Going Out
Going out is a rare luxury for us. Our last two gigs have been hampered by drunken debauchery. In a vague attempt to impress my wife and keep myself on track, we attended a Candlelight David Bowie tribute. How did I fare?
My Last Two Gigs
Morrissey
To give you an idea of what I can be like, I almost had a serious accident when we saw former Smiths Warbler Morrissey at The Troxy in London last July. Am I being over dramatic? Well, I’ve only got er indoors word for it but since she’s a sensible drinker, I have no reason to disbelieve her. We endured a nightmare almost six-hour drive from Manchester to London. No sooner had we checked in the hotel, I was in the bar necking a pint. We were a five-minute walk from the venue. Whence we arrived, people were queueing. I found a convenience store, using the excuse she required toothpaste. It was always my mission to purchase cans of beer to sip while we waited. I went for strong Polish stuff I’d never heard of.
A Recipe For Disaster
You can now buy two-pint pitchers at gigs so that was asking for trouble too! We met a couple of Americans who were a bit concerned for my welfare. I was an embarrassment to my wife and drank at least two, possibly three pitchers. I remember very little of the gig and missed songs to go to the toilet. When we left the venue, my paralytic state was evident. The outside wind hit my face and I could barely walk. As we tried to clamber back to the hotel, I fell in front of a car, which missed me by inches. All I remember is my face hitting the floor. I slightly slightly sobered up but the night was ruined. I’ve experienced sessions of Oliver Reed-type drunkenness but thankfully these are relatively infrequent in the general scheme of things.
Yard Act
I’m unsure how but I persuaded the little lady to attend a gig by Yard Act in March. The alternative rockers from Leeds are hardly her cup of tea. I started drinking at home pre-gig and on an empty stomach again! Things didn’t start well, there was nowhere to eat in the fifteen-minute walk from Piccadilly tram stop to the O2 Apollo venue. She’d already detected a slight tipsiness before hitting the tram stop on Queen’s Road, five minutes from Change Your Way HQ. I pathetically tried to hide but there is no fooling Larice! And the weather, the bloody typically British weather was awful.
I didn’t reach the same levels of drunken debauchery as Morrissey, but sunk a few at the venue (those pesky £15 two-pint pitchers again!) and was more restrained. A combination of er indoors nagging and an empty stomach. I still missed songs due to toilet breaks and whilst not paralytic, there was certainly some drunkenness within.
We sat down which helped. As luck would have it, we jumped in an available black cab right outside the venue which whisked us home in a heartbeat! I remember more of the gig but parts were sketchy. All down to alcohol. We’ve had enjoyment hampered by my drunken ways two gigs running. From what I remember, the gig was great.
Bowie By Candlelight
First Time Going Out Since…
We attended a David Bowie Tribute gig at The Monastery in Gorton, Manchester on Saturday 13 April. This was our first time going out since Yard Act. I never intended to drink as the venue is just a quick drive from home and didn’t want to spoil the evening given what happened at Morrissey and Yard Act. There was the option to drink at home and get an Uber but never considered it for it a second. That would have spoiled proceedings before we even began.
It was lovely driving to a venue where there is lots of parking and walking straight into a pre-booked seat. Being a Bowie tribute, most but not all of the crowd were 50-something and beyond. Nice to see younger people enjoying the great man’s talent. As you can see above, that was my view. Larice fancied a beer and said I could have one since she knew I was driving and would have just the one. I refrained and was going to have a Diet Coke. The order for such a simple drink seemed a little complicated for the bartender before a colleague helpfully chipped in and said they sell Peroni non-alcohol beer. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Wow, what a fantastic beverage! I’ve tried a few non/low alcohol beers but this has been my favourite so far. Not drinking is becoming a bit of a trend and I get why. There’s even an alcohol-free bar in Manchester, which I’ve not tried but plan to at some point. I just had the one, sipping heartily before the show started.
What A Show!
By all accounts, this is one of the better Bowie tribute shows and did not disappoint. Close your eyes and you could be in the presence of Bowie himself. Very spooky! I savoured every moment, sang along to the songs, admired the band who were tight as a drum and marvelled every second of the experience. I’ve kicked booze before for a few months but always gone back when a social event came up. I was buzzing when we left. I remember everything.
I’m not sure if I need alcohol in my life anymore and the experience at this show, has heightened that stance. I’ve concluded I like beer but hate being drunk. I loathe the addictive nature of alcohol. I cannot control myself and binge drinking and drunkenness are well-known traits of the British. I’d not assessed the Morrissey and Yard Act gigs before attending David Live sober. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this gig, a million per cent more.
Alcohol Behaviour
As the gig concluded and Bowie belters (Modern Love, Heroes, Suffragette City, Let’s Dance) were blasted out, many including Larice took to dancing near the stage. I predictably refrained (but do regret it now). I noticed the amount of drunken blokes my age who probably went in pre-loaded with booze and gone out to get bladdered. They looked sad and after the gig were shuffling with head dropped barely able to stand.
That was me. I’ve decided this is not for me anymore and think the recent gig drunken experiences have put me off since going out is an occasional thing. Personally, alcohol can be no fun when you overindulge. I prefer to experience life sober and in control these days. I’m facing the fact I’m not in my twenties anymore and invincible!
I’m not suggesting I’ll never drink again (sure I will on holiday in Turkey in August!) but my problem is drinking to get drunk, especially in the UK. When I go abroad, I never seem to have this trouble, bizarrely. More often than not, when I get a taste I want more. It was lovely to sip a non-alcoholic beer which gave me the beer taste without the addictive alcohol kick which leads to all sorts of trouble!
Benefits Of Soberness
I enjoyed the going out without alcohol experience much more than I envisaged. So many benefits. I remember all of the show, no eternal trips to the toilet, spending much less money than usual and left with a natural buzz within. And no hangover, no ridiculous overeating the next day and I could get on with the job in hand of losing weight. A winner all round!
Going Out – A New Challenge
The David Bowie thing was relatively easy. Drive, park, one non-alcoholic beer and watch the show. I’ve got a new non-drinking challenge to overcome on Saturday!!! And one which may well prove to be very tricky indeed.
