Rosie Goes to See James at the Lovehearts Event
Hey - its only taken me 5 months to get it written up! Not bad going for me.
yes I know I still have 3 more to do, - Im working on it - Honest!!
Rosie Goes to See James at the Lovehearts Event
Sunday morning and I woke up very calm. Ha - no I didn’t - I was squeeing like mad again and doing happy dances! More James! Fed the animals and myself and checked I had all the necessary (camera and money!) and then it was back on the tube again. It made it a lot easier knowing where I was going this time, and even though the event didn’t start till 12, I think I got to the Tab by about 10ish and there was quite a few people already there.
James arrived through the front door again and swept through the foyer, though he was quickly spotted. And there wasn’t the usual whooping on his arrival as everyone did a double take - James was dressed in a suit! And a tie! The suit was grey, with a white shirt and a plain tie and his hair was heavily gelled back against his head. He looked absolutely stunning and you could hear the gobsmacked “wows” from around the room as he went through and up the stairs!
The JM Live crew started coming round and checking off people and giving out wristbands, which had the table numbers on - as yes, we were going to be seated at tables rather than in rows. I had been so quick off the mark in emailing Steve for this event that I had managed to get ticket number 1! So I was on table number one with five other people. On being let into the hall, it looked really nice - round tables all with a cloth and decorated with hearts and valentines confetti and little love-heart sweets and chocolates. Every place had a rose and gifts in the set of the 4 pin badges and James dog-tag which was lovely (I already have them, but always good to have spares!)
Table one was right in the centre at the front and I got to sit at the back of it looking directly at the stage - I think if I had been at the front, I would have been taking photographs looking up James’s nose practically, so I was quite happy to be where I was! I was sitting next to seapea from MTS on my right and Chris W on my left. I didn’t know the other three ladies on the table but we all introduced ourselves and had fun chatting and comparing experiences.
It was photos first as usual. Froggy was still set up in the corner of the balcony and James came through the tables to get up there, so we got a better look at the suit and tie. He looked great in it, but didn’t seem comfortable. We were called up by table and as we were in the middle, we were about the third table up. I was having 4 photos and I had planned what to ask for, but on seeing James in the suit, decided I had to change one of them as it just wouldn’t look right, so had to quickly think up an alternative.
Things were moving at a brisk pace so it was soon my turn, and as I approached James, grinning from ear to ear he grinned back and I got my usual “Hey Rosie!” .First off he was going to shake hands, but I must have looked disappointed or something as then I got pulled into a hug!
I had one of Magie’s poses for the first photo so had a picture, but it was so damn dark up in that balcony corner, it was difficult to see it properly! James got the jest of it though and we were nose to nose in profile and I had those lovely few seconds of looking into his eyes from close range, even though it was too dark to see them properly!
Nose to nose
Then I asked if we could do similar but being all cute with wrinkled up noses. It came out with James looks sexy as hell and me looking like he smells bad!!!
Trying to be cute
We weren’t saying much really between the photos - James wasn’t as chatty a normal but seemed very cheerful The next one I asked to go behind James and I would be like I was whispering in his ear. In fact I ended up being quite a way back from his ear as I couldn’t reach - I was going to whisper something, but didn’t in the end - and I thought it wasn’t going to be a very good picture as I was probably grinning like an idiot. I didn’t notice that James had turned back towards me and in fact I have my eyes closed and a blissful expression on my face and it ended up being the best picture of the lot! I love it!!
very romantic picture
The last one was supposed to be a laughing one and I am, though James is Spike-smirking! I don’t think we were really ready for that shot. And I didn’t realise until I saw the picture afterwards that although I had my arms round James, I had my hands under his jacket!!
laughing and smirking
It was all over quickly as ever. I said thank you and we had a quick hug and then I was out and on my way back to the table. Brief but lovely. I was able to watch other people having their photos done from my seat, but I couldn’t take any pictures as it was just too dark and too far away! Also, they were trying to show us Fool for Love on the big screen, but since Froggy had checked his light level with the hall lights all switched on, they couldn’t turn any off so we could see! So all there was were flashes of occasional movement on the screen and the occasional snippet of dialogue!
There was a multiple choice quiz to do so I had fun guessing the answers (some I did know, others not - some were pretty obscure! Who knew that James thinks his best feature is his ears??) and thinking up an amusing tie-breaker. (That was won by somebody’s fabulously concise answer “His grasp of English Medieval history.”) And the photos from the previous evening were done and laid out on a table up on the balcony so went up and found mine (and was very pleased with them!)
Eventually all the photos were done and next on the agenda was the theatrical performance which turned out to be James and actress Robyn doing “Love Letters” which was wonderful. I had loved it last year in New York and was delighted to see James perform it again. Being right in the centre at the front I had a wonderful view of both James and Robyn sat at the table and as usual James’s performance was stunning - he’s absolutely mesmerizing even when he is just sitting down and reading!
I think the play was even better this time around too - James was so good - he does the slightly uptight and stuffy Andy just right and the whole thing was so much more emotional and powerful than last time. I wasn’t sure about Robyn at first - she was English and didn’t try to do an American accent, so that sounded a bit odd at first, but then she really got into the swing of it and was amazing - she had a definite touch of Jane Horrocks playing Bubble in AbFab about her! Her delivery was spot on, getting in the pithy responses with just the right amount of cynicism and making the appropriate faces - enough for me to look at her occasionally rather then being fixed totally on James!
Even though - or maybe because - I knew what was coming, I started welling up about 10 minutes from the end and by the time James was reading the last letter and he started to lose it a bit himself - his voice started to crack and Robyn turned towards him for her last few lines, I was practically sobbing unashamedly - and I certainly wasn’t alone. Heartbreaking stuff and utterly fabulous - not a dry eye in the house!
There was a bit of a gap then before James was going to do the Q and A and they asked that we talked about the play for the first few questions. Whilst we were waiting, I talked with Chris at my table and she was telling me about her dinner date with James at Hallowhedon (she won the auction!). They had a great time talking science and stuff the whole time and James was enjoying himself so much that he was still talking and pointing out things in a magazine when Chris was trying to leave….!
Q and A time - James came back on stage and he had changed out of the suit and was back in jeans with the green Peoria t-shirt that Kelly gave him at the Marstersclass (and the hole in the armpit had got bigger…!) and carrying his coffee mug. And, I was delighted to see, he was wearing the belt I gave him again. He obviously likes it which makes me very happy. He said he just wasn’t comfortable in the suit, he was much happier in jeans and a tee.
The first few questions were about the play. James said that he thought he might well start to lose it at the end and Steve had been instructed to call out “Pussy!” or meow at him if he saw him start to tear up! Apparently it says “Don’t You Dare Cry!” in the stage directions…!
There were some interesting questions - someone asked how James always managed to look good in photo ops - he said you have to love the camera, show all your feelings in your eyes and not move your face much. (have since tried it - not that good yet!) - and he said he had auditioned for the remake of Hawaii 5-0 and gave us his “Book ‘em Danno” impression.
He kept on standing with his hands tucked in his pockets or akimbo both of which show off his arms to the best advantage - they were looking very toned.
I actually asked a question which is unusual for me, but I couldn’t resist since I knew everyone wanted to know. Lisa handed me the microphone and I simply asked “James - what is going on with the hair??”
Friday was crazy Young Einstein hair, Saturday was curly sheep and Sunday it was slicked back and almost Spike-like. It got a laugh from the audience and earned me a puzzled head tilt from James. He started to say there was nothing different about it, but with further prompting he said it had been cut since filming Caprica where it was really long crazy wild-man hair and he was keeping it - until Steve pointed out that there were other roles! And he had asked the barber for a “brown Spike” look (which he was achieving very well!)
In true James style, something he said during the Q&A really annoyed me, though looking back now I cannot for the life of me remember what it was! He also said something else (that I also cant remember!) that made me fall in love with him all over again. So completely contrary from one moment to the next - infuriating and annoying and then unbelievably sweet. Typical man!
After the Q and A, James had a short break and then came out to sign autographs. He was sitting at the table in the centre of the stage so all of us photographers congregated to stage left as the queue was forming the other way! Being on the front table, again, we were fairly early on in the queue. James was chatty but fairly brisk, still giving everyone their time and treating everyone like they were the first person he had spoken to, but not much lingering. He had turned to me and shaken my hand with a “hello love” before the person in front had finished! So I got a second handshake and hello when it was actually my turn. I crouched down to talk again - it just seems more friendly - it must be hell on James’s neck looking up at everyone all the time!
Our conversation was fairly brief. He signed one of the photographs I had taken at the Boston concert- a smiley, curly James! - And I asked him if there was any chance that I could have the set list from the concert. He said he couldn’t promise or guarantee it as there was always a fight for it, which I understood, and I felt pretty stupid for asking actually and was kicking myself afterwards. Much more fun things we could have talked about! I gave him his present which was another book “Remarkable Trees of the World” (I have eclectic taste!) which he didn’t look too horrified by…
As I said, it was fairly brisk, which was fine. We shook hands again and I got that lovely smile and a “thank you Rosie” before I was walking off the stage - where upon several of the photographers said they had got pictures of us talking! Having put my autographed picture back in my bag, I then went to join them all and indulged in my favourite pastime - taking pictures of James - for the rest of the session. Several people asked me to take pictures of them talking to James, and I was happy to oblige. He was shaking and stretching his hand in between times, so it looked like the amount of signing he had done on Friday at SFX was catching up with him and he had to take a short break before he came back to finish the autographs
He also came over to the table where the wheelchair users were sitting and signed their pictures there. It was lovely to see him with Big Momma and Dee Dee and I managed to get some pictures of him signing for them.
Then there was a break before the concert and we had to clear the main room. Most of us repaired down to the bar, which was very crowded and noisy, but cheerful and fun. They had laid on a set price buffet, but with limited choices. I succumbed in the end as I couldn’t be arsed to go out and find anything else. Lots of people to talk to and have a laugh with, so the food was just fuel for now!
Then we were allowed back into the main room and back to our places. Chow the guitar was already on stage, leaning against a chair which was unusual, but I realized why - the cable had had to be sort of jerry-rigged through the hole in the guitar, so couldn’t be unplugged. And I knew I was going to have problems with my friend Mr Microphone again as I was sitting slap bang in the middle. I consulted with Teebs at the next table and asked could I swap seats with her if I could get better pictures from there. (Ulla had gone up in the balcony!)
James came on to the usual whoops and yells - he hadn’t changed, he was still in the green Peoria shirt and the first thing he said with a grin was that “they almost forgot to feed me!” and that he couldn’t perform without food.
His hair was still slicked back - but the curls will not be restrained! A single one at the front escaped early on and proceeded to drive us all mad - it was totally mesmerizing watching it and gave me some wonderful photo opportunities.
First song up was Not Fall Down, the new-ish one which I really like. I think it was during this one that Chow came unplugged! The technician had to redo it for James because of the jerry-rigged set up, but it did last for the rest of the concert.
James sounded fine - nothing new, just some good old favourites and without a lot of talking in between. He had to retune Chow at one point in the middle with a groovy tuning thing with coloured lights on it - shows green when it’s in tune! The mic was a bit of a nuisance so I did swap seats with Teebs and that helped a bit.
We had 11 songs and then James went off because he said he had to - so we seemed to all assume he just had to nip off, because it didn’t seem like he had sung very much - so when he came back on, there was silence - no clapping or whooping or anything! He looked quite shocked poor love and tried to gee us up and get us clapping (it worked!) He then did his 3 song encore (London City, Goodbye and Angel) did his thank you spiel and then put Chow down on the chair as he couldn’t take him off with him. Then he picked up the set list from the floor and called out “Where’s Rosie?”
I was stunned! He remembered that I had asked for it! I jumped up and stepped forwards as I was at the front of the room but at the back of the table - he saw me, came over and leaned off the stage holding it out. I was laughing with delight and gushing with thanks amidst all the cheering and whooping as I took it and James just grinned at me and said “See? I did remember!”
I was so happy! I’d got a set list! I finally got a set list and I was given it by James. I went back to my seat, clutching it to me, and the applause and yelling was still going on as we tried to get James back out again. As the concert seemed short a lot of people didn’t realize he had done his encore, so we kept on yelling. In the end, Lisa went across the stage where James had gone off and a moment later he did in fact come back out!
When the whooping had quietened down he apologized saying that was it - he had sung everything, clarifying “If you look at Rosie’s list you’ll see” looking in my direction! And the said he really couldn’t play any more as his left hand was just about done. So we just cheered him some more and then he did go off finally.
A few people came to take a picture of the set list (which didn’t have anything amusing on the back, it was a piece of plain paper!) and then we were all standing about talking until they started to shoo us out. Downstairs in the bar area it was now very crowded and loud with everyone milling about and still talking - the Tab is a very popular place of an evening. I had to go and get the tube again fairly pronto as I was driving back home straight away - but luckily I was still there when James came through on his way out. We cheered him as much as we could and he smiled in acknowledgement and said thank you as he went through the crowd.
I then had a very uneventful journey back after saying goodbye to people ( some of whom I would see in less than a week) My sister was back when I got there so I did stop and have tea and toast with her and squeed a lot (she just doesn’t get it at all though!) before setting off home. Then I managed to get horribly lost in the North London streets very quickly - so did my normal trick of carrying on driving in the right sort of direction going with whatever the signs said and eventually found myself on the right route back to the motorway - only wasted about half an hour.
Fabulous weekend all round - really excellent. More new people and more new things done - and time spent with old friends too. And James of course. Lots and lots of lovely James!
yes I know I still have 3 more to do, - Im working on it - Honest!!
Rosie Goes to See James at the Lovehearts Event
Sunday morning and I woke up very calm. Ha - no I didn’t - I was squeeing like mad again and doing happy dances! More James! Fed the animals and myself and checked I had all the necessary (camera and money!) and then it was back on the tube again. It made it a lot easier knowing where I was going this time, and even though the event didn’t start till 12, I think I got to the Tab by about 10ish and there was quite a few people already there.
James arrived through the front door again and swept through the foyer, though he was quickly spotted. And there wasn’t the usual whooping on his arrival as everyone did a double take - James was dressed in a suit! And a tie! The suit was grey, with a white shirt and a plain tie and his hair was heavily gelled back against his head. He looked absolutely stunning and you could hear the gobsmacked “wows” from around the room as he went through and up the stairs!
The JM Live crew started coming round and checking off people and giving out wristbands, which had the table numbers on - as yes, we were going to be seated at tables rather than in rows. I had been so quick off the mark in emailing Steve for this event that I had managed to get ticket number 1! So I was on table number one with five other people. On being let into the hall, it looked really nice - round tables all with a cloth and decorated with hearts and valentines confetti and little love-heart sweets and chocolates. Every place had a rose and gifts in the set of the 4 pin badges and James dog-tag which was lovely (I already have them, but always good to have spares!)
Table one was right in the centre at the front and I got to sit at the back of it looking directly at the stage - I think if I had been at the front, I would have been taking photographs looking up James’s nose practically, so I was quite happy to be where I was! I was sitting next to seapea from MTS on my right and Chris W on my left. I didn’t know the other three ladies on the table but we all introduced ourselves and had fun chatting and comparing experiences.
It was photos first as usual. Froggy was still set up in the corner of the balcony and James came through the tables to get up there, so we got a better look at the suit and tie. He looked great in it, but didn’t seem comfortable. We were called up by table and as we were in the middle, we were about the third table up. I was having 4 photos and I had planned what to ask for, but on seeing James in the suit, decided I had to change one of them as it just wouldn’t look right, so had to quickly think up an alternative.
Things were moving at a brisk pace so it was soon my turn, and as I approached James, grinning from ear to ear he grinned back and I got my usual “Hey Rosie!” .First off he was going to shake hands, but I must have looked disappointed or something as then I got pulled into a hug!
I had one of Magie’s poses for the first photo so had a picture, but it was so damn dark up in that balcony corner, it was difficult to see it properly! James got the jest of it though and we were nose to nose in profile and I had those lovely few seconds of looking into his eyes from close range, even though it was too dark to see them properly!
Nose to nose
Then I asked if we could do similar but being all cute with wrinkled up noses. It came out with James looks sexy as hell and me looking like he smells bad!!!
Trying to be cute
We weren’t saying much really between the photos - James wasn’t as chatty a normal but seemed very cheerful The next one I asked to go behind James and I would be like I was whispering in his ear. In fact I ended up being quite a way back from his ear as I couldn’t reach - I was going to whisper something, but didn’t in the end - and I thought it wasn’t going to be a very good picture as I was probably grinning like an idiot. I didn’t notice that James had turned back towards me and in fact I have my eyes closed and a blissful expression on my face and it ended up being the best picture of the lot! I love it!!
very romantic picture
The last one was supposed to be a laughing one and I am, though James is Spike-smirking! I don’t think we were really ready for that shot. And I didn’t realise until I saw the picture afterwards that although I had my arms round James, I had my hands under his jacket!!
laughing and smirking
It was all over quickly as ever. I said thank you and we had a quick hug and then I was out and on my way back to the table. Brief but lovely. I was able to watch other people having their photos done from my seat, but I couldn’t take any pictures as it was just too dark and too far away! Also, they were trying to show us Fool for Love on the big screen, but since Froggy had checked his light level with the hall lights all switched on, they couldn’t turn any off so we could see! So all there was were flashes of occasional movement on the screen and the occasional snippet of dialogue!
There was a multiple choice quiz to do so I had fun guessing the answers (some I did know, others not - some were pretty obscure! Who knew that James thinks his best feature is his ears??) and thinking up an amusing tie-breaker. (That was won by somebody’s fabulously concise answer “His grasp of English Medieval history.”) And the photos from the previous evening were done and laid out on a table up on the balcony so went up and found mine (and was very pleased with them!)
Eventually all the photos were done and next on the agenda was the theatrical performance which turned out to be James and actress Robyn doing “Love Letters” which was wonderful. I had loved it last year in New York and was delighted to see James perform it again. Being right in the centre at the front I had a wonderful view of both James and Robyn sat at the table and as usual James’s performance was stunning - he’s absolutely mesmerizing even when he is just sitting down and reading!
I think the play was even better this time around too - James was so good - he does the slightly uptight and stuffy Andy just right and the whole thing was so much more emotional and powerful than last time. I wasn’t sure about Robyn at first - she was English and didn’t try to do an American accent, so that sounded a bit odd at first, but then she really got into the swing of it and was amazing - she had a definite touch of Jane Horrocks playing Bubble in AbFab about her! Her delivery was spot on, getting in the pithy responses with just the right amount of cynicism and making the appropriate faces - enough for me to look at her occasionally rather then being fixed totally on James!
Even though - or maybe because - I knew what was coming, I started welling up about 10 minutes from the end and by the time James was reading the last letter and he started to lose it a bit himself - his voice started to crack and Robyn turned towards him for her last few lines, I was practically sobbing unashamedly - and I certainly wasn’t alone. Heartbreaking stuff and utterly fabulous - not a dry eye in the house!
There was a bit of a gap then before James was going to do the Q and A and they asked that we talked about the play for the first few questions. Whilst we were waiting, I talked with Chris at my table and she was telling me about her dinner date with James at Hallowhedon (she won the auction!). They had a great time talking science and stuff the whole time and James was enjoying himself so much that he was still talking and pointing out things in a magazine when Chris was trying to leave….!
Q and A time - James came back on stage and he had changed out of the suit and was back in jeans with the green Peoria t-shirt that Kelly gave him at the Marstersclass (and the hole in the armpit had got bigger…!) and carrying his coffee mug. And, I was delighted to see, he was wearing the belt I gave him again. He obviously likes it which makes me very happy. He said he just wasn’t comfortable in the suit, he was much happier in jeans and a tee.
The first few questions were about the play. James said that he thought he might well start to lose it at the end and Steve had been instructed to call out “Pussy!” or meow at him if he saw him start to tear up! Apparently it says “Don’t You Dare Cry!” in the stage directions…!
There were some interesting questions - someone asked how James always managed to look good in photo ops - he said you have to love the camera, show all your feelings in your eyes and not move your face much. (have since tried it - not that good yet!) - and he said he had auditioned for the remake of Hawaii 5-0 and gave us his “Book ‘em Danno” impression.
He kept on standing with his hands tucked in his pockets or akimbo both of which show off his arms to the best advantage - they were looking very toned.
I actually asked a question which is unusual for me, but I couldn’t resist since I knew everyone wanted to know. Lisa handed me the microphone and I simply asked “James - what is going on with the hair??”
Friday was crazy Young Einstein hair, Saturday was curly sheep and Sunday it was slicked back and almost Spike-like. It got a laugh from the audience and earned me a puzzled head tilt from James. He started to say there was nothing different about it, but with further prompting he said it had been cut since filming Caprica where it was really long crazy wild-man hair and he was keeping it - until Steve pointed out that there were other roles! And he had asked the barber for a “brown Spike” look (which he was achieving very well!)
In true James style, something he said during the Q&A really annoyed me, though looking back now I cannot for the life of me remember what it was! He also said something else (that I also cant remember!) that made me fall in love with him all over again. So completely contrary from one moment to the next - infuriating and annoying and then unbelievably sweet. Typical man!
After the Q and A, James had a short break and then came out to sign autographs. He was sitting at the table in the centre of the stage so all of us photographers congregated to stage left as the queue was forming the other way! Being on the front table, again, we were fairly early on in the queue. James was chatty but fairly brisk, still giving everyone their time and treating everyone like they were the first person he had spoken to, but not much lingering. He had turned to me and shaken my hand with a “hello love” before the person in front had finished! So I got a second handshake and hello when it was actually my turn. I crouched down to talk again - it just seems more friendly - it must be hell on James’s neck looking up at everyone all the time!
Our conversation was fairly brief. He signed one of the photographs I had taken at the Boston concert- a smiley, curly James! - And I asked him if there was any chance that I could have the set list from the concert. He said he couldn’t promise or guarantee it as there was always a fight for it, which I understood, and I felt pretty stupid for asking actually and was kicking myself afterwards. Much more fun things we could have talked about! I gave him his present which was another book “Remarkable Trees of the World” (I have eclectic taste!) which he didn’t look too horrified by…
As I said, it was fairly brisk, which was fine. We shook hands again and I got that lovely smile and a “thank you Rosie” before I was walking off the stage - where upon several of the photographers said they had got pictures of us talking! Having put my autographed picture back in my bag, I then went to join them all and indulged in my favourite pastime - taking pictures of James - for the rest of the session. Several people asked me to take pictures of them talking to James, and I was happy to oblige. He was shaking and stretching his hand in between times, so it looked like the amount of signing he had done on Friday at SFX was catching up with him and he had to take a short break before he came back to finish the autographs
He also came over to the table where the wheelchair users were sitting and signed their pictures there. It was lovely to see him with Big Momma and Dee Dee and I managed to get some pictures of him signing for them.
Then there was a break before the concert and we had to clear the main room. Most of us repaired down to the bar, which was very crowded and noisy, but cheerful and fun. They had laid on a set price buffet, but with limited choices. I succumbed in the end as I couldn’t be arsed to go out and find anything else. Lots of people to talk to and have a laugh with, so the food was just fuel for now!
Then we were allowed back into the main room and back to our places. Chow the guitar was already on stage, leaning against a chair which was unusual, but I realized why - the cable had had to be sort of jerry-rigged through the hole in the guitar, so couldn’t be unplugged. And I knew I was going to have problems with my friend Mr Microphone again as I was sitting slap bang in the middle. I consulted with Teebs at the next table and asked could I swap seats with her if I could get better pictures from there. (Ulla had gone up in the balcony!)
James came on to the usual whoops and yells - he hadn’t changed, he was still in the green Peoria shirt and the first thing he said with a grin was that “they almost forgot to feed me!” and that he couldn’t perform without food.
His hair was still slicked back - but the curls will not be restrained! A single one at the front escaped early on and proceeded to drive us all mad - it was totally mesmerizing watching it and gave me some wonderful photo opportunities.
First song up was Not Fall Down, the new-ish one which I really like. I think it was during this one that Chow came unplugged! The technician had to redo it for James because of the jerry-rigged set up, but it did last for the rest of the concert.
James sounded fine - nothing new, just some good old favourites and without a lot of talking in between. He had to retune Chow at one point in the middle with a groovy tuning thing with coloured lights on it - shows green when it’s in tune! The mic was a bit of a nuisance so I did swap seats with Teebs and that helped a bit.
We had 11 songs and then James went off because he said he had to - so we seemed to all assume he just had to nip off, because it didn’t seem like he had sung very much - so when he came back on, there was silence - no clapping or whooping or anything! He looked quite shocked poor love and tried to gee us up and get us clapping (it worked!) He then did his 3 song encore (London City, Goodbye and Angel) did his thank you spiel and then put Chow down on the chair as he couldn’t take him off with him. Then he picked up the set list from the floor and called out “Where’s Rosie?”
I was stunned! He remembered that I had asked for it! I jumped up and stepped forwards as I was at the front of the room but at the back of the table - he saw me, came over and leaned off the stage holding it out. I was laughing with delight and gushing with thanks amidst all the cheering and whooping as I took it and James just grinned at me and said “See? I did remember!”
I was so happy! I’d got a set list! I finally got a set list and I was given it by James. I went back to my seat, clutching it to me, and the applause and yelling was still going on as we tried to get James back out again. As the concert seemed short a lot of people didn’t realize he had done his encore, so we kept on yelling. In the end, Lisa went across the stage where James had gone off and a moment later he did in fact come back out!
When the whooping had quietened down he apologized saying that was it - he had sung everything, clarifying “If you look at Rosie’s list you’ll see” looking in my direction! And the said he really couldn’t play any more as his left hand was just about done. So we just cheered him some more and then he did go off finally.
A few people came to take a picture of the set list (which didn’t have anything amusing on the back, it was a piece of plain paper!) and then we were all standing about talking until they started to shoo us out. Downstairs in the bar area it was now very crowded and loud with everyone milling about and still talking - the Tab is a very popular place of an evening. I had to go and get the tube again fairly pronto as I was driving back home straight away - but luckily I was still there when James came through on his way out. We cheered him as much as we could and he smiled in acknowledgement and said thank you as he went through the crowd.
I then had a very uneventful journey back after saying goodbye to people ( some of whom I would see in less than a week) My sister was back when I got there so I did stop and have tea and toast with her and squeed a lot (she just doesn’t get it at all though!) before setting off home. Then I managed to get horribly lost in the North London streets very quickly - so did my normal trick of carrying on driving in the right sort of direction going with whatever the signs said and eventually found myself on the right route back to the motorway - only wasted about half an hour.
Fabulous weekend all round - really excellent. More new people and more new things done - and time spent with old friends too. And James of course. Lots and lots of lovely James!