On Tuesday the 31st, I went to see Vanessa for the second time at the NewQuay at the Docklands. I knew that any concert I went to would suffer in comparison to the fantastic Mercury Lounge concert (my first one ever). What I didn’t know that there were many other things in store for me.
Being a free concert, I decided to get down early, so I left at 3:00 (it started at 8:30). Arriving there at about 3:50 Amber and Sarah were already waiting there. They told me they had been here since 9:00. Is that dedication or what!
I came just in time to see Vanessa doing a sound check with her band. She noticed Sarah and Amber sitting next to me and said something like this, "Are you still here from Queensland?" I thought that was very funny. She began to get agitated and started swearing at her sisters, but she sounded more funny than angry. When they finished Vanessa came off stage. She didn’t seem in the best mood, so I didn’t have the nerve to ask her for a photograph. As soon as she left, I knew I was going to regret it. She went up to the restaurant above ( Click here to see photos of her in the restaurant ). I was lucky to run into Rod (the bass player). He was very friendly and hoped that I would enjoy the concert tonight. I assured him that I would.
It was about 8:30, well after the other bands had done their sound checks, that the entertainment started. Rod started to play with another band that was on. He was quite good and some of the other members of Vanessa’s band came out to watch him. I enjoyed it. Suddenly I turned around. There was a girl that was wearing the same clothes that Vanessa had worn earlier at the sound test. It didn’t really look like Vanessa from a distance. I asked Amber, but she wasn’t sure either. Then a few minutes later a woman came from the dock. The girl came down to meet her. Sure enough, it was Vanessa! I wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this pass again. I followed them over and introduced myself. I was so nervous; I was shaking and stuttering uncontrollably. I think she thought I was crazy or something, because she was looking at me strangely. I managed to ask her if I could get a photo together (I don’t know how she understood me!) and she agreed! The woman she was talking to took the photo and I thanked both of them and hurried back to my spot in the crowd (which by now had grown considerably).
Another band came on and they played a few songs. After they left we had to wait a while for Vanessa to come on. Sure enough, she came on and the crowd went wild! As she was going to the stage we shouted out to her. I think we startled her, but she waved to us. She got on the stage and the crowd went wild again! As last time, her first song was ‘Who’s Lovin'You?' She didn’t do as many songs as she did at the Mercury Lounge and we weren’t as close as we were then, but Vanessa showed us so much passion and energy that she completely captivated us. As at the Mercury Lounge, I got some photos and the security didn’t seem to mind (but they didn't come out well). There were some smart-alecks that made stupid comments. I turned to them and told them if they said one more negative thing about Vanessa, I’d chuck them in the river. They must have believed me, because they never said another thing after that!
Being on the docks, she couldn’t invite us up to the stage like last time. As soon as she finished a song, I screamed out, "Rock On Vanessa!" She didn’t look up, but she smiled and said thanks. She wouldn’t have believed it if she’d seen me. Me, the same nervous wreck that had hardly been able to say two words to her just a few hours ago! Before she sang, ‘Every Time I Close My Eyes' she said, "This song is for anyone who’s been in a relationship that’s failed". Quite different to how she introduced it at Mercury Lounge! She announced her last song as; ‘Have A Look'. After she sang it she came off stage. Suddenly she came back on. She said something like this, "Okay, I’m a d_ _khead, next time I come here, I’ll put on a T-shirt that says, I’M AN IDIOT, on it. We still have one last song to do". Her last song was the latino version of, ‘Absolutely Everybody'. She did a brilliant job and was given a huge standing ovation afterwards. She walked through the crowds to get out and I got one last snapshot (which again, didn't turn out well).
As before, it was a brilliant concert. It wasn’t as good as the Mercury Lounge concert (how could it be?), but it was really fantastic. After the Mercury lounge Concert, it’d have to be the second-best concert I’ve ever been to. And this was even more special, ‘cause I got to meet my idol.
Go to the My Picture With Vanessa section to see my picture with her.
And go to Photo Gallery 70 and Photo Gallery 74 to see a picture of her at the sound check!
Click Here to see my third Vanessa encounter!
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