Pat’s Point of View

Well it’s been quite a busy time in this part of the world; stinking hot weather two weeks ago, Glastonbury and pissing down rain last week, Wimbeldon finals this weekend and the Live 8 concerts yesterday.

It wasn’t such a bad day weather wise, London can certainly be a lot worse! We watched the BBC coverage of the concert(s) on TV whilst packing. It was meant to be a momentus event but it certainly didn’t feel as special as Live Aid (from the video I’ve seen). The presenters kept referring to the ‘incredible atmosphere’ but I kept thinking they were trying to hype it up because in reality that’s not how it was.

I suppose it would have been much different if you were in the crowd (200,000+ in Hyde Park) but I guess we’ll never know. Jenn wanted to be there to share in the spectacle (not the music, I don’t think she cared for any of the artists other than Madonna), but that’s not my thing really. Besides we have a lot going on in our lives and we were too busy packing, planning etc.

And ofcourse it would have been awful trying to get back home. The Tube is bad enough on a normal day, but imagine it with that crowd?!

In terms of the actual concert, it was a bit lame the way each act was only allowed to do a 2 song set, then they’d take 20 minutes to change the stage, then another act went on. And of course there was all that ‘modern’ stuff like Coldplay, Razorlight, The Killers, Travis etc. Can’t stand that new wave British crap.

Later on was better, with Velvet Revolver, The Who, Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney. Of course the opening with U2 and Paul McCartney playing “Sgt. Pepper’s” was good, but U2 had to leave for Dublin soon afterwards, so that ended that.

Historic occasion? Not sure, but it was an OK day.

P

See what people are blogging about: london, live 8, music, poverty, charity, concert

Popularity: 17% [?]

Here are my most frequently played albums:

1. All That You Can’t Leave Behind, U2
2. Greatest Hits, Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2
4. 30 # 1 Hits, Elvis Presley
5. Burning Love, Elvis Presley
6. Zooropa, U2
7. The Neptunes Present… Clones, Various Artists
8. The Hits / The B-Sides (Disc 1), Prince
9. Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses
10. The Very Best Of (The 60’s), Aretha Franklin

Popularity: 9% [?]

I think this is a better representation of my listening habits (as opposed to most frequently played tracks):

1. All That You Can’t Leave Behind, U2
2. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2
3. Burning Love, Elvis Presley
4. Zooropa, U2
5. The Hits / The B-Sides (Disc 1), Prince
6. Aloha from Hawaii, Elvis Presley
7. Underworld (OST), Various Artists
8. The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against The Machine
9. Punk-O-Rama 5, Various Artists
10. Ministry of Sound: Club Nation, Various Artists

Popularity: 13% [?]

It’s quite interesting looking at statistics from iTunes. I wouldn’t have guessed my top 10 would be this, but the stats don’t lie (I hope):

1. The First Time, U2
2. The Wanderer, U2
3. Miracle Drug, U2
4. Vertigo, U2
5. New York, U2
6. It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over, Lenny Kravitz
7. Down in the Lab, Renholder
8. Now I Know, Renholder
9. Dirty Day, U2
10. One Step Closer, U2

Popularity: 10% [?]