The Opening Weekend

It's to my great shame that I was largely unaware of most of the Capital of Culture happenings. This made for a lovely surprise though when I arrived in between Lime Street Station and the Liverpool Empire to join in the People's Opening Ceremony. Being a part of the crowd felt special. And also made me determined to attend as many events throughout the year as possible. This is my city and I'm about to reclaim it. Although I doubt Ringo is shaking in his boots at the threat, like Wally I'll be turning up everywhere. Maybe I should set myself a goal to see how many times I can get my grid in The Echo...

I've started off well. Thanks mainly to a trusty old friend who blagged me and the lovely boyfriend (I have issues with the words husband and partner) into the VIP reception. There was Ken Dodd, Alison Steadman, Ricky Tomlinson and you can guess the rest. Shame I missed Marc Almond.

So the Friday night extravaganza was a triumphant showcase of Liverpool, its people, its spirit and its beautiful architecture. Well done to whoever decided to use containers - I loved this reference to the great dockyards that are the waterside boundaries of the city. Precious Cargo spilled out onto St George's Plateau and we were treated to a spectacle that any creative city would have been proud of. All ending in the song. Yes, the bloody song. Ringo's special tribute to Liverpool. Me and the boyfriend disagreed at this point. It was the first time I'd heard it so I let the jury stay out until Saturday night...

And having been lucky enough to blag ( Am I a blagger or a blogger?) another two tickets for the Echo Arena concert - Liverpool the Musical, it was with no expectations that I arrived at the Albert Dock on Saturday night. The RLPO were staged in a high rise effect and led by Vasily Petrenko on his scissor lift. Lots of arial acrobatics entertained us while Echo and the Bunnymen kicked off the show. The highlight for me was Connie Lush on amazing form and The Farm who got everyone on their feet with All Together Now. Special mention to Pete Wylie in his silver (or gold, I couldn't quite tell) suit that had me wondering if he'd had a word with Roberto Cavalli about the leftover material from the Spice Girls tour. It's great to have Ringo here for the celebrations but I'm afraid the song still left me cold on a second listen. At the end of the night Ringo claimed he was this close to moving back. I know one thing's for sure - I'm not this close to buying his new album.

But ending in a few gin and tonics in The Baltic Fleet and The Everyman, after this weekend I am sure I'll be all over Liverpool like a bad rash in the Capital of Culture year.