after a load of rushing around this morning, i ended up deciding it was impractical, in what is going to be an expensive August, for me to go to Belfast this weekend. which meant accepting as i unpacked my bag that i'd not be joining Changing Attitudes Ireland this year for the Belfast pride parade (this afternoon). which is disappointing as i'd really have liked to have shown my support.
but my spirits were soon lifted. standing a little dejectedly in the kitchen pouring myself a coffee i felt a low deep vibrating beat in the ceiling. i initially thought it was the people living in the flat above me but i usually can't hear anything from them. the sound got more rhythmic, then stronger, and then it turned into a roll of beats... and that's when i remembered....
it's the 1st of august. this is a 3 day holiday weekend. and the park around the corner is closed to the public because Metallica are headlining a big outdoor gig with so many support bands it's something of a mini metal fest.
the coaches are starting to pull up and soon this place is going to be overrun with metal fans on foot and the traffic is going to come to a standstill. and i get to sit on my deck and listen to the whole thing for free. i'm thinking i'll head up to my parentals' balcony tonight as apparently they can usually see the stage from there.
and then tomorrow it all kicks off again with Fat Boy Slim headlining another day of music.
so i miss out on the drag queens and the fundamentalists wielding their bibles, but heck, it's not everyday the metalllers come to your back yard. the Lord taketh away, the Lord giveth...
so i think i'm gonna embrace the mayhem that's coming our way and enjoy every wall vibrating minute of it. they say plants grow better when listening to Mozart. i don't know what my blooms are going to think of Alice in Chains, but it's breezy in the sunshine and they look like they're already moshing. thin lizzy are also supporting. there's no question whiskey in the jar is gonna bring the house (field) down.
(beneath this video at youtube there's a brief discussion on whether or not james hetfield is a Christian. i always understood he had good reason since his youth to have pretty antagonistic feelings on the subject and i think that he's got himself clean and sober is all that matters. that's a courageous journey of faith to be on and signing up for doctrine pales in comparison. so it makes not an ounce of difference to me. anyone who's seen the some kind of monster documentary can be in no doubt that Metallica are some kind of dysfunctional, but heck, aren't we all.
but it got me thinking and laughing. traditionalists think greenbelt is some kind of den of sin... i know cheryl, nadia and i have been known to tear up the dancefloor, but it don't look like nothing like this.)
wherever you are, rock on, even if it's in sequins.
LB
Metallica and Alice in Chains from your balcony... whew... who else is on that bill? wish I could be there to hold high the Dio horns in person, but I am with you in spirit, having just seen Judas Priest and Whitesnake(*rolls eyes* lol) not 2 weeks ago (no, actually Whitesnake was the reason I was there. :-D 3 rows from front and center there to be exact...and it was so very good). do tell us how it was. I miss Layne...
ReplyDeletehey brook,
ReplyDeletenice to hear from you. \m/
glad you enjoyed whitesnake. :)
as for last night, the line up seemed to chop and change a lot before the gig, in the end turns out thin lizzy were one of several bands that didn't end up playing. from what i can tell the final line up was glyder (a band of from co. wicklow), Avenged Sevenfold, Alice in Chains and Mastodon.
hearing alice in chains brought back a load of memories i'd forgotten i had from the mid-90s. such a distinctive and recognisable sound. (RIP Layne. what a thoroughly tragic tale. so desperately sad.)
i think whiskey in the jar was metallica's third track and it was delightful to stand on the deck and listen to what must have been close to 30,000 voices singing in unison. some folks walked past on the street and looked over and we shared a smile. the crowd were unquestionably leading the band and you could hear the band having to adjust their rendition on the spot because the crowd were not going to follow them. it was comical.
i spent most of the gig with the door open watching bladerunner (director's cut) on dvd with the sound turned down. i nipped up to my dad's balcony and back during one track but because the trees in the park are in full leaf the stage was almost entirely concealed and the sound was better down at my place.
but for me the high point was probably Nothing Else Matters - it was a hyper-real experience. i stepped outside and stood in the cold looking at a gorgeous full moon surrounded by the most incredible clouds.
the lyrics and the way his voice was being carried on the air were breathtakingly like prayer. the whole experience had a magical and completely other-wordly quality. i felt extremely glad to be alive in that moment.
and then, having thought it couldn't possibly get any louder than it had been during One, there came the heart stopping roar that went up to the opening chords of Enter Sandman, complete with what must have been pyrotechnics. hearing the army of foot soldiers sound of the crowd chanting huh huh huh huh was like waiting for an invasion to come and a total f*cking thrill at that. there was nothing to do but grin. i'm not sure i would have enjoyed it much more had i actually been inside.
safe to say, i think you would have *loved* it. it would have been fun to have shared the experience. it goes down as one of the best gigs i've never been to.
the crowds are starting to arrive for fat boy slim's gig. while i'm seriously hoping for 'weapon of choice' so i can give my freshly washed floors a christopher walken polish with my socks i don't think it'll compare in the slightest.
don't stop rockin'
LB.