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Bootleg Beatles, Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield

21st December 2005

I'm a great believer in spontaneity and as a general rule I don't like to book for gigs too far in advance, frequently leaving it to the last minute and getting cancellation tickets or turning to eBay if a concert is already sold out. Rules were made to be broken though, and tonight's Bootleg Beatles gig at the Hallam FM Arena was one such exception -- my best mate Andrew's mum lives in Sheffield and we'd booked way back in mid-February to make sure the three of us got what promised to be some of the best seats in the house.

It was a long journey up to Sheffield but for once it wasn't me doing the driving, giving me the rare luxury of being free to enjoy an overpriced beer or three once we'd picked up Andrew's mum and arrived at the venue (which, disappointingly, didn't seem to be selling any food other than hot-dogs and pizza -- not so great for a veggie like me, but not the end of the world). We stood around nattering, Andrew's mum recalling gigs from her youth when she managed to get backstage and meet the stars of the day -- and the time when she and a friend got talking to some guys at a bus stop, who turned out to be The Small Faces, before they'd hit the big time!

The Sheffield Hallam FM Arena is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind bogglingly... well, okay, they weren't using all of the 12500-capacity venue's available seating but it was still one of the larger venues at which I've seen the guys play. It was a large and enthusiastic crowd -- the band filled the venue well and the sound quality was good.

For some reason I was extra-excited about tonight's gig. My excitement seemed to be echoed throughout the audience and it was a great gig from the start, the band seeming to feed off the audience's good vibes. I'm not sure if the guys knew we were going to be there but Andre spotted us as soon as he walked on stage and gave us a wave and a thumbs-up. Later on in the first half I was totally blown away when Neil dedicated Strawberry Fields to "poppy, who comes to loads of our concerts...". I would never in a million years have expected that to happen and I could've nearly burst on the spot.

Andrew's mum was loving it from the start and was particularly pleased to hear Nowhere Man -- and I think she was quite choked up during the John tribute, Imagine, near the end, just as I was the first time I saw Neil singing it. She was totally made up when we managed to catch up with Dave and Andre at the end of the evening and Andre got the others to sign her programme. It was such a good evening and I'll sure we'll be making a return visit next year.

[Hallam FM Arena]
Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena
[Inside the venue]
The huge venue starts to fill... as seen from the front of the balcony area
[Dave Catlin-Birch]
Dave -- blackbird singing

Photos © urban-spaceman.org