19.30 ….. The time has come, the big event of my year is just one sleep away.
Tomorrow sees me return to the London O2 in North Greenwich, this time to see a very different performance in the act Muse.
I am currently laid on the bed in my hotel room, with a view (via the zoom view on my camera) of the O2 just across the river. And the excitement is building….. Especially as when the traffic noise dies down; I can hear the sound check!
This is set to be a very ‘visual’ gig. So I have my faithful friend and PA Simon with me to support me. Unlike my trip to see Adele, this time I have bought my guiding girl Fizz with me, as I am away for a few days I wanted to be able to feel confident and comfortable while we are out tomorrow before the gig.
So, I have arranged with the accessibility team at the O2 to ensure that she will be well looked after. This is the bit I am nervous about, how do they ‘look after’ her?
But for now off to sleep so we can enjoy a full day out tomorrow.
07.00….. Awake a breakfast eaten, I am thinking I am maybe just a little bit excited !!!
First, we are off to Stratford for the day, last night we grabbed the tube and went for a walk around the Olympic Park, but Sam hoping to go back today to ‘see’ it in daylight. Simon was very fortunate to be one of the volunteers involved with the opening ceremony for the Olympics I’m 2012…. So, who better to be my guide?
The weather was interesting…. Bright blue sky, that thick black clouds. Here is the photo of what things looked like when we arrived it Stratford, we then went into the shopping centre and when we came out again, the sun was shining, yet the ground was soaked.
I had chosen the hotel for the ease of travelling to the O2, it was just one tube journey away. After our day out, we got ready and left early to get to there with plenty of time. As the tube got closer, more and more people joined the train and the buzz was so calm and yet exciting. Fizz was calm and happy with the added attention she was getting each time someone got on or off.
I have previously visited the O2 (for dinner) with Fizz in the past, so she knew the route and remembered it well. She was a star, the crowds were large, however she took it all in her stride and expertly Weaved her way through, I think even Simon was amazed by her work. She was amazing and her skills were being put to good use, making it a much calmer experience for me. And most of all, she was also enjoying the challenge.
The O2 isn’t just s concert venue, it’s a centre of entertainment, there are masses of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, a bowling alley and even a multi-screen cinema! So, on entering we went for a drink, it was very busy, but not manic and we had kind of expected it. Once the doors opened to the arena. I had been advised that I needed to take Mizz Fizz to the customer service desk, where we would find assistance. This was when we found our ‘ANGEL’ literally, it was a friendly member of the O2 staff, who had huge beautiful white wings made of feathers on her back. She showed us which entrance that we were needing to go in to get to our seats, before taking us to the customer team, she introduced me to the senior member of staff, who had been expecting Fizz. She took my contact details and introduced me to the male member of staff who would be Fizz’s guardian while we enjoyed the concert. He would be taking her to a carpeted sound proofed room above the arena, she would be offered water and he would take her out for a short walk to enable her to go to the toilet. I had bought w toy and treats with us, so that she would enjoy her experience.
Then information the staff gave me was a complete surprise and not something that I had thought of, but clearly it was a point that the staff were aware of, it wasn’t anything bad or of a concern, it was actually a great benefit.
Towards the end of the gig, a member of staff would walk Fizz to the entrance to the arena that we would be leaving by, this was so that we would be able to leave straight away, without having to battle amongst the crowds.
So, with fizz taken care of, Simon guided me to our seats and we were ready for the show!
i could easily fill this post with photos of the show, I could bore you all with the enjoyment of the show….. I won’t, I will just say that I was amazed at how visual and precise the lighting was I was able to enjoy myself, the sound quality was spot on, I could clearly hear each word, for everything else I was able to use my phone to view, photograph and film. For my own enjoyment later, not for sharing around. So I have just end added one.
It all ended too quickly, it felt like we had been in there only an hour, rather than nearer three.
Muse had left the stage, the lights went on and all of a sudden I was aware of the sniff of Fizz behind me…. She had dragged her handler in through the doors as soon as they were open. She, never being there before, came straight to us. This was brilliant, as I had her harness with me, we were ready to leave.
…… Filled with memories that will never leave, even if my sight does.
