I have been most fortunate to have met many interesting people, travelled to different countries and experienced a great deal in life. That is why, at this stage of my life, I would like to share with others my experiences. I hope you have enjoyed my stories so far. My stories are fun,special and sometimes unusual. Each experience is unique, colourful and meaningful. From each experience, I have learned something more about people, about life and what it brings. I am grateful for this as my personality, my values and my life have been enriched. In this post I write about two events which happened in London in 1983.
A Pop Concert
In 1983, a very kind and generous couple in London invited me to attend a concert performance by Rod Stewart at Earls Court. It was my first pop concert. I had no idea what to expect, how to dress for it and what to do during the concert. I fell back on my mundane middle class background and experience derived from living in a country where pop concerts were not a regular feature. At home I would dress formally to attend a concert at our theatres. So I decided I would do just that. I chose a silk blouse and a silk skirt which I had purchased from a boutique. To complete the outfit, I put on a pearl necklace, a pair of tights and I found some shoes to match. Ah! I thought, I look good! I would be admired and I would fit in! Yes, I would most definitely fit in!
My friends came to my apartment and together, we made our way to Earls Court. As we got close to it, we saw large numbers of young people, teeny-boppers, walking towards the building. They were dressed in T-shirts, shorts and jeans! No classical, silk dresses, no pearls, no matching shoes. Most of the young people had on trainers. Oh! No! I thought! I am not dressed properly! I am over-dressed! Would it be possible to make our way to our seats without being noticed? The only consolation that I had was that my friends were also over-dressed.
We made our way to our seats…it was actually a stone bench of sorts. And where was the stone bench? It was up with the Gods, as the expression goes! So we sat down on the bench and watched the people stream in and take their places. The auditorium was packed. And then, when the laser lights came on, Rod Stewart appeared on stage and everyone went into a frenzy. They stood up, waved their arms and moved. We sat and we could not see anything. We also seemed to be out of it, missing the action. So we decided to do what everyone else was doing! We stood up too and I stood on our seat, our bench, and then I swayed, I moved and I watched Rod Stewart perform. He was mesmerizing, he was brilliant. He twirled the microphone and he dazzled the audience with his rendition of one song after another.
So this is what happens during a concert. You don’t just sit and listen and then politely clap at the end of each song. Instead, you move, you sway, you dance and you clap. The teeny boppers screamed. They showed their enthusiasm, their appreciation and their applause so vibrantly, so emotionally. The auditorium was alive, the ambience was dynamic!
Dinner With A Star
In 1983 too, I was fortunate to be invited by a friend to a dinner and later to see a film. The dinner was at an Italian restaurant and the film was the film version of the opera, La Traviata. But it was the other guests who added such sparkle to the evening. The couple were Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton. Pattie was the niece of a good friend of ours, John Drysdale. John had worked in the same company as His Highness, the spouse.
John lived next door to us in Singapore and we saw a lot of each other then. The three of us would treat ourselves to dinner at a restaurant in Singapore very often. John is a writer and an intellectual. He had many experiences and stories to share with us. Conversation with him was always stimulating, interesting and most pleasurable. Often, in my characteristic style, after a lovely leisurely dinner I would fall asleep at the table and John and His Highness would ignore me and continue to engage in conversation. It happened at many a restaurant. But perhaps, the most memorable was at a fine dining establishment where the waiters wore tails. Apparently when the waiters were worried in case I was sick, John and Paul assured them that all was well with me!
When John knew that I was in London he arranged this evening so I could meet Eric Clapton. What a treat! Eric Clapton was soft-spoken and came across as a very gentle person. He and his wife Pattie talked about their home and the place he would go to work on his music. I can remember Pattie Boyd’s beautiful coat.
After a lovely dinner (Italian food is one of my favourites) we walked to the cinema. I have always enjoyed the opera La Traviata. The music, the story, the costumes and the drama presented in the opera are magnificent. All of us were overwhelmed by the opera. It was a splendid evening and I am grateful to John for arranging it.
I enjoyed meeting the people and experiencing the occasions with you, – pearls or no pearls, matching shoes or odd ones. Thanks