A weekend of sloth led into a busy week, up early everyday (thankfully that also meant a quick escape) Monday as always is a day of catching up with all the antics of the crazy people who attend the asylum ( my place of work) lots of spinning plates, but thankfully it wasn't too manic, well it was but it always is, you should have the picture by now! thankfully I was soon out the door and I was heading home to make myself pretty as me and the wife were taking it too the streets with SMOR and his good lady the Damsel J of Durham, a quick turn around (well when you look as good as me.................oh look the drugs have kicked in) we were soon heading to Newcastle meeting up at a rather salubrious (I think it means a place that wouldn't normally let me in) eating establishment at the bottom of Grey Street, we made relative good speed but struggled to find a convenient parking space so we were not on time, we weren't eating out as I had made Mince and Dumplings (hearty English grub) for us before heading out!
Once we met up with our co conspirators we made a slow amble back up the hill to the car, not before stopping off at an empty looking drinking establishment which suited our purposes, drinks purchased I thought we were going to need to call an ambulance for SMOR when he discovered I was drinking Lime & Soda, I haven't forsaken alcohol, just my medication makes most of it taste like cack (not that I know what cack tastes like I hasten to add) we took our time as we weren't going to be watching the support we arrived at the venue with time to spare, we bumped into some friends and said some hello's, I thought the wife was going to have a wobble when someone asked quite innocently about the grand children, the crisis was averted when the wife responded wonderfully and body swerved like a professional, many apologies not needed, not everybody lives their life on a computer (like me LOL) we headed in to the small hall at the Sage (my fave venue in Gateshead ............No not Newcastle) as always I'm not going to do a review of the gig, except to say we all had a great time, even the Teutonic guitar slinger seemed to have a bloody good time, we hung around as long as we could but the night was not ours as I crawled into my pit a little after midnight, knowing I would be up in little of four hours time.
The rest of the week was a bit of a blur, life occasionally catching me up (ZZZZZZZZZZZZ) usually on the couch (what do you mean the film has finished) thankfully I made it all the way through to Friday without killing anybody or even myself for that matter, the wife and I had a cunning plan for the coming weekend, we had a little spare cash, ok so we didn't have to pay the council tax this month so we had arranged to meet up with SMOR and his good lady on Saturday, however we had ended up booking hotels on the opposite ends of the town, its ok we still have the texts informing us of where to book, its (sob) OK, we didn't mind LOL, the wife had to go and pick the youngest up from her university for dog sitting duties and it was good to see her smiling face we had a lazy Friday night (I don't think I fell asleep once cough splutter) a late rise the next morning and then the cheese slid of my cracker, it takes me no time to get ready, however the wife took her own sweet time over everything (GRRRRRRRRRRR) it actually worked in our favour as the dog sitter had plans that went awry later on in the day (thankfully resolved but very nearly ended in a temper tantrum with her father, but her father thought sarcasm was better suited) we left later than planned and the wife went on a detour as she ignored and abused the sat nav!
We arrived at our hotel in good time and while I was in the shower, the wife made arrangements and sent up smoke signals and we were soon in a taxi heading into town Phase one was completed, the venue was a modern cinema / theatre set up with plenty of levels, obviously council run as the heating was set on 11 all day its the only bad thing I can report! we soon made contact and hello's were in full swing when SMOR dragged poor Bernie Marsden out to meet us, bless the man had just driven over 200 miles, were we really the people he wanted to meet, as it happens we were, what a lovely man, so humble and just genuinely nice all round guy, hello's exchanged Bernie ran back to the safety of the coffee machine, SMOR was turning into grumpy as he was sorting out the merch for the night, we decided to leave him to it and let him get on with his job for the night and we headed out for food, well we were then the headline act arrived and were heading out for food so we didn't wish to look like we were stalking them (with my wife's reputation pfft) we headed out into the bitter cold night to look for a Spoon's cheap drink and cheap food were the order of the day yet another soft drink I think even Lady J was starting to worry about my health or my sanity I'm not sure which!
Our stomachs full, we headed back to the super warm venue where I assisted SMOR with sarcasm and the ladies assisted Pete the drummer on his ice cream choice, oh the lifestyles of the broke and the obscure (that's me and the wife in case you hadn't guessed) Bernie Marsden took to the stage and was brilliant again just funny and honest doing the type of thing I think that David Coverdale should be doing and it would be fab! we headed back to the bar to avoid the queues and the ladies got stuck into the wine and I had my first alcoholic pint of the year and it was sooooooooooo tasty, it was even tastier because SMOR was working so therefore wouldn't indulge, it was plastic glasses (his pet hate) as well, but mine was lovely. the crowd started too fill out a bit more, not overly full but what could be expected for a backwater venue with no advertising at the end of January, most of the crowd appeared to have travelled down from Newcastle as there were a few familiar faces, not many hometown supporters but it was ok, FM came on and I took pity on SMOR and stuck with him as he would have been all on his lonesome, I could hear the gig and as this was approximately number 48 (my memory is a tad hazy but wasn't helped by SMOR having an encyclopaedic knowledge of the bands touring schedule which put me in a tail spin, I rechecked all of my details, thankfully everything is ok (I hope) I was more in a panic because I thought that there's another blog down the swanny!) I thought I would repay the favour and keep him company (maybe he didn't want any company .....oops lol!) after all he always helps me and the wife out for gigs missing one wasn't going to be the end of the world and as it happens I enjoyed the conversation.
The girls rushed off to get a good view and me and SMOR chatted and then Bernie Marsden turned up to help flog his CD's and the chat was great, one for the memory banks but he put a wonderful spin on my first time watching him in Whitesnake, he soon disappeared back to the safety of the coffee machine before going back on as he was special guest for the last two songs, then it was all over and everybody came sailing out and then the meet and greet with the great and unwashed, SMOR doing his bit for selling the merch we left him to his task, we mingled with friends and band members alike, then it was breakdown time and SMOR got well and truly stuck in, his hands like a blurry speed freak of some ninja master, the wife got her annual photo of her groping Steve Overland, I even had a photo taken as well although I wish I had asked Bernie because he was a pleasant surprise (much better than the churlish Micky Moody who we bumped into a few years previously) plenty of tales and bonhomie including the tale that he stopped to take a picture of a sign saying Redcar and sending it off to DC who replied WTF!, he didn't stay around for long as he was driving home (another 200 miles) to get home to Oxford the setting of tonight's gig at least he could climb into his pit after that particular gig!
The night was winding down and the midnight hour was approaching, the best laugh of the night was telling SMOR that the kebab shop had switched its light off, the look of panic was wonderful, as it happens a huge burger had put paid to him and he declined as we gathered our belongings, we said last goodbyes and SMOR being the only true pirate raided dressing room rider looting as much booze that he could carry (and that's a lot) as we fled off into the dead of the night, the party wasn't over we followed and jumped aboard and headed to their hotel for much merriment and to watch the packing skills of SMOR I think a hand grenade might have resolved the issue just that little bit quicker! as always the night had to come to a close and we headed back to our hotel with the taxi driver giving us the history of taxi's in Stockton, might have been more interesting with more drink in us, but as it was it wasn't ! go figure, we flopped into our bed only to be woken by our alarm telling us to go and get breakfast, we didn't need to be told twice.
Once completed we packed and headed back to Gimpsville so we could return our dog sitter (allegedly) to university, a quiet drive home and while I was making the Sunday dinner I had to get this written I know I have missed out loads but then I'm not sure all of the humour would translate into the written word, its really you have to be there moments it helps if your sense of humour is twisted as well, that's it then the blog numbers are sustaining triple digits with a lot of new readers with lots of questions so there will definitely be a questions blog coming soon, so let me know what you want to know soon before I pick the best twenty questions, yes the name game is in play and should be relatively easy considering the content of the blog, now for some beauty sleep as I have a week of bus seat bingo ahead as I'm on the plague carrier for a week, keep spreading the word and I will see you all again for the next blog but until then.................Toodles!
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