jussycornflake

Wow.....where do you begin??

Live8 was the biggest, and one of the most awesome things I have ever done in my life (I have had a real year of amazing events...I am a lucky girly).

So....let me start from where Part 1 left off:

We sat on the grass for almost 3 hours. We could see the gates ahead of us. Eventually they opened at 11.45pm and it actually wasn't too bad...no pushing and there were plenty of lanes per gate. We had our bags checked, which was where I made a fatal mistake. Because my mobile was about to fall out of my bag, I put it in noir 's bag. We got through the gate and ran. noir was faster than I was....I had told him to run, but we had agreed to head for the RH side. Anyway as I got near the front and the crowds got thick, I lost him :( It was really scary. I decided to stand still and phone him...and then I realised I didn't have my phone :( Anyway to cut a long story short, we eventually found each other but it was horrible. We ended up very near the front though...about 7 people back from the Golden Circle fence...which when you look at it, on the aerial photos, was right at the front! I can't believe there were so many people behind us. You really had no idea. You could only really see the few hundred people around me, and it was a nightmare to try to go to the toilet or anything (it took me 20 mins to get back from the toilet...and that was easier than going!). You literally had to push your way through people standing shoulder to shoulder. Fortunately we had a patch of grass which we could sit on, right at the edge of the path, so we probably had more space than most, but even so I ache from trying to twist myself into a tiny space, and trying to stand up without standing on anyone else. Most of the time when sat, I was cross legged...and for hours on end, that hurts!!

Anyway, once we got in, we still had 2 hours to wait for the start!

But wow...once it began....what can I say. It was amazing.

What were the highlights for me....

Well, U2...."A Beautiful Day" is still ringing in my ears and "One" was so moving.

REM..."Everybody hurts" again was just totally moving......

As was Bob Geldof's "I don't like Monday's" particularly with his famous pause in the middle.

As for audience participation - the loudest was for Robbie....for all his songs....he really entertained and got the audience participating. He was one of the biggest highlights for me.

Another was watching Bon Jovi on the big screen, and hearing an entire stadium full of people singing along .... you didn't get the same effect when the bands were on the main stage.

Travis with one of my all time Fav songs "Why does it always rain on me" was another highlight for me and I sang my heart out. Also UB40 with "Red red wine" and "I can't help falling in love with you". Even though I am not a Scissor Sister's fan, I really enjoyed "Laura".

As for Pink Floyd. I feel privileged to have been there for what David Gilmour says will be their last gig together. The general highlight when listening to people, was for them to see Floyd again. But for me, it was weird........I know David Gilmour. I have been to his house many times. I have eaten lunch with David, Polly and his kids many times. I have watching him cooking. I have chatted to Polly in a sandpit. I have attended many of the kids birthday parties. David and I always said hello when we met and exchanged words. His youngest son, Gabriel, was in love with my charge, Emily, so Gabriel did the full romance bit at the age of 3 and 4 of bring her flowers and cards. They were sooo sweet. I know the code to David's gate, I have his telephone number in my mobile.............but this man who I knew pottering around at home....was up on the stage at Live8....with his face being beamed across the world.....and all I could do was giggle. I couldn't believe it.......

When I first met David, I was told he was in Pink Floyd, but it meant nothing to me. I tried to listen to some of their music but gave up....so I took him very much at face value. He was just another parent at the school. It was only towards the end of my time with the kids I was with at the time, that a partner of mine, introduced me slowly to Pink Floyd....and I got into them. I love their music now, but I still (I guess because of my age) have no idea of how huge they were or what Floyd actually means. At one point I saw Gabriel on the big screen and I guess it must be weird for all his children. Even the eldest ones would have been small when Floyd did their last tour. How must it feel to have your Daddy up on stage when you don't really know much about why he is there!? So anyway, it was all very surreal and in some ways I missed the performance because I was too wrapped up in thoughts and giggles! I know all Floyd fans will shoot me down....but it was totally weird.

I think though for me, some of the images stood out. The images of the G8 members being shown...it felt like we had to get through to those people somehow....I just hope they were listening. Also seeing the number of people signing the petition and their names scrolling. No one can say that Bob Geldof, all the performers and all the people who signed the petition haven't tried to make the G8 listen. It really is disgusting really that some countries have actually repaid their debt, but now have huge amounts, several times larger than the original loan, just of compound interest.

But the most powerful images/messages for me were first of all seeing the original LiveAid film footage being shown, and with it ending up with the image of Birhan, aged 4 who had 10 minutes to live. To see a wonderful, vibrant confident young woman stood on stage, 20 years on, alive and well was just the most powerful message of how LiveAid etc have helped Africa. Just to know that one life was saved was amazing......and it really made you think about how the people dying are not just numbers or facts. It was powerful seeing the message scroll along the top intermittently that in the time Live8 had been on another x thousand people had died needlessly. Which brings me onto the other extremely powerful and emotional image I will take away....and that is of the "click" advert.....every 3 seconds someone in africa dies......to be part of the however many thousand people in Hyde Park stood being made to realise that every click we made, someone died....was mind numbing. And to see everyone doing it around me........

However, the sheer time factor, the sheer volume of people and of rubbish did all detract from the day. By the end I could barely walk back to the car. It was a very very long day, very hard on my feet and legs and back. The rubbish was horrible...everywhere. And to go anywhere involved basically pushing your way through people who barely had space to stand anyway........but that is all part of the experience. I was just very grateful for my patch of grass!!

But I am soooo glad I was there. It was amazing and awesome, and a moment in history which will go down in my memory, along with being on Westminster Bridge under Big Ben on Millennium Night and being at the opening of Planet Hollywood.

Now I can't wait to watch it all on video and totally enjoy it in comfort and relive all the memories and know that the red blob to the right of the stage is me!!!

I WAS THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!