Jun

23

In which Jen and I are the oldest rockers in town

Filed under: Diary, Videos — English Mum @ 11:15 am
 

So yesterday, then.  Early in the year, Lubly Auntie Jen had purchased Linkin Park tickets for the RDS in Dublin.  Not exactly enamoured with the idea, but swept away by Madam’s enthusiasm (railroaded, moi?) and wishing to protect our offspring, we naturally had to go with them.  Queue several months of worry, planning and plotting and plenty of ‘ooh, only [insert timescale here] to go’.

Yesterday dawned hideously rainy and windy (sign of things to come, perchance?) and I managed to borrow D-from-next-door’s sat nav (’It’s completely foolproof, honest’ *worrying pause* ‘er…I’m sure you’ll be fine’).  To be honest, I don’t know if that made me feel better or worse, but actually it wasn’t too bad.  There was plenty of girly squealing when we got into the centre of Dublin:

‘Look, Mum, I can see the Liffey!’

‘Don’t talk to me, I’m concentrating!  Arrrrggghhh!’

and Mrs Tomtom-sat-nav-woman was blasting ‘filter left here’ then ‘prepare to turn right here’ instructions at me, but we made it in one piece to the parking area.  Phew.

A rather long queue in the rain followed, but Jen and I rather enjoyed the people watching (’tartan leggings with those thighs?  Uh uh’).  #2 was my biggest worry, seeming rather teeny for an event populated by a scarily large amount of mohicans and piercings, but most were very friendly.  We eventually got in, and after the warm-up acts, one of which, Coheed and Cambria, was quite good, although not really my cup of cha, and one of which, Queens of the Stone Age, the sound seemed very poorly engineered and we could hardly make out what the poor guy was singing.  We could certainly feel the baseline, though, which was a big thump-thump-thump  in our chests.

Anyhoo, finally Linkin Park came on, the crowd went wild, and we actually got into it a little bit.  Jen and I took turns to have #2 on our backs (needing traction this morning, though) and I even recognised a couple of songs.  The second half of their set was by far the best.  By that time we’d moved to a less crowded area to the side (it wasn’t actually that packed), so we could all see the stage and the big screens well, and more recognisable songs came on.  We were even taken by a small, far too ancient urge to dance about a bit.  Shocking.

Gripes: mainly the fact that alcohol is served and several silly arses seem to want to pay extortionate amounts for a ticket, then spend the concert completely incoherent, staggering annoyingly around being a nuisance.  Also that people were allowed to smoke.  Not only is it bloody annoying to be inhaling someone’s icky smoke, but frankly, dancing with a lit cigarette is asking to take someone’s eye out (oh, hark at me, I’m turning into my mother).

Highlights: ‘What I’ve Done’, an awesome track; watching the kids dancing around and singing all the words until they were hoarse.

Biggest bummer: having to drive all the way home and not getting back until 1am as Mrs Tomtom decided to drive us all round County Meath by the scenic route.

Chances of us ever doing it again: slim to zero, but hey, me sprogs deserved a treat.  That’s not to say that if I could choose the concert I wouldn’t go… who would you go and see live??

23 Comments »

  1. LOL so we both did concerts this weekend, except mine was a SURPRISE, and I had to go to BELFAST…to see Def Leppard, which I have to insist is rock/POP…I am definitely not a rocker, White Snake were the warm up act, apparently BIG in the rock scene (I had never heard of them) and I thought they just made a lot of bloody noise with some incoherrent screaming for good measure…oh well!!!

    Comment by Natalie — June 23, 2008 @ 11:32 am

  2. Ah, Nats. A sure sign that you’re getting old is when you want to put your hands over your ears at a concert, bless our ageing bones x

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 23, 2008 @ 1:06 pm

  3. LOL!

    God, I’m sore this morning! It was either the pogo-ing, or the pogo-ing with #2’s bony bum on my shoulders that dunnit…

    Well? How’s #1 tongue guitar playing coming on?

    Comment by Jennynib — June 23, 2008 @ 4:35 pm

  4. Jen: LOL indeed! It wasn’t the tongue playing that got me, it was the behind the head playing - and what about when he played it with his teeth?! (This wasn’t Linkin Park, by the way people, but the Slash-haired nutter front-man of the warm up act - hilarious)!!

    My back is also KILLING me this morning. I told him that before he goes to another concert, he must grow six inches or buy some stilts!! x

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 23, 2008 @ 5:37 pm

  5. Sounds like a fun time :-) Apart from the smoking/drinking bit. There will always be idiots…

    We’re going to see Tom Waits at the end of July and my hubbie might just be as excited as your two about Linkin’ Park. Just as long as he doesn’t ask me to hoist him on to my shoulders, I think we’ll be ok.

    Comment by wee jen — June 23, 2008 @ 6:52 pm

  6. Wee One: Ooh, try and talk him out of that - evil back pains today! There’s something fab about a live concert though, even if you’re not their biggest fan :)

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 23, 2008 @ 8:04 pm

  7. Saw Gary Glitter with Mad Uncle A once.. marvellous time was had by all, that was before he took an interest in slightly dodgier things …. ahem …..

    Not sure there is anyone I would want to see live now …… maybe I am just to old for this live music thing, never really loved live bands, Simply red were very good, and oh yeah, I did have two excellent concerts watching Bryan Adams with Hubby and some friends … some SERIOUS air guitar going down there !

    Comment by Moon — June 23, 2008 @ 9:16 pm

  8. Sorry, should say that Mr Glitter was interested in such things, not Mad Uncle A !!!!! better clear that up !

    Comment by Moon — June 23, 2008 @ 9:16 pm

  9. I saw The Rolling Stones when they were in Vancouver last year - Mick Jagger is one amazing guy. However, I am not much of a concert goer and I spent most of the time with my fingers in my ears and then the next 10 weeks moaning about how hard the chairs were and how sore my bony arse was. Snowboarding with Moon and the lovely M didn’t help it during the recovery phase.

    Comment by Don't Bug Me! — June 23, 2008 @ 9:20 pm

  10. I’m so with you on What I’ve Done! Makes me want to watch Transformers again . . I’m such a kid! The louder the better. Even DrummerBoy and I play subwoofer wars!

    Comment by Baino — June 23, 2008 @ 9:29 pm

  11. I think you should get an Emmy for putting #2 on your shoulders.Ziggy Marley was my last concert.

    Comment by june in florida — June 24, 2008 @ 1:32 am

  12. Missus!

    What about my promise to bring them to Slipknot and Megadeth? You wouldn’t make me break a promise to a child, would you?

    I won’t let them pierce anything…

    Comment by jennynib — June 24, 2008 @ 8:43 am

  13. Moon: Damn, was going to do the Mad Uncle A/Gary Glitter thing but I see you beat me to it!! I remember going to see Bryan Adams too - was that the one with Extreme? They were fab - remember ‘More than Words’ sung with just acoustics? Wonderful.

    Boo: Hmm, I can see that wouldn’t help. Yes, I felt like I was the only one who’d like the volume turned down a tad. Old age, eh?

    Baino: Now that was a bloody masterpiece - has to be played full blast. And the guy’s voice is truly awesome. x

    June: Actually, only Jen managed the shoulders - I just went for the back, and today I’m hobbling around like an old woman - actually it’s my arms that are killing me most from holding him up!!

    Jen: Oh ha ha ha. I’m taking them to Bob the Builder Live! whether they like it or not. x

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 24, 2008 @ 10:16 am

  14. Yes, that was one of them, at the old Wembley, Also saw him at the Arena with Hubby and a couple of the others … very very good !

    Comment by Moon — June 24, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

  15. I’m getting too old for jumping around in muddy puddles, and that whooshing in my ears takes forever to go away these days!

    I wanna go and see Counting Crows and Stereophonics at Oxygen…but I don’t do muddy fields either, or cold, or tents, or salmonella, or dysentry.

    Where’s me slippers?

    Comment by queen of clean — June 24, 2008 @ 4:32 pm

  16. Australia’s greatest exports - AC/DC

    Comment by 5h4mr0(k — June 24, 2008 @ 11:36 pm

  17. Moon: He’s some kind of celeb photographer now, dahling x

    Queeny: Ah, me too. My ears were still singing yesterday and my feet still hurt! Ooh yes, Stereophonics I wouldn’t mind - and Nickleback are playing at RDS soon, but the same applies - too cold, too much standing around and icky toilets!!! x

    5h4m: You’re a secret rocker, Sham? I’d never have known!

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 25, 2008 @ 8:50 am

  18. Who is ??

    Comment by Moon — June 25, 2008 @ 1:12 pm

  19. Moon: Bryan Adams. Keep up.

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 25, 2008 @ 3:10 pm

  20. thought you meant Mr Waller (who was there with us ) !!!!

    Comment by Moon — June 25, 2008 @ 4:03 pm

  21. Ooooh. Went to a Seether concert a while ago. LOVE Coheed and Cambria - more so that Linkin Park although they’re cool too. :) Sounds like a rockin’ time!

    Comment by SleepyJane — June 26, 2008 @ 7:20 am

  22. Moon: good god.

    Sleepy: We were mightily impressed with them, although I’d never heard of them before. The lead singer was MAD! x

    Comment by englishmuminireland — June 26, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

  23. Many people I know hate Linkin’ Park for the middle class whiney in need of a bitch slapping cretins that they undoubtedly are. I still like their music though.

    Relevant song, bit of a laugh :-)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkiFLURt38

    Comment by Thriftcriminal — June 30, 2008 @ 4:12 pm

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