We're not too old to rock out once in a while. Last night Stephen and I went to see the Smashing Pumpkins perform at the O2 Arena. It was my Valentine's Day gift. What a fantastic night! The heavy guitar and drums awakened my sleeping heart which has been dulled by life in London. This American band rocked! So nice that we Americans can show the English a good time.However, I will admit that I'm too out of the rock scene enough not to know that this band has been around since the 1980s. I thought they were more recent. Here's what Wikipedia says - you really have to know your music genres to translate this..."Disavowing the punk rock roots shared by many of their alt-rock contemporaries, the Pumpkins have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegazer-style production and, in later recordings, electronica."
What the heck is a shoegazer?
The other good news was that our seats were nearly at the top of the stadium but I was able to enjoy the show despite the height. It took me a bit of time to work my way up to our seats but I was well supported by the usher and Stephen - both of whom encouraged me to take my time. The secret was not looking up at the roof which was oh-so-close. Having the heavy rock beat was an added benefit to staying focused on the fun and not obsessing on my fear. So, I think I've made a huge step.
As you can see the O2 looks like a giant circus tent. Besides hosting a rock concert of 20,000 last night there was also a movie theatre, an ice skating rink, another performance venue and numerous restaurants and shops.
