Vocal Voices

I went to see Paul Weller last night at a local park. I was a tad nervous, as and most of you already know this, I have a phobia about drunk people. But I figured if I didn't like the people round me I could always move. We went with a couple of friends, we took a picnic and yes, we took a box of wine (most of which we brought home) and a couple of bottles of cider. I was really happy to start with, the people around us were like us, sitting having some drink and picnics and just enjoying themselves.

I was quite happy watching the concert when all of a sudden a man staggers through the crown, trying to carry/drag an extremely drunk woman. They fell through the chairs of the row in front of us and at that point, I vanished. I went a stood further away, but I saw them move into the open area and she literally could not get up and he was too drunk to help her. Tim came and found me and said they have gone. So back I went. But by then I was on hyper alert. Then security got called and then went into the crowd and dragged out three men. The last half hour felt like a lifetime, it is testament to my like of Paul Weller and even bigger love of Stevie Cradock, that I stayed. As I was bending down folding our chairs up at the end, I felt a thud on my back and Louise grabbed me by both arms and pulled me out of the way as a man fell on me, but to be honest I had no idea what was happening, but heard a man say oh sorry love as he staggered away.

They streamed 6,500 people through one exit, so I was ducking and diving trying to avoid people that couldn't walk. I said to Tim, Lou and Nigel just go ahead and wait for me at the end, I will find you, but Louise stayed with me. Even as we walked back to the car there were people staggering about.

By the time I got home I was completely traumatised. The woman was the worst, even Louise said, she didn't like seeing that. But as I said to her, 'but whereas you will forget it by tomorrow, it will play through my head for hours and it did. I couldn't sleep I just kept seeing her"

I know Tim says you can't stop it happening and that most of the crowd were fine, which they were, but for me it was hell.

My solution is split the audience into two halves with high fencing, normal people one side and piss heads the other

I am not totally neurotic, Ally can vouch for the fact I can cope with thousands of people and walking in a crowd provided I am not surrounded by drunk people

It sounds horrible - I don't like drunks either. It probably stems from my first marriage where my (then) husband drank a lot and would get verbally abusive - now if I am around a 'nasty' drunk I can't abide it. Happy drunks don't bother me as much but I'm still not very keen......

A shame if it detracted from the concert for you MM, very nasty experience. I cannot abide crowds, drunk or sober.

Why do people have to get so drunk they can‘t stand up let alone walk?!

Yes I enjoy a drink and I know we have a laugh on here about some of my antics..but I do know when I‘ve had enough and hopefully have never made a prat of myself.

Shell...given how many thousands were in the Ricoh for Bruce everyone seemed to behave themselves, didn‘t they?

(Not stealing your thread but I‘m at Herman‘s excellent party and there is the most obnoxious English couple here that you can guarantee I will be posting about later!!!)

VILE!!

I do some voluntary work on Friday evenings in Beeston at the other side of Leeds. It is a fair way away, but only one bus, so not too bad..... except on the return.

We finish at 9:30 pm and the next bus is the pre-loaders' special as they prepare for their Friday night out. It amazes me that many of them are already well cut before going out, and there is always an 'edge' to the atmosphere. It is a big relief to get to the city centre and see them get off.

Mm that must have been awful for you (((((x)))))

I just don't get it, this idea some people have that if the opportunity's there, they have to fit in as much drink as they possibly can (or can't, more accurately). I'm like you Ally, I do enjoy a drink (or several!) but my enjoyment doesn't depend on it.

Why pay good money for a concert ticket and then get that drunk that you won't remember much of it? At Blondie the other week there were quite a few drunks. As Ally mentioned that the people at Bruce Springsteen were well behaved I wonder if the difference is that you and I were at concerts in public spaces where people were able to take in their own cheap alcohol but in a stadium venue you have to buy overpriced drinks from the bar?

I don't like drunks either, as I explained at the meet I wanted to get the train around 9 because if I got the later ones they're full of drunks and it makes for an unpleasant and stressy journey.

It just makes no sense to me why people have to drink that much and get in that state on a night out.

aw that sounds awful for you i am the same and don't like to be around people like that, makes me get anxious and panicky

in my early twenties I could drink lots and always walk/talk etc, but since having Amy, despite being nearly double the size, I get drunk very quickly and have the feeling of not being in control, now I rarely drink - I went out the other week and had just over half a bottle of wine and one cocktail, don't like feeling out of it, not nice!

hope you can get over this experience

xxx

Workingman wrote:I do some voluntary work on Friday evenings in Beeston at the other side of Leeds. It is a fair way away, but only one bus, so not too bad..... except on the return.

We finish at 9:30 pm and the next bus is the pre-loaders' special as they prepare for their Friday night out. It amazes me that many of them are already well cut before going out, and there is always an 'edge' to the atmosphere. It is a big relief to get to the city centre and see them get off.

They get tanked up on cheap supermarket booze before going to the more expensive pubs and clubs. It's something I've noticed round here too.
MM, hope you are OK? It's no fun being around people who are so incapable and witless.

I don't understand the need to get legless. Yes, I like a drink (not that you can tell.........) but I would never, ever get to the point where I didn't know what I was doing or was likely to make a complete plonker of myself.

And I don't understand the logic behind paying loads of money for something and then getting too drunk to enjoy it. My friend went to see Robbie Williams not long ago and commented on the amount of very drunk people there - those tickets cost almost £100.