My own experience of the day was relaxed and subdued…with a smattering of anxiety blended in.
A mix up in planning meant that myself and Ruth only made our way to St Enoch Square to meet up and have brunch with Sue at the Glasvegan cafe. Had been wanting to try the place out for some time. I’ve got to say the food was grand. I had a burger and some hash browns and a great oat based latte. I’ll definitely go there again when it isn’t so busy. Was certainly happy that a couple who had been sitting at a table inside had vacated their table just as we had settled down to dine at one of the tables outside. Going alfresco in Glasgow in the middle of October is…brave! We didn’t want to be that brave. Lol
We had done brunch by 2pm, walked past the Classic Grand and decided it was too early to start queuing at the door so headed down for a quick crossing of the Clyde over the Portland Street suspension bridge. The clouds were threatening to drop a bucket of rain upon us but we managed to get back to the Classic Grand and join the forming queue without the rain coming down too heavily. Just a wee spit.
Upon joining the queue, Martyn introduced himself and the four of us got chatting away. Others said quick hellos. The venue filled slowly but steadily. The lights were dimmed when we entered which made it a little hard to see where you were going or who else was coming in through the doors.
Ruth headed up to the front of the stage but myself, Sue and Martyn had found our little spot where we hung at the back, near the merch stand.
The briefest hellos to some – caught in the mire of being “out there” and “in your face” to people, and being reserved and possibly seeming aloof. And of course I have my own constant personal belief that every person is trying to avoid me like the plague, so when I do make the plunge and say hello to someone first, I almost immediately regret it because I believe I see a face that looks back at me like, “Oh no, not her!” I saw it a few times on a few faces. You know…you just get a vibe. The person who is more gregarious and more sure of themselves would probably not give a jot.
Quite a bit of the night I took refuge in the pole that was right near that part of the venue. A nice pole to hide behind and just fade into obscurity for a bit. I grappled with both wanting to be there and not be there at the same time. Shrodinger’s Loz.
Sue and Martyn were great company and would bring me back out of myself. I never “mingled”. I pretty much stayed rooted to the spot. I didn’t want to be at the front by the stage.
I guess I should stop talking about the insular and discuss the outer?
I wasn’t clock watching by any means so it all seemed to begin quite promptly with a great opening set from Simple Minded. It was my first experience of seeing them and I can see why they are held in such esteem. They are darn good! Of course the place went mental when towards the end of the set, Mick MacNeil was introduced and appeared on stage with his accordion. They performed a truncated Belfast Child, with some added freestyling from Mick and his accompaniment on pipes.
Shortly after the first Simple Minded set was with, Derek Forbes took to the stage. Mild anticipation bubbling within me for this. I kept my expectations in check, but I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Well…I was both pleasantly surprised and Pleasantly Disturbed! Boom boom! Lol. Derek was fabulous! Okay…he’s not going to set the world alight with his singing…but he can hold a note well enough. But…just to hear him play and be in the same room. It was a first for me – the old “Johnny-come-lately” who missed all the wonder years – and it may just be the last. Who knows? But to hear Waterfront played live – properly, note for note, live, was just special. And The American as well. I was sssoooo happy to hear The American. Bumped off this years “40 Years+” set, I was in seventh heaven having that played. And I’ll probably get it in the neck from “him” but I have always thought their voices were really well matched and hardly discernible in The American chorus so…having Derek do that was definitely the next best thing to me – and no one else is going to play that bass like it.
For Pleasantly Disturbed as well. And to have Duncan Barnwell on the stage with him, that was a lovely added touch.
So, for me…yep, Derek was my highlight of the night, for sure. No one was more surprised than me! Lol. Did I go and say hello afterwards? Nah. I didn’t even know where he was. I think he was hanging out somewhere backstage or something. That place was out of bounds to me so…nope. I think I’d have freaked out in all honesty anyway. Perhaps had I crossed the street and said hello to him back in 2018 on the day of the Walk Between Worlds signing…? Nah. I was freaking out then too. Nothing has changed in four years.
A break for a while and I am sure it was at this point that I stood back and observed poor Mick getting swamped by people on the stairs that led to the “exclusive” mezzanine level seated area. I would have liked to have said hello to him myself but…nah. Sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all. And I still wished I had done that a little more than I did on Saturday night. Mick had enough to deal with right at that point without me adding to it. I had my time at the end of the Trevor Horn gig back in 2019. Had I’d never met Mick before, I might have felt differently.
After the break it was time for Bruce Findlay and Graeme Thomson to be in conversation with John Dingwall. I think it would be more accurate to say that Bruce was in conversation with EVERYONE. Lol. I mean, the man is just…adorable! When you have a guy on the stage getting up out of his chair and shout out into his microphone “FUCK LIZ TRUSS!”, how can you not love that?! Always entertaining and never dull, Bruce is an absolute delight. There’s nothing else to say.
Another wee break, then it was time for the auction. This was the only point in the night that I actually moved from my cosy spot and headed down closer to the action. As much as I was freaking out that the OH would kill me if I dared bid on anything, I had my eye on one particular item. It had been the thing I had been planning on bidding on since….as long as the whole event had been in the organising. I was mildly concerned as I hadn’t seen it being pictured for a time but had assumed there was just so much stuff to auction off, it just wasn’t being shown. I checked the online auction items that were being auctioned off during the week but it wasn’t among those. What I did see in the online auction were two of Ronnie Gurr’s Hanging Around billboard posters. I really would have loved to have bid on those. I was talking to Ronnie before the auction started and he asked me why I hadn’t bid on them. I said that I had my eye on something else – which I did. Had money been no object, then I’d have bid on Ronnie’s posters AND … the thing.
The items came and went. So much in sum from anything of the amount I could bid up to. I didn’t want to bid on guitars, or stars, or whisky barrel lids, or lanyards. What I wanted to bid on was a billing poster of Simple Minds playing Tiffany’s on July 14th, 1982. But…it was a no show. Dunno what happened to it. So…I came away from the auction having bid on nothing…which actually upset me. I didn’t have a lot to bid with. In all honesty not any at all. The OH would have been not best pleased had I come away with the elusive Tiffany’s poster so…perhaps it was a blessing in disguise? What will be will be and all that. I’ll make a donation directly to C.H.A.S in the days to come.
I retreated to my cosy spot. Hid behind the pole again. Watched and enjoyed Simple Minded’s second set. Enjoyed seeing Eugene and Christophe on stage with them. Then before I knew it, the night was done and they were kicking us out.
It was very smoothly run. Everyone had a great time. I was thankful for my continued company of Sue, Martyn and John. It was good not to feel completely set adrift.
It was also great to meet up with Ronnie for a time and have fleeting conversations with Michelle, Baggers, Tony, Martin, Florence, Andy – and the other Andy, Dave, Irene, Michael and Christophe. Birdy came and went through the night – mingling little social butterfly that she is.
For those I missed getting to say hello to and speak to, my apologies. And if there is anyone screaming at me saying “You missed mentioning me!” from the list of those I did get to greet and say hello to, I’m sorry. I’m an old, forgetful bag!
Congratulations must go to Gordon and George for putting this event together. You guys excelled. And those in support of them putting it all together, you did yourselves proud.
I’m not sure what the final funds raised for C.H.A.S are but I’m estimating that the funds raised from the online auction and the one on the night must have brought a tally near £15k.
It was a rare night in Glasgow to actually be able to take the train home! That is something I am not used to doing. I’m either at the wrong end of town, the trains have stopped running for the night, or they’re not running at all. It was a novelty to get the train home.
Not much else to say but roll on next weekend! The Simple Minds story continues!
I kept my phone in my bag. No photos or video from me, but here’s Derek doing New Gold Dream curtesy of Michelle.
