I never thought it would happen, The Szechuan Sage went to a One Direction concert. How could he let this happen? First of all Mrs Sage was supposed to take The Princess and Stacia (dear friend of The Princess). Then The Aunt was going to take her. It turns out neither of them could make it so The Sage took one for the team.
Getting there was pretty sweet, even though I made the only mistake of the night. Stacia had sprained her foot in a gymnastics-related accident so she was on crutches. She said she would be fine to get to and from the concert. What a trooper! We went to Garden City to take a free bus to Suncorp Stadium. My mistake was in not dropping off the ladies at the drop-off zone. I parked at Park And Ride which meant we had to walk to the bus. Stacia was great, I couldn't stop apologising all the way to the bus. The first bus was full and since we needed a seat we waited all of five minutes for the next one. Once we were on it did not take long to fill up. Yeah it was TERRIBLE being squashed in a bus with mostly-attractive women, getting flicked in the head with long hair and stuff. I was OUTRAGED!
We got to Suncorp Stadium in good time despite the drizzly weather and the expected worse-than-peak-hour traffic. It has been many years since I had been to the stadium. I think it was still called Lang Park when I was last there =) I was very impressed with the facility. The bus station is downstairs. We headed for a lift and were soon up in front of Gate B. After accidentally queueing in a VIP merchandise line for a while, we made it into the stadium. I really can't complain about the seats. "Straight ahead, down those stairs and a little to the right". Rocking! No long walks to get to the seats. We were directly facing the stage too which is always preferable to sitting along the sides.
Samantha Jade was up first. She belted out five songs before she had to go. She's still got it. For me she was the best performer. The stadium did not help. I think she is far more suited to a smaller more intimate venue like a dance club or The Tivoli ot places like that.
After this we went for water and soft drinks. I thanked the coffee gods once because there was a Grinders stand, and a second time because they agreed to make me a double espresso. Yeah, that's right, and it was good coffee. We all bought a bottle of water each but no food - the ladies had eaten at McDonalds on the way to the bus. Stacia lined up for merchandise and didn't have to wait too long. Nothing was far from our seats. It was really convenient.
Eventually McBusted came on - the amalgam of McFly and Busted. I didn't know any of their songs, even the one that is currently on the charts. They did have lots of energy and were very entertaining and charming, especially the drummer who was implementing a "no shirt" policy. I suppose the girls (and some of they guys) loved it. They got the job done and we were left waiting for 1D.
There was quite a gap between McBusted and One Direction. The crowd mostly entertained itself. The Mexican wave went around a few times. After that there was some music over the loud-speakers that got the crowd up and dancing. You know, songs like Macarena and All The Single Ladies and Dynamite. Having said that, the crowd was loving it and there was much singing and dancing. Eventually though, it was time to cue the screams... the boys were on.
They are good performers. Very good. They sing well, have a great rapport with each other, and have learned how to work the crowd. I am not a fan of their music I must say. A lot of it is lite and generic and rather unsatisfying. Of course the fans were lapping it up, Stacia and The Princess were having a fantastic time. I tried not to let the sea of smart-phones bother me. It's inevitable. I will never, and The Sage means NEVER understand why people do that. Be present in the moment dudes. Live in the now. Don't filter your life through a tiny screen ... and so on. I will admit to recording some of the show for The Princess when it looked like her arm was getting tired. The boys were very grateful to the fans. They know the ride they are on will not last forever. Once again I was amazed that people were leaving before the encore. What? No dessert? The ladies knew to stay put and sure enough One Direction were back for two more songs.
After the show we waited for most of the patrons to leave so Stacia could have an easier time navigating the stairs. It was also convenient to have the short walk back to the bus station. We queued up at one platform, and just as we thought we were going to get a bus they closed it off and directed us to another platform where we had to start waiting again. Once more we waited until we were sure the ladies could get a seat, and even I stayed sitting down this time. The rain gods must also love One Direction because while clouds had been threatening most of the evening, there was no rain until we boarded the bus. This time I had the girls wait at the bus stop until I could bring the car around. By the time we got Stacia to her place and returned home it was almost midnight.
To sum up, it was a great night. My princess and her friend enjoyed it so I was happy. I'm still not a 1D fan but they did not give the worst concert I had ever attended.
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