Are You Sitting Comfortably?

One of my many lockdown cultural casualties has been a pair of tickets for Megson on their latest tour.  Despite their UK jaunt kicking off in good faith it inevitably fell by the wayside after only a handful of shows. I'm sure you too have missed out on pre-booked, pre-arranged gigs or parties, birthday celebrations, weddings, christenings, holidays - the list is endless. 

I'd been particularly looking forward to this one as not only would it have been the first time I'd seen them, but it was going to be in a local village hall and very much an intimate and unplugged affair; just the sort of gig in fact that, going forward, will probably come out of quarantine first - any thoughts post lockdown of 'business as usual' for concert halls, theatres, rock venues and arenas is nothing more than wishful thinking. Think tiny rooms above pubs and small stages in coffe shops - this will probably be the 'new normal' for quite some time to come. It may not be to McCartney or Madonna's liking, but it'll suit Megson just fine.

Anyway, on the plus side, and, let's face it, we're all looking for silver linings during these unprecedented times, Megson, like a lot of other  artists, have been doing live streaming gigs from their house. Being a husband and wife combo means it's quite easy to facilitate; no matter how close Mick & Keef, or Bonio and Mr. The Edge are, I think the Stones and U2 may struggle with this particular business model.

I caught Stu and Debbie's home gig last week, and was bowled over by it. It was a revelation. And very uplifting. Who knew you could have so much fun in your living room? Though, in stark contrast, here they are in a more subdued mood.

 Megson - Are You Sitting Comfortably (2019)

Finally, just a brief note to those who not only read and comment on my diatribes, but anyone who is writing a blog in these most difficult of times.  Instead of bottling it up I know a lot of you find it cathartic to 'get it onto the page'. It may just be a knee jerk reaction to a specific event or series of events, it may well be premeditated and recorded for a retrospective look back when all this craziness is over; if indeed it ever will be. And that's another thing - we're deluding ourselves if we think a reset button is going to be pushed and we spring back to where we were before. That will not be happening. But, I digress. I just want to say - Keep writing. Keep reading. Keep staying strong.