Final thoughts from the UK tour

I have had the time of my life on this tour. I am SO glad I did it. I know it had its ups and downs but the high points WAY outweighed the low points.

The best bits:

All the shows, especially the last night at Wembley for the best set list

Getting on the Barrier at Wembley 2! Go me!

Meeting the band in Aberdeen. I’m so glad I stuck it out. The guys were wonderful and came over to us even though it was late and freezing cold. It was really, really appreciated. Thanks for that (not that they’ll ever read this!)

All the people I met on my travels. You all rock and I hope we meet up again soon.

Being at the aftershow in Nottingham (Thanks again Michelle for that!)

My own little Muse moment at the hotel in Wembley

Getting a smile and nod from Dom at Wembley 2

Getting the thumbs up from Chris after Wembley 3 (I think it was me because I did it first to him!)

The Bliss moment in Sheffield

Getting the bit of balloon in Birmingham, and finding out the person I had the tug-of-war with was someone I knew!

The moment I heard Stockholm Syndrome for the first time this tour in Belfast


Useless information:

The whole thing cost me over £3000.

I travelled over 2,500 miles in just under 3 weeks.

12 shows, in 10 different cities.

It beats working for a living!

Thankyou!

I would like to thank everybody who I met along the way. I met so many fantastic people who I hope will keep in contact so we can meet up on the next tour.

Also, thanks SO much to everybody who has sent me comments about this blog either here, through private messages on the Muse message boards or live journal comments. I’m so glad you have enjoyed reading it. I hope also, you get the chance to do the same one day whether it be for Muse or any other band.

Most of all, I’d like to thank Muse themselves. For being the most amazing live band I’ve ever seen. I have had the absolute time of my life over the past few weeks and I have met so many amazing people and our paths may never have crossed if it wasn’t for Muse. So thanks guys.

I’m off for a sleep. See you next tour!

Wembley Arena 3rd show 2006

I decided to be incredibly lazy. I ordered breakfast in bed! A tray arrived at 8.15am. I had breakfast and went straight back to sleep. I woke up around midday. It was a much brighter day. The sun was even shining but it still looked cold.

I couldn’t believe the last day had arrived. I was really looking forward to the show but part of me didn’t want it to come. It would mean the tour was over. And I really didn’t want it to end.

I did much the same as the day before. I just lazed around the hotel, went on the internet for a bit and just generally chilled out. I decided I would go to the venue a bit earlier that day in the hope I might at least see them arrive.

I planned to get there at 4ish, but as usual, I was running late. It was 5pm by the time I left my hotel room.

I just cannot believe what happened next.

I stepped out of the lift and into reception. I looked towards the reception desk and I saw Dom A, who is Muse’s tour manager. I know Dom from my days following ‘A’ around (he used to be their tour manager too). I was just looking at him thinking shall I go and say Hi? (he always speaks to me). Then I noticed who he was with. He was with Matt!!!!

My jaw hit the floor and total panic set in. I didn’t know what to do. There, right before my eyes was the very person I most wanted to speak to, standing at the reception of the same hotel I was staying in. But it didn’t really seem like an appropriate time to speak to him. Also, I was aware that it might make it look as if I was some kind of stalker or something. Even if he didn’t recognise me himself, Dom knows me and he had spoken to me in Aberdeen and the day before while I was waiting by the gates.

The same question kept going through my head ‘What do I do? What do I do?’ In my panic, I did the only thing I could think of. I went to the cashpoint machine which was halfway between the reception desk and the door. I then drew out money I really didn’t need while I tried to decide what to do.

I decided the best thing would be for me to totally pretend I didn’t see them. I have no idea if they saw me or not. I didn’t dare look over. So, trying to look as cool as I could while having a major panic attack, I took my money and headed straight out of the door.

I walked just around the corner and then stopped and tried to pull myself together. Curiosity got the better of me. I wondered if he was checking in or out. I watched the door for a few minutes. Then I thought. How stupid is this? I’m staying there, I can go in there if I want. So I left it 5 mins or so and went back in. Dom A was still at reception but he was on the phone and there was no sign of Matt.

So I carried on up to my room and sat there for a while, still trying to get a grip of myself. At around 5.30 I decided to head out again. There was no sign of either of them by then. I just headed to the venue and joined the queue to get in the arena.

When I handed my ticket over, I still had the 2 wristbands from the 2 previous Wembley shows around my wrist. The guy giving out the wristbands said ‘A Superfan then?’ I told him this was my 12th show of the tour. He looked at me like I was mental. I found that highly amusing!

I got in there and headed straight for the standing area and sat down. The guy I was sat next to saw all my wristbands and we got talking. His name was Jason. I was showing him and his mates my autographs from Aberdeen and the photo I had taken with Dom. I told him that I had been to 12 shows. Then a girl just in front asked me if I was Helen T. It turned out to be Juliet, who I had met at another gig once and was planning on meeting at one of the Muse shows but we never got round to organising it! Out of all those people!!

So I ended up chatting away to her. She was telling me how she would have to rush away straight after the show to get her last train home. So I said she could stay with me as I had a twin room. I then, very quietly, told her what happened earlier.

When everyone stood up, I was delighted to find myself in the second row, just behind where I had been the night before. I got chatting to the girl just in front of me, Natasha, who was also on the message board.

We watched The Noisettes for the last time. I know they aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but some of their songs kind of stuck in my head. More familiarity than anything else I think. And I know, if I ever hear one of them on the radio or something, it will forever remind me of this tour.

Then the lights went down and the last show of the tour started. I wasn’t going to take any pictures but Matt stepped out dressed in red. I had to take pictures!!!

The show was fantastic. Even better than the night before. They played everything I would have wanted them to. Citizen Erased, City Of Delusion, Muscle Museum and Apocalypse Please in particular. It was very hot and sweaty down the front there but totally worth it. Supermassive Black Hole really stood out for me. I wont go into why. It just did!

All to soon it was all over. The last show. Finished. It didn’t hit me straight away. I was still on a high from the show.

We waited outside for a little while. But we got bored and cold and decided it was a pointless task and headed back to the hotel.

We decided to have a couple of ‘End of Tour’ drinks in the hotel bar (just incase!). We sat there until 3am then decided, as the bar was shut, it was time for bed.

Since we saw no sign of Matt, it could have been he came straight back after the gig. Or he came back after 3am.

But I think, most likely, he was checking out of the hotel when I saw him and he had actually stayed there the night before. That would explain why the car came back past us so quickly!

Still, even though I didn’t get to speak to him, I had my own Muse moment. I smile to myself every time I think about it…it was my reaction. The sheer ‘Oh My God! What Do I do?’ panic that set in! Highly amusing!!

Wembley Arena 2nd show 2006

I woke up late in my hotel room in Wembley. I decided to skip breakfast. It was a miserable day. Cold, dark and wet. A typical November day in England. That put paid to any plans I might have had to venture outside. So I just lazed around the hotel.

They had computers down in the bar area so I went on the internet for a bit. Then I had a meal in the hotel restaurant. I paid WAY more than I’d usually pay for lunch but since I really didn’t want to go out in the rain and I was hungry, I did it.

At around 5.30 I made my way to the arena. I headed for the back gates again, thinking I might at least see them arrive. When I got there, there was already a few people waiting there. They turned out to be Mattocaster, Dirty K and Flipflop from the message board!

The security guy tried to tell us we were wasting our time as the band were already in there and were having something to eat. We waited anyway, I was just waiting for the queue to go down a bit really.

At 6.30ish I made my way into the venue. I decided to get some food and a drink. I wandered into the standing area at 7.15. I went down the left hand side and gradually made my way forward and towards the middle. I didn’t push anybody. I just saw space and moved into it.

Just before Muse came on, I couldn’t believe the position I had got myself into. I was on the barrier, directly in front of Dom!! Barrier! I never thought I’d get barrier without queuing all day!

That was a celebration in itself. Its totally different being on the barrier. You don’t get the crowd surges like you do in the second or third rows. You have something solid to hold onto. And, you get wicked pictures without other peoples heads and arms getting in the way!

So Muse came onstage. They opened up with Take A Bow, nothing unusual about that. Then they played Starlight second. I couldn’t believe it. They were doing it again! The whole of Black Holes And Revelations followed, in order!

I looked behind me during Knights Of Cydonia. To my relief, no balloons! That meant they were going to play Bliss too!

I don’t know what it was, maybe it was being in the very front, but that show was the best so far for me. The band seemed to be on fire too. Assassin in particular was amazing. I also got a nod and a smile from Dom at one point which totally made my night! And I got some wonderful pictures, which I will post when I have sorted them out.

There was also a point where Matt did one of his slides across the stage and nearly fell off the end of the stage right in front of me. I was just getting ready to catch him!! He managed to stop himself falling. He then laughed at himself and then struck a ‘rock pose’ as if to say ‘I’m cool really, honestly’. It was highly amusing!

Then it was all over. I made my way outside and decided to wait, even though it was raining, just incase the band came out.

I met up with the girls I had been speaking to before and we waited. There was 8 of us waiting this time. We were ‘entertained’ by this very, very drunk guy who decided to expose himself to all of us and take a pee along the barrier on the opposite side to where we were standing.

He staggered away in the end, encouraged slightly by the security guys.

The same thing happened as the night before. This time 3 cars went past us. We were just chatting kind of resigning ourselves to the fact we weren’t going to be meeting them, when we saw the car which we think Matt left in come back past us empty.

We then had a conversation which was something along the lines of he must be staying someplace nearby for that car to come back past so quickly. I jokingly said ‘yeah, he’s probably staying at my hotel. In fact he’s probably waiting for me in my bed. I’d best get back there.’ (this conversation will become relevant later!)

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my hotel. I had a very strong urge to go into the hotel bar. I have no idea why. There seemed to be quite a few people in there. I told myself not to be so silly. It was gone 1am. So I headed straight up to bed.

Wembley Arena 1st show 2006

So here it was, the grand finale of the tour. 3 nights at Wembley. I was having a lazy day so I didn’t even arrive into Wembley until 6.30. I checked into my hotel, which was very close to the venue. I quickly got ready then made my way to the arena.

I decided a drinking night was in order. So I got myself a beer and just wandered around the standing area.

Then I bumped into my friend Miles, who I hadn’t seen for ages. We had a chat. It was really good to see her again!

Then, I bumped into another friend of mine, Joe who I also hadn’t seen for WAY too long. We shared a couple of beers and ‘enjoyed’ The Noisettes together.

Just before Muse came on, we both decided we needed the loo so we went our separate ways. I decided to stop off at the bar and bought us both another beer. When I went back into the standing area, it had filled up dramatically and I couldn’t find Joe anywhere. So I now found myself with 2 beers. And Muse were about to come onstage. I drunk them as quickly as I could as I didn’t want them in the way of my dancing around. I had now had 5 pints, which is actually quite a lot for me!

So I had the seeing Muse whilst drunk experience. Actually, it isn’t that much different to seeing them when sober. I had the same adrenaline rush I always get. The only difference was maybe I let myself go more than I normally would have from halfway back and I didn’t care about the comments from the people behind me moaning because they couldn’t see around me.

Just before the encore, I found Joe again and we enjoyed the last songs together. He rushed off straight away afterwards, to get his train. I decided to wait around to try and meet the band. I thought it would probably be a hopeless task. I kind of knew before the tour that the chances of meeting them in London would be next to zero. But as I was staying so close to the venue, I had nothing to loose really.

So I went around to the gates where the buses were parked. The security guy was very helpful and told us that they were using cars, not the bus, which I kind of guessed anyway, and that one of the band had already left but 2 were still around.

So we waited. I got talking to a girl called Caterina who was also waiting. There were 6 of us all waiting there. We waited until around 1am when both cars went past us and we knew they had all left. I kind of knew that would happen, so I wasn’t too surprised.

So I walked with Caterina to the bus stop, then headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

Newcastle 2006

I had no sleep. The events of the day before just went over and over in my mind. I felt sick to the stomach every time I thought about it, but I couldn’t think of anything else.

I managed to get myself up and with my big puffy eyes, I made my way to the train station to head to Newcastle.

My journey meant I had to get the train to Doncaster and change there to Newcastle. But there were engineering works going on and delays to trains to and from Doncaster. It took me 4 hours to do a journey which should have taken 2. By the time I got to Newcastle and checked into the hotel I was a total wreck, physically and emotionally. I collapsed onto the bed and just wanted to curl up in a ball and not come out again. Ever.

I decided since I’d come all that way I wasn’t going to do that. So I thought the best thing to do was to go straight out again. So I went off and found the arena at 5pm. I got into the queue but then decided I was hungry and since I hadn’t had a proper meal for days, I ought to eat. Maybe it would stop me feeling so sick.

So I wandered around and found an Indian Place. A chicken Korma later and I felt better.

I got to the arena about 15 mins before The Noisettes came on. By the time Muse came on, I had got into the second row, in front of Dom. By this time, I wasn’t feeling well at all. The food was lying very heavy in my stomach and I was very thirsty. I also felt quite light-headed due to having no sleep and being generally stressed out.

So by the third song, I fought my way out and had the biggest, most welcome cup of coke I’ve ever had in my life and went and stood at the back.

Drinking that fizzy drink so quickly didn’t really do much for my sickly stomach. Every time I jumped up and down, I felt worse so I had to try and stand still. I also felt light-headed at various points and even considered going to the First Aid room. But I didn’t want to miss the show, unless I actually passed out. I managed to keep fairly still but it was totally impossible during Plug in Baby. I had to jump around. So, I risked being sick or passing out for that and the same for Knights Of Cydonia.

Then they played Apocalypse Please, and I was glad I’d made the journey, for that song alone. The rest of the set was an added bonus!

After the show, I went outside. I felt a lot better once I had some fresh air in my lungs. I considered waiting around to try and meet the band but decided it probably wasn’t a good idea. Straight to bed for me!

Sorry to the people I was supposed to be meeting in the pub before the show. I wasn’t really feeling very well at the time and thought it was best to keep myself to myself. I hope we can meet up another time.

Sheffield 2006

I had a bad time in Sheffield. I wasn’t sure whether to write about it here or not. But I decided I would, just to show there are highs and lows with touring. And this was a definite low.

I had a bit of a lie in at my hotel in Nottingham, then got the train to Sheffield. I checked into my hotel there and just lazed around for a bit, re-charging my batteries for later!

I had planned to meet up with friends. We were going to go for an Italian as it was somebody’s birthday, and then head off to the gig. But things didn’t quite work out that way. They were running late. Then I realised I needed to pick up my ticket from the Box Office. By the time I went up to the arena, picked up my ticket and got the tram back into the city it was already quite late and they were already at the Italian place. Then we had the hopeless task of them being in a city they didn’t know, not being sure where they were, trying to give me directions. With me, also in a city I didn’t know, with no idea where I was, and no sense of direction whatsoever.

In the end, we decided it would be best if I just stayed put at the tram station. While I was waiting there, this random bloke just came up to me, grabbed me, and gave be a big kiss on the cheek and walked off. It was both scarey and funny at the same time! At least it cheered me up as I was not in the best of moods at that moment in time.

I finally met up with my friends on the tram and we went off to the arena. We waited around outside there so they could meet up with some other friends of theirs. They all had seats and I was standing. So I said goodbye and we arranged to meet up after the show.

My mood still hadn’t really improved. So I decided to have a couple of drinks. Two pints of beer later and I remembered why I was there. I went and stood in the crowd about halfway down just before Muse came onstage. I stayed there for a bit, then went further down the front. Another fantastic show followed.

But of course as I had beer, I needed the loo. This was actually a good thing. It gave me one of my best moments of the whole tour. I went during the end of Citizen Erased. I just KNEW they would play Bliss next, but I had to go. I was on my way back and sure enough, I heard the intro to Bliss. Then I had this moment where I was running down the steps to the standing area, singing to Bliss. I then ran from the back, right into the crowd. I just had this feeling of total freedom and happiness. It’s a moment I will never forget. And it came in an otherwise shitty day.

After the show, I met up with my friends and their friends again. We were hanging around outside chatting. One of the guys was on the phone to Tom Kirk. He then said that we needed to meet up with Tom and he would let us in to the aftershow. I assumed that as I was with them I was invited too. So we went round to where Tom was.

When we got there, I’m not quite sure what happened exactly. The next thing I know is that Tom said ‘So who here is not invited?’ My heart sank and the horrible reality of the situation set in. I knew that question was aimed at me. So I said ‘I’m not invited, but I have been going to all the shows on the tour’ He said ‘Really?’ and just for a moment it looked like he might have been thinking about letting me in. By now, I was just shaking. It wasn’t even about the aftershow anymore. It was more about the embarrassment of the situation and the horror of me thinking I was invited to something I wasn’t.

He then said ‘Sorry its message board moderators only’ I said ‘OK’ and I just walked straight past everybody and didn’t look back. I was absolutely mortified.

Maybe it wasn’t that much of a big deal but to me, at that very moment in time, it was the end of the world. It was just that I genuinely thought I was invited too. Why I thought that, I don’t know. The others had all been on the guest list. I wasn’t. So why did I even think I was invited?

But, worse than anything, I had just met Tom for the first time and it looked like I was trying to blag my way into a party I wasn’t invited too, when that wasn’t the case. It was just a big misunderstanding, which led to a highly embarrassing situation.

I then found myself in a very bad place. I thought I had missed the last Tram into the city and I had no taxi numbers. I just wanted to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible because I knew I was about to burst into tears and I didn’t want to have a full on mental breakdown in front of a load of drunk people on their way back from the pub on a Saturday night.

Luckily, I did in fact get the last tram. I just closed the door of my hotel room and the tears came and they didn’t stop all night. Thinking back on it now, my reaction to it was probably heightened by the fact I had had hardly any sleep, I hadn’t eaten as I never did get to that Italian place, the 2 pints of beer I had and the adrenaline from the show.

If it had been any other band I would have got the first train home.

Nottingham 2006

I had 2 days of from touring. I was supposed to be working both days. I showed my face at work on the Wednesday but I was like a zombie. I could barely keep my eyes open. I managed to book an emergency annual leave day for Thursday so I could catch up on some sleep, before heading off to Nottingham.

So Friday came and I got up fairly early and set off on the 6 hour bus journey to Nottingham. I got there around 4.30 and headed off to find my hotel. And what a hotel it was! I stayed in Premier Apartments, which I highly recommend should you ever visit Nottingham. It was right next door to the venue. It was very reasonably priced. I got there and found I had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living area and a kitchen all to myself. Now, bearing in mind I live with my parents and even when I didn’t, I have only ever lived in studio flats. I have never had that much space all to myself.

So the first thing I did was run from room to room, jumping on the beds and the sofa, opening all the cupboards and wondering which bed I would sleep in! I was like a kid in a toyshop!

When I eventually calmed down, I got ready and headed off to meet Michelle, Shel and Cath in the pub. We stayed in there for a bit just having a chat, then headed off to the venue.

They were on the guest list, so we were waiting by the box office for a while for them to be able to collect their tickets. We then found that they had a spare, which meant I could sit with them instead of standing by myself. It also meant I got a wristband for the aftershow!

We took to our seats just before Muse came on. They were really good seats too. The show was excellent, but I spent most of it being totally confused. I’d kind of got used to the set list and where in the set the changes were likely to be. It wasn’t until someone else mentioned it after the show that I actually realised they played the whole of Black Holes And Revelations in order. How would I know? I never play it in order at home. I just put all my Muse songs on random!

So, when they started playing Knights of Cydonia in the middle of the set, I was probably one of the few people surprised! Then they released the balloons during it. It was then I realised they weren’t going to be playing Bliss. Its great that they can still surprise me, after all these shows, but them not playing Bliss kind of spoiled it for me. That is my absolute favourite song and the one song I never wanted them to drop from the set. But apart from that, another fantastic show!

Afterwards, we hung around a bit trying to work out where we were supposed to go for the aftershow. We got sent to one end of the arena, then the other, then back to the first place. We sat there for a while, then we were all taken to a room with a bar and stuff in. We took a table and sat chatting. None of us felt like drinking so we all sat there with water!

A bit later, Chris arrived. I didn’t really get a chance to speak to him as he was talking to other people and I didn’t want to interrupt. Michelle spoke to him for a bit and then asked him to pose for a photo with us, which he did.

There was no sign of Matt or Dom (they probably knew I was there! Lol!).

We left there just after 1am and I said goodbye to the girls and headed back to my hotel. I couldn’t believe I actually got to go to the Aftershow. I know it doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but it was for me. Also it was really nice to be able to sit and have a chat after the show, instead of going straight back to the hotel. Thanks again Michelle for that!

The only bad thing was, I didn’t get to meet up with Sue in the end. But hopefully we will meet up another time.

Birmingham 2006

I was supposed to have an early night on Monday, to catch up on some sleep. But I still didn’t get to sleep until gone 5am

So it was a still very blurry eyed Helen T who set off for her 2 hour drive to Birmingham for gig number 6, the halfway point of the tour.

I got there around 5ish. It was dark and raining. I had parked the car in the car park furthest away from the venue and it was too early for the shuttle buses. Luckily, I had my umbrella with me so I didn’t get too wet on my hike for what seemed like miles to the arena.

There was already a long queue to get in. I decided to take a walk around the back, just to kill some time really. Muse were doing their sound check. I could hear them as I was walking along, big grin on my face. It’s amazing. After all these shows, I still get really excited about each and every one.

I stood around by the buses for a few minutes. I got bored of that and thought I may as well join the queue to go in.

As the doors opened and I slowly made my way down the line and into the venue, I got that nervous feeling that you always get if you really want to be as far to the front as possible. Its that ‘get out of the way, let me through!’ feeling. It was because I wanted to stand on the left hand side. I’ve always stood on the right before. But I knew the left side is usually a lot busier than the right, and more difficult to get to the front of.

Once I got through the doors I almost ran into the standing area. Everyone was sat down. I ran to the left hand side and sat down too.

I sat there for a few minutes. Then I started to feel bored again and I knew it was ages before anything was going to happen. My stomach growled and reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything. Again.

So I had a change of plan. I decided I’d experience Muse from the back this time. So I got up and walked back out into the food area. I got a hotdog and a coke and just wandered around for a bit, killing some time.

Just before The Noisettes came on, I wandered back into the standing area. It didn’t look to busy at the front/left. I changed my mind again, and decided I HAD to be in there!

At just after 9, Muse came on stage. I then realised I was a bit too far to the left. I couldn’t see Dom. The crowd surged forwards. I went with it, and ended up 3 people back, directly in front of Dom, with a fantastic view of both Dom and Matt!

I was so happy with that position, that was like a celebration in itself!

Another fantastic set followed. I think I caught both Matt and Dom’s eye on a couple of occasions. But when that happens, you can never be completely sure it is you they are looking at. It could be someone in front of you, behind you or beside you. It’s hard to tell. The most notable occasion was during starlight. I had my hands in the air ready to start the clappy bit in the middle and Matt looked my way and smiled!

Bliss provided two of my highlights. It was the balloons. First highlight was when the balloons were released and one made its way onto the stage by where Matt was. He popped it with his guitar. I just looked up in time to see Matt standing in a shower of confetti with a big grin on his face. I wish I’d been able to capture that on camera!

Shortly after that, a balloon came our way and popped right in front of me. I reached up and grabbed it, wanting to take it home as a souvenir. So did the guy just in front of me. He grabbed one end and I had the other. I found myself in a Tug Of War over this balloon. I was like a dog with a bone. No way was I letting go. He was looking just as determined as me. This went on for a few minutes. Then I decided the fairest thing to do was to split it in half. I tried to break it with my fingers. It wasn’t working. So I stood there, pulling it apart with my teeth! It worked, and we both got a piece. The funniest thing was, it later turns out that this guy was someone I know from the message board. Sorry again Chris, if your reading!

There was an incident where these two stupid little girls pushed their way through, trying to get to the barrier. I wasn’t going to let the first girl through but I was directly behind a tall person who was blocking my view of Matt. I figured if I gave up and let her through, she could stand behind him instead. It worked and I could see perfectly again. Her friend, however, was more violent. My legs are covered in bruised where she was kicking me to get past. I’m sure hers are black and blue too. I don’t give up easily! She managed to get in front of me and was leaning up against another girl to oust her out of the way to get even further forward. Lots of pushing and shoving followed, but then the girl that was pushing in, either bit or pinched the other girl and left a mark on her arm. She showed it to the security guy and the annoying little girls got pulled out and ejected from the building. Result!

At the end the people in front of me almost made my night. They threw a Teddy Bear up onto the stage as the band were leaving. Dom picked it up. The absolute delight on their faces was a picture. It almost made me cry. They just looked so happy!

So that was another fantastic show over. The girl in front me summed it up perfectly when she said at the end ‘best shag of me life!’ Indeed.

I got outside and considered waiting around for a bit. But it was raining yet again and I knew my car was parked miles away. I also knew I had a 2 hour drive back and I’d have to be up at 6am for work. So, Little Miss Sensible won and I went back to the car and drove home. I was SO tired. Thank god for Red Bull!

Cardiff 2006

I was very glad to leave my hotel room in Manchester. I made my way to the bus station and headed off for another 6 hour bus journey to Cardiff.

I was having a bit off stress over my ticket. I had bought it from somebody on ebay and because the tickets were sent out so late, he didn’t have time to post it to me. He said he would drive down to Cardiff and deliver the ticket personally. Which I think is excellent service!

He texted me and said he was in a pub but I thought of the dangers of meeting some strange guy in a pub by myself and asked him to meet me at the train station instead. He turned out to be a really nice guy, and he was quite fit. I kind of wished I had gone to the pub after all!

Anyway, at least I had my ticket (which cost me £80, by the way!) so at last I could look forward to the show.

I eventually found my hotel, after parading the streets of Cardiff for a while. I checked in and relaxed there for a bit. It was a million times better than the one in Manchester, thankfully.

Then I made the short walk to the CIA. It was 6pm by then. There was a very long queue again. I took a walk around the building. I had just walked past the back entrance. I saw all the buses parked there but I couldn’t see the band’s bus. I walked past one more time, intending to get on the end of the queue. Just as I got halfway across the band bus arrived and nearly knocked me over! I kind of scurried out of the way like a rabbit caught in headlights. Death by Muse. What a way to go!

I stopped there, like a saddo, and watched the band get off the bus and go inside. Muse were in the building! Yay!

Then I really did join the queue. I thought I had no chance of being anywhere near the front, but I managed to get in the second row again, exactly where I was in Glasgow. I was just manoeuvring myself around to try to get away from any tall people, when a girl spoke to me. Her name was Lucy and she was on her own too. By some very strange coincidence, she had bought her ticket off of the same guy I did! She was in the pub with him when he got the text from me and asked her the way to the train station! How strange is that?!!!

The Noisettes were OK again. I can take or leave them really. Then, at 9.15 the lights went down and Muse came onstage. Another fantastic set. Assassin this time and Citizen Erased again!

It was very hot in there. The crowd were very pushy too. There were a lot of little people around me. I felt particularly protective of one girl who was stood behind me. Due to her height and my height, every time I moved, I hit her in the face with my shoulder. I managed to make some space for her and she squeezed in next to me. She looked like she was struggling to breathe so I kept asking her if she was OK. A bit later on she was looking rather grey and told me she needed to get out. So over the barrier she went. I hope she was OK and enjoyed the rest of the show further back.

My fun was spoiled a bit when this huge, burly bloke came barging through from nowhere, pushing all the little people out of the way to get his precious girlfriend to the barrier. He had no respect whatsoever for anyone else around him and kept pushing back anyone who got within a metre of poor little flower at the barrier. He made me SO angry. I hate bullys. Pick on someone your own size. So now he had lodged himself into the second row. Add to this the fact that he did this during Citizen Erased of all songs and the fact he was blocking my view of Matt and Dom. He wasn’t even looking at the stage, just at his girlfriend. I was so angry I couldn’t concentrate. I really wanted to punch him one for doing something so selfish, with no thought for anyone else around him. I had to be content with the couple of good elbows I got into his back. Which probably hurt me more than him but made me feel slightly better.

Other than that, fantastic show yet again!

Afterwards, Lucy and I stopped off to drink a gallon or so of water. Then we went to the Merch stand and I bought my third T-shirt of the tour. If I carry on at this rate my family wont have any Christmas presents this year. Unless they want Muse T-Shirts. In my Size.

After that, we decided we would like to try and meet the band. I’m starting to worry a bit that I wont get to meet them again. It was pouring with rain and they were in the aftershow and wouldn’t be out until at least 1.30. I thought that even if I did stand there in the rain for 3 hours, they are highly unlikely to come over in the rain and get soaked to the skin signing autographs. I wouldn’t want them to anyway. I don’t want to be the cause of one of them getting a cold and having to cancel the rest of the tour!

So we gave up and went our separate ways. I stopped off on the way to the hotel and got a pizza and garlic bread and retired to my hotel room. At least I knew I could have a well needed lie in the next morning as my train home wasn’t until 11am

The next show marks the halfway point in the tour for me. It’s going way too quickly!

Manchester 2006

After a couple of days off, which were mostly spent catching up on message board stuff, sleeping and showing my face at work for a change, it was off to Manchester on Saturday for gig number 4.

I got the bus there, which took 6 hours. I arrived in Manchester, to be greeted by rain. I knew I had ‘buy an umbrella’ on my pre-tour to do list for a reason. A very useful item to have during a UK tour in November. But I’d taken no notice of myself and decided not to bother getting one. The hotel I was staying at was only a short walk from the bus station, thankfully.

The hotel itself was a total dive. I guess you get what you pay for but I didn’t even feel safe in this place. The entrance was down a back alley for a start. There were notices all round the place, apologising for the inconvenience while they were ‘renovating’. It was just generally grotty. My room backed onto the same back alley the entrance was on and the window didn’t lock. I was really paranoid about someone somehow scaling the wall to the second floor and breaking into my room while I was asleep in bed.

I sat there for a bit feeling pretty miserable, about the room, the rain and the fact I was really tired. Then I decided, a bit of rain wasn’t going to stop me having fun, so I went out in search of somewhere that sold umbrellas. I eventually found one, but got soaked to the skin in the process, which kind of defeated the object!

After eventually drying off, me and my umbrella headed off for the short walk to the arena. I managed to find it without getting too lost, which is a miracle in itself as I have no sense of direction. I always get where I’m going eventually…I just go everywhere else first!

I met up with Michelle, who is one of my Live Journal friends, and her friend Shel. They were both lovely! We waited around there for a while, as Michelle had some stuff to sort out. None of us were particularly bothered about seeing The Noisettes, so we headed off to the pub for a drink and a chat. We stayed in there until around 9ish, then we went our separate ways to find our places in time for Muse.

I got another drink at the bar and made my way to my seat. My seat was in the upper tier, on the right hand side of the stage. It was SO high up! I had a fantastic view of the whole crowd. Someone on the message board was saying how at one point on Friday night, Matt had the house lights turned up, looked out at the crowd and mouthed the words ‘fuckin’ hell!’ It really did look quite spectacular from where I was sitting. I can only imagine what it must have been like from the stage!

I got chatting to the guy next to me who was at his first Muse concert. I didn’t get round to asking him what he thought but from the way he was drunkenly singing/shouting along towards the end, I’d say he enjoyed himself!

At around 9.15, the lights went down and it was show time! They played what has been my favourite set list so far this tour. They opened with Knights of Cydonia and closed with Take A Bow again. They played Showbiz for the first time on this tour and, something I really wasn’t expecting to hear, City Of Delusion. At Reading, it was the one song I REALLY wanted to hear but they didn’t play. At last I got to hear it. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, they played Citizen Erased!!

It was at that point, I really wished I was standing at the front. It was great to be able to see everything that was going on, but you just don’t get the same atmosphere up in the seats.

Because I had had a couple of drinks, the inevitable happened. I needed the loo halfway through. I decided Forced In would make a good toilet break. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but I decided I’d rather miss that than some of their other songs, like Bliss for instance. I’d forgotten that Forced In is not very long. I was making my way back, considering stopping off at the bar on the way, when I heard the intro to Bliss! Panic set in, as that is my absolute favourite song. I’ve never ran so fast in my life! Serves me right. I should have crossed my legs!

After the show I made my way outside. At least it wasn’t raining. I was thinking of waiting around to try and meet the band again. But when I got round there, there was quite a few people waiting. As it was cold and wet I thought the chances of meeting them were very slim so I gave it a miss.

So, I stopped off at the coffee shop and bought a coffee and croissant to take back to the hotel with me. I’m having Breakfast at 11pm now. My poor body!

I made my way back to the hotel. Manchester is quite a scarey place at night. Because the buildings are so high, the streets are very dark. So I ducked down my dark alley to my grotty room. But it really didn’t seem so bad at that point. I didn’t sleep much as it was the middle of the city centre on a Saturday night. Lots of drunk people shouting all night. But I didn’t even care about that. I was on a high after another amazing show, and I had it all to come again the next night!

Glasgow 2006

I had trouble sleeping that night. I was so hyped up. It was gone 3am before I dropped off. Then I kept waking up, smiling to myself then going back to sleep!

I got up early the next morning, had breakfast then headed back to Glasgow on the train.

I dragged the suitcase along the streets of Glasgow again and checked back into the B+B I’d only checked out of the day before.

I was relaxing in my room for a while then I got ready to go out. I was trying to put off going outside as it was raining. But eventually I had to brave the elements. Some of the people from the Muse message board had mentioned meeting in The Counting House for a few drinks so I thought I’d go and join them. I thought Lisa would be there too but that wasn’t to be.

I got hopelessly lost in Glasgow. I’ve been to Glasgow many times but I just couldn’t get my bearings. I eventually found the pub but by this time it was 5pm, I looked like a drowned rat and I wasn’t feeling very sociable. Lisa texted me to say she wasn’t coming either so I decided to just make my way to the venue.

I wasn’t in a particularly good mood when I joined the queue at the SECC. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to have a drinking night or not. I decided to stay in the queue and make up my mind when I got in there. When I got in, I managed to get in the third row, on the left hand side just between where Chris stands and where Matt stands for Bliss. I was happy with that and immediately cheered up. By the time The Noisettes had finished, I had managed to get into the second row, which is perfect. Right at the front with some nice padding between me and the barrier!

You get a different experience altogether being that far to the front. It’s very squashy. You get to know your neighbours intimately. You need to really concentrate to breathe. You can’t dance around. If you can find a tiny bit of space, you can bounce, but beware! If you jump up there my not be a space for your feet to land back into! If you can, you might be able to get your hands in the air or at least one fist and use the other hand to cling onto the stranger in front for dear life as the crowd surges. You get covered in sweat. Some of your own, but mostly from the people around you.

But it’s all good fun! And the good thing is, you are close enough to see facial expressions and, if you are very lucky, get eye contact!

Fantastic show again! They gave Assassin a blast that night which was great to hear. Matt stood directly in front of me for the intro to Plug In Baby and then for Bliss, he used the microphone that was slightly to my right. I took some pictures but most of them didn’t come out right. To be honest, I was so busy enjoying the view and enjoying the song, a good camera shot was the last thing on my mind!

Stockholm Syndrome was stunning again. At the end of the song, Matt was smiling and I knew he was up to something. The next thing I know, he was smashing his guitar up. He then wrapped himself up in his mic lead. He went off the stage smiling again while Dom looked at Chris with a half amused/half confused look, which was a picture!
I decided not to wait around afterwards. Little Miss Sensible won the shouting contest and I got the train back into the city. It’s just as well I did, as I got hopelessly lost again. It took me 45 mins to find my B+B, which was a 5-minute walk away. I recognised the street names but just could not get my bearings. I was walking round and round in circles before finally making it back.

Aberdeen 2006

I got up and had breakfast at my B+B in Glasgow. Then I headed to Queen Street station and got on a train to Aberdeen for show number 2.

I arrived there early afternoon and had some time to kill as I couldn’t book into my B+B until 4pm. It was a lovely day so I took a wander around Aberdeen. I found the seaside! So I sat there, again like the bag lady, with my suitcase and bags around me gazing out to sea. I sat there for about an hour. Then I started to feel a bit chilly so I went to one of the little Cafes there and had a coffee. At 4pm I checked into my B+B, got ready and headed to the city centre to meet up with the lovely Lisalush from the Muse message board and her niece, Alison.

It was fantastic meeting Lisa. Its always good fun going to gigs by yourself but its much more fun with other people to share it with. Also, it was really nice to be able to talk about the band with someone who knows who I’m talking about. My friends, family and work colleagues do listen for a while, but then I see their eyes kind of glazing over and I know its time to stop!

We had a chat for a bit then got a bus to the AECC. The bus dropped us off in a lay-by on the wrong side of a duel carriageway a good walk from the venue. We took our lives in our hands trying to make it across the road there in one piece. But we all made it safely in the end.

There was a huge queue to get in again, so we joined the end of it. Then, one of the security people said there was another way in with no queue. So we went over there and got straight in. We stopped at the merch stall and I ended up buying another T-Shirt. Alison bought a belt and Lisa bought a bag after the show. We then made our way into the crowd.

We were stood on the right hand side of the stage, level with where Matt stands to sing Bliss. We were about 12 rows or so from the front, so fairly close. The Noisettes came on. I enjoyed them a bit more than in Belfast. Not something I would listen to by choice, but not too bad as a support band.

Then Muse came on. They surprised me straight away by opening with Knights Of Cydonia when I was totally expecting Take A Bow! There was a big surge forward during the first couple of songs but after that, things kind of calmed down a bit. The atmosphere was fantastic, much better than being in the seats. It was very hot and sweaty in there but I loved every minute of it. They played Feeling Good, which they didn’t play in Belfast. But all too soon again, it was all over!

We made our way outside after a brief stop for Lisa to buy her bag and to drink some water. When we got outside, we passed by the area where the buses were parked. I then had another dilemma. We knew we really should get the bus into the city, especially since Alison’s Uncle was picking her and Lisa up in the city, to drive them home to Dundee. I thought I should go with them or I’d be hanging around by myself and the guy at the B+B told me taxis are notoriously difficult to get in Aberdeen.

But we ended up waiting anyway. We waited there for about 2 hours. Then Lisa really had to go. So they phoned a taxi. It arrived and the band still hadn’t come out. I then had to make a quick decision. Should I stay or should I go? Little Miss Naughty won again, and I stayed. I thought it would be such a shame to have waited there all that time for nothing. As there were only 8 other people waiting, I thought the chances of meeting them were very good. I had 3 taxi numbers on me and Lisa’s taxi was quite quick arriving. So I stayed there.

By this time, we were all freezing. Jumping up and down, marching on the spot to keep warm. I thought of my lovely warm gloves in my suitcase back at the B+B. Why didn’t I bring them?

About 10 minutes after Lisa and Alison left, Chris and Matt came out. They were just about to get on the bus when someone shouted out to them. They came over to us.

They were both signing stuff and chatting to people. The guys next to me were getting their T-shirts signed and Matt was struggling a bit with the pen they provided him with. I had my marker pen in my hand. Matt saw it and said ‘That pen looks like its much more up to the job’ so I said ‘there you go then’ and handed it over. Again. Helen T, official marker pen provider for Muse!

The guys next to me then decided to get everything on their person signed, including their mobile phones!

He came along the line and I handed him my bit of paper. There was then that awkward moment. I knew that was my opportunity to speak to him. Could I think of a thing to say? No I couldn’t! So what came out to fill the silence? ‘Great show tonight!’ A little voice in my head said ‘Oh my god! How lame was that?’ Firstly, He’s probably had it said by a million different people after a million different shows. Secondly, just because I thought it was great, he might not have done! But it’s the first thing that popped into my head and it just came out! He didn’t say anything, just signed the paper. I noticed he signed his name with 3 kisses underneath. And I thought, ‘does he always sign like that, at least for the girls?’ I watched him sign for the girl next to me. One kiss. And the girl next to her? One kiss. Then he signed for the guy on the end (I didn’t see how many kisses he got!) Then he came back to me and handed the pen back. I found that highly amusing! 3 kisses for me! Matt loves me!! Lol!!

They went back on the bus and Chris told us Dom would be over soon. A few minutes later, Dom came out of the venue and was about to get on the bus when he was called over. He came over to us and I lent my pen out again for him to sign stuff. He came down the line and signed my bit of paper. Then I asked him for a photo, which would have been a really nice shot but I had the zoom on and it only got half of us in it! Never mind, maybe I’ll get another chance later on in the tour. He stayed for a bit signing stuff and having photos taken and chatting to everyone. Then he went back on the bus and that was it!
I was SO happy after that. The whole thing was wonderful, meeting Lisa, being in the standing area, the show itself and then meeting the band afterwards. And people wonder why I like to do this kind of thing as much as I do. Nothing can beat days like that, where everything just fits into place. Whatever else happens on the tour, Aberdeen will go down as one of the highlights in my book.

Day off in Glasgow 2006

The next day, I woke up fairly early to catch my flight from Belfast to Glasgow. I decided to spend my day off in Glasgow, as it was cheaper to fly there and get a train to Aberdeen than to fly direct to Aberdeen.

I arrived in Glasgow and dragged my suitcase through the streets, to the B+B I was staying in. It was bonfire night and I had planned to go and see the fireworks display on The Green later that evening.

I went out for a wander around Glasgow and then decided to get some food. I thought Chinese would be nice so I found one of those all you can eat buffet things and went there. It was the first meal I’d had since Thursday night. It’s so difficult to eat properly when you are travelling around. You just get off the bus/train/plane, check into the hotel and head to the venue, maybe grabbing a packet of crisps or something in between.

So I came out of there suitably full up. I was really tired by this point so I decided not to bother with the fireworks and retired to my hotel room for the evening instead. I watched a bit of TV and generally chilled out.

I went to sleep around 10ish, but I couldn’t sleep properly. At around 3.30am I was awoken by one of the local Glasgow gentlemen shouting rather loudly at the ‘Fokin Bastid’ outside my window. The shouting went on for around half an hour. If I had a pound for every time he shouted ‘Fokin’ I could have paid for the tour twice over. The shouting ended because the ‘Fokin Bastid’ was ‘Ronin Awee’ Thank god for that I thought. Just keep ‘Ronin’ and I can get some kip!

Belfast 2006

I had a very early start. I got up at 2am, having hardly slept at all. It was a mixture of pure excitement and nerves. Have I got my tickets packed? Lights on. Tickets checked. Lights off again. Have I got my Money? Lights on. Money checked. Lights off. Then, I’m going to see Muse! Yay! Lights on again. Look at ticket put back in bag. Lights off.

I left the house at 3am ready to get the 3.30 bus to Heathrow. During the whole journey, I was telling everyone I came in contact with where I was going and what I was doing. The taxi driver on the way to the bus station, the woman waiting for the bus to Heathrow, the man sat next to me on the bus to Heathrow, the cute Aussie guy behind me in the checking in queue, the woman manicuring my nails in Belfast (I was killing some time!) and the taxi driver on the way to the hotel all got it!!

I arrived in Belfast at 8am. I got a bus into the city and just wandered around aimlessly with my suitcase in tow like the bag lady for a few hours. I killed a bit of time by visiting a nail bar for the first time in my life. I soon realised that it isn’t a very good idea to get your nails done, then put on your coat then try to lift bags and suitcases without smudging them. The poor woman had to start again on 3 of the nails because I ruined all her good work!

So I decided to sit in a coffee shop for an hour or so before heading to the B+B and checking in. The B+B was a short taxi ride/bus journey from the city centre. I lazed around there for a bit then got a bus back into the city and headed to the Odyssey Arena. I got there around 5pm. I was delighted it was on the riverside. I have a thing about water. I think it comes from having lived in built up areas all my life. I really appreciate the opportunity of walking along the riverside or gazing out to sea.

So I hung around there for a while until it started to get dark and I started to get bored and cold. So I headed into the Odyssey complex. I was delighted to hear they had Absolution playing in the background. I decided a liquid lunch was in order, so I went into the pub there and had a quick pint. It was when I started to feel a bit light-headed after one pint, that I realised, a) I was very tired b) I remembered I took some headache tablets as I’d had a headache for 3 days (perfectly normal for me) c) I hadn’t actually eaten since 7am. I thought I’d better go for a walk to try and revive myself a bit. I wandered around the complex a bit but it wasn’t very exciting really. But they were still playing Absolution in the background so, like a real saddo, I stood there, under a speaker listening to it for a while. How sad is that? Stood in the middle of an entertainment complex, by myself, in a city miles from home, listening to Muse. I decided even by my standards it was pretty tragic so I went back to the pub for another pint.

At 6.30 I decided to leave the pub and join the end of what was by then a very long queue. But the queue was moving quite quickly and before I knew it, I was in! I stopped off at the merch stand and bought a t-shirt and a poster. It was only after I bought it that I realised it probably wasn’t a good idea to buy that poster there as it ended up going on a little trip with me. It went on 2 flights, a bus journey and 3 train journeys (it did survive though thankfully!)

I then bought myself another pint and went and settled into my seat. I started talking to someone who was also on his own, until someone else came and sat in between us. I tried 3 times to start a conversation with him. Nothing. So I sat in silence.

Then The Noisettes came onstage. I hadn’t heard any of their stuff before hand. It took me 3 songs to realise I wasn’t enjoying it. So I went off and finally got some food. After that, I went back to my seat, intending to watch the rest off The Noisettes. I couldn’t believe what happened next. I actually FELL ASLEEP! I woke up just as they went off stage. I couldn’t believe it! I fell asleep at a gig. Poor old thing cant take the pace anymore! I’m just SO pleased it wasn’t during Muse!

At 9.15, the lights went down and that moment had finally arrived. Muse came onstage! They were fantastic. The stage show was very spectacular! I had looked at the setlists for some of the shows they played before so I had a fair idea what they would play. I got a bit over-excited when they played Exopolitics… And Muscle Museum! And Stockholm Syndrome is just amazing live. I was just sat there during that with my jaw almost on the floor! The only slightly annoying thing was everyone around me just stayed sat in their seats so I felt I couldn’t stand up. They did all stand for the encore but why not for the whole thing?!! Still, I managed to jig around a bit in my seat. But all too soon it was all over.

I went outside on a total high. Then I had a bit of a debate with myself. Little Miss Sensible was worried about getting back to the B+B and thought she should head straight back. But Little Miss Naughty decided she wanted to wait around to try and meet the band. Little Miss Naughty was shouting the loudest, so I went with her. I headed round the back to where the buses were parked. There was a lot of other people waiting around there too.

We were all gathered around behind the barriers by the gates. After around half an hour, Chris came out and got on the bus. Just after him Matt also came out, signed a couple of autographs then got on the bus too. I got over there just as he was going on the bus.

A barrier got put up and we all waited there thinking maybe Dom would come out and go on the bus. I had some people in front of me and a lot behind me. After about 20 mins or so, the bus door opened and Chris came back out. He came over to us and was going to sign stuff but no one had a pen. I handed him my marker pen and he made his way along the line signing what he could. I had brought some bits of coloured paper with me as the plan was to try and get their signatures on them, then stick them to the poster I’d bought, along with all my ticket stubs. He signed my paper, finished signing for other people and handed my pen back and went back in the venue.

A couple of minutes later, the bus door opened again and Matt came out. Everyone was asking for my pen, so I handed it to Matt and he signed some stuff. I held out my bit of paper but people kept putting their posters over the top. Then he gave me the pen back and went inside. I couldn’t believe it. He used my pen, but didn’t get round to signing my paper! I found that highly amusing. At least I knew there would (hopefully) be other chances.

I decided not to wait around any longer. It was getting late and I needed to find a taxi and get back to the B+B. Besides, there were so many people there, it was almost impossible for them to get to everybody. Little Miss Sensible was shouting loudest this time.

That was it. Day 1 was over!