Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

All Good Things...

by Russell Turner - 19:55 on 25 March 2017

Glasgow’s ARW gig at the Royal Concert Hall, preceded by a catch-up dinner with Squirrel James (now a Central Belt resident), was another triumph – the same set but just as fresh. Prog rock (although that’s only half of the songs) has an undeserved reputation as stuffy and pompous but the band looked like five kids playing to a real audience for the first time and loving every minute. There were even a couple of mistakes to prove they’re not machines.

Lee Pomeroy’s bass solo was still spectacular and the show again ended with the crowd on its feet, singing along to Roundabout, including the couple next to me who proved it’s a small world by coming from Kiltarlity.

I should have gone for (literally) broke and joined the tour earlier, in England. The rest of the gigs are in Europe and Japan. Maybe ARW will be back next year. I’ll ask Rick when I see him on the Piano Portraits tour.

Lee Pomeroy in Seattle last year. The solo really kicks off after three minutes.

ARW in Birmingham a few days ago.

I was brought back down to earth at the Merchant City Inn (not recommended) where the clog dancers began moving furniture at 1am. After an hour I complained to the management, who promised to look into it and gave me some earplugs. The noise continued but the plugs took the edge off.

This morning, after another almost adequate breakfast, I bid the place an unfond farewell and departed for Queen Street Station and the train to Inverness. From there, the bus managed the whole journey home and I stepped back inside The Rural Retreat just in time to give tea to three cats who were more concerned about food than me. Matchgirl got all their welcomes yesterday.

There was no big homecoming greeting from Matchgirl either, because she’d left earlier for a girly gathering in Inverness. Home alone.

At least I’ve got some rock stardom of my own to look forward to: a City Limits gig at RAF Lossiemouth on Saturday then five more gigs in April, which will help replenish my coffers. Trailing around after ARW wasn’t cheap but was worth every penny. And every sleep-deprived night.

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