lindajan Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 I thought that you might like to hear about my trip to the DOI tour. I hope you are sitting comfortably, then I'll begin. When I eventually got round to booking a ticket on Tuesday, I was surprised to be able to get one for row B in one of the floor blocks on Thursday at the MEN Arena – it was expensive but it was nearly at the front, so I bought it. I was pleased to find that the seat was about two-thirds of the way back on the lefthand side of the rink. The show started, as usual, with the warm-up guy, Andy. He explained that they were videoing for the DVD, although I'm sure that has happened at several shows. The whole show was amazing and Gareth was fantastic, he looked brilliant, he got a great response from the crowd whenever he came onto the ice and his skating continues to improve. The judges scores in the order skated were: Bonnie and Pavel 27 David and Kristina 19 Clare and Andrei 26.5 Gareth and Maria 25 Linda and Dan 22 Kyran and Melanie 29.5 Zaraah and Fred 25 Chris and Frankie 28 Suzanne and Matt 30 Gareth and Maria were therefore in equal sixth place with the judges. Robin gave him a score of 5.5 and was very complimentary about Gareth's skating and attitude. He really liked Gareth's performance to 'Livin' On A Prayer' and felt that he had listened to criticisms and really gone for it. The second half of the show contained some stunning performances by the professional skaters, especially Fred and Mel's 'Candy Man' and I really liked the performance by Kristina, Frankie, Matt and Dan. There was also the Sixties routine with all of the skaters, and the celebrities and their partners performed a second number. Gareth and Maria did 'Beautiful Day', which was lovely and has definitely been made more complex since the TV show. Throughout there were brilliant performances by Torvill and Dean – it was great to see them skate live, as I always liked to watch them back in the 80s. Finally it was time to reveal who would skate 'Bolero', Gareth was the sixth to be eliminated although that is done in “no particular order”. Chris and Suzanne were the final two and Suzanne won. Then all the skaters came on the ice for the final performance and then it was all over. I really enjoyed the show and had got to see Gareth perform very close up, so I was already very happy – but the best was yet to come!! (I think that I'd better split this post here, as it is getting rather lengthy, but I won't keep you waiting for very long!) Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindajan Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 So far I've left out some really important things. Just before the show started, a man that I recognised but couldn't immediately name was shown into a seat just to the right and in front of me. After a few moments I realised that it was Linda Lusardi's husband, Sam Kane. I then looked around and just over my left shoulder, in the front row of the tiered seating was a girl that I thought looked like Gareth's sister, Nicola – but I wasn't sure! Anyway I kept glancing back and realised that she was with a group of people including a man that could definitely have been Gareth's dad. I still wasn't completely confident that I was right, but whenever Gareth was on the ice anywhere near this area he was obviously acknowledging someone in the crowd that he knew. During the interval most of the group went off but the man, Nicola(?) and another girl stayed in their seats. At one point the man turned towards me and I could really see a resemblance to Gareth. Eventually I persuaded myself that I should go and have a word with them. I went over and asked the girl whether she was Gareth's sister and she said “Yes” and that the man was her dad. I then had a lovely chat with them about Gareth, although I'm sure I came across as a gibbering wreck! They were so friendly and didn't seem to mind that I had approached them. After a bit, I thanked them and went back to my seat. At the end of the show, Gareth shook hands with some people further down the rink and then the skaters left the rink and people started to go home. I hung around for a bit wondering whether anyone would come out again but, when nothing happened, I started to leave. Just after I had passed Paul, Nicola, etc. I glanced back and Paul beckoned me over – I did wonder whether he meant me or whether there was someone behind me! - but I went anyway. He then asked me whether I would like to go backstage with them – what a silly question! Of course I said that I'd love to (I'm still not totally convinced that all this actually happened – things like this only happen in dreams). After waiting a while, chatting to Paul, then sticking on security passes, we were taken backstage. We met Gareth in the corridor first and he greeted his family and friends, then Paul introduced me as a fan and we shook hands, whilst I said that I'd met him a couple of time last year. We then went into a room where there were other celebrities and skaters with their families and friends. We sat around tables and Gareth started on a table with his other sister, Charlotte, and a group of friends. I sat with Paul and Nicola and some more of their friends, who had a look through my tour programme. After a while Gareth came to join us. Nicola asked him to sign my programme and I gave him a pen. He started to look through the programme to find his page when one of the friends said, “What page are you on?” Gareth replied that he had no idea, so I said, “Page 34”, which made everyone laugh – well, you have to know these things, don't you! Gareth stayed with us and chatted away in general. I mainly just listened and talked to Paul, who really made me feel welcome. I realise now that there were lots of things that I should have said to Gareth, but I didn't want to intrude too much on his time with his family and friends. When it became obvious that he would be leaving soon, I asked whether I could take a photo. He willingly agreed and came round the table and Paul said that he would take one of the two of us, so Gareth put his arm around me and I put mine around him – it would have been rude not to reciprocate! Then Gareth said goodbye to everyone, giving them all a kiss and cuddle, me included, so by now I was on cloud 99 – I had gone way past cloud 9! Gareth then left, but I reckon that I spent at least half an hour with him. (There were other celebrities and skaters in the room, including Dan, Maria, Chris F and others, but I only had eyes for Gareth.) Shortly after, we were shown out by a security man, who took us across the area behind where the skaters come out from and out of a locked gate. We then had to walk round to the car park and all this time I'm chatting away with Paul. I remember thinking that I was walking through Manchester with Gareth's dad and sisters – how amazing! When we got to the car park I had to go up to level 4, so we said goodbye and Nicola gave me a hug. I think that I must have said thank you a million times. One of the friends had said earlier that I bet this has made your day, I agreed but I actually think that it was one of the most special days of my life. I have been so amazed and excited ever since, I hardly slept on Thursday night with all the memories whizzing around my head. Things like this never happen to me. If I hadn't decided to go on my own, I would not have got that seat; if I hadn't overcome my natural shyness, I wouldn't have gone over to talk to them and then I wouldn't have been invited backstage. Gareth and his family are genuinely lovely people, completely down to earth and have the ability to make you feel welcome and at ease. I shall remember and treasure this experience for the rest of my life. Love Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelda Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 wow Linda, wow, what a great report and how lucky were you? I am so pleased for you not only to meet and chat to lots of Gareth's family members, but to the man himself. Loved reading it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Linda what a lovely reprt, and what a lovely experience to treasure! I am shy like you, but i bet you are glad you took the plunge! Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val4Gareth Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Wow Linda. What a fabulous report and what a great time you had. That must be the best experience anyone who has gone to the show has had. How pleased you must be that you overcame your shyness and went over to Nicola and Paul, not to mention the fact you went on your own. You deserved your treat for your courage. I'm so pleased for you Would you mind posting your picture up for us to see please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPG MY IDOL Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 What a lovely report, It must of been wonderful to spend so much time with Gareth and his family. Good on you to have the courage to go and chat to them, it really paid off. It may take you some time to come back down to earth :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindajan Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Thank you to everyone who has left such lovely comments since reading my report. I still can't really believe my good fortune - it was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. Also my husband always says that you shouldn't waste an opportunity, so this and the thought that I would regret it if I didn't go over to speak to them are what made me do so. I only now know how much I would have missed out on. I think it also helped that I was on my own, as Paul only had a limited number of passes and his group was already quite big. The photo is on my daughter's phone and when we have worked out how to transfer it to the computer, I will try to post it if it looks alright - I haven't actually seen it properly! I've remembered something that I forgot to put in the report. When I was chatting to Paul after the show he said that he thought that Thursday's show had been really good and was probably the best that he had been to. He later said the same thing to Gareth. I think I've come down to about cloud 80 so far! Love Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floz Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 What a wonderful report of a wonderful expereince. Thank you so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorksheather Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thanks for your great report Linda , how kind of Paul to arrange for you to go backstage , you must be a very happy bunny :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowdrop Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Blimey Lindajan - what a night for you! I was there that night too, with Maggiemags, but don't have anything nearly as interesting to report as you. Well done you on going by yourself, getting such a good seat then having the nerve to go and say hello. And what a kind family Gareth has - you can tell where gets it from. :heart: I'm afraid my report doesn't have anything like that in it, but I would add that from where we were sitting (half-way up in the corner of the horseshoe bit) we got a great view of Gaz when they came out at the very end for party time. He skated on like a demon as he was going right up to the far end. Much faster than we saw in any of the routines - probably less stylish too, lol, but he had such a big grin on his face and so full of beans. It was a joy to see. I think Gareth has given up on getting to skate Bolero, and unless he suddenly finds himself at or near the top of the judges leader-board, with the likes of Suzanne and Chris below him, I think it's unlikely. On one hand it's sad, but on the other, he seems happy to be part of it all. When they were lined up at the end, and there was just him, Suzanne, Chris and Bonnie remaining, all the others looked really nervous. Gareth looked happy and relaxed. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val4Gareth Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 I think Gareth has given up on getting to skate Bolero, and unless he suddenly finds himself at or near the top of the judges leader-board, with the likes of Suzanne and Chris below him, I think it's unlikely. On one hand it's sad, but on the other, he seems happy to be part of it all. When they were lined up at the end, and there was just him, Suzanne, Chris and Bonnie remaining, all the others looked really nervous. Gareth looked happy and relaxed. That's probably because like you say he's given up on skating Bolero and can just enjoy himself. Thanks for adding your bits to Thursday night's performance Snowdrop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorral Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Wow! Lindajan,what a night you had,well done for speaking to Paul and family,glad you were rewarded with a backstage visit to meet Gareth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelda Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 all the others looked really nervous. Gareth looked happy and relaxed :laugh: That is brilliant, he might just as well do his best and have fun, enjoy the whole experience. And the same for us, does not really matter about the scores or if he skates the bolero, just enjoy it all. Some fans of others who get to perform it, stress themselves out and have to count how many times, and who is best, and such. Instead of just enjoying it all. :tongue: Glad you had a great time Snowdrop and Maggie. :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenjo Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Yipee - I can get on the boards today. What a lovely experience for you Linda. I went on Friday night - Had a great time - Gareth was on top form, scoring 25.5. He looked gorgeous and really looked like he was enjoying himself. His skating was perfect - one of the judges said he was a superstar! ( which we all knew anyway of course) Peter Kay was the guest judge, and, as you can imagine threw the judging into chaos - largely basing his marks on the music and in Linda's case, awarded a 6.00 - because she asked him to backstage lol) Really enjoyed the show but no close encounters to report. Thanks to all for the reports - it's only when I have tried to do one myself that I have realized how difficult it is to recall all the details - I can't remember who said what now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelda Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thanks for your report too Jenjo, I am pleased you had a great time. Must have been extra fun with Peter Kay as judge. :laugh: Glad Gareth is just loving it all. :heart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilian Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thank you for allyour lovely reports. I was at DOI in Manchester this afternoon and I enjoyed it just as much as when I saw it at Sheffield the second night of the tour. In fact, I think it was better because all the skaters seem so much more polished and confident. Gareth and Maria were, of course, gorgeous. For their first skate they skated toA Beautiful Day and they scored 25.5 and received good reports from the judges. Even got a 5 from Jason! They wer equal fifth on the leader board with Zara. Chris Fountain scored the top marks of 30! He was also in the Bolero skate off with Kyran, Chris won. I think poor Linda and David must feel demoralised always in the bottom two! In th second performance Gareth and Maria were dressed in red and skated to Living on a Prayer and didn't put a foot wrong. They always seem so happy and smile more than the others and the audience seem to love them. They certainly work hard. They will have given five performances in three days. They won't know what to do with themselves after the show finishes next Saturday. Linda, Of course Gareth's family are lovely people. They come from Yorkshire no less! P.S. The only one to have a tumble was Zara but it was the second performance so didn't count in the voting. Please excuse the mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelda Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thanks Lilian for your report, I am pleased you had a good time and the show and especially Gareth was great and having fun. :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val4Gareth Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 In th second performance Gareth and Maria were dressed in red and skated to Living on a Prayer and didn't put a foot wrong. They always seem so happy and smile more than the others and the audience seem to love them. Thanks for your great report Lilian. So glad you managed to go to see the show again. I think Gareth is really having a ball at these shows and yes, I think you're right, he won't know what to do with himself when its all over. Music Gareth, Music :laugh: I read on the BR site, that Gareth came out and signed and spoke to almost everyone who was waiting this afternoon Wish he'd done that at the ones I went to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 I thought that you might like to hear about my trip to the DOI tour. I hope you are sitting comfortably, then I'll begin.We most certainly did and what a fantastic report. Eventually I persuaded myself that I should go and have a word with them. I went over and asked the girl whether she was Gareth's sister and she said “Yes” and that the man was her dad. I then had a lovely chat with them about Gareth, although I'm sure I came across as a gibbering wreck! They were so friendly and didn't seem to mind that I had approached them. After a bit, I thanked them and went back to my seat. I think these situations are all about seizing the moment. When I saw Gareth at Elstree ,his grilfriend was sitting in front of us. It is my biggest regret that I didn't have the nerve to tap her on the shoulder and congratulate her etc.(especially as she must have been wondering who the mad woman was that kept staring at her), so well done you for going with gut instinct and what a result it was. He started to look through the programme to find his page when one of the friends said, “What page are you on?” Gareth replied that he had no idea, so I said, “Page 34”, which made everyone laugh – well, you have to know these things, don't you! This really made me smile. I can just imagine everyone laughing too. I remember thinking that I was walking through Manchester with Gareth's dad and sisters – how amazing! Yes amazing. Thanks so much for telling us all. If you think of any other snippetts that you remember, please don't hesitate to come back and tell us- fake tan -dark/faded, aftershave Gucci/Issey miyake,taller than imagined/ just right height?? ! :smile: ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorksheather Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Thanks for posting your report from Manchester Lillian, lucky you going to another show at another venue :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x-heather-x Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I've only just caught up with this thread. Linda, how lucky you were. Its so really amazing what happned to you. You must have been thrilled. :hyper: And also thanks lillian for your report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedrich Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 .We most certainly did and what a fantastic report. I think these situations are all about seizing the moment. When I saw Gareth at Elstree ,his grilfriend was sitting in front of us. It is my biggest regret that I didn't have the nerve to tap her on the shoulder and congratulate her etc.(especially as she must have been wondering who the mad woman was that kept staring at her), so well done you for going with gut instinct and what a result it was. This really made me smile. I can just imagine everyone laughing too. Yes amazing. Thanks so much for telling us all. If you think of any other snippetts that you remember, please don't hesitate to come back and tell us- fake tan -dark/faded, aftershave Gucci/Issey miyake,taller than imagined/ just right height?? ! :smile: ! Aint it a bit primitive to write about such things Gareth is just a human and no one from an other galaxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Aint it a bit primitive to write about such things Gareth is just a human and no one from an other galaxy Maybe it is, but it was all meant as a bit of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedrich Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Maybe it is, but it was all meant as a bit of fun. Ahhhh fine - yep maybe I see so many things way too seriously, that's ever been my weakness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelda Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Bedrich, being german, you might not get the english sense of humour. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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