My Bruce Journey - Part 31

'Long as I remember the rain been comin' down.  Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground'


I made a cock up trying to buy tickets for the Seeger Sessions tour at the Point in Dublin 2006 and we missed out.  I think Trevor and Val (Mike’s brother and his wife) may have been in Dublin at the time of the gig. They told us what a great city it is to visit but I had taken my bat and ball home and insisted, only half joking, that I wouldn’t set foot in Dublin until I was there to see Bruce.

As it turned out I kept that promise and on 11 July 2009 Trevor was chauffeuring us to Leeds/Bradford airport for our flight to Dublin.

Mike’s Bruce buddies from work - Tony and Maria - were on the same flight.  I hadn’t met them before but, hey, they have to be OK they are Bruce fans.  The plane was delayed and as time went on we wondered about the wisdom of travelling the day of the gig.  To be fair it affected Maria and Tony much more than us because they had GA tickets and needed to get into a queue.  We had seats so could set off much later. Anyway we managed to get off before panic set in.

Tony and Maria were staying in the centre of Dublin and we were in Ballsbridge with the Badlands trip.  We shared a taxi from the airport with a very friendly driver who pointed out the sights as we drove.  Mike was particularly keen to see Home Farm where a couple of great Leeds United players - Johnny Giles and Gary Kelly played in their early days. It was peeing it down - a theme that followed through most of the trip.

The hotel was a disaster. Trip advisor has mixed reviews.  Some folks hated it and some gave it top marks.  I wonder if we just got a bad room.  The aforementioned taxi driver explained that the hotel was due to be pulled down to make way for a development of office blocks and apartments.  Clearly this hasn’t happened as the hotel is still advertising on the internet today.

Our room was big but gloomy.  The window leaked and the wallpaper was peeling off the wall.  I had the impression before we arrived that there was some sort of food court within the hotel.  I imagined something like you would see in a shopping mall - you know - perhaps a McDonalds, a Starbucks, Café Rouge etc but all we found was a packed out pub - must have been six deep at the bar at least, a tiny pizza place and a café that was shut!!

We had arrived later than expected so when we toddled down the very damp smelling corridor to the Badlands party it had all but finished... so we made our way back to the foyer of the hotel and found a couple of seats to people watch.  Still peeing down so no point going to the gig too soon.

Our lunch had consisted of a bar of chocolate at the airport and with hopes for the food court cruelly dashed, our tea, which we grabbed on the walk down to The RDS Arena, was a bag of chips.

We had good seats about half way up the pit - this is perhaps one of only two advantages I can see from a Badlands trip - and the jury is out in our house as to whether the extra money is worth it.  If we were guaranteed really great seats - lower tier at the front - I would say worth every penny but the reality is the seats are only, perhaps, one block nearer the stage than seats we have bought independently.

The other advantage is the near certainly of getting a ticket. You take yourself out of the general mêlée which is less stressful.

So it’s pouring down but we are undercover in The Anglesea Stand sitting on the comfiest seats I have ever had at a concert.  At intervals from 8.00pm ish there was an announcement over the PA saying the concert wouldn’t start until everyone took down their umbrellas.  Everyone didn’t take down their brollys but luckily Bruce decided to come on stage anyway.

The opener of ‘Who’ll stop the rain’ was hardly a surprise but good to hear it anyway.  This was our first ‘Cover Me’.  I am always happy to get ‘Thunder Road’ and Mike was equally chuffed with ‘The River’.  I am not a fan who craves rarities at my gigs so I judge a set list by how many of my least favourite songs are played… there was only one I didn’t really like and even that isn’t so bad live.  Mike who has more dislikes than me probably didn’t have his best night!




There’s an interesting review on Greasy Lake from a guy who enjoyed the show but had agro from a family nearby - I’ve seen similar comments about this sort of thing.  Jealousy do you think or is it time to knock the singing kids thing on the head?  It was cute and surprising at first but it’s lost it’s novelty value now.  Could say the same about the signs.  They must be equally annoying if you are standing behind one.Greasy Lake Dublin review

Mentioning behind reminds me that sat behind us was the most enthusiastic man that we have ever had the pleasure of sharing a Bruce concert with.  He whooped and cheered and clapped and sang.  Afterwards I just had to turn and thank him for creating such a great atmosphere.  He was a complete stranger to us but helped make this night stick in my mind.

Went straight back to the hotel after the gig.  Can’t remember if it was still raining.  Pub was still packed so didn’t stay.  Got a couple of bottles of water from the vending machine and off to bed.

Set list

Who'll Stop the Rain?
Badlands
Cover Me
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
Seven Nights to Rock
For You
Thunder Road
Because the Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Kingdom of Days
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Hard Times Come Again No More
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Ramrod
Twist and Shout