Maroon 5 Wembley Arena London 26 May '15

What a great couple of days in London for Kelly's birthday. I'd been looking at maroon 5 tickets on Twitter and was getting nowhere but we decided we would get tickets somehow. The evening before the gig I found a guy on Twitter selling two for face value to be exchanged in central London on the afternoon of the show. I was nervous but glad thankfully he was genuine and we had a great show. So glad I found that tweet when I did. I will always believe in what's meant to be.

TGI Friday's was standard for dinner, it's a tradition. It had some really great tunes going on and a great vibe. I love London.

Maroon 5 was fun. We turned up at 18:50, I got a cider and still we got end of the barrier. So chilled out and we could even get out to go to the toilet. Was a bit weird to be so chill lol. The support act 'Nick Gardner' was good. Nice voice but needs a bit of work. His cover of Madonna's like a prayer blended into Hoizer's Take Me To Church was awesome and actually emotional. Magic! however were shite. They are some jumped up band with a singer that loves himself and they think they're reggae. They ain't. Absolute crap.

Maroon 5 were awesome. Such detail to an elaborate light show and Adam's a great frontman.

I apologise in advance for the references here on in about the ex. He was a huge fan of maroon 5 and the last time I seen him before he walked out was maroon 5 at the O2. I wasn't sure how I would feel seeing the band again. But I surprised myself with how songs tied to a memory can actually feel different 18 months later. Or maybe I've just moved on from the arsehole.

The opener was 'Animals' and I don't get all this howling like a wolf Adam was doing. Just a bit unnecessary. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not really a fan of the new album 'V'. I only bought it last week but it didn't strike me as that great.

'One More Night' was fun. Never really rated it 18 months ago but it means something now.

I ADORE Adam singing 'Stereo Hearts'. He raps so well and lyrically the song means a lot of me. It always did. It always makes me sing for my life. I love it.
"My heart's a stereo, It beats for you, so listen close.. Make me your radio, And turn me up when you feel low"

'Harder to Breathe'. It's a great crowd pleaser but you know I love the ballads. It's a great song and the catwalk was a nice touch. They've got a great stage set up.

'Lucky Strike' I love. It's got the most fun chorus.
"Oh oh oh my lucky strike. Your body rocking, keep me up all night, One in a million, my lucky strike"

'Wake Up Call' I LOVE Adam's attitude when he is singing this song. Revenge and spite are so much fun.
"Six foot tall, Came without a warning so I had to shoot him dead. He won't come around here anymore, Come around here? I don't think so".

'Love Somebody' THIS song. Wow. I remember singing my heart out to this song 18 months ago when I was still in love with my ex and wishing I could love somebody. I really wanted that. As much as I still want that, I'm cynical and jaded now, and I found myself not quite as into the song as I thought I would be. Took me by surprise but I LOVE that song. It's such a great upbeat number.

'Maps'. Another one of 'V' and another one I could pass on.

'This Love' awwww. Old skool. I will always love this song. It was what brought the band to my attention.

'Sunday Morning' such a sweet song and a great sing-a-Long track. Always goes down well live.
"That may be all I need, In darkness she is all I see, Come and rest your bones with me"

'Makes Me Wonder' I love this song. "And it really makes me wonder, If I ever gave a fuck about you"

The band all came to the front of the stage, will an old skool microphone and Adam sang an acapella intro for 'Payphone'. Wow. He sounded so good with 12,500 people singing along. I love this song. It used to make me cry thinking about the ex but now it's just a damn great song that I adore.

'Daylight'. I was never really keen on this song when 'overexposed' was released but after the last tour I loved it because it meant something. It was a song I held close. And I didn't really realise that until it made me a little emotional last night.

Encore:

'This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfucker'. I'm not keen on this song. The shock value I'm not a fan of. I love Adam's no shit attitude but I'd rather have the sweet Adam of yesteryear singing a love song. Swearing for the sake of swearing is a bit pointless. I loved Adam defending swearing though LOL.

'She Will Be Loved'. Adam asked the crowd to put their phones and cameras away for this one song. The people cheering where the ones watching it through a camera lens all night. He seemed shocked most of the crowd agreed and that was sad to me. He remarked that in America I takes him about 4 hours to get them to do it. I'm as guilty as the next person of talking pictures but photography is a passion of mine, as is creating memories to look back on. For me it's not so much about 100's of pictures of Adam but I try and capture staging, lights, emotion... I love that he cussed out the person with the selfie stick on the front row and called them selfish and that the person 30 rows back hated them. Gooooo Adam. Anyhoo.. It was strange watching him on the big screen without 1000's of camera lights on him. It sounded so good. I just looked up into the rafters of the lighting rigs and got lost in this song. It got me emotional, I was connected in a moment and it was like I was 16 in my bedroom in Ireland with my bestie listening to Songs about Jane for the first time. "Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay a while, and she will be loved"

'Moves Like Jagger'. This song is just so overrated and overplayed and I never loved it. It's great that it brought the band back to the mainstream but God I'm bored of it. I long for them to play some of the 'hands all over' album tracks the casual fans don't know. Like 'how' and 'just a feeling'.

'Sugar' was a bit of a strange last song, another one of the new album that I'm not keen on.

All in all a great show and that McDonald's Arizona nacho grande burger after the show was to die for. Thank you kelly for inviting me spend your birthday with you. What an honour and I hope you had fun.

Today was lovely. We had a cavery at the posh 'strand palace hotel', went shopping at Covent Garden and Leicester Square. I literally screamed when I saw the minions in build-a-bear whoops. Bit loud :p. £35 is a bit steep for a fully kitted out one and they don't have Carl or Dave. Rude. I spent a FORTUNE on Pokemon memorabilia in forbidden planet, fell in love with shoes I can't afford, got some minion London Pj's and a Lion King tote bag from primark's finest, and stopped off for the cupcake pilgrimage to the hummingbird bakery.

Then we went to see tomorrowland at the cinema in Leicester Square. There is something more magical about cinema when it's Leicester Square. It's a shame all the adverts and trailers meant we had to leave early but it's a lovely Disney film full of hope. we had to leave just as it was getting good so I'll have to wait for the DVD now. Need to know what happens, PS no one tell me.

I'll leave you with a quote from Tomorrowland that I ADORED:
"You have two wolves, one representing darkness and despair, the other light and hope. Which one lives? The one you feed.”

Now I need my bed. Brandon flowers round 3 of 3 tomorrow in Birmingham :D

Brandon Flowers Manchester Academy 24 May 15

I think Brandon flowers last night broke me. My arse still hurts from sitting on that pavement queuing & I'm dying of a cold but... Round 2 of 3 was incredible. Truly probably the best solo gig I've seen him do. He sounded incredible. And those moments when he had a grin on his face when he saw me singing my heart out made my night.

'Dreams come true' is a great opener but I wanna experience 'untangled love' as an opener. Hopefully Birmingham. 'Dreams come true' makes me giggle. "Don't go shooting all the dogs now, Just cause one's got fleas". It's got a message though. "Dreams come true
Yes they do..
If you see things a little different
I'm not casting any stones..
I'll overcome the dark"

'Can't deny my love' is a great crowd pleaser. And that grin when he saw me singing for my life, <3 .="" p="">
"Remember this?" Asked Brandon. 'Crossfire'. I love it a lot more than I ever did 5 years ago. It's so much fun live.

Then 'jilted lovers and broken hearts'. I came alive. I was transported back to almost 5 years ago in Dublin when the crowd was bouncing on that wooden floor. This song was always one of my live favourites. so happy I got to hear it again last night.
"I need a place to take refuge
See I been loving you blind
And I guess that made it hard for me to find"

'Hard enough'. I love it. Also memories of 5 years ago. "It's been hard enough on you, it's been hard enough on me"

'Jenny was a friend of mine' was funny. "I want you to listen closely to the lyrics and then decide whether or not he done it"... end of the song... "Well what do you think? Who thinks he didn't do it? *few screams*.. Who thinks he did do it? *everyone screams* "we'll he hasn't got a chance" HAHA.

'Lonely town' was so much fun. Another grin from Brandon as I sang and danced for my life. I swear you can't put a price on the happiness live music gives me.

Then 'digging up the heart'. I knew he was gonna sing this one as I took a cheeky picture of a set list before it was moved and put on the floor. Couldn't read half of it but could read 'dreams come true' was the opener and this one. I was so happy. I love this song so much. It's close to my heart. "He’s digging up the heart, To know the price he paid"

'Read my mind' will always be a fave of mine. I love this reworked version. Brandon remarked he liked reworking it and the girls brought something new to it and that he was reminded of when he wrote it. I dunno what happened but halfway through he lost his place in the lyrics. I think the song was close to his heart last night, and he was in a mindset of thinking about the content of the song and lost his concentration. I love him though. A few years ago he would have been so hard on himself, now he just shrugs and laughs.

'Magdalena'. I didn't bother recording the speech because I done it in Brixton but please someone tell me they have a video of it? I died laughing. He explained about the song and the pilgrimage. He said he should do it one year and asked what month it was 'is ur June?' LOL and decided he had 5 months before it happens this year LOL.. Then he said he felt there is musical pilgrimages too. He said coming to Manchester was a pilgrimage for him. He went to the Salford boys club because he wanted to be blessed by Morrissey, and he went to The Hacienda because he wanted to be forgiven by Bernard Sumner. Then he asked what's the furthest someone's travelled to the gig tonight, someone shouldn't Nevada in a mancunian accent and Brandon copied the accent perfectly and laughed that they didn't sound like they where from Nevada. I laughed so hard. He's so cute.

I'm sorry but 'swallow it' will always make me giggle.

'The way it's always been' I adore. It means a lot to me.
"Ain't that the way that it's always been?, Standin' at the water's edge waiting for the fog to clear"

'Only the young'. Awww the snap dance. I love it. And another grin from Brandon. "Only the young can break away, break away. Lost when the wind blows, on your own"

The Mr Brightside Jacques Lu Cont Remix was fun but it dawned on me that the 'I never' part is missing in parts of the remix he's playing on this tour. Kinda felt a bit lacking. The crowd was singing the words over the melody. I was still bouncing though, even though those around me didn't seem to wanna bounce with me. Fuck it, carried on ;) I really wanna get 'Human' in Birmingham though.

The encore. They brought out a second microphone and Brandon came out and said we might have noticed the second microphone and that he sill remembers living in a small town in Utah back when MTV was still relevant and played music videos. He was about to go on a rant I think and stopped himself LOL. He said he could remember the room and the kind of day it was when he saw new order on the TV and that years later the band would have still have an impact on him. He said he didn't wanna take up anymore more of our time before bringing him out and out came Bernard Sumner himself to do 'bizarre love triangle'. Brandon's little happy face was adorable. You could see on his face he was singing with an idol and it meant a lot to him. After Bernard left the stage Brandon said 'that was about as good as it gets'. Awww.

Then 'I can change'. I love it. Such a little dance number.
"I can bend, I can break, I can shift
I can shake, Place the trail through the drive of rain. Girl I can change for you. I can change for you"

Then the last song "still want you". Brandon sung it with such conviction last night, you could tell he was thinking about his family in that moment. It was adorable.

Then we went outside to the stage door. Jake was on the balcony and he said if we were quiet he had a treat for us. Out came Brandon singing 'The Way It's Always Been' acoustic with just one guitar. He sounded INCREDIBLE. I was floored. He's just done 17 songs inside and he still sounded amazing. A crowd of about 100 just connecting, singing along with Brandon, a mutual respect. It was so beautiful.

He came out afterwards and was doing selfies and signing stuff. I said hi but didn't get a chance to get a selfie as we were too far along and behind the fence. Damn. He's such a beautiful kind, humble human being. And a little shy. I just adore him.

Roll on Birmingham on Thursday. I WANNA DO THE ENTIRE TOUR. *stamps feet*.

London and meeting Brandon Flowers HMV Oxford street 22 May '15

What a day. I'm dead. The step counter says 13 miles walked, 12 more Shaun's found which makes it 50/50 and London complete wahoo! The last 5 'the farmer's lost sheep' were hard to find. They aren't available to locate within the app so I had to resort to the paper trail map & postcodes on google map. It was me that was bloody lost not the sheep. Had a detour around half of Paddington station at rush hour and half of St James park on a mad dash to get the last one before my train :/ was fun though.

And then there was the small matter of meeting Brandon Flowers at lunchtime. He's so kind and adorable and smiley and awwww.

"Brandon flowers flashed that smile at me as I stood shaking.
Hails: hi, Last night was great.
Brandon: awww thanks. Do you want me to make this out to anyone?
Hails: Hayley. H-AY-L-E-Y. thank you".
*still shaking* so proud of me I managed more than Hi. LOL.

I Met a lovely German fan, Jana, in McDonald's that was in front of me at the signing and had lunch with her. The Killers / Brandon fans are the kindest. Never underestimate the beauty of strangers. Thank you so much Leonie for giving me the wristband to meet Brandon.

Of course there was also a hummingbird's cake detour. There is always time for cake ;) and I don't need the map for that haha.

Today was lovely. It was so great to see the beauty of the canal boats on the water at Paddington basin, the trees, greenery and birds at St James park, and the contrast of the gherkin of the financial district.

I love this city. It makes my heart ache.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
"Travel is is the only thing we buy that makes us richer"

PS I wanna go to the gig tonight. Wahhhhh.

London and Brandon Flowers Brixton 21 May '15

What an amazing day. Wandered around London in the 20°C sunshine and got 9 more Shaun's on the trail. Up to 38/50 now. Then there was a 99 Ice cream cone down at tower bridge, it was always one of my 'must go one day' places and now I've seen it. Walked Approximately 8 miles. I feel so blessed to get to enjoy such a beautiful city. I still have hopes and dreams. And a bit of sunburn I think LOL.

Then I headed to Brixton to see Brandon flowers. Got 5th row seated on the balcony, which was the first row to allow standing and it was an amazing gig. 'Remember this one?' It was 'Crossfire' and it was so much fun. 'Magdalena' and 'hard enough' were a blast from the 2010 past. Brandon commented that 'the good thing about time off from my day job with the killers is that I get to rework songs and discover things you hadn't noticed before' and the reworked 'Jenny' I gotta admit was good although I'm not keen on that song. Took me right back to when I first bought hot fuss. Then 'lonely town'. The place exploded. I love that song so very much and it looks like the other 5,000 people there did too. 'I can change' was gorgeous. I saw Brandon look over to the corner of the stage and wondered if his wife was there. That reworked version of 'read my mind' was beautiful. Always a fave of mine. 'Swallow it' will alway make me giggle. Sorry. 'Only the young' had the snap dance. I've really missed that. Brandon looks so happy and sounds even better on this tour. The place exploded at the Jacques lu cont remix of 'Mr brightside' I could feel the balcony bouncing, Brandon was bouncing too. So much energy. Then the encore, Brandon brought out Chrissie Hynde for 2 songs. He said he regretted not making the press aware how much the pretenders influenced the killers. They done 'don't get me wrong' which was fun. Brandon was dancing perfectly with Chrissie but then it all went a bit pear shaped and he threw his hands up and Carried on. I love him so very much. 'Between me and you' is beautiful but I wasn't sure about Chrissie on it tonight if I'm honest. Then the cutest thing ever. Brandon said for the past 12 years we'd been sharing him with someone else and he brought on his wife and 2 of his kids to say hi. It was so cute. The song was 'still want you' and it was a lovely gesture. Then another of my favourites off 'The Desired Effect', 'the way it's always been'. I love that song. All in all a great night. I will always hold Brandon close to my chest, solo and with the killers. We were very blessed to get the duet and 'between me and you' but I couldn't help but walk away wishing for 'digging up the heart'. I'm praying it reappears at Manchester of Birmingham. It's probably my fave off 'the desired effect' right now. 

Cheeky Burger King on the way back to the hotel and now it's sleep time because tomorrow I get to go to HMV and meet Brandon Flowers in the flesh and have him sign 'The Desired Effect' for me. Dead but excited.