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FLYING HIGH

The day started gazing up at the Liver birds, Bertie and Bella, perched on top of the Liver Building and would end with more birds… birds that I had waited my whole adult life to see.

First stop, The Museum of Liverpool.  There is no entrance fee, so there is no excuse and there is a wealth of things to see and learn about, so you need to allow yourself plenty of time.

John and Yoko bed-in for peace, 1969. Photo borrowed from Wikipedia

We only allowed ourselves time to see the Double Fantasy exhibition – the story of John and Yoko.  This exhibition has not been shown anywhere else in the world and it is incredibly detailed and poignant.  A must see.

It features art, music, and film produced by both John and Yoko, as well as interviews with family following John’s untimely death in 1980.  There is so much to take in and, without hesitation, I would go and see it again.

“Everything was made out of love. We found that we were both very strongly interested in world peace. I feel John and I are still working together. I always feel his warmth next to me.”

Yoko Ono Lennon

As a visitor to Liverpool, you should take a ferry trip.  Where to?  Across the Mersey, of course.

The song Ferry Cross the Mersey was made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers but, on 25th August 1961, the Fab Four made the first of four appearances aboard the MV Iris, AKA the Fish and Chip Boat.

These gigs were known as  Riverboat Shuffles and were promoted by the then owner of The Cavern, Ray McFall, and featured a wide range of performers, including Acker Bilk, trad jazz clarinetist, and his Paramount Jazz Band.

There are various ferry cruises available, including evening cruises with live music.  The daytime cruises stop at Seacombe, the home of  Spaceport, where you can experience ‘life beyond the stars’ and at Woodside, where you can ‘view the amazing life on board a real German U-boat at the U-Boat Story.’

A ferry trip is also a great opportunity to see this magnificent city from another prospective, in all its iconic glory.

“NOT SINCE THE HEADY DAYS OF THE SIXTIES HAS MERSEYSIDE BUZZED LIKE IT DOES NOW.”

ec.europa.eu

In 2012, a new landing stage for the ferries at Pier Head was opened to replace the original which sank in 2006.  The total cost was £8 Million and, it is interesting to note, that a contribution of £3.8 Million came from the European Regional Development Fund.  Remind me again why we are leaving the EU?

As morning blurred into mid-afternoon we drifted back to Aether at Liverpool One and tucked into Yu Donut’s uber-delicious duck with Cantonese noodles and prawn toast, washed down with a fine Blush.  We will return!

It was the perfect meal to set us up for my long awaited mind-blowing experience.  The Eagles in concert at the M and S Bank Arena.

Liverpudlians celebrating in 2008, kicking off a year-long celebration and signalling the culmination of a decade of regeneration in the city.

Plans to develop the underused site at Liverpool’s Kings Dock emerged in 2000 and the M and S Bank Arena (formerly The Echo Arena) with its 11,000 capacity, opened its doors on 12th January 2008.

It coincided with the official opening ceremony for the European Capital of Culture launching ‘a year-long celebration and signalling the culmination of a decade of regeneration in the city.’

Would you believe that £50 Million of this £160 Million M and S Arena project came from the EU? Please remind me, again, why we are leaving?

When you want to see the Eagles, but you haven’t got a ticket…

When the house lights dimmed, the packed M and S Bank Arena fell silent, the air wired with excited anticipation. You know the band has silently slipped on to the stage, but only their silhouettes are visible.  Then they launch into acapella mode and the stage becomes alive with a kaleidoscope of light as they kicked off what turned out to be a two and a half hour concert (without a break) with Seven Bridges Road.

It’s a weird feeling being there, in the flesh, knowing you are about to witness something great. It’s magical and surreal at the same time and you need to pinch yourself to realise that you really are there.

I have bought all their albums and I know all their songs.  I have been word perfect since Desperado was released in 1973.  Since then, I have seen have them perform on TV and bought all the videos, but I had never seen them live.

After the untimely death of founding member Glenn Frey in 2016, I panicked, wondering if my favourite band of all time would ever tour again. Glenn’s boots were pretty big to fill, but in 2018 they added Vince Gill to the line-up, as well as with Glenn’s eldest son, Deacon. So I thought I needed to get my act together and go and see them as Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and Steuart Smith (Steuart has played with the Eagles for years, so why isn’t he an official member of the band?) had entered their seventh decade. It was time to do something about it.  The tickets were booked months ago.

Like father, like son. Deacon Frey leaves you with that peaceful easy feeling.

Ahh, Deacon with his easygoing demeanor and killer vocals, he really is a chip off the old block and his father would be so proud of him.  I dare say that, with Deacon on board, he will be attracting a much younger set of fans.

Their flawless harmonies took us back in time.  Their voices are strong as ever and their musicianship is unsurpassed.

Timothy B Schmit singing Love Will Keep Us Alive… just for me…

Timothy B. Schmit singing Love Will Keep Us Alive, just for me, was emotional, as was Glenn Frey’s photograph appearing on the screen after his son’s amazing performance of Peaceful Easy Feeling.  Don Henley’s rendition of Desperado was par excellence; his voice is better than ever.

It was a mind-blowing experience and I feel so privileged to have been there. The band members have all gone their own ways in the past but, oh, they are so good together.

I lost count of the curtain calls and they just kept on coming back.  We left the arena with that peaceful, easy feeling which led us to the Revolution bar in Albert Docks. We stayed there longer than intended, with other Eagles fans who, like us, could not quite believe what we had just witnessed.  So it’s hardly surprising I returned home to Jersey on such a high, having waited such a long time to see the Eagles soar.

Before I go off an another EU GOW Rant, I will leave you with the Eagles and Seven Bridges Road, which was recorded in Manchester on 26th June 2019, four nights before their concert in Liverpool.



This post first appeared on My Alter Ego And Me, please read the originial post: here

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