Glasgow.....scene of a wonderful concert and post concert evening in 2003 was to be the venue for yet another fun experience in 2005.
I arrived at Glasgow airport, hailed a cab, got in with a big smile on my face.... to be met with the immortal words....."are you here for the Kylie Minogue concert?" The smile on my face froze on my face and the temperature dropped a few degrees in the cab and I replied,frostily"Do I look like a Kylie Minogue fan?"
Needless to say the journey continued in silence, after I explained who I was REALLY there to see!!
Got to the hotel, Kath, Anita, And Sonia were already in the bar, at least two drinks ahead of me.. soon rectifed that!!
Glasgow was always going to be the `silly` gift concert and we wasted no time in making a complete mess of the room getting our gifts sorted. No vintage champers for Russell this time around, but we had roses!!
We booked our pre concert meal at the hotel and toasted Russell and a wonderful evening with our customary bottle of Champayne.
Off to the concert!!!
After the intro to Caruso, there he was...our Russell, the Russell we all love and adore, the same Russell who time after time, sings from his heart and soul.The same Russell who reacts to the feedback from his fans and gives the most amazing concert experience, the same Russell who never ceases to amaze me with his sheer joy of performing.
We had some memorable moments...after Magia Sara when we stood and applauded him he acknowledged us.. before Ave Maria when he looked straight at us, smiled and raised an eyebrow.. he had got the joke to one of our gifts, when he left the stage to sing Volare right in front of us.. and laughed at me when I got down o the floor to take a picture..amazing!!!
All too soon it was time for Nessun Dorma.. we got up to strew roses at his feet.. the look of absolute pleasure when we do this is worth everything, it has become our signature, one that we will never stop doing.Truly a Tenorissimo
All too soon it was over.. my last concert.. this time round anyway!!Now on to Highclere.
SHARON/CANADA..a.k.a. SHAZZA (thanks Russ!!)
With barely time to recover from Nottingham and Glasgow came the eagerly awaited concert in The Sage Gateshead,which opened at the end of 2004.You can`t fail to be impressed with this magnificent building which is reputed to have the finest accoustics in the world, what a venue for Russell to perform in.Following a meal with Emma, Norma, and `virgin` Russeller Carole we made our way into The Sage only to be heckled from above by a rowdy bunch of roses throwers(any guesses as to their names. Ha ha!)
As it turned out we were all sat in a row along the front our knees almost touching the stage we were so close,the hall (one of several in the building) certainly lived up to expectations. This was another sell out and Russell again looked well considering his grueling schedule.The voice was once again magnificent with the format following the lines of the previous concerts so I won`t duplicate that information. The accoustics were as expected...superb and Russell commmented on how impressed he and the band were with the venue.Russell also commented on the fact it was another sel out except one seat in the front row which was directly in front of him and was empty.He joked about it and first told Mike Moran to sit in it and then said he would come down and sit in it himself and have a cup of coffee..some hope!
The reception Russell got from the audience was amazing, by the end of the concert everyone was on their feet, I could not see anyone still sitting.Russell stood directly in front of me and looked around the hall, the look in his eyes said it all...he was thrilled. I couldn`t help but wonder what he was thinkng and how it must feel to be appreciated that way, the feeling must be second to none.He did the usual signing of programmes but I do have to say his autoggraph has deteriorated greatly in recent times...work on it lad!!
Following the concert Norma, Emma, and myself walked over to The Hilton, where Sonia was staying and met up with her, Anita, Kath and Sam for a drink and a chat before we all headed our seperate ways. This just topped off a wonderful evening (even if I did round it off with a glass smashing session, you can`t take me anywhere!)
This was my last concert of the tour but it was by far the best for me.The venue, voice, and the atmosphere just seemed to be perfect and all I can say is "Russell come back to The Sage soon" MAGNIFICO!!!
MAUREEN/TYNE AND WEAR/UK
Suddenly we woke up to the realisation that today there was a concert that none of `Russell`s Girlies`would be attending! The only 1 of 10..Would he miss us? We certainly hoped so...This was one of the few days during this tour that we had spent time in our individual homes, and how strange it felt. All day I kept looking at the clock and thinking "we should be doing this, or that now".....by 8pm when I knew he would be on stage, I could visualise what was being sung, and just hoped that successful as the rest of the tour. From reports I have read I needn`t have worried, it seems he was as good as ever, although I`m told the venue was uncomfortablt hot, and he made his usual quick exit for the long drive back to Manchester. We raised our glasses to him and felt sure he knew we had been there in spirit....KATH/CHORLEY/UK
Thankyou Maureen!!