Here and Now

Last night I went to Wembley Arena to see the Here and Now tour. The lineup was a bunch of 1 hit wonders from the 80s, and my British companions were amazed to find out that these people/bands had even made it across the pond. We, unfortunately, got there a bit late (the concert was called for 7:30, and we arrived at 8 thinking that there would be no way they'd start on time. By the time we found our seats, the first band, the Cutting Crew (of "I just died in your arms tonight" fame) had just finished. Next came Curiosity Killed the Cat, who I don't think ever made it big in the US and Johnny Hates Jazz ("Shattered dreams"). Then came the big hitters - ABC ("Poison arrow" and "Look of love"), Paul Young ("Every time you go away"), Bananarama ("Venus" and "Cruel summer"), and Rick Astley ("Together forever" and "Never gonna give you up"). The whole evening was like a slow dance in junior high school. It was wonderful. I didn't bring my camera, but here are some of the highlights from the show (these are from a different venue, but it was basically the same thing - I think they were even wearing the same outfits).

Rick Astley
ABC
Bananarama
Paul Young


There were some distinct differences between seeing a concert in the UK versus one in the US. Someone in our row spilled their drink, and a guy with a mop came by to clean it up. I was shocked! The ushers were actually helpful and nice. There were enough bathrooms that you could find one easily without a queue. And the bathrooms were clean! It was a very pleasant experience just being in an arena that functioned in such an orderly and sanitary way.