We got our O2 tickets on that pre sale thingy because we are O2 customers.
Our seats were right up in the gods but really near the stage on Stevie’s side.
Mike’s new found cousin Jane missed out on tickets - they were really hard to come by - so we agreed to keep looking for her. She was going on her own and It was because of this that I was, without much hope, looking on Ticketmaster trying to find three seats together. Two seats came up in the lower tier really near the stage. They were absolutely fabulous tickets. Would have been the best seats we have ever had but I was indecisive. I rejected them, then changed my mind - too late, they had gone to some other lucky sod.
We had bought extra tickets previously and although we got rid of them eventually there were some hairy moments when we thought we weren’t going to be able to sell them on. As it turns out I don’t think we would have had a problem here because the O2 concert was so oversubscribed. Hey ho - another missed opportunity on the long road of Bruce fandom. We have friends who have touched him, friends who have had gifts from him, friends who have given him gifts - you know who you are! - but we haven’t got within 100 yards of him… yet.
Anyway in the end we got Jane a ticket. She would be sat on her own but she didn’t mind.
Not being very organised we didn’t get our hotel booked early enough and couldn’t get a room near the O2. We ended up on the wrong side of the Thames. The hotel had a nice foyer and first impression was good but the rooms felt like dormitories. Iron bedsteads and a pre-fabricated plastic cube dropped in the corner for the shower room/loo. Now I am a bit fussy about my hotels and the feel of this just wasn’t right. I was pleased we were only staying one night. .
There was no where to eat near the hotel. Well it was such a run down area I doubt anyone would want to venture out after dark! We decided to have something at the O2. So a taxi was ordered - final check before we leave the room: -
Cash OK
Credit Cards OK
Santa hats OK
Phone OK
Tickets ………. Noooo! Mike puts his hand in the breast pocket of his jacket to pull out the little folder holding the tickets - opens the folder they are not there!! I just can’t describe how I felt but I know I started shaking.
Luckily before I have a chance to become really hysterical Mike reaches into said pocket to find the tickets which have simply fallen out the folder. This whole episode probably only lasted 30 seconds but it has scarred me for life. I have had nightmares since which involve me running around the O2 trying to find someone who will let us in without a ticket.
So panic over we set off, on a very long journey to the Dome. It seemed to take forever and was for the most part in a tunnel which presumably ran under the river.
The O2 looked great - very atmospheric. Everywhere was packed though so in need of some sustenance we ended up with a tray of chips when we got inside the arena. Rather bizarrely I find I still have the receipt for the chips!
This was only our tenth Springsteen show and amazingly only our fourth E Street Band show. I really loved it. My overwhelming feeling was that it was frenetic. One song straight into another bang bang bang - just non stop - really exhilarating.
We expected 'Santa Claus is Coming To Town' as it was so near Christmas but it was still great to hear it.
I have never gone from gig to gig hoping to hear a particular song - it only leads to disappointment (Mike is still waiting for 'Back In Your Arms') but this doesn’t stop me from getting that tingly feeling when I do get a favourite. I add tracks both from new albums and old ones to my favourite Bruce songs all the time. Often a track becomes a favourite after I have heard it live. Sometimes it’s because someone on, say, Greasy Lake, has mentioned something about a particular song that gives me a sudden appreciation.
Around this time one of my new faves was ‘Racing In The Street’ and this gig was the first time I got a song that I was excited about. I had heard favourites at previous gigs but didn’t really appreciate the significance of them at the time. This time I knew I had witnessed a real treat.
It was a fab night - up there amongst my favourite Bruce gigs. I loved the venue. As I have said before I like being high up as long as I am near the stage.
We decided to try for a taxi home rather than face the underground crush so we joined a very long taxi queue. It was perishingly cold and we did have a long wait but we got back to the hotel in the end.
Next morning I was too ill to go for breakfast. I hadn’t had any alcohol so it wasn’t that. Was it the after affects of the (nearly) lost tickets? or had I got over excited? or, and I plumped for this is the end, had I got dehydrated? I felt really rough but improved as the day went on.
As I got better, Mike got worse, and by the time we got on the train he had such a bad headache he could hardly stand up. So he flopped in his seat and shut his eyes hoping for no delays.
So … the day after I bought tickets for Emirates.
Set List
Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Night
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason To Believe
Because The Night
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
Watin' On A Sunny Day
Working On The Highway
Racing In The Street
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Girls In There Summer Clothes
Jungleland
Born To Run
Dancing In The Dark
American Land
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
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