D19: London (Chess Night 1)

Well finally the day arrived that started off this whole trip... Yep, tonight I got to see Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall... and it was AMAZING!!!

Sorry this might be a bit long.

Like the true groupie I am, I started off the day at the RAH, hoping that I'd get to see Josh go in for rehearsal. I wasn't alone, and there was quite a group of us grobies that had the same idea.

But our luck didn't hold out - apparently Josh had arrived quite early, but that didn't stop us hanging out and meeting lots of grobies from around the world. Surprisingly there weren't many fans of any of the other major stars there, but I guess they mightn't be quite as fanatical as we are about Josh. We did get to see Tim Rice go in, although we really didn't realize it was him until after he'd gone in. Opps!

Luckily while I was here I met up with Elke from Germany who'd purchased my ticket for tonight, which meant I didn't have to worry about finding her later in the day to get it.

But one of the exciting thing we discovered this morning was that there were camera crews and outside broadcast vans, so it looks like it's being taped. Fingers crossed for a DVD release.

Trish, myself and some of the girls we met last night decided to go to a traditional English pub for some fish & chips for lunch. So we jumped on the No.9 bus and headed down towards Old Park Lane. We found this cute pub right near the Hard Rock Cafe, so we had fish & chips, while drinking Strongbow. We wanted Magners Irish Cider but they'd run out of stock. How rude!

Afterwards I headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest, and to get myself ready for the informal get together at Balans. It was a bit daunting arriving and not really knowing anyone, but within minutes of getting there a few people had come up and said hello, so that was a bit of relief. Trish and her friends arrived not long after so we kicked back, had a couple of cocktails before having a bite to eat. Given we'd had a big lunch, I went for a starter of duck spring rolls and not a main meal, and they were delicious.

We then made our way to the RAH. Some people decided to walk, but the group I was with caught the bus, which was fun. It was almost surreal to finally be there. I purchased my program (and a couple (?) of extras for friends back home..)

As we got inside, I couldn't believe how awesome my seat was. I was in the second row of the stalls, which was actually the first raised tier from the floor. This was my view... It was amazing. Thank you Elke!!!

A few people had their cameras out before the show started, and an usher came over and said that photos could be taken, as long as the flash wasn't used. Yeah!!! Very unexpected...

As for the show - wow!!! I honestly can't put into words how amazing it was. Of course, JOSH was the star of the show. He looked a little nervous at the start of the show, but the minute he opened his mouth to sing.. THUD!!!

The sound quality wasn't all that great, and at time I really struggled hearing and understanding what some of the cast were singing, but surprisingly I didn't have an issue with Josh. I wonder why?

Josh got the most amazing standing ovation at the end of the first act after performing Anthem. And it wasn't just Josh's fans either. When it happened, he almost didn't know what to do, so the conductor came around and lead him to the front of the stage so he could really take it all in. Here's a clip I found of it from YouTube.

I wasn't a big fan of Idina Menzel's performance (and I'm not just saying that because she kissed Josh), she just seemed a little disinterested most of the time. But that said, I thought Kerry Ellis and Adam Pascal did a great job.

Other highlights of the show included the cheerleaders; the fireworks; and the 100 voice choir made up of singers from the West End.

Afterwards we decided to stake out stage door - but Trish & I quickly came to the decision that he wouldn't go out the official stage door, so we wandered around to Door 11 where a crowd was gathering. Trish spotted some of Josh's management, so it looked like the place to be so we stayed. It was a bit crazy, so I just hung back. And eventually Josh came out, so I got to see him and that made my night. It was a bit crazy when he came out, but he did sign some autographs before being rushed to the safety of his van. I got a few photo, and I was more than happy with that... I certainly wasn't going to battle the 'crazy' fans.

What a night. I walked back to the Montana and caught up with some american friends who were staying there as well. I shared my photos with them and we relived the concert. What a night. I'm so happy that I was able to witness it and not just live vicariously through reports and photos on the internet.

To see all my photos from today click here.

Hotel details
The Montana Hotel
(Kay's hotel rating - good)