Most of you will know that I ventured down to Edinburgh last night to see Bryan Adams.

The weather was alright when my two friends and I arrived but that all changed.

We were greeted at the train station by Kevin who gave us a lift to our hotel. The hotel was nice but the owner didn’t seem very forthcoming. He asked us if we wanted breakfast and when we said “yes” he said “well none of the other people going to gig are having breakfast here” and totally put us off. As it turns out, in the end, we wouldn’t have had time for breakfast anyway but that’s besides the point.

Once we were settled at the hotel, we went to the Murrayfield bar for lunch- I seriously recommend the veggie burgers from there. Very tasty indeed. As we were sitting there, the video for “Summer of ‘69” came on the tv which got me even more excited that I already was.

After that, Di and Kat went back to the hotel to get some waterproof clothes (it was really raining by then) while Kev and I wandered down to the stadium. Good job really- the Police and traffic wardens were prowling around, towing peoples cars. Kev had to go move his car so I stood in the queue and was lucky enough to get a number on my hand (the unofficial queuing system which is a great idea). I ended up being number 113.

Kev came back and went up to the front of the queue to speak to someone. I ended up meeting a couple of folk (Chels and Hels) from the Bryan Adams web board I’ve been frequenting for a few years. Great to finally meet them in person. I bumped into Mark as well, one of my neighbours who’s just moved away.

Di, Kat, Kev and I all started queuing at around 3.30pm, expecting the gates to open at 4pm, at their scheduled time but oh no! Security seemed to have messed up and kept telling us there were technical difficulties. In the end, we got into the stadium at 5pm (by which time, it was pouring and I think everyone was loosing the will to live).

Finally, we got in, though the turnstiles and each got a blue wristband for the gold area at the front. Following that, we had a quick sprint across the pitch at Murrayfield and managed to get a spot in front of Bryan’s mic, 3 rows back.

The first support act were a band called “Cueball 8”, a ska band. Now that’s not my usual kind of music but they weren’t bad. The lead singer did some random dancing (which was quite disturbing) and they had 2 gigantic puppets at the front of the stage which were quite amusing.

The next support act were a band called “Mostly Autumn”, a Celtic rock band. They were really good but apparently the lead singer forgot to finish getting dressed before she came on stage. She could sing and the band were good but they seemed to go on forever. It kept raining and everyone’s spirits were really row. Many people considered leaving, purely because they were so cold and wet.

Bryan came on just after 8.20pm and everyone’s mood improved.

We could see Bryan and the gang on the screen and they we say him climbing uo on stage. Turns out, he was using the B-stage and the opening chords of “There Will Never Be Another Tonight” started.

The gig was rocking. Following that, “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” was performed on the B-stage, then Bryan played “Please Forgive Me” all by himself, as the band were making their way back onto the mainstage. Then came “Best of Me” were Bryan ran along the front of the crowd, giving high fives. About 5 feet away from me, he climbed on the barrier and leant right into the crowd. Amazing!

At some point around here, Bryan thanked everyone for sticking it out in the rain (he later said it was the largest crowd he’s ever played to in Edinburgh).

“Kids Wanna Rock” was totally amazing, as per usual with Keith on his Flying-V guitar. Great solo’s there! Mickey was just fab as well!

“Back To You” was great as well- I really love Gary’s guitar part- it’s so beautiful. I’ve never been that close to the front before and hadn’t taken part in the “back to you bounce”- well, I did last night. So much fun (and it made me feel warmer….I was worried that hypothermia might be setting in!)

After this, Bryan picked up his green Gretcsh guitar. I knew it was time for “Summer of ‘69”. The crowd went totally nuts- it was awesome to be in amongst that. Much dancing was done to that song and the guys on stage were amazing. Bryan ran from one side of the stage and Keith came from the other, high-fiving in the middle. I really love that song and it got the whole crowd going. I just wish Norm would have smiled.

Again, “It’s Only Love” was superb, with the guitar maestro Keith doing his thing (playing his guitar behind his head, working the crowd then throwing his guitar around his body. This man rocks!

There was more B-stage action later in the show as well- “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” (AC/DC cover), “Seven Nights To Rock”, “She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’” (where girls were dragged on stage for a dance contest).

I really didn’t think he would do the B-stage again, owning to the pouring rain but Bryan said if we were standing getting wet, then he should stand outside getting wet as well. At this point, most of the crowd moved to the B-stage so there was plenty room for everyone to dance in the rest of the stadium.

He ended the show with “Straight From The Heart” and “All For Love”- both beautiful ballads.

Despite the weather, it was one of the best shows I’ve been to because I got 3rd row, I got a number on my hand, I met new people and I had a blast, dancing away to the awesome rock concert. Sure I was soaked and I’ve bruised the inside of my right hand with clapping too much, but it was the best thing I’ve ever seen!

Seriously, go see this man live!
Setlist:
***b-stage***
There Will Never Be Another Tonight
Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
Please Forgive Me
The Best Of Me
***b-stage***
Somebody
Kids Wanna Rock
Open Road
18 Til I Die
Let’s Make A Night To Remember
Back To You
Summer Of ’69
Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?
Everything I Do
Cuts Like A Knife
When You’re Gone
It’s Only Love
Heaven
The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Cloud #9
Run To You
***b-stage***
There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’
Seven Nights To Rock
She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’
Straight From The Heart
All For Love
***b-stage***

Just to get everyone in the mood for the awesome Bryan Adams show tomorrow night, here’s “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” (AC/DC cover) from the Glasgow concert (I didn’t take this vid, I found it on youtube).

As some of you may know, I’ve been trying to make my course choice for 3rd and 4th year of University.

Breaking news folks! I’m coming to some sort of decision. I’m strongly leaning towards pure Computing.

I have sought advice from a couple of my tutors at university and think I’m ready to choose. My main concern was that yeah, I got a B in programming but I found it challenging (yet enjoyable at the same time). I was just worried I wouldn’t manage to cope but I think everything is gonna be ok.

So, am I right in thinking Iain and Colin are for Computing and Networks? Kev and Lewis are for straight Computing?

I *think* I’m going to be doing Computing but who knows? Ask me tomorrow and I could have changed my mind yet again.

I was at the doctors earlier this year because I had a really sore jaw.  Anyway, I was told to go back if I had any further problems but I didn’t (I don’t know, I thought it would go away).

Anyway, I explained my problem to the dentist today and he thinks the joints in my jaw are still inflamed.  I’ve been given some exercises to do to strengthen my jaw and again, I have to avoid opening my mouth wide meaning no hard food, no yawning etc.  I have to go back in August for a review to see if the physiotherapy is helping.  Eek!

On a lighter note, Bryan Adams on Saturday.  Woo!

It’s been a beautiful sunny day today (that in itself is a paranormal event). I started the day off by trying to play some golf at the park with my sister, cousins and uncle. It’s safe to say I won’t be pursuing the hobby on the grounds that I’m rubbish at it.

Following that, I went to the wander to the top of the beach where I saw a UFO. You heard it. A UFO!

Ok, it’s not an alien spacecraft attempting to destroy our planet. It’s a really powerful remote controlled toy. Looked really cool though I must say, looping around.

While this toy was flying around, a paraglider was trying to take off from the top of the cliffs. He kept checking the wind to see if it was suitable for a take off but it wasn’t. As all of this was going on, a police van drew up in the carpark and then went away again. I didn’t think anything of this until later…

Anyway, the paraglider finally managed to take off and the man got a good few minutes of flight….then it started coming to the area of cliff where I was sitting. It was quite funny, he managed to land right beside me so I started talking to him. He was saying that way the RC toy was flying was illegal- I’m now guessing that’s why the Police van appeared. Either that or some member of the public called the cops because they thought they’d seen a UFO!

After that, I went home for tea and ended up walking along the River North Esk.

Night folksxx

Remember back in 2001 ITV showed all the Die Hard movies for several Friday/Saturday nights in a row? Even then there were rumours of a fourth movie and I promised myself that if those rumours ever came true, I would go see it in the cinema.

Now I had my concerns that if this new movie came out before 2005, I wouldn’t be old enough to see it. Well, on Thursday evening, I was fortunate enough to go to the cinema and see “Live Free or Die Hard”.

When I arrived the cinema was packed and I was only about 4-5 rows away from the screen. The film did get off to a rocky start, although that was all the fault of the projectionist who only displayed the top half of the screen. What an ass.

The plot: some cyber terrorists/hacker geeks try to totally ruin the US and steal a serious amount of money. It’s up to John McClane to save the day.

I happen to be a big fan of the Die Hard films and admittedly, I had my reservations about the new one. Concerns such as “will it be as good as all the others?”, “will Bruce Willis have aged too much?” and “will the famous line have been censored?”.

Was it as good as the others? Yep. In fact it was fantastic. It had a fab soundtrack (Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Subways), explosions, trucks, aircraft and even a terrorist falling down stairs (like in the first film). Then came the typical John McClane humour with quotes like “Alright, that’s enough of this Kung-Fu shit” and “Mai? Asian chick, likes to kick people? Yeah, last time I saw her she was at the bottom of an elevator shaft with an SUV rammed up her ass.” Classic!

Had Bruce Willis aged too much? Not at all- in fact he’s barely changed at all in the past 10 years. Fair enough he doesn’t look the same as in the original film but that was 20 years ago. Giving him a sidekick in the new film has added a new dynamic to the series.

To answer the last question, the “Yippi-kay-ai” is still in there.

Awesome. Totally awesome. One of the best films I’ve seen in quite a while. If you haven’t seen it yet then what the hell are you waiting for? Go go go!

On a Die Hard related note, I came across a funny song on youtube. Click here to view.

I don’t know if any of you have been following the news in Tayside, but I read a news article a few days ago which left me feeling rather upset. Warning for fellow animal lovers- this makes extremely unpleasant reading.

On Monday night, intruders broke into Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee. The sick bastards then began attacking the animals.

A deer had its leg slashed and was left to bleed, otters were beaten, a terrapin had an eye gouged out (it later died), an owl was so distressed it ate its chicks, a pig had its back grazed and the bears may have been shot at with an air gun (although that needs to be investigated further).

What kind of people would do this? In fact, I’m not even going to bother calling them people. No sane human being would commit a crime like this. The animals are used to the public and are really friendly. Why on earth would anyone want to attack a poor defenceless animal?

I’ve visited Camperdown Park on a number of occasions and the animals there are well looked after. I remember, back in 1998 I was quite taken with the deer. Walking along the area where they are kept, one of them came right up to the fence and allowed me to stroke its head for quite sometime. It saddens me to think that some sicko abused the trust of those animals and may have psychologically scarred them for life. The newspapers have said that the deer are currently too afraid to be approached by the keepers. It’s sick.

Police are currently appealing for witnesses. If you have any information, anything at all, call 01382 223 200.

Lets get the culprits thrown into jail. Even better, throw them into a pit of lions and let the animals exact their revenge.

If you want to read the full story, click here.

I’m having a small problem….

You see, I woke up this morning, minus my voice.

If anyone can help me find it, there is a reward of a nice cup of tea and some cookies (unless I get there first ).

I have a bit of an update for you.

Remember my post on the cat which needed a good home? If not, click here

Well, the story has a happy ending. The cat wasn’t a stray and has been reunited with her owner. The surprising part of the story is the cat wasn’t a kitten, she was 10 years old.

Nice to see a happy ending for once

Hello folks!

Just in case you’re wondering where I’ve been over the last few days, I can tell you that I have been roaming around in Dollanar, Teldrassil, Shadowglen, Adrassil and Starbreeze.

In actually fact, I’ve become a Night Elf, commited to fighting the horde.

Ok, ok, I’ve bought World of Warcraft.  So much fun.

Oh yeah, I also went to the cinema last night to see the new Fantastic 4 film.  I really enjoyed it and understood it despite having never seen the first one.

I’m off to the cinema next week to see Die Hard!