Last Night of the Proms

On the 9th of September I went with my mate Debbie (and 50,000 of our close pals) to Hyde Park to see the Last Night of the Proms in Hyde Park. It was so much fun and highly recommended for us foreigners in search of 'British experiences'. Basically it's a big concert with a mix of classical and modern music, that hooks up live with the actual last night of the Proms held down the road in the Royal Albert Hall (it has a waiting list of years).

Debbie and her housemates got there at 3pm to get a decent spot when the gates opened at 4pm. There were queues for Africa. Most people were super-organised with picnics and deck chairs (I'll know what to do next time!) and many people seemed to use the event for big family reunions. It was actually really nice to see so many families. We had a family next to us - one kid sporting a 'Lionel Ritchie Fan Club' t-shirt - and they had the time of their lives. They sang and danced and joked around with each other all night.





A 'Madness' tribute band kicked off the pre-entertainment, followed by Chas and Dave, who some of you may remember, and the X-Factor reject, Chico. I predict his new single 'C-h-i-c-o' (a rip-off of the song 'D-I-S-C-O') will not exactly burn up the charts. But I greatly admire his knack for self-promotion. And his spelling prowess.





The official show was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, and featured Angela Gherghiou, the impossibly gorgeous 'Vittorio', Alison Balsam (arguably the best trumpeter in the world), Carl Davis and the BBC Orchestra, and the headline act was Lionel Ritchie. Now, I like Lionel. I would not be seen dead wearing his fan club t-shirt of course, but let me tell you, the man can sing and work the stage! From the moment he stepped out on the stage he had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing their lungs out to 'Dancing on the Ceiling' and many of his other hits. Hyde Park then was hooked up live with Albert Hall and other proms in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Swansea, Manchester and Wales for the traditional Proms bit where the stiff-upper-lips brits go silly and sing songs like 'Land of Hope and Glory', Jerusalem' and 'Rule Britannia' and wave the union Jack around. I sang myself hoarse. It was an absolutely brilliant night!