Summer is traditionally a time for festivals, where people meet and greet the warmth of the new season by celebrating with music and dance.
They date from ancient times and are still taking place and enjoyed today, all around the world.
And not to be outdone, again this year, Consett held its 9th – family friendly, fund raising for local charities – music festival at the beginning of June.
A week later, St James Park in Newcastle enjoyed its very own unique event with Sam Fender concerts taking the roof off the stadium over two nights. I know, as my son and two daughters – who are now all in their thirties – were there, proclaiming its success; topped off by an appearance by Brian Johnson singing favourites from AC/DC on the Saturday evening.
I, however, stayed home, having a great time looking after Arthur, a happy go lucky Goldendoodle puppy – affectionately known as my ‘grandson’ –
and part of my elder daughter’s lovely little family!
Which I didn’t mind in the slightest, as I’d already experienced my welcome to summer buzz, and an amazing evening, by going to see Kiss at the Arena with my youngest daughter, just a couple of days earlier.
After always loving and seeing the band a few years ago – while they were still in their sixties – I didn’t expect Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, who are now a respective 71 and 73 years old to be still putting on the spectacular show that they did, along with the much younger bairns, Eric Singer 64 and Tommy Thayer 62!
From the first song I was screaming with excitement, almost forgetting and disregarding my arthritic knees and sore shoulders, as I found myself bouncing to ‘Detroit Rock City’ and only stopping after the final hit ‘Rock and Roll All Night’ came to an end.
As the crowds drifted slowly away, I was still singing ‘God Gave Rock And Roll To You’; extremely reluctant to leave. My daughter captured me on camera, as I delighted in being the last one out – which is incidentally my only claim to fame – I’ve been doing it since 1973 in Botto’s!
So imagine my glee, when Emily informed me that we weren’t getting picked up until later, so we would have to finish the night off at ‘The Dog and Parrot’ on the corner of Clayton Street.
Here, Kiss fans continued to party so it would have been rude of us not to join in!
Needless to say the the next morning was a different matter, as I reached tentatively for the paracetamol and ‘Volterol’.
I may have rocked and rolled all night, but unlike Kiss, I wasn’t up to partying every day!
Yet I wouldn’t have swapped the experience for the world. As the saying goes, life is short; so we are all entitled to some crazy crazy nights once in a while!
