Concert: Thank You for the Music

Tonight, London International Meetup advertised a trip to see Thank You for the Music!, an ABBA tribute act, at the Adelphi. But then I saw cheaper tickets on CT, so booked there instead.. it'd be funny if we ended up sitting together. But then, I think the only person going in that group that I know is the organiser, and last time we met, he didn't remember me.. Not a group I join often. Anyway, when I checked the official ticket prices, the least expensive were £19.50, so likely the ones they got. Which would mean they were in the gods. And when my ticket was emailed to me today, it was in the Stalls! which means I got the best area in the house, for less than the cheapest official ticket price! Result..

Looking around for somewhere to eat, I saw a Bella Italia across the road, and said that'd do. So I booked, just in case. Took the bus in - vexingly, one sailed by just as I approached the stop. So, that was a cold wait, then.. it has turned colder again today. Anyway, the bus I eventually ended up taking was a friendly one, with a gregarious Irishman stood in the wheelchair space, apparently visiting with his wife, who's from Reading - he's Waterford, himself. I got involved in the conversation when the lady beside him, asked where she was off to, couldn't quite remember what it was called.. she knew it was "(something) Wonderland". So, of course, I chimed in - once I caught her eye - to remind her it was "Winter Wonderland". Figured that information might be handy for her.

And when she got off, I was the centre of attention. The girl beside me smiled to herself as the Waterford man identified my accent as possibly Irish - he turned out to be one of those people who are exceedingly good at extracting information. So he grilled me away for a bit. And when he stopped, we were all free to stare at the lady coming down the stairs with a cute little Bichon cross. The small doggie proceeded to make friends with every single person in sight. So, a nice, Christmassy vibe on the bus, then..

And so to the restaurant, where I was glad I'd booked - at 6pm, when I arrived (and when I'd booked for), it was pretty full. Mind you, he did ask whether I'd like to take the last free table upstairs, or sit downstairs. I hummed and hawed, then sat upstairs:

I had dough balls with garlic butter to start (yum), followed by chicken Milanese with fries. Also came with pour-on garlic butter. (I was eating my starter when a man came in on his own, looking for a table, and was turned away - about 6.30.) They have a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and so did I - and a second. Which, interestingly, came in a different size of glass - same amount of alcohol, though:

Service, I have to say, was damn quick - they were quite attentive, and did their best, with just the two of them. Nobody was kept waiting very long. When he asked whether I'd like dessert, I said I would love dessert, but I just didn't have time. Sure enough, I was glad I'd left an hour and a half (the show started at 7.30) - had I left my usual hour, I'd have been late; the meal took an hour and 10 minutes. (FYI The restaurant had pretty much emptied by about 7 - very much a pre-theatre crowd.) He tried and tried to persuade me - said he could have it out in five minutes. Yeah, right, heard that before.

So I paid, and made my way across the road to join the queue - enormous when I came out, it was a lot shorter when I joined it. A cursory bag check, and I just had to cross the lobby to the Stalls and my seat. No ABBA merchandise in the lobby - this was a one-night thing, the theatre is usually given over to the Back to the Future musical, and all the merch was for that. No usher to show me to my seat, so I found it myself.

The decoration either side of the stage is also for Back to the Future, all technical-looking, pipes and such. Before the show, they showed footage of tribute bands - I was just settling down when they played Sweet Caroline, by a Neil Diamond tribute act. Must've seen me coming..

It was only a few more minutes before Thank You for the Music came on (that's actually the name of the act):

And we were off! Not a song all night I hadn't actually heard - although I still don't know all the words. The house was packed - I think it was sold-out; certainly, when I tried, earlier, to check what price I'd have paid through official channels for my ticket, I couldn't - they weren't selling them. And I sang along with gusto - to the extent that I'm hoarse now. Typical.

They had us on our feet for most of the second half, with rock numbers. Have to say, of a really fun show, my personal favourite had to be The Name of the Game - always has been a favourite of mine. At the end, they took a photo - later uploaded to their Facebook page. I see there that they're touring the British Isles - they'll be back in London on the 2nd of May, at Indigo at the O2. Highly recommended - you can hardly go wrong with ABBA! And as I remarked to someone in the toilet queue at the interval - for all that ABBA Voyage was a great show, this was kinda better, for the audience interaction. She agreed - she'd also seen that.

Tomorrow, Scottish in London are off to a trilogy of Scottish plays at the Finborough, called Knocking on the Wall. Well, I'm not Scottish, so not joining them - but I've booked my own ticket.

On Thursday, London Social Detours is off to a talk about Chanel, at the V&A - and so am I, still being unemployed.

On Friday, back with the Crick Crack Club for storytelling at Rich Mix - this one is The Spanking Goddess, with the inimitable Clare Murphy.

On Saturday, at The London Horror Film Group's Christmas Social - again, at The Angel on St. Giles High Street. 

And on Sunday, back with Buddies on a Budget (BoB) in London for more Christmas lights - this time, it's a full lights walk, and she's charging, sensibly. A joint event with her London Herstory Walks group.