The big day had finally arrived, the one I'd dreamt of for years. It was the day I'd finally see Paul McCartney live in concert-eeeeeek! (That's probably not the most literate thing to write but I think we can make an exception on this occasion!)
The concert wasn't until the Thursday evening meaning that we had the entire day to spend exploring the city. But before we went anywhere we had a light breakfast in the Costa Coffee branch beneath our hotel (yes, Costa not Starbucks!). Having a light breakfast seemed like a sensible idea as we'd planned to have an early dinner before the concert that evening.
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| Sneaky photo of Costa |
After breakfast we decided that first on our agenda would be a visit to The Beatles Story museum which again, was right next door to where we were staying. It was a pretty cool museum; they'd created scenes such as the inside of the Cavern Club and EMI Studios which is now famously known as Abbey Road Studios. All visitors are allowed to take photographs which is unheard of these days. Not many museums grant you permission to do that, so of course we took full of advantage of the situation and took plenty of photos (Thanks Mum for doing the honour!).
At the very end of the exhibition was a stunning tribute to John Lennon inspired by probably his most famous song as a solo artist, Imagine. There was a small hallway covered with some fabulous black and white photographs of John that expanded into a large room. To the left of the room was a white grand piano with a cream coloured guitar sitting proudly beside it. On top of the piano was a photograph of John and replica of his famous glasses. The lyrics of Imagine gently filled the room as everyone admired the simple, stunning and emotional tribute.
After leaving the room you then entered a Beatles inspired café which looked pretty cool. We didn't actually eat there so I can't say whether it's worth visiting or not though. I'll leave that up to you guys if you ever decide to stop by!
At the end of the café on the left hand side was a staircase and a lift for people like me who have mobility issues, use a wheelchair or have a child in a pram or pushchair. Both the lift and stairs take visitors to the gift shop and exit which are both situated on the second floor. If you're a huge Beatles fan like me you'll love the gift shop! It has by far the best selection of Beatles merchandise I've ever seen and cost me an absolute fortune! I'd previously visited a Beatles gift store in London which I wasn't impressed with to be completely honest. This on the other hand had so much to choose from and something to suit every price range.
After what was a lengthy shopping experience we decided to visit the Liverpool Wheel which is a much smaller version of the London Eye. The view from it was great but I will warn you that if you ever visit Liverpool do NOT ride the wheel on a windy day. It's not fun being so high in the sky and your pod rocking back and forth in the wind!
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| The view from the Liverpool wheel |
The nest stop on our agenda was the Tate Art Gallery, which is also situated on the dock beneath our hotel (The Premiere Inn). It's such a pretty walk down by the docks, I could happily have sat there all day enjoying the stunning view and relaxed atmosphere. There is a nice selection of quirky, independent shops and cafes on either side. You could easily have spent most of your day strolling along enjoying all that the docks has to offer without visiting the main thoroughfare.
We had a brief walk round the Tate Art Gallery and realised that it wasn't quite for us. I'm sorry, but I find it difficult to understand how a pile of folded linen is seen as a work of art. Even I could fold a pile of material but I highly doubt it would make it's way into an art gallery. I'm sure everyone would laugh at me if I even attempted that. Personally speaking, I find modern art mind boggling. What's even more confusing was seeing people in deep discussion over the exhibits.
As we left the gallery we noticed that it was getting pretty close to the time we'd booked our reservation for an early dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant situated at the Liverpool One shopping centre. So it seemed like a pretty good idea to head in that direction and get a much needed bite to eat.
We took a leisurely stroll into the main shopping district admiring our amazing surroundings. As we passed the Waterstones book store we noticed a huge queue spanning up one of the side streets consisting mostly of teenage girls. We could help but wonder what exactly was going on so we went my sister to find out. It turns out that Joey Essex was visiting the store to sign copies of his book. That's all the information I really needed-curiosity killed!
Just a few steps along the path we spotted Jamie's restaurant, we were a little early for our reservation but decided to go inside and hope they'd seat us ahead of our designated time. Thankfully, they was plenty of room so we shown to our table straight away. Jamie's restaurant has a very relaxed and modern feel to it's interior which I quite liked. The staff were very friendly and evidently enjoyed working there. It's not every day you see the waiters dancing to the music playing in the background (Yes, I notice everything!)
On this occasion I didn't have a starter, instead my family ordered a bread basket as well as some stuffed mushroom dish from the specials menu. The bread selection was absolutely delicious, there was a nice variety of actual bread, breadsticks etc which were served with dipping oils-mmm! I didn't try the mushrooms as they were stuffed with melted cheese which I'm not so keen on, however my parents seemed to enjoy it. For my main course I ordered something called "Italian steak frites" which consisted of the most delicious featherblade stake, skinny fries as well as a pickle and crunchy kale slaw. If you ever visit one of Jamie's restaurants, it's definitely worth ordering. You won't be disappointed!
Following such a great dinner we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel so that we could freshen up and charge our phones before the gig. After double checking we had our tickets and packed our camera safely in Mum's handbag (there was no way we could forget that!) we then made our way back downstairs, across the road and joined the queue outside the arena. The arena sits right by the waterfront so it was pretty windy and rather chilly. Thank goodness I'd decided to wear my winter coat, I'd have turned into a snowman if I hadn't!
The queue was filled with fans of all ages and nationalities which was so cool to see! I was so surprised to hear just how far people had travelled to attend this particular gig-it was unbelievable! In fact when Paul himself asked if anyone had come from outside the UK for the concert, possibly more then half of the room erupted in roars.
Eventually, the doors to the arena were opened and before long the building was heaving with people. Each fan was handed a sign from a steward which on one side read "Welcome Home Paul" and a heart with the British flag was printed on the other side. It must have been really special for Paul to walk on stage and see all these signs waving in the air.
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| Welcome Home Paul! |
Seconds after entering the arena I found myself in front of the merch stall in great deliberation over what t-shirt I should purchase. I'd waited such a long time to attend one of Paul's gigs and promised myself that I would not leave the building without a t-shirt as a memory of the show. In the end I decided upon a limited edition t-shirt created specifically for the Liverpool concert. I also purchased a copy of the tour book/programme which came with a pair of 3D glasses so that you can view a bunch of photographs in 3D. I was extremely surprised when I tried them out for the first and realised just how well they actually worked.
I am currently working on a review about the concert itself for my music blog which will be posted very soon so I won't give too much away about it on this post. What I will say is that Paul McCartney was beyond incredible and did not disappoint! For a man of his age, he had so much energy and not once did he look tired. He certainly knows how to put on a good show; it was like one big party in that room and I'm so lucky to have been part of it!
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| The man himself |
I still can't believe I actually saw Paul in concert and I know for a fact that this will not be the last time I see him in concert! My next big mission is to actually meet him, I don't quite know how I'll do it; but it'll happen one day!
It was such an exciting and amazing night and I'm so glad I got to spend it in Liverpool! So on that note I will bring this post to an end. Make sure to pop back soon to read the next post in my Liverpool series and make sure to pop over to my other blog www.jukeboxrhapsody.blogspot.com to read my upcoming posts including my review on Paul's concert, The Beatles Story museum and much more!
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