. M. turned to Mr. H. and said “I apologize for calling you scary.” and Mr. H. laughed and just waved his hand like “no worries.” Mr. M. then continued and said “at least I didn’t tell them how you got kicked out of recorder class for not having any musical ability. Oops, did I just say that out loud?” Mr. H. laughed and nodded to which Mr. M. said “we got kicked out of recorder class and told we had no musical talent. We used to myme next to a bunch of girls.” Mr. H. laughed and said “we did, yeah!” and Mr. M. said “THEY knew what they were doing. We just were off playing football. But hey, prepared us for Top of the Pops” which elicited a large laugh. 😀 He then said “should I just shut up and play some music?” and Mr. H. said “yeah you probably should” and then continued by saying they don’t do this song often in the UK but it was Secret. Electricity was the last one and then Mr. M. said they’d be back again for sure, everyone came down to wave one more time and then off they went.

Highlight of the night. Hmm…well, initially I thought there was nothing that stood out…until my brain kicked in (brain freeze has happened a few times on this trip. Don’t get me going on how I set the alarm for 5am vs. 6am this morning after not even crawling into bed until 12:20 🙁 ) It would be seeing GE performed. LOVE that song!!! 😀