We enter the building line by line as our ID is checked and our tickets are scanned. It feels desperately similar to that of a prison inmate queuing for their first meal of the day, and waiting in anticipation for the feast to be splattered across their grey coloured trays. As we scoot along, our hypothetical shackles restrict us from any further movement, and we each feel as if we have been accepted into some sort of secret society that only a mere few are fortunate enough to experience. One by one we stay close knowing that any act of antisocial behaviour could land us back at the station and swiftly on the first train home.
The man scans our tickets
and for a brief moment there is silence as the scanner seems to have given up
on its main duty, its only duty. Everyone holds their breath until the beep is
finally (after what seems like hours) heard, allowing us to enter the building
with no further obstacles. We walk around searching for a sign or a person to
direct us to our places. There is a long table with people standing behind it
squeezing a brown orangey type of foamy liquid into a tilted plastic cup. BEER!
We have reached the bar so do the only thing acceptable in these circumstances,
and pass over our paper tokens in return for this toxic substance, that brings
joy to almost everyone in this large room. We then proceed to our final
destination by walking up the long stairs which are now filled by the obstacle
of people making it difficult to pass.
Finally we reach the top,
place our hands on the barriers and hear the following announcement:
‘Ladies
and Gentleman could you please take your seats the show will be starting in 2
minutes’
The lights fade, as an old
women’s voice is heard over the sound system. She talks of red shoes and of protecting
angels, as she advises a young child of how to break the spell by singing back
the symbols…and then it happens! The crowd goes wild as a woman dressed in a
catching black gown enters centre stage. Everyone applauds and stands to their
feet cheering as this barefooted woman opens her mouth and creates the most
incredible sound one can only dream of hearing.
Lily,
oh Lily
She goes by the name of Kate
Bush and is every bit of the legend that you would imagine. Over the course of
nearly 3 hours, she takes us on a theatrical journey of discovery and gives us
an insight into the way in which her incredible mind works. The journey begins
with a blast of confetti shooting into the audience as a confused group enter
wearing life jackets and attacking the floor with chainsaws, which creates an
opening for Kate’s next appearance. A giant helicopter hovers above the
audience searching for survivors as ‘Under Ice’ and ‘Watching You Without Me’
are sung without effort. During the rest of the performance we are witness to manipulated
sheets, fish skeleton costumes and some incredible puppetry that really does
come to life!
All in all, I left feeling
like I had truly experienced everything that you would expect from a Kate Bush
concert and more. Many contradictions were fought in the best possible way. The
large capacity of the venue went unnoticed as the whole atmosphere felt
intimate and personal, and I almost felt like I’d see Kate in the bar afterwards
sipping on a couple of G&T ’s. She made the audience feel comfortable,
relaxed and inspired. She was note perfect and her performance was utterly faultless.
This was Kate Bush’s first
gig in over 35 years and what a gig it was. She has only ever done one tour
before this in 1979, and I am sceptical as to if she will ever do another one. I
feel as if Kate would have only come back if she had something truly remarkable
to offer, and that, she really did.
Before The Dawn – An
exceptional achievement.
