New things

At my age, new experiences are pretty hard to come by, and most of them are not pleasant. Generally new experiences tend to be associated with various parts of the body breaking down and needing repairs, and so it is pleasant to make new discoveries of a non medical nature.

Last weekend I went to see Bruce Springsteen at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, along with 80,000 other people. There were no rooms to be had at an affordable price in the whole of the city, and so we were booked into a hotel near to the airport, some ten miles from the city centre. Originally the plan was to take a train into the city centre to save all the hassle of parking, however the last train leaves the city at around 9.30 so that was knocked on the head. Knowing that parking would be a problem, we drove into Cardiff in the morning, for a concert that was due to start at 7.30. Typically there were plenty of spaces and we had a whole day to fritter away in exciting activities like shopping.

Anyhow, to cut a long day short, we made the stadium at 6, as we had standing tickets, and found the pitch area half filled already. It would seem that REAL fans get there even earlier and probably sleep standing up. Fan club members are let in in the morning I think, so goodness knows how they spend the hours before the event.

Having made sure that we hadn’t had a lot to drink, we chose a space, a tiny one, about half way back from the stage, and stood waiting for the stadium to fill. People watching can be fun and watching places fill up also has its fascination, however by 7.30 that was beginning to pall. The minutes ticked by and there was no sign of activity on the stage, and the awaiting throngs began to get twitchy. By now the place was filled to bursting point, beer flowed on the floor and probably other fluids too. Slow handclaps rose and fell, and mutterings of complaint buzzed around the crowd. Eight o’clock came along and by this time we had already been standing more than 6 hours and frankly I ached.

To make matters worse, there are always those who have to spend the evening travelling triangular journey between the pitch, the bar and the toilets, pushing and barging through the crowd, and it seemed that we were on a through route. I hate being pushed, I don’t much like being touched by people I don’t know and I can be very stubborn, standing my ground refusing to budge. I began to feel a degree of claustrophobia, and frankly at that time I’d have happily left, however at eight fifteen, without any apology, the East street band along with The Boss, began their set and played for three hours. They are great entertainers and within seconds the audience had forgotten the long wait and were swept along on a wave of Bruce mania.

By the end of the concert, every muscle and tendon in my body were aching, and we still had to get out of the place and walk a mile back to the car. Due to the late start, the pubs were shut and we’d missed our evening meal. Finding the hotel after midnight, dinner was bottled water and custard cream biscuits.

Ok we chose to stand. It was a new experience and now that I have done that, I know that from now on I will choose to sit. I really am too old for some things and that in itself is a sobering thought.