One day like this a year......

And so it came to pass that nearly two years after my last gig I finally made it to another one. It was a gig that the moment I saw advertised I thought " I am going to that and I don't care how I do it! " Elbow at Jodrell Bank...oh my days ....a combination of two of my very favourite things ...music and space geekery :D
The gig was to be under the gaze of the giant Lovell telescope, could it get any more perfect?
Despite it selling out in minutes, we easily got 'speshul' tickets and yes the carer's ticket was free, as was the parking.
The great day came and I duly packed a gig bag ,and blankets etc and my good friend and excellent helper Cazzie *hugs* arrived and we loaded me and the chair into the van and off we went.
The journey there was uneventful, traffic wasn't too bad and the parking was a breeze. Unfortunately that's where the fun and games stopped . The organisers hadn't put any matting/boards down so the wheelchair got stuck in the mud ...note to promoters ..it is extremely difficult to push a wheelchair through dry grass let alone sodden grass that has turned to mud.
A steward arrived and basically hauled me backwards like a sack of spuds through it and up onto the viewing platform...and at this point I promptly had a sleep attack....
When I came round  properly and took stock of the surroundings I was delighted with the view and  ...the telescope always will be an amazing sight . However within the hour the rain began to fall, leading me to wonder why with the forecasts the organisers hadn't seen fit to put a cover on the viewing area ...it wouldn't have obstructed the view of the stage etc but it would've kept the worst of the weather off us. I had blankets and a very good, large waterproof coat wrapped round me but I was still frozen and completely drenched (afterwards even the money in my purse was damp!).To be honest it was that bad that had it been any other band we would've have left long before the end.
Then another debacle, after the brilliant Field Music (I urge you to check them out they are great) I wanted the go to to the loo . Easy enough in theory, the accessible toilet was right next to the platform .However because the had just plonked people and wheelchairs onto the platform there were no gangways left so getting off the platform was very difficult added to that it was packed with people, who, I'll be kind,didn't look to be in too much difficulty, standing or sitting around smoking/drinking and blocking the ramp. A steward did appear at one point to ask to see people's Blue Badges(you were supposed to show your Blue Badge to get onto the platform) when it was obvious the platform was getting too crowded  but it was very half hearted and he just gave up half way round. We eventually got me down to the toilet  (and yes sorry if I banged into you able bodied people in my way but I'm not fucking invisible, when you see someone in a wheelchair trying to get past ..MOVE!)
There was a queue to use the ONE toilet and arguments were breaking out when clearly not disabled people were trying to push in ..it all got very unpleasant.Again poor organisation meant that the wheelchairs got stuck in the mud,( why they just didn't put down some plywood or something, I don't know) I had to be helped out of mine and into the toilet .by my friend .The toilet incidentally was filthy and not really fit for purpose.
At the end getting off the site was awful ..we had no help I was terrified I'd be knocked out of my chair by the crowd pushing towards me  ...I had to be pulled backwards again, luckily some kind people saw what was happening and formed a barrier around me till we got out ...the stewards did nothing. But were werein the VIP carpark so we were off and away (and finally in the warm and dry) ahead of all the traffic and home within half an hour.

Anyway despite all that the gig was fantastic, pure joy from start to finish ....the use of the telescope to project images on including showing us the moon in real time, the fireworks, Guy's glorious banter and of course the music .If I had to sum up Elbow in one word it'd be love ..they just wrap you in love and  joy. Yes other bandsmight be more exciting or sexier or cooler but they aren't a patch on those boys from Bury.
"One day like this a year will see see me right " after what I've been through the past  two years ..never have lyrics mean so much and been so apt.

Live at Jodrell Bank : nil points
Elbow 1,000,000 

Motherfucking Muse pt.2

After my fury over the pre sale debacle,I patiently waited by the phones/computer  on 14th June to attempt to buy  a ticket for the gig in manchester in november. It took nearly an hour ..but finally someone at the MEN arena deigned to pick up the phone.
Cue cheery girl booking my tickets...'you'll be one block for the stage ..alright?' fine says I.
..'that'll be £116'
'excuse me?'
'it's £116'
'what happened to the free carer ticket'
'the promoters have have said there aren't any'

So ....Muse joins the list of bands/promoters who think it's ok to take the piss out of disabled people...charging them TWICE what it costs the able bodied.

Motherfucking Muse!

Not a review(yet) but a rant !
Muse are one of my very favourite bands, but like others recently, have excluded disabled fans from a  presale.
They are offering a special online only presale tickets to their recently announced tour to fans who use their forum (their most dedicated..their words) but the tickets being offered are only STANDING ones....about as much use as a chocolate teapot of you are in a wheelchair or have other health problems that preclude standing ...well done Muse *clap clap clap*
They are not alone ...Ben Folds, Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright  have excluded disabled fans from fan presales.
Why?
Well when you click on your special fan forum pre sale links there are no options for disabled /special needs people, the only tickets available to buy on line are the standard standing or sitting, and obviously no mention of essential carers tickets , if like me, you are unable to attend events without a carer.
You have to wait till the general sale and hope you can still get a ticket ...and then also hope you don't have to pay for 2 tickets if there are no free carer tickets on offer ...yes some promoters think this is ok ...to make disabled fans pay TWICE what everyone else pays.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is called discrimination.

A flamin' belting night out !

Well ...went for a night out for the first time in a long while.
With the daughter as carer/chairpusher we ordered up the taxis and trundled off to the Waterside Arts Centre, Sale to see the play 'Fat Brenda' starring Steve Huison ex of Corrie and damn fine egg all round.It was a one hander and Steve was brilliant, throughly enjoyed it, as did the daughter whose first proper play at the theatre it was ...I don't think I'll ever hear Sir Cliff 's 'Some People 'in the same way again :D but throughly recommend it if you see it coming around!

Now to the other stuff.....the venue and accessibility and all that shizz.... full marks to the box office, discounted tix with free carer ticket sorted out with the minimum of fuss and without being made to feel a) that you are very s-l-o-w and b) that you are a nuisance.

The venue itself was quite tricky to get into ..quite a steep ramp up to the entrance that needed a strong taxi driver to shove me along ..neither myself nor my daughter would've managed it alone.There was apparently a lift but we didn't see it so obviously it wasn't well sign posted . Once inside facilites were ok ..a basic bar on the flat,and offering herbal teas was a nice touch (as a teetotaller I do get a bit bored with just the same soft drinks all the time) but the toilets were not good. The accessible toilet was inside the ladies which you had to access througnh a narrow corridor and of course my chair got jammed  and stuck several times,we found it funny at the time ,and luckily other people came to help, but I could see if someone was unwell or needed the toilet in a hurry, it could've been disasterous .
The seats for watching the play were good I had plenty of space and wasn't in anyone's way therefore wasn't knocked about or used as a coat stand (yes it's happened before!) and the carer's seat was directly next to me so all was good.

To go home again the steep ramp was just as tricky as we had to be careful I didn't build up a head of steam and roll out into the traffic :P but there was taxi rank directly on the main road, with plenty of cabs, so getting back was nice and easy.

Overall an enoyable evening 10/10 for Fat Brenda,  6 1/2 for the venue...so be aware if you are a wheelchair punter going there, it can be a tricky.

Ok....not quite sure how this works  but the idea is I wanted to write about what it's like to try to attend gigs and other social functions when you have multiple and severe disabilties and basically can no longer move around for no more than a few feet or leave your house independently.

I used to be able to do these things without thinking ...do what I wanted to do,go where I wanted to, when I wanted to ....money/time and work permitting.
Weekend in New York or Berlin or Dublin  (or anywhere ) you say ? why not !
Three gigs in a week, in three different cities? ...bring it on!
Follow a band for a whole tour? let's go!

You get the picture.

Now ? I can't even post a letter for myself ,go to the corner shop, cook or even take a bath without help.Leaving the house to do anything is a major undertaking, and if there's more than a couple of  metres of walking(with a a frame) or couple of minutes of standing involved ,I have to use a wheelchair.
I can basically wobble around my house ..use this thing ..make a brew (providing I don't spill it /knock it over) do basic stuff, but it's slow and rarely without incident :) And this is all providing I don't have a blackout or sleep attack...then of course I won't be doing anything....

But I still love my music and certain bands own my heart so where possible I still want to go see them,but you can see obvious flaws in this plan, 'cos I know y'all are quick .And not just bands, I'm a football and horse racing nut ,love the theatre and adore live comedy.
So with the help of friends I'm going to try to get to a few gigs/events and I'll write about my experiences and how easy (or not) it was to do ...from getting tickets /parking /facilities to the event itself.Hopefully if there are others out there like me the information will be of use.
If particular venues/bands etc are especially helpful  I will let everyone know, of course if things are not so good I will mention that too .
Already only just into this little entrerprise I have come across a couple of instances of  blatant stupidity and discrimination....and I'll not stand for it ...I put up with enough shit in my life just trying to get through each day .
So ...venues, promoters, and bands....you have been warned ;)