UK Show Reviews and Michael Moments - 10
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brilliant brilliant brilliant with nothing to top it!!!!!!!!!! Carol Richards 193.149.76.99 <sdscs@msn.com> Faversham, Kent United Kingdom - Saturday, January 31, 1998 at 12:45:25 (PST)
28/1/98 WEMBLEY ARENA. ABSOLUTLY FABULOUS SHOW.BRILLIANT, WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN. TRACY O'KEEFFE 195.232.12.16 <ANDY4SCUBA@COMPUSERVE.COM> CHATHAM, ENGLAND - Saturday, January 31, 1998 at 14:43:22 (PST)
I saw the show in Wembley on 29th Jan. Thanks for signing my program Michael. Andrea Stewart 166.98.110.135 Edinburgh, Scotland - Saturday, January 31, 1998 at 17:13:27 (PST)
Happy Sunday to all in Flatleyland. Well, I've just about managed to catch up on my sleep. (Yawn) Still very over-whelmed with my LOTD and VB experiences, though. I was a very lucky lady to be able to see MICHAEL once again and all those talented tapping toes of some of the greatest dancers in the world. But I must admit, this time around, it was the wonderful comradship that made my first European trip one truly amazing time. From the very first hellos and hugs to the last teary good-byes and hugs, I was with FRIENDS. Ones I hope will remain so forever. At the LOTD performances, I found myself looking around at my fellow VBers to observe their reactions to what they were watching up on the stage. For some, it was their very first time. As they cried and laughed, so I cried and laughed. As they clapped, jumped up and down, screamed and hollared, so did I. It was very infectious and the emotions ran rampant. Then listening to everyone's account of what they had just seen brought goosebumps and shivers to my spine. It was truly awesome. As the danvers left the venue, I found myself popping off pictures of everyone in their moments of joy. Sorry to say some of those pictures got double exposed with my sight-seeing ones, but even they did evoke reels of laughter to all who saw them. Right, Teri? Then when we gathered at the back gate for our MICHAEL moments, more shivers ran down my spine, face, hands and feet. Geez-oh-Pete, it was cold!!!! But my bed-roll (ha ha, Larry) of a coat did come in very handy. It was on the 26th that I was able to present MICHAEL with a small gift, and I think I got a kiss on both cheeks. I know I got one for sure. Ummmmmmmm, nice. And I believe he said that he would enjoy the present. Gad, the memory does fail one when your are in his presence. Anyone out there that may have a picture of my moment, please send and let me know if you can recall exactly what he said, cuz I can't remember. Dawh !! I haven't got all my pictures back, so I'm hoping the ones I took with our man do come out. Then after the waiting and our MICHAEL moments, it was off to the Hilton for warmth, drinks and fun. As this was my first time to be around the dancers, band and other crew emebers after a show, I was thrilled to be able to observe them off stage. What a bunch of great lads and lassies. Not to mention funny. But again, it was the VBers that made my LOTD trip exceptional. Watching everyone having a ball was sheer magic to me. Certainly have moments to treasure, gang. I did manage to get in some sight-seeing with Viv and Alby, and on my own. I wasn't able to get in all that I'd planned, but being around my fellow VBers was much more important. There's always another time for London, but never again will there be the likes of what I had with such a great group of people. My love and gratitude to Teri and Larry, Maria, Viv, Alby, Linda UK, Vanessa and Bwian (g), Heli and Janne, Ann, Michele and Julie. {{{{{{{{{{ HUGS }}}}}}}}}} to all from one very happy and thankful (and still very tired) Flathead from Florida, who was part of the greatest LOTD Gathering she has ever attended. And to MICHAEL, all my love for giving me this chace and opportunity of my life. WHAT A RIDE !!!!!! Merrybeth 205.187.209.34 <Merrybee@ix.netcom.com> Rockledge, FL USA - Sunday, February 01, 1998 at 06:18:57 (PST)
AT LAST!!!! ALBY has finally come down to within reach of a KB long enough to post her wonderful experiences.......TYTYTY ALBY!!!!!
Alby, wake up... Come down from the clouds, come back to Planet Earth! It's time to leave Flatleyland now, dear... (Alby bangs head with keyboard) OUCH!! That hurts! Where am I? Back to work? NO WAY! Really?!? Well, gotta face reality... I must start by thanking you ALL "Alby's Angels" who helped to make this dream come true. I know now that many people ordered "Alby's T-shirts" and some even payed more than $20 for them... >From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Last week I had the best 3 days of my life. Now that it's all over part of me is very sad but the other part is filled with joy, happiness and love. I have so many beautiful memories and wonderful moments keep playing back inside my mind. I laugh and cry each time I remember them. I will now try to put those memories into words so that you'll all know what happened and how I feel. Let's start from the beginning (press rewind button) : ) I left Lisbon's airport last 24th heading for Heathrow. About halfway we had to return to Lisbon due to some technical problem with the plane! Back in Lisbon they got me on another plane to Faro (city in the south part of the country) and I was told that there I would take another plane to Heathrow. That's what happened, so instead of arriving at Heathrow at 1pm I ended up arriving at around 8pm!! Was that a good start or what? I already thought MARIA, VIVICA and MERRYBETH would have given up on me by then but no sir, I spotted them there waiting for me. I knew them (from photos) but they didn't know me so I just went around and literally jumped on them! It was an unforgettable moment! We shared hugs and kisses and immediately felt like long lost sisters who were getting back together again! I had to tell them my "plane adventure" on the way to the hotel where LARRY and TERI WALTON were staying and waiting for us. I must confess that although I consider everybody I met in London my friends, these three ladies and that amazing couple are very special to me. When they saw me they hugged me sooo tight I thought I was gonna stay glued to them forever and of course everybody started crying, even LARRY (I'm sorry, TERI darling, but I DO love your husband almost as much as I love Michael :) :) :) !) Of course I'm not going to tell you all the small details or I would stay here posting for about 48 hours in a row! But I must add that I of course showed them "Voices from the Heart" (the cd for Michael) and they all told me the cover was beautiful. I'm very glad that people appreciated my work and effort... I just hope Michael listens to it and shares the same opinion... MARIA surprised me by saying that we had tickets for the next day (25th), 7TH ROW, DEAD CENTER! I couldn't believe it!! So now let me press the forward button a litle bit to get to my first LOTD gathering and show. Ah, there we are! At the Hilton Hotel right next to Wembley Arena (and where all the Troupe and band members and crew were staying) I finally met VANESSA and hubby BRIAN (another wonderful couple!), LINDA UK, MICHELE and ANN and HELI and her significant other JANA from Finland. I will never forget them and the good moments we've spent together. I'll cherish them for the rest of my life. On to my 1st show; the seats were REALLY great (thanks MARIA!) and we could hear Michael warming up behind the curtain! We were all wearing the lovely t-shirts MERRYBETH made for us, black with the unicorn and Lord of the Dance painted in gold. We also wore shamrocks and armbands. When the show started and those purple lights hit me, tears started rolling down my face; I felt like I was entering the gates of Heaven. When The Little Spirit rised from the floor more tears came flowing; and when finally Michael appeared in the red lights I just held VIVICA's and MERRYBETH's hands! There he was, my Lord of the Dance, lovely, full of energy, powerful, gorgeous and SO REAL!! We clapped, stomped and screamed our heads off all the way through the show. Boy, I surely enjoyed every single minute of it! We weren't able to meet Michael that night. A very nice security guard told us he was going to stay inside to watch some football game with the other lads, so we left. And here ends the first part of my long post. I'll keep you in suspense for a while :) My boss will kill me if I stay here another minute! END OF PART ONE. ALBY (still wondering about in the gardens of Flatleyland. She probably will never come back to Earth... Well, maybe just to post PART TWO!) 194.65.233.126 <aimartin@hotmail.com> - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 01:53:56 (PST)
PART TWO: Alby and MARIA had tickets to the show on the 26th, courtesy of Polygram. I really had to fight for those tickets for months on end. I also tried to get a 10 minute interview with our Mike but was told that he was too busy... Anyway that morning we went to pick up those tickets and were also presented with two cds each: "Celtic Dreams" and Ronan Hardiman's new cd "Solas". Not bad, right? It's good to work in a radio station and have a few good connections! :) There we went to my second show (after the usual gathering at the Hilton). The seats were not that great but you can't have everything, right? WRONG!! During intermission ANN and MICHELE (who had 1st row tickets for every show!) started waving and shouting for me to come down: there was an empty seat right next to them!! How did that happen? Another miracle? Suddenly it occured to me that I was probably sitting on Michael's late grandmother's seat! If I was, God bless her soul, maybe she granted me that privilege! So I got to watch the second part of the show right under Michael's nose! I could see his baby-blue eyes, his beautiful smile, could see his sweat flying, could almost count the hairs on his chest! And OF COURSE I counted the buttons on his pants! Talk about POINK!! Again we gathered at the gate where Michael was supposed to come out. We must have stayed there for at least 2 hours in the freezing cold. But I'll never regret it. When the car finally came out, Daire, Michael and I think two other members of the troupe were inside. Daire came out, signed some autographs and when we saw Michael coming out too someone immediately shouted "We're all VBers!" and he started hugging everybody. I was standing at the back of the group, I just couldn't get myself near him, my legs wouldn't move! I was so stupid I didn't even take a photo of the guy! MARIA finally caught his attention and introduced me to him. He looked at me and kissed me but (Aaaaargh! Stupid Alby!) I turned my head and got a kiss on the cheek! I managed somehow to present him the cd and MARIE's and MONA's letters. I explained what was on that cd and he thanked me and said it was wonderful. I remember noticing his tie, his earrings but was never really able to make a good eye-contact. Can you believe this? The only thing I was able to ask was for him to sign my ticket which of course he did. We then took a group photo (that's probably the only one where I'm with him). When he left I felt like the most stupid creature on the face of the Earth! Everybody kept telling me he was really paying attention to me while I was presenting the cd but I couldn't remember anything. There was something I definitly missed...We went back to the Hilton and I was holding my autographed ticket and crying all the way. That night the band and some members of the troupe really made us feel like one big family. They played, sang, danced and joked around. I was not feeling very well but enjoyed myself anyway. We got back to our little hotel rooms at about 6.30 am! for the 27th (my last show) I had a really bad ticket which was better than nothing but... again a miracle happened. The day before LARRY and TERI WALTON (who had 3 tickets for the 27th) decided they wouldn't be going to that show. VIVICA was leaving so TERI gave me, MERRYBETH and MARIA their tickets! 4TH ROW, DEAD CENTER AGAIN!! What can I say? THANK YOU TERI & LARRY! Wait patiently for PART THREE to read about my last show and my second WONDERFUL Michael Moment! ALBY (wait patiently for PART THREE, ok?) 194.65.233.126 <aimartin@hotmail.com> Flatleyland (FOREVER!) - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 02:45:42 (PST)
If anyone wants to write to me, feel free: Joanne Harvey 13 Anker View Kettlebrook Tamworth Staffs B77 1AR ENGLAND Joanne Harvey 194.83.132.11 <jhc1979@hotmail.com> Staffs, England - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 03:34:42 (PST)
PART THREE: 27th January, last show for Alby. I was so sad about my first Michael Moment that I decided I had to try again; I would wait for him after the show even if I had to stay alone and wait all night! But I was lucky enough to be in very good company. MERRYBETH, HELI and JANA, LINDA UK and VANESSA were there with me. I had to tell Michael to listen to the cd, to really take care of himself and of course I had to try and get a kiss, I just couldn't leave without one! We didn't have to wait for long that night or so it seems to me because I really wasn't paying much attention to the hours or the cold, I just focused on the moment that I was somehow sure it was going to happen. I think it was VANESSA who told me "I just heard the security guard saying he's coming out". The limo appeared, with just the driver and Michael inside and it pulled outside the gate. We approached the car but everybody sort of kept quite for a while because they knew I had to have my special moment. His window came down, I put my left hand on it and... I'll just press the PLAY button now because it is really all recorded... (g)... in my mind, of course! So "listen" carefully: MICHAEL: Hi guys! How are you? Anything you want me to sign? (You could see he was in a bit of a hurry. Then he looked at me, real eye-contact this time and held my hand!) MICHAEL: (to ALBY, in the softest tone of voice you can imagine) Hello darling. (KISS!) Nice to see ya! ALBY: (smiling happily because that kiss was given so naturally and I realized he recognized me from the night before!) That's one of the things I wanted to ask you for, yesterday I didn't get a proper one! MICHAEL: (laughing) Ooooohh... (and most of you know how he goes "oooohhh" in this kind of tender way) Now you won't have that to say again! (BIG, WONDERFUL KISS!) ALBY: (sort of floating, after that second AMAZING kiss!)You remember I gave you the cd? MICHAEL: I remember it... ALBY: When you have the time you listen to it, ok? MICHAEL: Ok, you KNOW I will, OF COURSE I will! ALBY: Yeah, I know you will... Then he signed some programs and other stuff, some people took photos (I planted a kiss on his cheek while he was smiling for photos, I hope someone got that!), chatted a bit with the rest of the gang and... before he left... ALBY: I love you! MICHAEL: Love you too! Bye-bye now... The car pulled away and I shouted "Take care of yourself!" And I still heard hil answer "I will". :) :) :) :) Now I'm back. At least part of me is back. The other part is still there and will stay forever, watching that incredible show and living those wonderful moments. It's like there's two of me now, one very happy Alby who was lucky enough to have front row seats at Wembley Arena for 3 nights, who lived unforgetable moments with her friends and Michael Flatley. The other Alby cried all the way back home inside a plane and her heart aches every time she realizes she'll never see Michael again... I even thought about going to Belgium in April but I already know the tickets for the show and for the flight are far too expensive... and I'm still financially in big trouble. Now I've just got one VERY important thing to ask to ALL I met in London: PLEASE be kind enough (and I know you are!) to send me copies of the photos you've taken, especially the ones which have Michael. Remember I wasn't able to take him a single picture! So HELI, LARRY & TERI, MARIA, VIVICA, MERRYBETH, LINDA UK, VANESSA & BRIAN (ANN & MICHELE, I don't know if you took any pics), please don't forget me! Send me what you can. Some may show up on someone's website but I don't even have a coloured printer here... Do this for me, that's my final and only goal now. Thanks also to all of you who prayed for me and sent me positive energy and light! I know you were all there with me too, al least in spirit! I've never felt better and my doctor told me on my last appointment that the brain tumor, if all continues to go well, will be removed from my head sometime around March. Miracles DO happen, I'm positive of that now! And I'm not afraid of anything anymore! So now the Alby who has to face real life is going back to work... The other Alby is still there, standing outside that back gate at Wembley Arena, holding Michael's warm hand and feeling the soft touch of his lips... That's where you'll find me. There is no present, no future... Nothing else matters... LOVE YOU FOREVER, MICHAEL! Love and Light always! ALBY 194.65.233.126 <aimartin@hotmail.com> Flatleyland (FOREVER!) - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 03:25:49 (PST)
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