Bruce Springsteen - Ricoh Arena Coventry

I finally did it!!! Its been some time coming but I finally got to see the man whose music I have loved for so many years.  I was even more delighted that Rob was coming with me as I knew how much of a fan he is too.  We both got stuck in some serious travel as I didn't realise that Rod Steward was also playing around the corner in Birmingham which is what accounted for Rob's traffic issues.  

He arrived to me in the lay bye at 6:55pm, we turned around and I dropped him outside the stadium and went to park the car.  As I got out of the car I could hear the crowd roar and the gig has kicked off.  It was about a 10 minute walk to the stadium.  I then ended up going up the very steep steps to find row SS and then realised I had the wrong block, so I did not fancy shuffling past people so decided to park my ass on the concrete steps.  I fully expected some steward to come and ask me to move but nope I was there for the night.  Rob later joined me when the people next to me left.

Sad news today was that James Gandolfino died, and with him and Bruce being friends it made for a very special dedication where he played the entire Born to Run album from start to finish in James' memory.

After fabulous gig, it took us nearly 2 hours to get out of the car park.  We went to pick up Rob's car and get fuel for our cars and then had a coffee at the services before heading off home.  This is where I told Rob about my love for Springsteen when I was 16.  He was 36 and got married to his first wife Julianne Philips and how I was inconsolable for weeks. I was heart broken with him being no longer available.  Its quite funny now if I think about  how the hell I thought that him being single would ever make any difference to my life.  

It was a long gig but it was awesome and the whole emotion of it all did not quite sink in until reflection on the way home.  As much as I loved tonight, I am not sure I fancy this again in a stadium.  A Springsteen intimate gig would be the most perfect thing, especially if Rob was supporting!

Set list was as follows:

SET LIST 

1. The Ghost of Tom Joad 
   (Solo acoustic)
2. Long Walk Home 
3. My Love Will Not Let You Down 
4. Two Hearts 
   (Sign request, sign actually said "Play anything")
5. Seeds 
   (Sign request)
6. Trapped 
   (Jimmy Cliff cover) (Sign request)
7. Long Time Comin' 
   (Sign request, Full band debut)
8. Wrecking Ball 
9. Death to My Hometown 
10. Hungry Heart 
11. The River 
    (Sign request)
12. Born To Run album - dedicated to James Gandolfini
12. Thunder Road 
13. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 
14. Night 
15. Backstreets 
16. Born to Run 
17. She's the One 
18. Meeting Across the River 
19. Jungleland 
20. Pay Me My Money Down 
21. Shackled and Drawn 
22. Waitin' on a Sunny Day 
23. Lonesome Day 
24. Badlands 
25. Encore:
25. We Are Alive 
26. Born in the U.S.A. 
27. Bobby Jean 
28. Dancing in the Dark 
29. Raise Your Hand 
    (Eddie Floyd cover)
30. American Land 

I wasn't able to sleep when I got home and ended up having less than 2 hours before going to work.  But today I was still high and can't quite get this amazing experience out of my head.  This is one gig I won't forget in a hurry!

Fairy Tale Castle Wedding Cake

I only got the order a couple of weeks ago from a very distraught bride whose cake maker let her down 2 weeks before her wedding.  Well this definitely was no ordinary cake!

Thanks to the wonderful Gemma Buxton of Gemma Cakes who came and helped me to set it up I think we just about pulled it off!

Very happy with our achievement!