Post by Valenti on Apr 25, 2005 18:49:44 GMT
As posted by Lucy on lomu...
One year ago today
The Leicester Eleven Meet Chris
23/04/04
It started on a sunny Friday afternoon. I packed my bags and set off to the High Street to catch a bus into Farnborough. I arrived in the hot sunshine and made my way into the shopping centre to find Vicki, our famous and talented group creator, who I was meeting there. I got a little lost and so did she, but we found each other eventually. We chatted about Chris and the site among other things as we waited in the shade by the recycling bins in the Asda car park. It was around 3pm by now and we wondered where the others had got to.
Then we heard a toot behind us. There was Liz's Ford Escort with her and Lindy inside, waving at us. We smiled and took our bags and headed to the car. We said our hellos then climbed into the back. We were off! We zoomed onto the M3 and were soon on the M25. That's when the zooming stopped. We were stuck in a large jam, with the sun beating down on us. Not nice. So to raise our spirits, we put Liz's Chris CD on at top volume. We crawled at snail pace for around an hour then eventually got moving and joined the M1.
At Toddington Services, we got out to stretch our legs and have a loo break. There we met the lovely Barbara, who joined us in the cramped back seat. We continued up the M1, getting excited every time the signposts for Leicester showed we were getting nearer. Then we were there! After a wrong turn and an enquiry in McDonalds, we found the Travel Inn and unloaded our bags.
In the entrance, we met the rest of the famous Leicester Eleven as we had become known. There were my fellow competition winners Shell & Nat, plus Nat's friend Rach (who we just had to convert to a Chris fan!) and Mags who had kindly driven them there. Then there was Barbs and her daughter Rosie, both keen Chris fans too. It was like old friends meeting, we already had a close bond through our devotion to Chris. We booked into the hotel then headed to our rooms to get ready for the big night.
Liz and I checked out our room and looked at the badges she had kindly made for us all and the card we were all to sign. I put my favourite shoes on, checked my reflection then was ready to roll! Liz collected everyone's messages for the card and I got the Champagne out ready. At 7.30pm we met outside and got into our taxis. The driver told us to head for the High Street for somewhere to eat, so we did just that. We agreed on Pizza Hut - my favourite - and got a table for 11. We all got chatting away, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. Most of us took photos of the group, the first of many photos that evening! I sat at the end with Shell, Nat and Rach, sharing a yummy stuffed-crust pizza with them.
Then we were off into town. On our way, we came across a member of staff from Zanzibar who was handing out fliers. She was amazed when we told her we had all traveled great distances just to see Chris, and pointed us in the right direction. We arrived at the club with butterflies in our stomachs just after it had opened. The manageress was on the reception and was also amazed at how far we'd all traveled. We competition winners made ourselves known and she told us she'd come and find us later. She led us to the bar and got us all a free drink. I was enjoying the VIP treatment!
We found a couple of booths at the back of the club where it was a bit quieter. The club was gradually filling up, mainly with youths who looked suspiciously under 18. We sat chatting, eying the stage every now and then with anticipation. We waited. The free 'Champagne' arrived (more like fizzy wine). We drank. We waited. I was nervous, and getting anxious why we hadn't been called for the competition yet. I shared my anxiety with Shell and she seemed worried too. It was getting late and we wondered why he wasn't on stage yet.
When the manageress came over again, I asked her what was happening and she said Chris would be on stage around midnight and that we'd all see him afterwards, the winners beforehand too. I was getting excited and kept rehearsing what to say to him in my head. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so nervous or excited!
It got to midnight and the DJ announced Chris was about to go on stage. Shell, Nat and I looked at each other in disbelief. What had happened to the so-called competition?! The manageress made her way over and told us that Chris hadn't wanted to see anyone beforehand because he was psyching himself up for the performance, but he had agreed to meet us all afterwards. In the background, we could hear the DJ announcing him on stage. Everything was happening so fast, it was all a blur. The manageress lead us quickly to the stage and showed us to the box on the stage, where we would watch him from. On the stage. We were on the stage with The Divine One!
As we legged it into the box, Chris was already onstage, launching into 'End Of The Road'. I sighed and got my camera out. I loved that song; it was fantastic to hear him sing the full version. His voice sounded amazing, too powerful for a small club. Halfway through however, disaster struck and his microphone cut out. He carried on singing but the backing track drowned him out. Thankfully, the DJ handed him another microphone that worked. He then went into his second track, 'Against All Odds'. I was surprised to hear him sing this as he hadn't done it on the programme, but it really suited his voice. I tried to get some decent photos, but the lighting wasn't great and the shots came out dark and blurry.
One year ago today
The Leicester Eleven Meet Chris
23/04/04
It started on a sunny Friday afternoon. I packed my bags and set off to the High Street to catch a bus into Farnborough. I arrived in the hot sunshine and made my way into the shopping centre to find Vicki, our famous and talented group creator, who I was meeting there. I got a little lost and so did she, but we found each other eventually. We chatted about Chris and the site among other things as we waited in the shade by the recycling bins in the Asda car park. It was around 3pm by now and we wondered where the others had got to.
Then we heard a toot behind us. There was Liz's Ford Escort with her and Lindy inside, waving at us. We smiled and took our bags and headed to the car. We said our hellos then climbed into the back. We were off! We zoomed onto the M3 and were soon on the M25. That's when the zooming stopped. We were stuck in a large jam, with the sun beating down on us. Not nice. So to raise our spirits, we put Liz's Chris CD on at top volume. We crawled at snail pace for around an hour then eventually got moving and joined the M1.
At Toddington Services, we got out to stretch our legs and have a loo break. There we met the lovely Barbara, who joined us in the cramped back seat. We continued up the M1, getting excited every time the signposts for Leicester showed we were getting nearer. Then we were there! After a wrong turn and an enquiry in McDonalds, we found the Travel Inn and unloaded our bags.
In the entrance, we met the rest of the famous Leicester Eleven as we had become known. There were my fellow competition winners Shell & Nat, plus Nat's friend Rach (who we just had to convert to a Chris fan!) and Mags who had kindly driven them there. Then there was Barbs and her daughter Rosie, both keen Chris fans too. It was like old friends meeting, we already had a close bond through our devotion to Chris. We booked into the hotel then headed to our rooms to get ready for the big night.
Liz and I checked out our room and looked at the badges she had kindly made for us all and the card we were all to sign. I put my favourite shoes on, checked my reflection then was ready to roll! Liz collected everyone's messages for the card and I got the Champagne out ready. At 7.30pm we met outside and got into our taxis. The driver told us to head for the High Street for somewhere to eat, so we did just that. We agreed on Pizza Hut - my favourite - and got a table for 11. We all got chatting away, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. Most of us took photos of the group, the first of many photos that evening! I sat at the end with Shell, Nat and Rach, sharing a yummy stuffed-crust pizza with them.
Then we were off into town. On our way, we came across a member of staff from Zanzibar who was handing out fliers. She was amazed when we told her we had all traveled great distances just to see Chris, and pointed us in the right direction. We arrived at the club with butterflies in our stomachs just after it had opened. The manageress was on the reception and was also amazed at how far we'd all traveled. We competition winners made ourselves known and she told us she'd come and find us later. She led us to the bar and got us all a free drink. I was enjoying the VIP treatment!
We found a couple of booths at the back of the club where it was a bit quieter. The club was gradually filling up, mainly with youths who looked suspiciously under 18. We sat chatting, eying the stage every now and then with anticipation. We waited. The free 'Champagne' arrived (more like fizzy wine). We drank. We waited. I was nervous, and getting anxious why we hadn't been called for the competition yet. I shared my anxiety with Shell and she seemed worried too. It was getting late and we wondered why he wasn't on stage yet.
When the manageress came over again, I asked her what was happening and she said Chris would be on stage around midnight and that we'd all see him afterwards, the winners beforehand too. I was getting excited and kept rehearsing what to say to him in my head. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so nervous or excited!
It got to midnight and the DJ announced Chris was about to go on stage. Shell, Nat and I looked at each other in disbelief. What had happened to the so-called competition?! The manageress made her way over and told us that Chris hadn't wanted to see anyone beforehand because he was psyching himself up for the performance, but he had agreed to meet us all afterwards. In the background, we could hear the DJ announcing him on stage. Everything was happening so fast, it was all a blur. The manageress lead us quickly to the stage and showed us to the box on the stage, where we would watch him from. On the stage. We were on the stage with The Divine One!
As we legged it into the box, Chris was already onstage, launching into 'End Of The Road'. I sighed and got my camera out. I loved that song; it was fantastic to hear him sing the full version. His voice sounded amazing, too powerful for a small club. Halfway through however, disaster struck and his microphone cut out. He carried on singing but the backing track drowned him out. Thankfully, the DJ handed him another microphone that worked. He then went into his second track, 'Against All Odds'. I was surprised to hear him sing this as he hadn't done it on the programme, but it really suited his voice. I tried to get some decent photos, but the lighting wasn't great and the shots came out dark and blurry.
