Freddie Mercury

Like last year, i am again going to commemorate Freddie Mercury's birthday. This year would have been his 65th. Weird thought.

Freddie Mercury, to me, is an absolute inspiration, and i wasn't even alive during his lifetime.

Simply going back and watching old videos, watching Live Aid or Queen at Wembley just does something to me. I don't know what it is. Obviously, Queen as whole band are legendary but no one can deny that Freddie is the member who just grabs you immediately.

His charisma, personality and stage presence were, are, and (i find it highly unlikely) to ever be matched.

It is for such reasons that i have a poster solely of Freddie at Wembley directly opposite my bed.

My dad told me a wonderful story a few years back about the day he passed away. He went down to the shops to get a newspaper as he did every morning and the headline was about Freddie Mercury's death and my dad was left speechless - he's always been quite a big Queen fan.
He skipped work that morning as the only thing he could think of doing was going to church (this was during his more religious years) to light a candle and say a prayer for him.

I bet he wasn't the only one that day.


I could go on and on about how Muse are my favourite band - i know i have on here -  and how i adore them and whatever but not even i can deny that they will never match Queen's, and in particular Freddie Mercury's, musical talent and song writing ability. They can put on an amazing show but i know fine well that my dad speaks the truth when he says that a Queen concert is like nothing on this earth. He's one of those lucky people to have seen them live. '79 i think.

Think of it this way. If, somehow, Freddie was to bring himself back for a day and put on a Queen concert in the middle of the Mongolian outbacks, I would do all in my power to be there.


As i said, i wasn't even ever alive while Freddie was and every year on this day i'm reminded of that fact and it makes me genuinely sad. I was three years too late for that, but i'm sure for many - and certainly for myself - Freddie Mercury will live on forever in our hearts, in our minds and through the amazing music he wrote and performed.

Freddie is king.


Rowan <3



This may have been a Brian May song but listening to the lyrics it's as if Freddie is singing to you from beyond the grave. Sheer brilliance.

Reading and Leeds Part 2

Woke up on the Saturday morning, feeling a little rough. Didn't get much sleep because dad wanted to get on the road early for some reason.

Anyhow, we packed into the car and headed for London. Took about 4 hours in all i think. I always love coming off the motorway into Surrey, specifically the area we used to live. There's just something i love about the place. It's really nice. Lucky the sun was out and i stuck my head out the window.

Our accommodation whilst staying in London was actually provided free of cost since we have lots of family down there but we stayed with old friends across the road in the street we used to live in.

The old friends i'm talking about are those my mum, sister and I visited last summer (http://dailyodoings.blogspot.com/2010/08/holiday-part-7-back-in-london.html)

Bryan, naturally, felt a bit awkward meeting everyone as they were all new to him. Everyone was as nice as possible to him but the only time he came downstairs all night was for dinner!

He and my brother warmed to each other by their interest (obsession, rather) in all things gaming so i didn't feel bad by leaving them while i caught up and had a few beers with everyone else.

Trying to get to sleep that night was quite annoying. The room was really stuffy. I shared a bed with Bryan again (ahmygawd) but the bed was quite uncomfortable.

He sat up at one point, alarmed and said, "Crap i think i seen a spider on the bed" so we searched for a minute or so but found nothing and he just went, "Ah, i must have been dreaming"

It was quite sweet :3

However, I'd say sleeping that night was difficult not because of the room being stuffy or the bed being uncomfortable but, in absolute honesty, because of the fact that what i think about on a regular basis, what i have dreamt about on numerous occasions was inches in front of me. The temptation to throw my arm over Bryan's shoulder and cuddle him was agonising. There was like this invisible barrier between him and I that just said, "FORBIDDEN" on it.
It was actually quite depressing. I lay there on my side just staring at him, wishing, knowing that it's just impossible.
Sharing the bed was nice but, to put it bluntly, downright painful. A case of being so close to what i desire, yet so far away from it at the same time :(

But despite this, i thought of something else at the same time that made me feel happier: I was lying in that same spot about 9 months ago when we went to London for Grandma Knitter's funeral. My brother and I shared that very bed. If you were to tell me then, that in 9 months time i would be lying in the same bed but with Bryan next to me instead of my brother, i'd have called you a nutter.

I think it shows that mine and Bryan's friendship has developed well over the year we've known each other :)


Was really quite tired waking up on the Sunday. Needed a few more hours, but the nerves about tickets and travelling etc were all there again so i didn't even eat breakfast.

Getting to Reading was a bit more complicated. Had to take a train then a replacement bus, then a further shuttle bus. Would have been another 3 trains if my dad didn't drop us at a certain station. I hate navigating the South East. But it reminded me of getting to Wembley last year and it was just something that added to the event. Don't let anyone tell you different - getting there is all part of the experience!

Go into Reading central about noon and didn't quite know where to go from there, where the shuttle bus was etc. so we saved a few quid, followed the crowds and got there after about half an hour's walk.

Tickets again, were fine and we got our wristbands without hassle.

 

Moar bands xD

Getting to the arena itself was actually quite a trek. Weren't quite sure where we were going, cutting through campsites and everything. I tell you what though, the smell at Reading was ripe. 4th day of one of the UK's biggest festivals. Not very hygienic i must say :P

We had a plan of who we were going to see that day so the first half an hour in the arena was spent filling up on drinks, going to the toilet and getting food - not necessarily in that order. Frank Turner was first this time, enjoyed his set at Leeds and his set at Reading was enjoyable as well although it was pretty much the exact same. Even his speeches were rehearsed. I was able to recite them out of memory as he said them haha

 

The crowd being told to sit the fuck down by Frank Turner :P

After Frank Turner, we headed to The Alternative Stage to catch Tim Minchin but the tent was so crowded that when he came on, we couldn't see anything. I like Tim Minchin but not enough to just stand there and listen to him so we left :(

Without anything to do, we caught Warpaint in the NME Tent. Josh adores them and said we should see them so we did. We sat near the back of the tent and got chatting to a few people. Told them we had been to Leeds and like everyone we told, they were shocked haha. I said it was mainly for Muse but we get to experience both festivals and see other bands. Truth :P

Warpaint weren't bad but weren't anything to shout about either although i did head into the crowd to take a few snaps.

Back to the main stage after this for the rest of the day. Seen Friendly Fires and Interpol. Just sat near the second barrier with a small deckchair we brought with us - lifesaver.

They weren't very good and Interpol must be one of the most boring live bands on the planet. Had such a small crowd, too. I investigated during their set and got about 5 rows from barrier without much hassle. After they finished we placed the deckchair behind the barrier and headed into the growing crowd for Elbow and Muse, in anticipation of a few very special hours.

Elbow, i have to say, were fucking fantastic. Enjoyed them at Leeds but at Reading they were just perfect. The sun was setting and that was just so suiting for a band like Elbow. Got about 7 or 8 rows from barrier at this point - knew we should have headed in properly during Interpol!

The only Elbow song i properly know is Grounds for Divorce which was great live but the have other fantastic songs such as the beautiful One Day Like This, Open Arms, Neat Little Rows. It was majestic.

Camera video i took of Elbow coming on.

:O... :D Woooo! \o/

 

The calm before the storm :P

\o/

 

(final picture before Muse)

Immediately after Elbow things got hectic. The crowd surged forward and we were crammed in like sardines. Even before Muse came on the "domino effect" started happening. If you can't guess, it's where stupid drunk cunts start pushing people just to make others fall over and smash into other people, thus making them fall over. And this was before Muse even came on. I was already a bit scared and had already lost Bryan - was looking forward to sharing at least some of the gig with him :(

When Muse came on with New Born, shit got real. Domino effect every 30 seconds and crushing like nothing else. After fighting for my life during New Born, Bliss and Space Dementia (being unable to enjoy them) i tried my best to retreat a little and managed to get to a slightly safer spot and pay attention to the gig.

I've honestly never been in such a rough crowd. Wembley had a lot of crushing but not to this effect. This was simply the fault of people being drunk and being twats, although i still did my standard confetti throwing during Feeling Good and managed to take a few videos on my phone but the quality is pretty crap. 

Darkshines

Megalomania (fiery stuff!)

The flames at Leeds were better - they even melted part of the stage :P

After Megalomania finished Origin, i said to some random hardcore fan that is was unbelievable, and saddening, that it's the last time those songs will probably be played again. He agreed and we both started chanting for Dead Star! :P
I then decided to chance my arm and head back to the front. Wasn't gonna let some rich, spoiled twats who's mummy and daddy paid for their weekend spoil my fun.

Thankfully, things had calmed down by the time Uprising came on and i was able to enjoy the rest of the set. Got about 3 or 4 rows from the front by the end. Reading highlight was this:



I was on the right side of the stage, as i always am at Muse gigs, so i had a great view of that bassline and that guitar solo played right in front of me. It was so epic even though it was the 4th time i'd seen it!

Stockholm Syndrome was apparently one of Muse's best performances ever, according to people who watched it on tv, but all i remember is going mental with two random guys and jumping about while everyone else stood and watched. Their loss :P

Knights of Cydonia closed the set as usual which is a bit unexciting as it always does it's but always insane fun at the end, as i said.

Some pics:

A Man With a Harmonica

Fin.

Muse saying their goodbyes.

Unfortunately, having watched the tv broadcast of Muse since, i can't spot myself on it. I recognise a few people but that's about it. Also, i'm pissed off that Muse didn't want to show Origin of Symmetry in full. Scared because they hadn't played the songs in years. Like anyone cares. The entire Muse fanbase was looking forward to watching it, and personally i'd have loved to relive it. I love Muse but it's so typical of them to pull something like that. Need to hope they release a DVD. Certainly, there will be fan-made recordings at least.

Yeah, quite disappointed with that and not getting on tv for Muse, although maybe if the whole set was broadcast i might have been.

Bryan and I can be seen during Elbow however...

:D


Anyway, i regrouped with Bryan after the gig and part of my life had been fulfilled by that time. Seriously.

We walked back to the train station, shattered, where my dad and uncle picked us up after a while. It was weird walking around an unknown town centre at 1am...

When we got back, i just crashed into bed, but i was so happy. I had just experienced one of the best weekends of my life, and i shared it with Bryan who was lying beside me as these thoughts ran through my head. It was a surreal moment. My expectations had been more than surpassed. The following statement is also true: I have slept with Bryan.

;D

Ok, not in that sense but waking up the next morning and his smile being the first thing i seen made me so happy :)

We travelled home on Monday, by car, and when we dropped Bryan off i thanked him and told him how grateful i was because, without him this weekend would have never happened. I wouldn't have gone on my own and i would never have been able to see two gigs that will go down in Muse history. I know he wasn't as bothered about seeing them twice as i was, but he did and i have a feeling it was partly for my benefit. Gave him the biggest hug i could have given and told him i'd never forget the past few days. No words were needed on his part, just a smile.


When all is said and done, i have to be honest, i enjoyed Leeds more than Reading. The people i met were nicer and i didn't almost die in the crowd. It was also more special because it was the first time seeing those songs and the second time at Reading, i knew what was going to happen. Not even one tear was shed during Citizen Erased at Reading! :P

Don't get me wrong, Reading was epic and more comfortable because the sun was out but Leeds just had something for me, personally, that Reading didn't. The crowd problems at Reading were scary and made me miss some of the gig but it certainly didn't spoil it. I still seen one of my favourite albums live twice, attended two historic Muse concerts and for that i feel extremely privileged.

I'm a lucky guy, but i'm now a broke guy. Although i really don't care - you couldn't put a price on that weekend :)

Rowan <3

Reading and Leeds Part 1

Sorry it's taken me a while to get round to doing this. Got back on Monday quite late and yesterday i was really tired. Probably made way for the cold i'm currently putting up with but i shall type away about Leeds first of all and Reading in another post in the next few days! *sniffles*

We left on Friday morning, that is, me, my dad who drove and my brother who came along for the ride and to miss some school :P

We picked Bryan up and headed for Leeds festival. The journey was quite meh, i was quite nervous for the whole thing as i usually am before going into a gig - I always worry that something is wrong with the tickets etc - We got to Leeds about 11am but didn't actually get into the site till around noon. Everything went smoothly by the way. On arrival, it was chucking it down and it was obvious that wellies were needed - lucky we brought a pair each. So we got our wristbands and entered the site.

Once inside, Bryan had to buy a rain poncho as he forgot any sort of waterproof clothing.

The first band we seen were Fucked Up. Personally, i wouldn't have gone to see them but the rain was really heavy so we went into the NME tent and they happened to be playing. I wanted to see Dananananaykroyd but we were too late. Fucked Up aren't my kind of music but they put on a good show nonetheless.

We decided to brave the rain at the main stage for Frank Turner and it was worth it. He was surprisingly good!


Now. Festivals aren't all about the music. In fact, just outside the arena there was an EA Games setup. They were showing advanced previews of Battlefield 3. I wouldn't have been interested in it but Bryan, being the obsessive gamer that he is, was all over it. I went with him of course, coz it was his festival as much as it was mine. We waited a while to get in and once we did all i really cared about was being dry for a while :P

We got some new gameplay footage and a test demo of the game which is apparently in pre-alpha stage or something :S

The demo was quite fun admittedly. I thought i'd be partnered with Bryan but we got separated and i played with some randomer who died within a few minutes :/ I blame the fact that it was on PS3!
Anyway, we got custom dog tags made for us by the staff and were told that this is the only public showing of this game at the moment so i guess we were rather privileged in hindsight.

Back in the rain, we watched Enter Shitkari and they were atrocious. Really don't like their music. Bryan does somewhat but admitted that their setlist and performance were crap. I was so bored by them that i took a picture of a depressed looking security guard.

The torrential downpour probably didn't make Enter Shitari any better.

I had to get some food after this because i was STARVING. Had to settle for some greasy, overpriced festival chips but they did the job i guess.

We caught the end of Panic! At the Disco because Death From Above 1979 were on after them.

Now DFA are on a reunion tour and haven't played in over 5 years. I've only got into them recently but their gig was great. Was cautious to begin with as i didn't want to hurt myself before Muse but i decided that since it may be the only time i'll get to see them live, i'd go down the front. Bryan stood nearer the back because he wasn't too impressed with them. Meh, i had a great time. Crowd were really up for it!

Seeing DFA was a little risky because they were on quite close to Muse so we ran in ankle deep mud from the NME tent to the main stage where we caught Elbow in the middle of their set. Just in time. I'd listened to Elbow before going and wasn't too enamoured with them but even in the rain they managed to brighten things up.

Guy Garvey is such a great frontman. Amazing voice as well, and now i'm certainly a lot more interested in the band.

Muse followed Elbow nearly an hour later and we had decent places for them. Probably about halfway between the sound desk and the stage, although i'd have liked to have been a bit closer.

Now, i had been waiting for this moment for months, and to see the songs Muse were going to perform for years so when they came on and the intro called 'What's He Building In There?' was played, i started to well up. Seriously. It's the intro to their best DVD which is such a brilliant gig - Hullabaloo. When it came on i just felt a tingle in the air and knew it was going to be a great night.

Not my video btw

And this is the version on the DVD:



On their DVD this is followed by, "Dead Star" so i got really excited, only for them to launch right into Origin of Symmetry with "New Born"

Would have like to see Dead Star but i wasn't too bothered. The gig of a lifetime was under way.

They proceeded to play Origin of Symmetry as i proceeded to bounce my way closer to the front without knowing it, losing Bryan in the process but that was always going to happen i think.

I met some awesome people in the crowd. An equally hardcore fan who i enjoyed Hyper Music with before joining up randomly with a group of other hardcore fans during Citizen Erased. I only realised i was a few rows from the front by about Darkshines. So maybe about 40 minutes in.

I proceeded to do my usual confetti throwing during Feeling Good as it's something that Matt Bellamy used to do in the Origin days but stopped. Although apparently he brought it back for Leeds. I didn't see coz i was throwing my own :P

Was quite sad after that when Megalomania was played as the album was coming to a close. But i was determined to enjoy it and i did. It was one of the highlights without a doubt. I met a Scottish guy in the crowd who asked if i wanted to go on his shoulders (i swear he fancied me or something, kept brushing my hair out my eyes :P) but i politely decline before thinking, "fuck it, why not" y'know? Not something i'll get to do an awful lot.

Was only probably on his shoulders for 30 seconds before he got tired but the view from there is something i'll take to my grave. Looking back all i could see was a sea of faces stretching as far as the eye could see and in front of me, an unobstructed view of Muse playing one of my favourite songs ever. It was just surreal. So grateful to that guy, that legend <3

After that unbelievable performance of one of my favourite albums of all time, i could have died right there. It was bliss. It was perfect. It was flawless.

The Scottish guy and I sang Celtic songs (my dad supports them, too, so i know a bit about them) during the break between Megalomania and Uprising. Probably getting some weird looks from people but who cares, it was great fun!

Muse went into the greatest hits part of their setlist after Origin, all of which i'd seen before so it was the cool down period but i enjoyed it nonetheless (except from the crap that is Undisclosed Desires, Resistance and Starlight) and took a few photos. It was still a bit disappointing that Muse didn't surprise us with any other rarities but then again, they just played about 8 of them so i shouldn't complain :P

It may not look very close but that's my camera for you. Plus, the barrier was further away than usual to allow for pyrotechnics etc.

They closed on Knights of Cydonia which is good to jump around to no matter how many times you've seen it - this occasion was my third - and afterwards i was done in. Met Bryan at a pre-arranged point afterwards, stumbled up to him and almost collapsed in the mud.

I literally could have fallen asleep there but we had to wait over an hour for a bloody taxi in the pouring rain. Not fun, but we got chatting to some people in the queue about the gig and everyone was really kind and funny. Weird, coz on the Muse Messageboard people have been saying that festival crowds, and especially Reading and Leeds crowds, are mostly twats. Maybe i missed them, at Leeds, and got lucky, coz most folk i met were great! :)

We eventually got our expensive taxi to the hotel where my dad and brother started laughing at the state of us. Not that we really cared. Bryan and I both had a shower (not together - i wish!) and we watched some Billy Connolly before going to bed.

I said before that i can never usually sleep after a gig but with Bryan by my side, the day couldn't have ended better and i slept like a log in anticipation of doing the whole thing again at Reading :)

Rowan <3

Reading and Leeds

I should probably be sleeping just now instead of posting but oh well. I also should have posted earlier to save me doing this now. Meh.

Anyhoo. Tomorrow, i depart for Leeds to see Muse play one of my favourite albums of all time live and i simply cannot wait. It's probably part of the reason i can't sleep is that i'm waaaaay too excited! :D

Also, can't wait to experience the festival atmosphere and the mudbaths that go with it. The insane mosh pits that Reading and Leeds are famed for should be great as well. I'm not a big one for mosh pits and at Leeds i'll take it easy to keep myself healthy for Reading but when i see them there i just want to say that i will have literally no regard for my health and safety whatsoever :)

This is a once (or twice) in a lifetime thing and i want to experience it properly.

At least we have Saturday off so we can chill and get geared up for Sunday's events. And on Monday, there is a good chance that we could play football with Muse's bassist, Chris Wolstenholme which would be a dream come true. One of my heroes. He arranges football matches for fans to attend and watch. Such a god.

So yeah, here's hoping that this is just about the perfect weekend. There's no reason it shouldn't be. Seeing Muse, seeing family in London, seeing Bryan (and sleeping in the same bed as him - gaaaaahhhhhh!!!), seeing loads of bands. Just earth shattering.

Even more good news: I got an eye infection last week \o/

But no, i went back to the hospital today and they gave the all clear for me to wear contacts again - I was scared my eye wouldn't have healed in time but it has! Awesome news.


I'm gonna be completely honest. I could probably die happy after Monday. Not that i do plan on dying or anything but if i were to for some terrible reason then so be it haha

Just glad i didn't die while seeing Flogging Molly this evening in which there was a strong possibility i could have died. I'd say it was probably the most insane crowd i've ever been in. The whole place was a mosh pit so it was unavoidable, but so amazing at the same time.

I'm gonna be completely honest again: if the crowd at Muse tomorrow, OR at Reading on Sunday is half as good as Flogging Molly was tonight, then i'll be damned. Honestly. It was a crazy crowd but a loving crowd. Looking out for each other and there was a weird kind of family atmosphere as well. Drunken Lullabies definitely being one of the highlights but so was the point after the gig ended and "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" came on the PA and half the crowd got into a big circle for a HUGE jig, dance, thing.

That just doesn't happen at normal gigs. Certainly not at Muse. Totally different crowd.

That isn't to say i'm not looking forward to one of the best weekends of my life :P

Going to that gig tonight is probably another reason why i'm still up. Got loads of adrenaline, still (Going to a gig knowing i have to get up at 6am the next morning definitely wasn't one of my better ideas)
I don't get tired after gigs for some reason. My legs and feet hurt but i don't feel like sleeping. It's weird.

Just gonna be really tired tomorrow i guess but there's no way that's stopping me enjoying my day. I'm sure the adrenaline will be flowing once more!

I'll post about everything sometime next week when my head, if it hasn't been blown off by awesomness, can unwind and spew out what happened xD


Rowan <3

Summer Ends

Back to the same old tomorrow.

My final year of high school and in all honesty, probably the most pointless year i will have ever had.

Ok, that's a lie but it is still going to be quite a redundant year, what with my sparkling exams results and all ;)

I'm hoping for a more relaxed and social year. Effectively only doing two subjects: Italian and Modern Studies/Photography. Advanced Music and Video Editing don't count as real subjects :P
So yeah, hopefully it'll be a bit more chilled but despite that and getting money for going to school, i'd rather not return at all.

It's just that i can't be bothered with all the studying, exams, assessments learning ANOTHER language, and all the general fucking bullshit that high school brings.

I'm surprised that a lot of my year's twats haven't went anywhere. You know the people im talking about. The people who at 17 years old still find it a laugh to call people "benders", "mongos" "fags" "retards". There's still fair number of them left and it is genuinely odd that they haven't
a) been kicked out
b) left of their own accord and claimed benefits.

But i'm not concerning myself with them. Or at least, i will try like i always have done to avoid them.

Yeah. Fuck 'em.

I've pretty much always been of that opinion but today just reinforced why, i think.

Last day of the holidays, thought i'd spend a day out with my friends. Not everyone was there but most were, including Kev who i haven't seen for ages!

He was acting unbelievably camp. It was brilliant. I joined in :D

One point Josh was walking with us and this random hot guy walked past. Kev went, "Woah" and i asked, "What?"
He just replied,"Nothing... ok that hot blonde guy"
"Yeah, he really was, wasn't he!?" i said and we both laughed.

I've never confided in Kev about my sexuality but now he pretty much knows and that was it!
No big deal about it or anything :)
Josh was just sitting there completely out of place with "us two gay gentlemen" as Kev put it haha

We went to see Super 8 and we sat next to each other rating the hot guys in the trailers. The winner had to be one of the young hot guys in the trailer for The Three Musketeers :P

The critic in me must discuss Super 8 for a few sentences now. It was good overall. Pretty much a compilation of every Steven Spielberg film ever made. The child actors were well cast i'd say and some of the scenes (such as the train crash) were visually dazzling and like being hit in the face repeatedly for 2 whole minutes... in a good way.

I won't spoil the ending but it was such a disappointment to me. The majority of the film had it's cliché moments and the ending just to took it one step further in that respect and in terms of absurdity. The last 10 minutes didn't ruin the film but it almost did. I think i expected too much. It did deliver but not as well as i would have hoped.

Anyway, Kev's womanlyness shone through. He cried at the ending! *facepalm* haha

Maybe i'm just too cynical :P

Still, it was a good day and a nice, quiet end to a much more eventful summer than i'd have ever planned.
I sat on the train on the way home, listening to Dark Side of the Moon, taking in the last bit of holiday sun and reflecting:
I've been so many places. Some new, some old.
Enjoyed my time with friends. Got drunk with them on a few occasions, too.
I've had people interested in me. Ok, not in the way i'd have liked but still.
Came out to a few people.
Got to watch my favourite team from one of the world's most famous stands.
Had a fair amount of sun. Not enough but hey, it's Britain after all.

Its just been really unexpected in all honesty. Not a summer where i can say i've enjoyed every minute, coz i haven't, but it's been more than i thought it would be.
I imagined a summer of countless rainy days, sitting inside and watching movies. There have been a few of those days but definitely an equal amount of doing better things and for that i am glad.

The only regret i have this summer is that i didn't watch *enough* movies. Seriously, i have at least 40 just sitting there, screaming at me to be watched.

They can wait for a bit :P

Hope all your Brits have enjoyed your holidays, like myelf, and to those the other side of the pond, i hope you continue to do so :)


Rowan <3


But the summer doesn't end there, oh no. There is still Reading and Leeds in 8 days time and i think we can still count that as summer. I will be anyway :)

Bryan's Second Stayover

"im comfortable enough for Josh to know i'm gay but i've no intention of telling Bryan." - Me, July 27th 2011.


That kinda changed last night, and without the influence of alcohol.


I'm afraid i'll be called a cop out again as the word "gay" did not feature and "bi" did instead but as it usually is with coming out to someone (in my experience so far) it can be rather difficult, and sometimes awkward but that goes without saying.


Also, with Bryan, i've never been too sure where the ground lay with him so i didn't throw myself right in at the deep end but he's actually perfectly fine with it, or so it seems :D




Anyway, this stayover was certainly better than the 1st. We picked Bryan up in the car and I swear, the first time i seen him i almost melted! His hair is quite some length but even though it's quite messy it really suits him! We picked him up because he was bringing his guitar and amp with him.


Didn't use it much but we played a few Muse excerpts together. I've really got him into Muse now. He's bought his own copy of Origin of Symmetry which also changed an opinion i held in my last post that going to Reading and Leeds with Bryan might not be as exciting as it once seemed.


I'm thinking it will be, he really surprised me with his knowledge of the album. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.


Also, this time i didn't throw up \o/ (some achievement, eh?)


But once again, i still had no appetite when it came to dinner. My dad cooked some lovely chilli that i barely touched coz i didn't want to be spewing again :/ Bryan loved it however. 
Just like last time, I dunno why i had no appetite again. I felt fine before it and then after it when we walked the dog down to the park, although my asthma came on a bit.


Yeah, i'm probably going to spontaneously combust any second now :P




I tried to coerce Bryan into watching Alien because he hasn't seen it before and he isn't a great horror fan but that wasn't happening so when i found he hadn't watched much Billy Connolly, i stuck a dvd on which we were both howling at. He's probably my favourite comedian, in truth.


The hours, after that, ran away as they usually do and i got the old air mattress out for Bryan and we just sat talking for ages and this is the juicy part of the story.


From the vantage point on my bed, i could see right up Bryan's top (uNF) Oh, the sights you see!
Just thought i'd mention that...


The juicyness began when i told him the whole show about Rose and Susan and he laughed about how i'd become such a "womaniser" in the space of a month. I then told him, of course, that i didn't fancy either and he asked if there really was anyone i was interested in...


Ololol. I just replied, "not really". I couldn't exactly just say, "Yeah, you!" could I!?


He said pretty much the same thing - that he wasn't interested in anyone (and also, was to lazy to be arsed going out with someone, lulz) when i asked him but then we delved into the past and also, previous dealings with alcohol.


By this time, i'd made my mind up that i was going to tell him what happened with Josh and Melly. Dunno why, just decided i would.


His previous experiences with alcohol involved snogging a group of random girls when he was really out of it a few years back. He didn't say who but it wasn't what i really wanted to hear :P


I told him about Susan's party, made the same joke on here that i'd be tempted to go out with her just because her parents are so awesome and then told him about when i got drunk at Nicholas's house.


I came out with it eventually, coz the conversation kept going off in tangents about alcohol making you do strange things etc. (completely true as well) So i was slowly but surely edging my way towards the moment >.<


I said to Bryan that when i was drunk, i told Josh and Melly some things that i probably wouldn't have if i was sober and played the old, "Well, it isn't fair for me to say that to you and not to tell you now", so Bryan's like, "Ok, what is it?" and i just said, "I hope this sits alright with you... i'm bi"


"Really?"


"Yah"


"Ahh, ok man"


I told him i'd been wanting to tell a few close friends recently and i just wasn't sure where the ground lay with him. He said it didn't bother him though but asked when i "decided" and i just said, "Well, i didn't decide, it's just the way i am"
He questioned how long i'd known and i told him a few years now.


He just said it was cool and that he wouldn't be running and telling anyone. Made me quite le pleased but the over-analytical side in me made me question his word choice of "decided"
I was just worried he thought that sexuality was a choice but he didn't mean it like that and agreed that it's just the way people are born.


I thanked him for being understanding and he said it was no big deal coz he knew it was probably not an easy thing to tell someone. "Not that i would know" he joked and that made me want to push further and ask him some more stuff but i decided not to - If there was a moment for Bryan to confide his sexuality it was then, but as he didn't, you've gotta just take that as him not having anything to confide, something that i'm rather confident of at this point :P




Now. You can call me a cop out if you so desire but as i've said before any step forward is a good step and if you want the absolute honest truth, i don't really feel ready to be openly gay to everyone yet. Maybe in a year or so, but not at this moment in time, apart from Josh who probably knows. That's just the way i feel about it right now.


Anyway, last night was a good night, I was able to tell Bryan what i did, had a good laugh with him and evenutally managed to exchange the Reading and Leeds tickets for the money he owed me xD


I'm certainly looking forward to Reading and Leeds more now after having Bryan round. Probably coz everything is finally in place and all we have to do is wait. 25 days!


The only worrying factor is Bryan's paranoia about the migraines he is prone to. If one was to pop up that weekend then there is like 0% chance that he'd be able to go. Loud noises and flashing lights apparently don't do it much good so let's just hope that he can handle Leeds and will be all good for Reading as well.


After months of waiting, we're on the home stretch now, and i'm looking forward to a great weekend with a friend i certainly feel a bit closer to now! :)




Rowan <3




P.S Apparently the film people have sent emails out to people they want to be extras for the film and i didn't get one :(
The dates would actually have suited me and my busy schedule :P
But never mind, i'm not too fussed. The film is called World War Z btw, and they've been looking for extras in various towns and cities in Britain. Meh.

Leeds Festival

Im going to Leeds Festival in August! xD

Im pretty sure you can tell but in case you couldn't, it's a music festival. It's officially called Reading/Leeds Festival: same bands play in Reading and Leeds over one weekend.

I got my tickets last night but i was really tired so i didn't post about it.

And well, i say im going to the festival but i'm only going for one night - the whole weekend was over 200 quid!

I am, however, lucky enough to be going with Bryan and for that reason i simply can't wait!

I only bought 2 tickets coz it's all i could afford and Bryan owes me 90 pounds but im not bothered when he gives it back. Also, we might have another friend coming with us but we don't know yet.
Strangely, i'd actually prefer if he did come because travelling to Leeds and getting back etc.... i'd feel a lot more secure with 3 people rather than just 2. Strength in numbers, y'know?

Also, i've never been to a festival before so i'd have liked to go for the full thing but it will be a taster for next year - Bryan and I have decided we will be going to a festival next year for the full thing. Woot.

Anyway, you can probably make a good guess why im so interested going. Yes, the one and only Muse are playing. Headlining, actually. Usually, i wouldn't be as interested but Muse have stated that it will be the last time they play some of their earlier songs over the two festivals (which i think is completely unfair on the fans) so it is like my only chance to see some of my favourite songs played live before they never see the light of day again. It may be over a hundred quid but it's the last chance-aloon to see some really rare songs.
I don't know why a band would do that though coz other bands don't. For example, last night Biffy Clyro were playing at the Royal Albert Hall and said on their Facebook that some old-school fans would be happy with the evening's setlist. They played a good chunk of their old material and have as many albums released as Muse do. I don't get it but i know Muse are always quite particular with their sets.
Musicians are full of themselves is all i can say :P

Anyway, i'll stop complaining for once and just savour the fact that i might have a whole day or two alone with Bryan hehe.
Honestly, im surprised how good friends we are now. At the start of the school year, i barely knew him. Id seen him before and thought to myself, "Oh, he's pretty cute" but i never spoke to him. Just luck really that we're in 3 classes with each other and that's how we got talking.
Unfortunately, im not at the stage yet of seeing him a lot outside of school (although i have a few times) and he isn't in "my circle" of friends but despite that i still get to talk to him a lot. Makes me happy and him wanting to go with me to Leeds was like Christmas coming early!

I know he'd have liked to have gone for the full weekend coz 30 Seconds to Mars (meh) and My Chemical Romance are playing the night after Muse but he said seeing Muse was on his list of things to do before he dies so he's happy enough to go for one night. To save any disappointment, i've promised we'll go to a full festival weekend next year and we'll plan it better coz i honestly had no plans to go to Leeds until i heard about the whole thing with Muse.

But yeh, looks like i'll be spending a night... somewhere, with Bryan. Be it in a tent (ooft) or in some one room hotel where the booking arrangements get "mixed up" and we have to share a bed ;)
I don't know yet but im really looking forward to it.

Here's the full line-up for the day we're going to Leeds. I've not heard a lot of the bands on there but i will certainly endeavour to listen to them over the next few months. Got Interpol on just now... kinda average but im only on their second album, opinion could change.


NME/Radio 1 Stage: (first to last)

Cage the Elephant
Chapel Club
Warpaint
Panic! At the Disco
Death From Above 1979

Main Stage:

We Are the Ocean
Taking Back Sunday
Frank Turner
The View
Enter Shikari
Friendly Fires
Interpol
Elbow
Muse


See anyone you like/know of?

I think the plan is to stay by the Main Stage so we get a good place for Muse but Tim Minchin might be on The Alternative Stage and if he is, i wanna see him coz he's legendary :P
Got loads of time to decide tho...


Rowan <3

Top 100 Songs of 2010

(as according to iTunes)


Over the past couple of days, ive been going over this post and making sure it reads properly as ive been working out my most played 100 songs of 2010. Im doing it really coz i love my music - personally, i think the world would be dead without music and honestly, i consider it as very important in my life -  so i like making little lists like the one below.

This is only according to iTunes tho, which is not the only place i listen to music so it isnt entirely accurate, but its the nearest thing to it i suppose. iTunes always has little hitches and glitches that alters final readings, too, so throughout a year, things can get messed up.
Also, the fact that only 7 different bands appears on the whole list is probably because when i like a band... i REALLY like a band :P
Oh yeah, my collection of cds has grown throughout the year so not every song on my iTunes has been there from the start. Bands like The Beatles, White Stripes, Rage, Klaxons, System of a Down arent really on the list coz they're a few of many bands ive started listening to this year.

^The above was a precaution before everyone says i listen to Muse too much :P
I havent actually listened to them much recently tbh but as a warning, there will be a lot of songs on this list you've probably never heard of but how and ever here it is, starting at 100 -



100. Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave - Biffy Clyro (47 plays)

99. Convex, Concave - Biffy Clyro (47 plays)

98. Mind's Eye - Wolfmother (48 plays)

97. Darkshines -  Muse (48 plays)

96. Now I'm Everyone - Biffy Clyro (48 plays)

95. Dead Star - Muse (49 plays)

94. Eradicate the Doubt - Biffy Clyro (49 plays)

93. Sundial - Wolfmother (50 plays)

92. Muscle Museum - Muse (50 plays)

91. Assassin - Muse (50 plays)

90. Invincible - Muse (50 plays)

89. Fury - Muse (50 plays)

88. Pause It And Turn It Up/Tradition Feed - Biffy Clyro (50 plays)

87. Know Your Enemy - Rage Against the Machine (51 plays)

86. Bullet In The Head - Rage Against the Machine (51 plays)

85. Sunburn - Muse (51 plays)

84. Sky Demon - Biffy Clyro (51 plays)

83. Born On a Horse -  Biffy Clyro (51 plays)

82. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles (51 plays)

81. Dimension - Wolfmother (52 plays)

80. In The Morning - Wolfmother (52 plays)

79. Back Round - Wolfmother (53 plays)

78. Killing In The Name - Rage Against the Machine (53 plays)

77. The Small Print - Muse (53 plays)

76. Happiness - Kasabian (53 plays)

75. Whorses - Biffy Clyro (53 plays)

74. Justboy - Biffy Clyro (53 plays)

73. Exogenesis: Symphony Pt 2: Cross-Pollination - Muse (54 plays)

72. Unnatural Selection - Muse (54 plays)

71. Soldier's Poem - Muse (54 plays)

70. Butterflies & Hurricanes - Muse (54 plays)

69. Where Did All The Love Go? - Kasabian (54 plays)

68. Got Wrong - Biffy Clyro (54 plays)

67. New Moon Rising - Wolfmother (55 plays)

66. Butcher Blues - Kasabian (55 plays)

65. 9/15ths - Biffy Clyro (55 plays)

64. New Born - Muse (55 plays)

63. Millonaire Waltz - Queen (56 plays)

62. Bodies In Flight - Biffy Clyro (56 plays)

61. Falling Down - Muse (57 plays)

60. Popcorn - Muse (57 plays)

59. Falling Away With You - Muse (57 plays)

58. Time Is Running Out - Muse (57 plays)

57. Colossal - Wolfmother (58 plays)

56. God & Satan - Biffy Clyro (58 plays)

55. Only One Word Comes To Mind - Biffy Clyro (58 plays)

54. Map of the Problematique - Muse (59 plays)

53. Starlight - Muse (59 plays)

52. Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies - Biffy Clyro (59 plays)

51. California Queen - Wolfmother (60 plays)

50. Resistance - Muse (60 plays)

49. Knights of Cydonia - Muse (60 plays)

48. Booooom, Blast & Ruin - Biffy Clyro (60 plays)

47. The Kids From Kibble And The Fist Of Light - Biffy Clyro (60 plays)

46. Apple Tree - Wolfmother (61 plays)

45. Exogenesis: Symphony Pt 3: Redemption - Muse (61 plays)

44. Ladies And Gentlemen (Roll The Dice) - Kasabian (61 plays)

43. Sing For Absolution - Muse (63 plays)

42. Woman - Wolfmother (64 plays)

41. There’s No Such Man As Crasp - Biffy Clyro (64 plays)

40. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen (65 plays)

39. Mountains - Biffy Clyro (65 plays)

38. Joker & The Thief - Wolfmother (66 plays)

37. Exogenesis: Symphony Pt 1: Overture - Muse (66 plays)

36. Plug In Baby - Muse (66 plays)

35. Vlad The Impaler - Kasabian (66 plays)

34. Bubbles - Biffy Clyro (66 plays)

33. People of the Sun - Rage Against the Machine (67 plays)

32. Guiding Light - Muse (68 plays)

31. Blackout - Muse (68 plays)

30. Screenager - Muse (69 plays)

29. Endlessly - Muse (69 plays)

28. Uprising - Muse (70 plays)

27. Hyper Music - Muse (70 plays)

26. Cosmic Egg - Wolfmother (71 plays)

25. Ruled By Secrecy - Muse (71 plays)

24. 57 - Biffy Clyro (71 plays)

23. Megalomania - Muse (72 plays)

22. MK Ultra - Muse (73 plays)

21. Far Away - Wolfmother (74 plays)

20. Citizen Erased - Muse (74 plays)

19. Take a Bow - Muse (74 plays)

18. Stockholm Syndrome - Muse (74 plays)

17. Micro Cuts - Muse (75 plays)

16. Many of Horror - Biffy Clyro (75 plays)

15. White Feather - Wolfmother (76 plays)

14. Who's Got a Match? - Biffy Clyro (76 plays)

13. There’s No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake - Biffy Clyro (76 plays)

12. Vagabond - Wolfmother (77 plays)

11. The Captain - Biffy Clyro (77 plays)

10. Shock Shock - Biffy Clyro (79 plays)

9. White Unicorn - Wolfmother (80 plays)

8. Tales - Wolfmother (83 plays)

7. In The Castle - Wolfmother (85 plays)

6. Undisclosed Desires - Muse (86 plays)

5. Space Dementia - Muse (86 plays)





4. Glitter And Trauma - Biffy Clyro (87 plays)





3. Bliss - Muse (95 plays)



^Im in that crowd somewhere :P



1= Hysteria - Muse (96 plays) + That Golden Rule - Biffy Clyro (96 plays)



^And im in there somewhere too







So there you have it. You've probaly gotten bored by seeing Muse, Biffy Clyro and Wolfmother dominating the list so i can only hope that this time next year, the results are a little more varied :P


Rowan <3

TwEnTy 10...

I suppose this is like a review for those who can be interested enough to read. I suppose im writing it more for myself (although your comments are still very welcome) but how can i not review and reflect over such an eventful year?


Im looking back at the review i wrote last year and some of my premonitions were right. I looked ahead to the next decade last year instead of just this year, "This decade, i will be sitting important exams (as well as this year, in fact.) I will be getting a job, possibly a career. Friends will more than likely come and go."

1. I have indeed sat important exams and thankfully done well in them
2. I don't currently have a job, or a career obviously. That one is more long term.
3. Now how about that? Well, i guess by this time last year i was already getting sick of Steven but never would i have foreseen September's events!

And here's the biggy... "And perhaps most importantly, it will be the decade in which i finally take the step out of this small and dark closet and come out myself to my friends and family."

Never in a million year would i have thought that (part of) it would have happened this year. Hence why i said decade and not year. I honestly never planned to have any friends or family know for at least another few years and that is the truth.

But it all started in January (Sunday, 31st, 3:55pm) when i came out to my cousin, Lauren.
Thankfully, she took it all so well and even now has her own blog amongst us which is definetely one of my highlights for this year.

February/March/April continued the feel good trend. I met a lot of online friends. 3 in particulary. Ummm... (dunno what to call him)... JJ... and also David and DJ.

Thinking about it, the first 4 months of this year were the best. Things were the smoothest then.


May was where it started to get rocky with the exams. Lots of stress and work but i got through it ok and i was rewarded, i guess, with June: a very good month. Birthday, beginning of summer, a family get together in the scorching summer heat of London. Another highlight i'd say, partly because it was great to see family and it was the first time id met anyone, in the flesh, that knew i was gay - Lauren, of course.
The whole event was only marred by the stupid and immature actions of a certain other cousin but never mind.


July was mainly good but the tail end was horrible. First of the month, i jetted off to Lanzarote with my mum and sister and had a great time. Came back to London for a few days and it was the last time i ever saw Grandma Knitter, who left me with "Have a good life" ... :'(

Anyhoo, end of the month. JJ was revealed for who he was... Richard. Im not going into it coz i think we all know the story but from then on and into August/September, i disconnected myself from this blogging world, the friends i had met and honestly, my home life. The whole thing left me quite fucked to put it nicely. Not even my exam results made me feel particulary good.
Mum had a long chat with me about August, too, and i almost came out to her there but i couldnt...


I was only revived by the thoughts of going to see Muse at Wembley and hopefully ending my friendship with Steven, both of which were a success. Muse was another definite highlight of my year, id say my life in fact. I will remember September 11th for the rest of my life which is something not many can say in a positive light.

Not a week later, The Pope decided to pop on over to Britain for a visit and change my social group, something i guess i should thank him for. Dunno how i would have pulled it off without his interference :P
But it was a good thing, i now socialise with people with people who's views and opinions are the same as mine, or at least, more similar.


November/December was really been me settling into this group of friends, something that has went quite well. I've got two bi friends which is epic. And hey, at this stage, gay could also mean bi... I would never come out as gay in school so why would they ever? Bi is the safer bet so they could be gay for all i know.


December was quite literally surreal. First of all, the very sad passing of Grandma Knitter, which actually was November, same night as Biffy Clyro but the funeral was in December. Queue my third trip of the year to London. It was, mostly, a very sad occasion but at least i still got to see some family while i was there, with whom, we celebrated the life of a very special person.


And of course, to round off... December 25th...

I still can't get over it. It's still strange being out to my mum and i expect thats the way it will be for a while. If you want the honest truth from me, im gonna say it, id have prefered my mum not to know for, at the very least, another year. I truly think i wasnt ready to be in this situation but here i am... openly gay to my mum.

Even typing that is so odd. If you had said to me, this time last year, that id be out to my mum i would have told you to take a run and jump. Prizes go to that for the most unexpected event of my year, again, perhaps of my life. But this is a much bigger thing than a concert or (no disresepect) metting online friends. What happened a few days ago will affect the rest of my life and the thought of that is mind-blowing.

As i said, at the moment, its still weird. Im not used to it. Nothing more has been said but honestly, i feel kinda awkward being alone with my mum in the same room. I dont really know how she's taken it. I guess it wasn't so much of a surprise but now she knows... she's probably done a lot of personal thinking about it too, as have i.


As always, with an end of year review we must look ahead to next year. Id prefer not to if this year is anything to go by. Yes, ive mentioned a lot of positives and amazing events but there have been some extreme lows and i really dont want to experience them again but there's nothing i, or anyone else, can do about it. Bad times will keep on occuring when they are unwanted...

And everyone here, if you werent here with me through these lows, i dont want to imagine where id be or what kind of state i would be in without all your help, advice and wisdom. I would certainly have struggled a lot more than i did at points so my endless thanks to each and every one of you here who has ever commented. You are very important people to me and i sincerely hope that remains so.


Well, i guess its goodbye to 2010 and into 2011 we go...

*takes deep breath*





Rowan <3

The Best Weekend of My Life - Saturday

It truely was out of this world, from the moment i woke up on Saturday morning till the moment i went to be on Sunday night. Words can't do it justice but i will do my best. I'm sorry it has taken me till Wednesday to post this but i've needed some time to think about how to post this and what not.

But let's cut to the chase :)

Oh and *LONG POST WARNING* so make yourself a nice cup of hot cocoa before tackling this epic monster, m'luvlies.


As you know, i was going with Steven and his dad (not my first choice of people, but how and ever, my weekend wa not spoiled by their presence) and we departed about quarter past 9 on the Saturday morning. Must have been in London for about... 11/11:30? Yeh, that sounds right.

That was only London though, still had to get to Wembley, and our hotel, via the tube.

Now the London Underground is *scary* It's sooooo busy. Nobody waits for nobody and if you miss your train - tough tits. But coz it's so busy the next one comes like 2 minutes later anyway.

Wembley itself is in north London and we were making our way from Central/slightly West and had to take 3 different lines (if i recall correctly) to get there! The first line was so busy, i got nervous about even getting off the train in time before it moved on, but i did. The next line was less busy, and the line after that less busy too - The further you stray from central, the quieter is gets.

The image in my mind is still clear as it type this; 1 station before Wembley and seeing the huge arch of the stadium rise out of nowhere and fill the sky. It was massively impressive and i still hadn't seen it in full view. That was until we arrived at Wembley station and were treated to this site :

And this when we got closer:

It began to rain not long after that so we grabbed a quick McDonalds (as you do) and made towards our hotel.

Upon arrival, Steven's dad just told us to take what we need and go get in the queue, he would check us in and would go to the gig about 7pm or so. So off we went.

I crammed into my pockets, my ipod, my phone, my camera, some glowsticks, some more glowsticks, some confetti, and an infaltable alien :D (more on that later)

The rain had gone off by the time we got to the stadium although i brought my hoodie anyway and my hat was in its pockets.

We got rather lucky in terms of queuing. We must have got there about half 1 in the afternoon and already the queue was massively long. Feeling a bit disappointed Steven and I headed from the front down to the back but on our way we notcied many people coming and going under the red tape of the barrier o.O

We quickly glanced around for anyone watching and dived into about the 6th section from the front :P

"We've been sitting here since 10am" we heard someone in our section say. We just looked away and smiled at each other mwahahahahaha

And not long after we got in the queue, security were out in force to prevent anyone else pulling off our little manoeuvre. We got rather lucky.

Our 3 hour wait was rather uneventful, we just sat in the corner and kept ourselves to ourselves mainly, listening to the music being played across the PA. (YMCA came on at one point, Steven groaned and i laughed)

And about half an hour before doors opened, i met someone who i'd been talking to on the Muse website for about the past year. His name is Derrick and he text me when he got to Wembley and we found each other although we couldnt have a proper conversation coz there were too many people around. It was a brief meeting but it was still cool, he is the first person i've met on the internet that lead to meeting in real life. One of his friends i could see thought it was pointless coz the conversation was so brief but it couldnt be helped coz security was getting tighter as the doors weren't long from opening. (Derrick was seated btw)

A loud cheer erupted from somewhere ahead and we seen people dashing forward towards the stadium, section by section and we followed suit. 'Bout 5 mintues later we were in.

I was taken aback by the sheer size of the inside, it's a total monster! And Muse's stage! :O

Well, i'll let you see for yourself -

(That last picture is as far forward as i got for the whole thing. Not too shabby for arriving at half past 1 i must say although the picture makes it look further away than it actually was)

So we were in and i already needed to go to the toilet, so i went as quick as possible. It's not advisable to do so once you have your place but luckily i found Steven in exactly the same place as before ^^

And then the glowstick process started. Mine were confiscated upon entry for some reason but Steven got through with his so we handed them out to people. It's a good way to make acquaintance with other people and we did.

We met 3 lovely people by the names of Sam, Andy and Heather. (Andy and Heather were a couple and Sam was hot and not with anyone lol)

So we gave them a glowstick each and we got chatting and found that we liked a lot of the same stuff. I suppose many Musers have the same mentality :P

About 5:30pm (behind schedule) the first support band came on and my legs were already hurting from standing! It was funny beforehand, the sound crew were sorting stuff out and the crowd were cheering them lol "Wooo guitar techy, legend!!!!" etc. etc.

Anyhoo, I Am Arrows (the band in the above picture) played their set and they weren't bad but they weren't anything amazing. At least something to take my mind off my sore legs and back.

White Lies were next and i know of them somewhat, only their song entitled "Death" which was the only real highlight of their set for me. But i did take a video of the song "Farewell to the Fairground"

Sorry for the poor quality, phone was for videos and camera was for photos :P

There's a picture of White Lies to compensate ^^

By the time Biffy took to the stage, it was getting darker. Must have been about 8pm. During the break between White Lies we sat down on the pitch coz our legs and backs were so tired. Also, during this time i was lucky enough to have a cup of... urine splash the top of my head >.>

Well, i think it was urine, there aren't many warm drinks available inside the stadium from my knowledge. All 5 of us got hit. Lovely. But anyway, it did not deter us.

Before Biffy came on i warned that they woulr probably open with "That Golden Rule" and the place would go mental. I was right ^^

And it was freakin' insaaaaane!

Big mosh pit started right where we were and i was disbanded from Steven for the rest of the gig (oh dear, what a shame) but i still managed to stick close to Sam, Andy and Heather.

Take a note of Biffy's setlist, coz i'll be using it as a timeline somewhat:

1.That Golden Rule
2.Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies

3.Glitter And Trauma

4.Bubbles

5.Who's Got A Match?

6.God & Satan

7.Mountains

8.Born On A Horse

9.Shock Shock

10.Many Of Horror

11.The Captain

That Golden Rule was my first ever experience of a mosh pit and let's just say i wasn't hanging around. I got myself out of there as soon as i could :P

Living is a Problem also conjured a mosh-pit, the first two songs being some of Biffy's heaviest work.

I went crazy when i heard the opening bar of Glitter and Trauma coz it's perhaps my favourite Biffy Clyro song and i didn't think they would play it.

Everyone knows Bubbles of course ^^

Who's Got a Match? was pretty good.

God & Satan was a little boring so i videoed it but im afraid i cant find it. Sorry.

Mountains drew a huge response from the crowd.

Born on a Horse wasn't really anything special.

I had never really liked Shock Shock until i heard it played live and its currently one of my favourite songs :)

I called Alan during Many of Horror cause he requested that either i or Steven did and i knew he wouldn't. So i did, and it was a bit of an emotional experience cause Many of Horror is one of their slower songs.

And of course The Captain was excellent.

An excellent setlist by Biffy Clyro and a little taster of what's to come this winter, when i will hopefully be seeing them twice. They play with their shirts off btw :O

Bit blurry so here's another

(looks so far away GRRRRRR)

So after the awesomeness that was Biffy Clyro, there was about a half an hour wait till Muse. I was already so tired and thirsty by this point. During a normal gig, you have the support band then the main act, about 3 or 4 hours in total, i had been standing and went without a drink for about 7 hours before Muse came on. It was quite awful to be honest. But i somehow put it to one side when Muse came on.

It was quite funny actually, we were all just sitting, chatting, U2 playing over the PA when suddenly *darkness* O_O

Everyone was a bit wtf, but then out came what was a staged protest onto the stage. People in heavy clothes, waving banners and flags and setting off smoke it was really atmospheric and quite creepy. Then red lights came on and Muse launched into Uprising.

The crowd went CRAZY! (and luckily the rain came on a little but didnt stay unfortunately, i needed water badly)

I was near the front of about 30/40,000 stading people and the surge of the crowd was unreal. Jumping up and down, getting thrown from side to side. Totally insane is how i would describe it.

And that was just the start of Muse's setlist. The best btw, that they have played in about 3 or 4 years.

1.Uprising Extended Outro

2.Supermassive Black Hole
3.MK Ultra + Township Rebellion riff
4.Map of the Problematique + Who Knows Who riff
5.Bliss (Extended Outro)
6.Guiding Light
7.Hysteria (Interlude Intro) + Back in Black riff outro
8.Citizen Erased
9.Nishe
10.United States Of Eurasia
11.Ruled by Secrecy
12.Feeling Good (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley cover)
13.MK Jam
14.Undisclosed Desires
15.Resistance
16.Starlight
17.Time Is Running Out House of the Rising Sun intro + Voodoo Child riff and Jimmy Jam Outro
18.Unnatural Selection

Encore:

19.Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture
20.Stockholm Syndrome + War within a Breath riff and Ashamed Outro

Encore 2:

21.Take A Bow
22.Plug In Baby
23.Knights of Cydonia
 
 
I lost Sam, Andy and Heather during the craziness of Uprising and then they played a really heavy outro and there was a mosh pit.
Supermassive Black Hole followed for all the Twilight fans ^^
Now MK Ultra. Back when i seen Muse in November i was expecting them to play this and they didn't so i was ecstatic when i heard the first few bars of this. I was also reunited with Sam, and only Sam, by the end of this song which involved more moshing. It was a godsend that i found him again (more on that later)
 
Map of the Problematique is one ive seen before but was always nice to see once more.
Bliss. Another story here. It is one of my all time favourite (Muse) songs. I selected it as one of my theme songs on DJ's post. And i wasn't sure it was Bliss at the very start. the chords sounded similar and i was like, "Is this Bliss?" and sure enough it was!
One of the bounciest Muse songs and i bounced my way right through and over the top of Matt Bellamy's screeching falsetto. I said i could die happy when it ended but i sais that many times that night ^_^
 
The boring Guiding Light followed but it was ok this time round. It was designed to be played in a stadium and during the cheesy 80's guitar solo streams of paper and confetti were shot into the air. I caught some and its currently pinned on my wall :P
 
But what followed was maybe the highlight. Of my entire life. Citizen Erased is probably my favourite song of all time and Muse always play a small teaser at the start, whenever they perform it. A "BOOM BOOM" on the drums and as soon as i heard that i knew what it was and screamed "FUCKIN CITIZEN ERASED!!!"
The look on my face was probably priceless i expect but it was soon wiped away by the following mosh and replaced not long after that by tears of happiness during the slow, deep and moving section towards the end of the song. I called Alex so he could hear the end of the song (not me crying) but i was bawling like a baby coz it meant so much to me to see that song live.
I think it goes to show how amazing that song is. From moshing to crying. Only Muse <3
 
They plan their setlists well coz those opening 7 songs are quite heavy so the piano section calms that down nicely. Let's you catch your breath and so i did for United States of Eurasia. But something else re-took my breath - the opening bars of Ruled By Secrecy, a song i would never have dreamed of seeing performed live. I was aghast. Its a nice slow song so i took out one of my glowsticks, a big 6 inch yellow one (no jokes please) and waved it around, much to the aMUSEment of those around me. I gave Sam one too.
 
I amused those around me when i handed out confetti during Feeling Good too. Matt Bellamy (lead singer btw) used to throw confetti when he reached the highest note during the song but he has stopped during it now so i carried on the tradition. I did back in November too. People laughed :P
 
But after the piano was rolled away, i became quite light-headed. The guitar came back out and from Resistance onwards i felt quite dizzy and tired. However MK Jam was worth a laugh, its a kind of techno styled drum and bass jam and Sam started singing "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" and it fit perfectly with the song lol.
 
And Muse played it (and Undisclosed Desires) on a moving, revolving stage and the drummer played a glowing electric drumkit while Bellamy played a keytar and the bassist added some slap bass. Again, only Muse <3
 
 

 
But when Starlight came on i knew i'd almost had it. I didn't jump once from then till Unnatural Selection and the crowd around me punished me. It was nice to hear a little Voodoo Child and House of the Rising Sun jam however.
 
This is where me finding Sam again was life-saving. I knew Unnatural Selection would be crazy and it would finish the main set so i said to Sam "Mate, if i collapse would you please help me out of here?"
He obliged although it wasnt needed.
But after it finished he dragged me out (somehow) and got me some water and a seat and he stayed with me. I was awed, i had only been with the guy for a few hours and he pretty much saved my life by dragging me out the crowd. Without him, i could have been in a lot of trouble. Imagine collapsing at the front of 40,000 standing lunatics O_O
 

So we sat and watched the first song of the encore - Exogenesis. While a woman dangling from a UFO circled the crowd and i blew up my inflatable alien, along with many other fans as this was all pre-planned.

 

Thats where we sat during Exogenesis (stage is out of shot, to the right) but after that Stockholm Syndrome came on and we dived back into the crowd getting nearly back to the exact same position as we were before. Quite amazing for a crowd that size.

We didn't get all the atmosphere i hoped for this song however coz the outskirts of the crowd are the ones who play it safe and don't generally jump around. But we were back in place for the 2nd encore of another of my all time favourites Take a Bow. In which Bellamy played the song on the moving stage on his own wearing a flashing LED suit, as you do. I still screamed "BELLAMY YOU'RE A FUCKIN LEGEND!"

 :D

Immediately after, Plug in Baby came on and its another very bouncy tune. Lots of jumping and i got a stitch, or a stomach muscle ache but i *ahem* muscled on... *smirks*

This song is quite special too as Muse always release gigantic balloons into the crowd. Here's a short video of after the song:

That was the penultimate song. Knights of Cydonia followed it. But just before it, Sam told me he had to leave and find Andy and Heather who were now in the seats, so reluctantly i said goodbye but we exchanged numbers and i thanked him once again for helping me and i gave him a massive hug and he gave me one in return. It was sweet and I dont care who was looking! He's a legend :) (and he was hot)

So i was on my lonesome for Knights of Cydonia (with Morrio Erricone-esque intro)

It's an absolutely amazing song. And 70,000 in Wembley went wild at the ending part. THE BIGGEST MOSH EVER! Im certain nearly everyone standing was bouncing and thrashing and kicking along to the end riff of this song. (if you havent heard it, i suggest you find it to know what im on about!)

And it ended with Muse thanking "the real fans" for coming to see them. It was their last British gig for a while but they'll be back, they assured us.

And the ligths lit up Wembley stadium once more and the crowd erupted yet again.

I staggered around in awe of what i had just experienced, holding a glowstick in the air so Steven could find me. I just kind wandered aimlessly around for 10 minutes till i heard "Oh there you are, put that thing down"

Then we both staggered in unison back to the hotel to find Steven's dad drinking with two guys from Guernsey, so we sat with them for a bit before going up to get changed and going back out to McDonalds, which was on the other side of the stadium. It was midnight by this point and i was wandering around London with a McDonalds in hand, i found it quite surreal. We passed the stadium once more on our way back, and i'll never forget this moment.

The road our hotel was on, was the West Service Gate of Wembley Stadium. An hour previous to this moment, it was filled with cars heading home from the gig but now it was deserted. Suddenly, a black 4x4 with blacked out windows comes scooting out the service gate. We were both like "No. Way"

We waved at it in case it really was Muse inside but i suppose we'll never know. However, we did discuss it and came to the conclusion that there was a strong chance it was. I mean, it wasn't the cleaners was it?

:)

Anyhoo, we had our chips *haha* and went to bed. Or rather, Steven and his dad did, i just lay there recalling all of the nights events. Surprisingly, it took me a while to drift off but i eventually did. Still awe-struck.

And that wraps up Saturday. Yes, it was a long post, but it was a long day ya see. And im sure you probably didn't read all of it but thats ok, i understand, it's pretty lengthy. I should know, took me long enough to type this out :P

I'll post about the next day later but this was the main article and i'm sure you can gather how amazing it was. Insane. Incredible. Out of this godamn world. and so on and so forth.

It lived upto and surpassed my expectations. And I'm one of the few (or 70,000) people who can say that September 11th was the best day of my life :)

Au revoir for now

Rowan <3

This was taken from the top of west service gate street right after the gig

P.S  My next post should be my blogaversary post. 1 year on my blog - 17th September. Just sayin' ;)

I did have something planned for it but its gonna be a bit delayed. More on that soon.

P.P.S Roll on Biffy!

P.P.P.S - MYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZE! <3