Bastille Wild World Tour
Manchester Arena
06.11.2016
It's Autumn.. I've waited 3 years to see this band headline their own Tour again, after seeing them support 'Muse' on their 'Unsustainable' Summer Stadiums Tour in 2013,The band from London went over to the USA and largely played U.S. and Global audience for a 2 year period playing the festival circuit and amassing crowds at each event.
Now in '2016' with New single 'Good Grief' getting good airplay and topping the 'Official Singles Chart' , hot on the heels of new album 'Wild World' released just over a month ago they appear to of truly bounced back from oblivion so to speak.
I decided to start my queuing early 7am it feels like the 1st day of 'Winter' here in 'Manchester' ,Summer has gone so Hand Warmers Blankets and Gloves are the order of the day,its a long wait til the doors open tonight.
There is 1 Person here with me til it got to around 11am a couple more people arrive to join us, we're quite a cool group of people just chatting, keeping warm eating and talking stratagies,buzzing with excitement, then more people arrive we're all girls so its a fun atmosphere, No Guys yet Hmmm..Top discussion is tips on which door to go for when inside, all day I'm sure we should aim left, as everyone further along will surely go for the right.
Time Clocks on it's soon 4.30pm the Arena is getting busy with more people queuing by the doors, everything is ok til a member of staff tells me whilst I'm quizzing her that doors on the left are not opening tonight due to the stage being in the way (Fxxking B-Stages) so it takes me a while to process what she means but It's got to be go Right Now so I shuffle into the next queue along the next door and pull a few people in who were with me earlier.. no one seemed to bother but everyone was trying to work out what was going on.
The member of staff told us we could go to the standing entrance straight ahead (Alarm Bells you can never go straight to that entrance we always get told to run round its gonna be a total nightmare always Fxxking is) this is because everyone on the right will run to it and get told to move round its not just the next doors on either its almost half a mile to next entrance (Well it feels like it when 100's of people are trying to beat you to it, lets say its too far to sustain front position of the queue from Left side), So doors open I'm getting anxious, relying on the staff to be clear but knowing it'll go pear-shaped most people think its egzageration the organisation is terrible never believe anything til it happens !! Everyone in our group is looking worried.
Doors open Boom !! it happens "You cant queue round here you need to Go round theres a standing entrance round the corner !! " Fans who have only just arrived suddenly are passing us , I get to the queue round the other side push in and everyone is bickering about us jumping the queue I put my fist up and exclaim pointing at my markered hand "I'm sorry but I've been here since 7am and This is not happening" I pull a few of my mates in looking lost in the chaos, and we line up for a wristband... when I say line up it was a rabble.
1 Girl came from the USA to see them she was crying because people were shoving her and arguing, my main Gigger No2 had gone missing somewhere she had 2 bags to check so is probably at another queue, wristbands applied ready to go down the stairs, now a major worry loads of people behind not aware theres a 20 ft drop and now rail after the firsts steps down so I yell up "Theres No rail , Now stop pushing each other!! we're 20 ft up whatever you do,don't look up.. look down at the step its ok !!" I dash down as quick as I can but as steady as I can til I know I'm only a few away from the bottom steps, people from the other doors are down already running across.
Unfortunately for us we've got a total dipstick of a bloke with no idea how to calm angry fans and manhandles people, he stops me on the last step I've seen him before total Prick !! "No too many too fast stop!!" he whinges I push his arm off and tell him to "Fxxk Off I've had enough"! I Run for it the Middle full and left is full Plan A Gone... Plan B Gone Plan C SHITT!!! No Plan D settle for a spot on the right of the stage just behind cameraman but on barrier.
Stage is Huge anyway so I'll get a great view,its not too bad, first up is 'Kim Dou' a female dancebeat rhythm vocalist with a back up band she's from 'China', but its a bit tame for me, 2nd support act 'Rationale' they have been getting quite a lot of airplay on the radio this year, they are a pop dance act with a singer who managed to interact with the huge crowd with ease, there seems to be a brow beaten mood tonight not sure if its because of the chaos getting to the Arena floor in one piece or if 'Bastille' fans are calmer than my usual set or perhaps its because the Ladies outnumber the Guys here ha,The crowd are not as noisey as usual we're pretty loud.
The screen above projects an actor in a suit in the form of a news broadcaster in front of a Green backdrop telling us snippets of info in the form of the bands lyrics reverbing and of all things eating a Banana, (this idea in part reminded me of 1 Tour '2nd Law Pyramid on the Stage Muse 2012',which eventually also surfaces during the show on first thought is it seemed predictable??.
Bastille take to the stage quite modestly and are a polite bunch bravely kicking off with a non single and following it with the Smash Hit from 'Bad Blood' 'Laura Palmer', 'Dan Smith' the Slim but Tall Vocalist with the band leaps from one amp to another across the stage ,punching the air and responding to the fans by saying "Thank You So Much" after each song,The lights are grand and colourful, video screens have images and videos to promote the new album 'Wild World', atop the set are two statuesque figures perched like a bassjumper on a monument looking out to us below.
It's then that 'Bastille' get ambitious during 'Flaws' when Dan goes off the stage and round through the back of the crowd ending up singing from the upper teir and back floor of the arena moving around through and back again to the front of the stage to finish.
During the second part of their set another classic 'The Things We Lost In Fire' the crowd were buoyed on by the fast unpredictable pace of the show and proving my first thought wrong, it certainly looked spectacular for their first headline Arena Tour, A big majority of songs on the setlist were off 'Wild World' of course and then they played 'title track 'Bad Blood' and the superb 'Rhythm Is A Dancer/Rhythm Of The Night' mash up from Radio 1's Live Lounge, with Dan taking his place at the percussion side of the stage as he likes to bang his drumsticks a lot.
Behind us there was a B stage something was going on not sure what, on the stage throughout the show 'Bastille's backing band with one guy on brass signalling us to throw symbols up with our hands and to clap which added to the uniqueness of the show. Then one of my faves 'The Weight Of Living' swiftly followed by this years 'Good Grief'.
The theatrics were not over yet as Dan' and Will appeared on the right of the top balcony by our right side he stunned fans by appearing alongside them singing a rendition of 'Two Evils' part of the Encore 'Icarus' and the storming 'Pompeii' the floor beating finale with everyone jumping up and down and making up for no screaming during the songs.
'Bastille' are definitely a band to see play live at their own show, they were well worth the wait, the night could of been less stressful if the staff worked with instead of against the fans,but all's well that ends well. That's the 1st show of the Autumn/Winter period ...
Next Time Back on the road with 'The Boys' again So 'Come On, Come On ,Come On !!
Lmi xo
