Awaking to another glorious day and more sunbathing out on the grass verge of the ‘Lodge, there was a tingle of excitement flowing as tonight the boys were back in town – their home town of London, performing at the 02 Islington.
Sonia Waterfield – Day 5 – London
Pre-sales were looking good and so was the media interest too. So all in all, today seemed like it was gonna be a fantastic one for all.
So back on the van we went, slightly miffed that we couldn’t enjoy the benefits of the gloriously hot day. The ride however was really nice, driving through the heart of the countryside, passing fields full of rape seed and copses. Not that the view was noticed as we were all to busy catching up on the Facebook fan comments from the night before, all of which were very positive.
Believe it or not, they are really appreciated and truly motivate the guys, so thank you to all that have posted – you rock!
A quick stop at Fleet services for food and toilet breaks and another chance to top up my tan then back onto the van which was now an oven.
Checking the stage times for tomorrow, there seemed to be a longer stage time, so the discussion turned to which songs would be good additions if needed. Decisions made and general chitchat ensued.
As we approached London, the famous M25 certainly lived up to it’s notoriety as the traffic came to a complete halt. A few minutes later, it slowly sped up to a crawl before gaining momentum to a decent speed near Heathrow.
Eventually we got to Hammersmith and battled through the clogged up traffic into Shepherds Bush and onto the A40 towards the venue, all still roasting in the excessive heat.
What a total contrast from last time were we were all suffering from near hypothermia and frostbite. Not that I’m complaining.
Arriving at the venue, it was a quick load in and set up. The Monroe guys had already soundchecked so we went straight on and did ours.
Down at the merch stall, all was organised and ready for the early doors at 6.00pm.
With coffee in hand and liquid refreshment stored ready for the nights proceedings all was good.
The doors opened and the crowd literally poured in en-masse. It was excellent to see so many familiar faces and friends in attendance, along with another fantastic showing of Voodoo Six fans in their regalia. Thank you folks – the boys really appreciate this and keep an eye out for you when on stage, so be aware.
With a sold out show, N.Y.A.A.A had a fantastic set, even though their camp were now down with flu. It was so nice to see people at their merch desk praising the guys. That’s dedication for you.
Next on came Voodoo Six and being their ‘home’ town, they put on a great show to many a satisfied fan.
With Michael on next, the merch area got hectic and ‘windmill’ arms were needed by all.
As the intro tape kicked in, the place was deserted in a flash. Cheers of adulation could be heard along with what seemed to be, the whole crowd singing which must have been a lovely thing for the guys.
I would report more on the actual stage performance, however due to being literally tied to my post and shoved in the foyer, I was unable to catch any of it. The atmosphere was electric and the many happy faces adorned with smiles and the flood of positive feedback told me that it was thoroughly enjoyed.
Mr Monroe signing autographs for eager fans – what a sweet man he is!
The new addition to the tour; the pool table, signed by all of the tour members was gaining interest from the parties and bids were placed. Its nice when a plan comes together, especially when it’s for such a great cause like the Red Cross Japan to give help for the victims who have and still are suffering from the recent tragedy of the Tsunami.
The show finished and we were rushed out of the foyer at precisely 10.00pm due to the club which followed.
The backstage area was still buzzing with industry professionals and friends. Unfortunately we had to pack up and leave. With a minimum of a three hour drive to Leeds and tour tiredness starting to kick in, we headed out of town to Borehamwood Travelodge, grabbed our bags and went straight to sleep.
