Times Like These

For those not in my immediate loop of people, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Friday June 19^th was supposed to be a special day. It was one my family and I had been looking forward to since November. We'd fought long and hard to get tickets to the concert. For me, it was going to be the gift that marked a milestone in a long recovery process.

Then, in a moment of sheer bad luck, it all disappeared.

June 19^th would have been the first of the Foo Fighters two nights at Wembley Stadium. On June 12^th, Dave Grohl fell from the stage and broke his leg resulting in the rest of the UK and European tour being cancelled. The outpouring of grief was insurmountable although the majority was aimed at Grohl's injury rather than the concerts being written off. Music fans, thankfully, are both loyal and extremely understanding. While people tried to keep the hope alive it was obvious that the shows wouldn't happen.

The cancellations brought another problem with them. Thousands of people had already descended on London for the shows, many of them flying in from abroad or with travel and hotel costs that couldn't be refunded. Many of them were looking for an alternative night out.

Bristol based music project, Given to Live, had already arranged to have two shows running alongside the Foo Fighters concerts. Beginning in the early afternoon, they'd run up until Wembley's gates opened, before picking up after the concerts ended. They were aimed at giving fans the chance to meet one another as well as raising vital funds and allowing unsigned bands the chance to sign right beside one of the country's iconic music venues.

However, they were now faced with a dilemma. Continue, knowing that the 160,000 potential footfall had now disappeared? Or scrap the shows all together?

Where there's a will, there's a way and, in less than 48 hours, a new plan was formed. On Wednesday evening, it was announced that the UK Foo Fighters would headline both nights. Something was being born from nothing.

I was originally going to go along and review the Friday show. After that, I'd stay overnight and travel home on the Saturday. But the best laid plans don't always pan out and I found myself quickly rearranging plans to stay until Sunday afternoon.

What occurred while I was there were two extremely magical evenings. 1200 people passed through the doors of the Crystal Clubs. Nine bands played over the two nights. And a lot of people had a lot of fun. Something had been rescued from the ashes of what could otherwise have been just another London evening. On the Sunday, the UK Foo Fighters confirmed that they were also going to play the cancelled June 23^rd show, too. My pride and joy right now is a text message from that show which simply reads “Sold out” (I couldn't make it due to other commitments). 

There are a lot of people I want to thank from that weekend. But who to thank first?

Over the three dates, nearly 2000 people passed through the doors of the shows. Seeing their sadness turn to joy and happiness was an honour. Hearing them sing every word of every song was a pleasure.

The wonderful Tom who, throughout it all, was a constant inspiration. Never have I seen someone so passionate and determined and, in doing so, he reignited my own love and passion for working with music. He's someone who will have a special place in my heart.

The UK Foo Fighters whose kindness and generosity has taught me a lot. If you ever get the chance, go and see them. They really are worth every moment of your time and I can't wait to see them again.

Darren, Given To Live's artist in residence, for being one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met. He's another of the many people who inspired me over that weekend and it was a pleasure to spend time with him.

Sarah, who propped me up and loved me when I could now longer do it for myself.

The bands who played on June 19^th and 20^th. All of them have a place in my heart and I can't wait to work with them again. They came from all corners of the country and gave their all on those days.

I learned a lot about myself over those few days. I remembered how much I enjoyed working with musicians. I remembered how long I could work for before I had to give up. Most of all, I learned that grit and determination can get the ball rolling when the chips are down.

It just goes to show that, when life gives you lemons, you truly can create Something From Nothing.

For more photos and information, please visit Given to Live's Facebook page.You can also read Tom's interview with this site here.

If You're Going to This Year's Foo Fighters Tour You Might...

... want to check out these amazing pre-and-post shows. All of them support the charity Given to Live which enables vulnerable and disabled people to attend live music events. Please check event posters for start times and bands. All events are also within walking distance of the stadiums so you've got no excuse for not going before and after the Foos! You can also take a look at the interview that Given to Live founder, Tom, gave.

Given to Live Twitter
Given to Live Facebook

My 2014

Or, how I can write about my year better than Facebook ever can!

January

Phew! Another year starts. New year, new me and all of that. At least one book due out this year.

February

Getting ready to release “The Eve of War”. On the downside, I had the first bout of a crippling ear infection.

March

First round of edits for “A Second Past Midnight” come in.

April

This happened:

May

“The Eve of War” is released! Yayyy!!

June

First draft of a new novel was finished.

July

Had a short story accepted for anti-love anthology “No Love Lost”.

August

This happened:

September

This happened:

https://www.facebook.com/foofamiluk

October

Started on the first draft of a screenplay and finished up the next round of edits on “A Second Past Midnight”.

November

“No More Touts” came to an end. While it didn’t have the ending that was expected, you never know what’s around the corner, nor what’s waiting in the wings. It did, however, bring about a lot of new friendships and exciting times!

December

“No Love Lost” published!

And Christmas! Time for a sit down and some time with friends and family. 

~~~ 

My Favourite  Blog Posts of 2014

Given to Live

No More Touts Master List

RIP Tom

Sound City Visit

Spirits of Las Vegas

~~~

Thank you all for an amazing year and I’m really looking forward to seeing some of you soon! Here’s to an incredible 2015 together!

Inspirational Interview - Given To Live

Christmas is a time of giving. Whether it's your time, your talents, or your money, Christmas is the season when we bless other people (although we should, admittedly, try and do it every day!). Given To Live are a project that embodies this spirit all year round by giving the gift of live music to those who may not ordinarily be able to experience it.

Recently I had the chance to chat to Given To Live's founder, Tom Pugh. Here's what he had to say. Hi Tom! Thanks for stopping by!

What was your background before you decided to start GTL?

Prior to Given To Live I had been fundraising in various capacities direct for the charity or through fundraising organisations. I am also a qualified holistic massage therapist and am re-starting practising as it's both grounding and something that I enjoy on a soul level.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to where you are now? Was anyone else involved in the initial set up? Do you have anyone working with you now or is it just you? What’s the process behind setting up a charity?

It took five months from idea to start. I met someone who has a charity, Eudaimonia, that's purpose is to support projects to come into being. At the moment we are a project within a charity and have started taking the steps to become a charity in our own right. Currently I am alone with a few people who volunteer to help where they can and where necessary as they simply love the idea of what Given To Live is out to achieve.

How did Given To Live start and what inspired the idea? What’s the ethos behind the idea? And who’s eligible to take part?

The idea came to me after a Pearl Jam show last November and initially I thought to help fellow PJ fans who couldn't make shows through illness and crisis, knowing if someone has invested to go to a show there can be significant financial loss. Then I thought if I'm going to do this it needs to be bigger. All live music and I use the term vulnerable and excluded as to who Given To Live support to give us the opportunity to help as many as possible. This can mean elderly with dementia, survivors of domestic abuse, young carers, disability, mental health issues and so much more. I think we, as a society, often overlook or forget about so many sections of our society and I want Given To Live to be inclusive.

Music is so powerful. So many people have their own stories of why a particular song or band means something to them. Often it's a band, an album, a song, that gets people through turbulent times. I know music has saved lives.

Going to a live show is a gift that I realised I took for granted when I could go. There have been times when I couldn't go when I have been struggling and it would have been just what I needed. I want Given To Live to make live music possible for everyone and it isn't. Whether the obstacle is mental health, physical disability or financial let's make this happen.

Given To Live have had some huge successes over the previous months. How did they come about and what are your thoughts on them?

We have. The first step is receiving an application and then getting board approval. From there it comes down to sourcing tickets. The meet and greet aspect is a cherry on the top as our remit is to provide funding for tickets, transport and, if necessary, accommodation. To have meet and greets with both the Foo Fighters and Shane Filan was simply beyond my wildest expectations and I can't thank those who helped make these happen from the ground up enough. Fellow music fans with no investment other than wanting dreams to come true via social media through to management and the artists saying yes.

What inspires you to keep going?

Easy question. The looks on the faces, the messages after saying how positive an impact has had. Scarlett's mum telling me her dream was to win the lottery so she could pay for Shane Filan to shake Scarlett's hand and knowing that evening we had made a mum's dream for her daughter come true as well as Scarlett's. The joy of those who helped make it happen. It's a very humbling and beautiful experience.

Recently you were involved in a campaign to help change the secondary ticketing market for live music. What are your thoughts on this and what changes would you like to see made to the live music industry? How can people on the street get involved?

I'm 47 and remember buying tickets off touts in my younger days. I was brought up seeing my dad do this at football matches if we had no tickets so it was normal for me. And if someone wants to stand outside in the pouring rain, behaving shiftily with people mostly despising you and sell tickets I'm ok with that. There is always going to be someone who couldn't get a ticket for whatever reason and be willing to pay. It's a very old profession and it wouldn't surprise me if there were touts outside the Coliseum.

What really bothers me is now we have the internet touts are getting hold of so many tickets, bought by automated bots, that they can set the market and sell via the internet with no regulation. It means genuine fans have much less of a chance of getting tickets in a sale because up to 60% of tickets have been known to end up in the hands of touts and immediately the resale market becomes inflated. We know also some bands give tickets to touts to re-sell and that, for me, is simply fleecing your own fans.

A great campaign amongst Foo Fighters fans here in the UK happened on twitter #NoMoreTouts. This resulted in the Foo Fighters having their own #BeatTheBots where the initial onsale for their 2015 US tour was in person at the box office before there was an internet sale. This is something all bands could do. And this also bring in a sense of community that is also part of the live experience. The campaign can be found at www.foofightersuk.com

The government can also choose to regulate the secondary market. And it's as simple as that, a choice.

How can people get involved with Given To Live? And where can we find you online?

We're at www.giventolive.com

There you can find out more, donate and make applications.

We're tiny right now. Not really known about so sharing us and liking us on facebook is great exposure, the same with twitter- the links are on our website. Talk about us, fundraise for us. Tell bands, managers, agents about us. If people want to be involved please contact us. I am grateful for all help and suggestions.

Finally, if you could change one thing to make the world a better place, what would it be?

Due to my own personal experiences I truly believe if everyone went into weekly therapy and weekly bodywork for two years we would live in a much healthier and more conscious world. As a collective consciousness grew we would have less war, less greed, less environmental destruction. More compassion, more empathy, more joy.

So, two years weekly bodywork and therapy for everyone over the age of 14.

"One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice -- determined to do the only thing you could do -- determined to save the only life you could save." Mary Oliver

Given To Live's next fundraisers are at Wembley on June 19th and 20th (the weekend of the Foo Fighters shows). Come along, say hi and enjoy some awesome live music before AND after you rock out with the Foos.