Floz
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From Sophie *Gareth is my sunshine*
First of all we have to say:..........
ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND OMG WHAT A FANTASTIC NIGHT AT WEMBLEY.
Me, my mum Linda and my cousin Rosie just got back from Wembley Arena, cos we stood outside for ages waiting for Gareth to come out, but we never did.
Anyways first of all a SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE who we met today and to the people who we met for the first time, especially Maria (Sorena), nice to meet you hun and Jonathan and your friend, sorry we didn't say hello to you properly but it was nice to see you anyways and Hello to you now LOL.
Anyways now on with the show, what a Fantastic Concert Tonight, the crowds were just fantastic, everyone was screaming, shouting, crying.
What a Fantastic Entertainer Gareth is, he is just pure talented not only has he got a voice of an angel, a Fantastic dancer, play the guitar, drums and piano but he can also do a magic trick LOL. He made a piece of pink cloth disappear. What a Talented Young Man that we are proud of so dearly.
Gareth done Spectacular Performances. And this time when Gareth sang Suspicious Minds he came of stage and came to us all in the audience, and made fans sing in the mic, he looked drop dead gorgeous. Every fan was going absolutely mad, and rushing to the front to see Gareth walking along the row.
We are ever so proud of Gareth, he keeps every fan happy, by blowing kisses, waving etc, what a sweetheart he is.
So what a Fantastic Concert to end a SPECTACULAR TOUR. Hopefully, fingers Crossed that Gareth will do another SPECTACULAR TOUR Next Year, (Which we are pretty sure he will do one.)
Thank you to everyone for a fantastic time tonight, it lovely meeting you all.
And a MASSIVE THANK YOU to the MAN HIMSELF MR GARETH PAUL GATES. Thank you Gareth for a SPECTACULAR TOUR and showing us and everyone else what you are made off, YOU ARE A SUPERSTAR BABE. LOVE YOU LOADS.
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From *Hez*Gareth*
I'm sooo sorry it's late but I've been sooo busy lately and haven't had time to do it. But here it is now... hope you enjoy it!!
Me and my mum arrived at Sheffield Arena at about 3.30. I was hoping to see Gareth arrive but he was already there. I went up to the stairs outdoors and listened in through the doors. Gareth was sound checking. It was great to hear it! He was doing Enough Of Me I think as he was doing those ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ he does! Very sexy! I also heard him speaking but I couldn’t hear what he was saying!
The time came when the doors were about to open so we went to pick our tickets up from the box office and went in. I was sooo excited! We found out seats- Block a, Row 4, seats 3 & 4. We had a great view of the stage which I was very happy about!
So the support act did their thing and there was a 25-minute break between them and Gareth, which seemed like forever! Finally the moment we had all been waiting for….the lights went down and everyone went mad! On the screens there was clips from different thing and cat deeley introduced him! There he was!! The one and only Gareth Gates! The crowd went wild for him as he sung the opening song, Unchained Melody.
Gareth then went on to sing Foolish complete with funky dancing! We were all shocked at how amazing a dancer he was, he’d obviously been practicing a lot!! Next up was Freak My Baby, which was fantastic. He also did dancing to this with his dancers who were also great. The song really got the crowd going! Next up he slowed it down a bit by singing Soul Affection beautifully. His voice was fantastic followed by Just Say Yes. The next song he did was my personal fave part of the concert! Enough Of Me has been my fave song off GYOW since I heard it. When I saw Gareth was going to be playing guitar to it I was VERY happy! And boy did he blow us all away with his amazing guitar skills! He really rocked and kept on saying “ROCK ON!!” which was really funny! He then did a little acoustic version of Sentimetal, which was fantastic. His voice was amazing!
He went off stage to change into his jeans, white vest and white shirt. He came back on singing Sunshine. Everyone was singing along! After that he did a piano medley. He showed off his piano skills whilst singing That’s When You Know, Hard To Say I’m Sorry, Overjoyed and What My Heart Wants To Say. During Hard To Say I’m Sorry he stopped and said ‘Ya know what I’ve actually forgot the next chords’ Everyone laughed and cheered him! He said ‘at least I’m playing live’. It was really funny! Bless him! The piano medley was beautiful, it really showed off his voice!
Next up was Suspicious Minds. He got the audience to sing at the end of the song. We all sung ‘because I love you too much Gareth’ which he loved!!
After that he was introducing his band and they said they wanted him to play drums. So he does a little drum solo and boy was it amazing! I never expected him to be that good at the drums, he was really giving it some! Fantastic. The crowd absolutely loved it! While he was playing his drummer got up and got his coat and hat and started walking off the stage! Gareth got up and started going ‘don’t go, I’m sorry I embarrassed ya’ in his gorgeous Yorkshire accent. It was really funny. He said ‘You’ll find your self working for Will Young!’
He went off stage to get changed again and came back on with a gorgeous black jacket, and white t-shirt with a 7 written on in orange and jeans. He looked great. He sung Club Hoppin’ next with his dancers, which was fantastic! The dancing was brilliant! After that he sung Groove With Me, which was also fantastic. He went off stage shortly after to get changed into his Grease outfit. He looked fab! He sung Grease Is The Word and danced with his dancers. They had school tables and one of his dancers had her feet on the table, he said to her ‘feet off the table love’.
Next up he sung All Cried Out beautifully And then went onto Go Your Own Way. Both songs were fantastic. He told us that was the last song. The next song Gareth said was going to be ‘a bit special’. He picked a girl from the audience and she sat next to him on stools. He sang Anyone Of Us to her, looking into her eyes! He had hold of her hand. He told her to sing and she did a bit! He told her to wave at the crowd, blow them a kiss (which she did) and pick her nose but she decided not to do that bit! He hugged her and off she went, lucky girl! He went off stage again to get changed.
The encore was great. He came on wearing a black suit and his dancers had Indian dresses on. They did Spirit In Sky, which was a more rocky version, which was really good. He then did the final song of the night…Say It Isn’t So. It was a beautiful song! After that it was all over!
His speech was fantastic and he did sooo well to speak for so long in front of us all. He said to us ‘I’m going to talk to you now. Why? Because I can!’ which I thought was oh so sweet of him! He told jokes about Skippy the bush kangaroo and started hopping round the stage like a kangaroo. It was sooo funny! He also ordered a pizza on the phone and got us to shout ‘noooo cheese’ when he said! The concert was fantastic and he is such a funny guy! ROCK ON!!
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From Waygoose
It was the first time I've had the opportunity to see Gareth performing live and boy !... am I glad I was able to go!!! The most brilliant evening, well worth travelling for!
Must go again whenever I can now!!
So pleased to meet all of you lovely peeps for the first time as well!
P.S. Husband thought it brilliant too!!How good is that?!!
Chris x
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From Gareth u sexy thing
I'd waited for this day to come for over 2 years and now it had finally arrived. I woke up dead early and couldnt stop thinking about it, in the morning i sorted out my bag putting my camera and things i wanted signing in my bag. i had butteflies in my stomach since i woke up and i was really nervous but excited at the same time.
my mate (Claire) and her mum and dd picked me up at 2.30 and we started travelling down, i was getting really nervous by now and everytime i thought about it my stomach would flip over.
we finally got there and walked to the box office and the man let us in, we all had to wait in the entrance till everyone came, there was around 30-40 people. Pepper and sweetiepie off here came and we chatted to them about Gareth and the boards (it was really nice to meet both of you) while we were waiting we heard Gareths soundcheck which sounded amazing.
Then at about 4.45 they said we could go through to meet Gareth OMG i was so shaky and nervous. we were taken into the hospitality room and there was a table at the other end of the room where Gareth would be sitting, we all queued up and me and claire were in about the middle of the line, we waited about 10 minutes then Gareth walked OMG my heart pounded. He was looking very sexy wearing an orangy t-shirt and jeans. People started going up to him and having things signed and having pics with him. Then the moment i'd longed for was finally here. I WAS MEETING GARETH GATES!!
me and claire both went up to him and he asked Claire what her name was and kelly said is that with an I and claire went yeah, Gareth started writing it and then went "what, whats it with" and kelly told him aww bless him. he signed claires album and book. The he went to sign my book and fanclub cd and he asked my name and i told him then he went "what" so i spelt it out to him n he went "oh Laura" awww hes so cute.
Then i showed him a pic of the xmas sheet that you all helped towards you know where you all gave me your pics and i transfered them onto the sheet well he looked at it and looke at kelly n went "awww this is that, you know that" and kelly says it is what you've got in your bedroom, then she aksed me if it was the advent calendar and i said no and that i sent it to the fanclub at christmas. The Gareth said "aww we aint been to the fanclub since before christmas so i aint seen it but i'll loook out for it" so i said "do you want to keep it" and Gareth goes "awww yes plz" then i gave him my prezzie (a teddy,some sweets and a good luck card for the tour) then he put the pic in the bag.
Then Kelly took a pic of Gareth and Claire (which is really good) then i had one took with Gareth (on the pic i look like im not happy but i am its just shock) then i asked if we could have one with me,claire and Gareth and gareth said yeah sure so kelly took it and we said thankyou and he said "its ok, see you soon" so we went and stood by the side and watched Gareth as he signed everyone elses studd (i took soem pics but they havent turned out coz stupid me didnt put the flash on) Then some fans were walking past the window and looked in and then they started banging on the window (bet some of you were off ere lol)
Anyway then everyone had everything signed and we had to go and before i went i had one look at the gorgeous man himself and couldnt believe i'd just met him OMG!!
we then went back to get our tickets then we started queuing up to get into the arena, we were let in at 6 o clock and i got a t-shirt, tour programme and a coloured badge then we went and found our seats. we thought they would be bad but they wernt that bad. we sat there waiting then finally 7.30 came and skin deep came on and sung about 5 songs n then there was about a 25 min break which dragged on 4 ages then finally the lights went down and it showed loads of diff pics on the big screen like aeroplanes and clocks and other atuf then Gareth came up some stairs singing unchained melody OMG he looked so fit and sexy. i cant remember what he sung next but he sung groove with me,absolutely,freak my baby, just say yes and OMG he can sure dance he was amazing hes a real little mover.
Then he was talking bout enough of me and when he wrote it n then it kicked and OMG i think that enough of me should be the next single coz when that kicked in the atmosphere was so good, everyone was tapping their feet and really getting into it he talking in between songs loads you could'nt shut him up lol i am SO PROUD of him. he talked about his stutter and about skippy the bush kangeroo but i leave that to you gys when you see the tour.
He then rung up a pizza place and it was really good and we had to shout no cheese lol!! Then he sung more songs its all gone blurry as to what order he sang them as i was and still am thinking about the meet and greet. He sung club hoppin, foolish. and at one point he lay on the floor, stomach down and stared into the camera and was blowing kisses to it OMG he looked so fit it was unbelieveable.
He had a few costume changes in between and sung more songs, soul affection, all cried out,setimental and an aucoustic medely and he sung thats when you know (OMG i was nearlly crying) he sung two other songs but dont know what they are called but he sung them amazing i dont know how anyone can say he cant sing n if they do then they are deaf, then he finshed the aucoustic of with what my heart wants to say. he also played the piano and on other songs he played the guitar and drums and OMG he was a really stud muffin lol on the drums.
He then sung go your own way and suspicious minds and then just before he sung anyone of us he picked someone from the audience and she came up on stage and sat on a stoll next to him and he sang to her and let her sing OMG it was brill. then there was a costume stage and the grease music kicked in and gareth came on stage OMG he looked the fittest ever he was wearing these sunglasses OMFG and he looked so cool, he also sung sunshine and his dancing was brill
he then went and changed for the final time and he came on sining spirit in the sky and then he said his final song was say it isnt so he sung it amazingly then he thanked us all and said he loves us all OMG luv you 2 gareth lol. he then threw a towel what he had wiped his head with into block c then he did the same with Block b and a.
OMFG guys it was the best day ever and i will NEVER EVER forget it and OMG i am so proud of him for how well he has worked on his speech hes so talkative now lol!!
sorry that its really long but i needed to write all of it down and i got the pics bk 2day and only 4 have turned out but hopefully the few i took on my other camera have turned out i should get them back 2moro or wednesday!!
OMG i cant ait to go front row now for manchester so i can good pics!!
hope you enjoy it and i will try to post the pics soon
luv Laura xx
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From CatGates - about the meet and greet
Hey all!
Arrived back about an hr ago after a longggggg uncomfy coach journey...but it woz SO worth it!!!
I arrived in Manchester at about 2pm & my Mum & I looked round the shops for a while. Then, at about 4:30, my Mum & I were told to go to the rear of the building because Gareth was late apparently. I saw Gareth's coach arrive but didn't see him but took a pic anyways! I saw Rach, Jess, Janice, Bella & Alban (I think - were u with ur Mum? lol) but was too shy to come up lol! The meet was delayed till 5pm-ish. I was so nervous and excited! When the time came we were let into the back of the arena where we could hear the Foolish sound check & were given these gold meet & greet bracelet things. We were then led to a VIP lounge place to wait for Gareth (on the way we saw his dressing room lol). His table was set out at the front & I was sooooooooo nervous/excited!!! Suddenly the door opened and Gareth walked in with Kelly. Everyone gasped. He was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO gorgeous, wearing ripped jeans, a t-shirt and coat and he sat at his table. He didn't seem real to me LOL! Everyone started to take loadsa pics of him sitting at his table & he looked quite embarassed & looked to the side of the room. I was so nervous & kept putting off going up LOL! But anyways, eventually my Mum dragged me up lol! I went up to him & gave him the jigsaw piece & he went oooooo is this the last piece? & I go no there's 1 more! He seemed well happy bout the jigsaw lol & smiled at me *melts* lol. He started tlkin to me about the jigsaw and stuff (lol everythings a blur - sorry!) I also gave him my fanbook & a ggates message & he went to sign the blank piece of paper lol so I gave him the Fanclub CD Rom & album sleeve & asked him to sign them instead plz, & he was like oh of course sorry! & I was like awww bless it's ok!!! I'll post them up later!
Then he got up to get his picture taken with me! Awww I could feel him right nxt to me & I could feel myself going BRIGHT red Lol howwwwwwww embarassing!!! Then my Mum told me to check that the photo came out but it didn't!!! So Mum asked Kelly if I could get my pic taken again & she said yeh after some other people. So we went back up...I was soooooo embarassed by this stage! & Mum told Gareth that the photo hadn't come out & he said awwwww didn't it, do you want another one then? & Mum was like yeh plz if you don't mind & he said no of course not & smiled & put his arm around me again (@ least something good came out of it lol!!!) He was absolutely GORGEOUS & was such a lovely person! I never thought it was possible before but I now love him even more lol!!!
I'm still in shock lol & keep looking at the autographs & photo! I still can't believe it!!! Lol ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! An absolutely amazing & unforgettable experience!!!
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From Jennyfer luvs Gaz
I had the best night of my life and it was made even more special by MEETING THE MAN HIMSELF when he arrived at the SECC for the meet and greets! He was soooooooooo lovely and friendly! He got off the tour bus and came straight over to where me and a few other girls were waiting. He was lovely. I told him I had come from Ireland and he said 'oh wow thank you' and squeezed my hand, we chatted for a few mins and I said good luck and I couldnt wait for the show!
I cant believe I actually spoke to him! I always thought if I met him I wouldnt be able to speak but I did!
His tour manager took a pic of us and it came out so well Im SOO happy!
Unfortuntely my Dad is really iffy about me posting it as he doesnt really want me posting pix of myself on the internet. Me and mum are gonna try get around him and hopefully I can post it soon!
Glasgow Feb 28 was the best of my life! I'll never forget it as long as I live!
And thank you Gareth for taking the time to come over as I know you were running late!
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From Jess, about the meet and greet
What a day????
We travelled from Leeds to Glasgow. We had to change trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow so got on a connecting train. We were walking down the carriage when we saw Paul Gates, lol! He sed hiya so we went over and sat with him. We were on the train to him all the way to Glasgow. Gareth rung him up and was chatting about the tour. Paul sed "will u just do me a favour Gareth and speak to some1" *screams* He passed me the phone and i had a chat with Gareth and then passed the phone onto Amy. He was really excited about the tour and sounded exactly the same on the phone.
The meet and greet was fantastic We were taken into a room and lined up. They then bought Gareth into the room and sat him at a table at the end. 2 at a time every1 went up to Gareth. Michael (gareths speech coach) came straight over to us and sed "Hi, I know u, it's Jess and Amy, isnt it" Lol. We had a nice little chat with him. Before we got to the table Gareth looked up and saw us and sed hiya! When we went over to him he was really pleased to see us. He signed my thing and wrote my name without me telling him and then he wrote amy's names aswell. It was really funny coz Kelly was so impressed at him remembering our names because he's awful at that. She patted him on the back and sed "good boy" We chatted for a bit and then both had a pic with him. He kept on going on about how funny it was that were on the train with Paul. When i was just about to have a picture with him, he kinda shouted "Loyal fans" When we left he sed to me "I'll cu soon" and was like "I'm sure u will" and he winked, lol!
The concert was fantastic but i wont give anything away. We were front row in the middle which was fab. His performance was amazing and his speech was brillant! I can't put how good it was into words
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From the Guardian (not the greatest review, but worth keeping anyway)
Pop
Gareth Gates
Sheffield Arena
Dave Simpson
Thursday March 4, 2004
The Guardian
The screens declare that for £9.99 you can join Gareth Gates's fan club and read his personal diary. Perhaps this week's entry will read: "It's been a while since I was pipped by Will Young to Pop Idol and this is my first solo tour. Sheffield Arena was barely half full." Encouragingly, hordes of teens cheer Gates's video image. More ominously, they show an unexpected grasp of irony by making similar noises towards some tulips.
A version of Unchained Melody - with Gates' helium vocals barely audible - sounds like the sort of thing used to flush South American dictators from hideaways. However, the cheers are deafening. When a delighted tot next to me catches my unimpressed, adult grimace I have this horrible feeling that I am ruining her show. Thus, for the next few songs I cheer Gareth wildly. "I'm a really bad dancer," he sighs. Yay! And then, amazingly, my own claps become less ironic.
Although Gates has been depicted in the tabloids as a Jordan-shagging raver, it's hard not to warm to a performer who can talk for minutes in an unaffected Bradford accent about disability, or not be touched as his supposedly overcome stammer makes a return. Gates is visibly, endearingly nervous, forgetting the chords on a keyboard. "I'm not playing live anyway," he sponatenously quips, showing an unexpected grasp of the ridiculousness of it all.
His music has less humanity, half of it suggesting some secret love for 1980s jazz-funk, although new track Go Your Own Way is a decent stab at blue-eyed soul. A cover of Suspicious Minds avoids the gates of Hell, he plays appalling rock guitar and surprisingly fantastic drums, but you wonder where his career can go when the kids grow up. But the tinnitus-inducing ovation suggests it might be a while before Gates's nightmare diary entry: "I've got this job in plumbing."
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From CutieBonnie on GG
The following are photo link and also my report...
Photo album link (Folder: Gareth April 2004)
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bonnie_1202/my_photos
9 April
Around 8:00pm
Gareth finally arrives at Taiwan by Malaysia Aireways, flight MH094. He appears in the airport with his crew. He wears a light blue T-shirt, jeans, sunglasses and walks along with his guitar. Many fans are waiting for him already. They are holding banners to attract his attention and some of them brings Gareth's favourite food - chocolate to welcome him! He's very happy and also concerned with his fans, asking if they work hard for studies. He posts for photos and signs autograph for them. He still remembers some chinese, and says to fans "ni hao" (how are you?), "ao shi xiao ge" (I'm Gareth), "ao ai ni" (I love you) and "xie xie" (thank you). He even keens to ask people around him whether Taipei rains coz he missed chances to do some shopping here when the weather was bad last time. He promises he will pick up one lucky fan to sing with him on stage. It's the second time he's been Taiwan but he acts like a tourist guide, introducing Taipei to his crew and recommending them to have a massage. The concert agent specially offers him a presidential suite in hotel, so that he will have a nice rest before the concert next day.
10 April
1:00-1:20pm
He gives a short interview in chatroom of yam.com. 10 lucky fans were picked up in a lucky draw and able to meet him at the studio. It's planned to start at 12:50pm but he doesn't turn up. Everyone is nervous if he won't come. But actually he comes late a little bit coz he did a speech practice with his speech therapist. He doesn't want to stammer again and causes any embarrasment during the interview. The hostess chooses some questions from yam club and the chatroom, then Gareth answers them one by one. (It's lucky that one of my questions is picked up and Gareth answers it).
After 1:20pm
After the chatroom meeting, he gives interview to the other media. He says he would do a speech practice for one hour every morning, including 15 to 20-minute breathing practice, 20-minute pronunciation practice, then the final one is speaking, how to answer questions. It's really helpful for him and he wants to be a speech therapist in the future to help other stammers overcome their language difficulties. This month, he will do an text for being a speech therapist. He hopes he will pass it, he would like to encourage other stammers by using his personal experiences, it will be the happiest thing for him. Being asked about David Beckham's scandal (he's rumoured to have an affair with a girl in Spain), Gareth says it may happene after he left UK, so he doesn't know anything of it. He thinks everyone has their private lives, so that he has no comment on that news, whatever the rumour is real or not. But he's sure that he won't do that if he's got married.
8:00pm
Go your own way concert starts off (it's a sold-out concert, 2500 audience). Some fans wear clothes of their fan clubs and lift up the banners. Some are just little kids, attending the concert with their parents. Some have the "spike hair", lovely! Gareth turns up on the stage after the fans keep screaming, "Gareth, Gareth, Gareth..." for a while. He blows kisses and says Chinese, "da jia hao, ao ai ni men" (Hello everybody, I love you all). Some fans scream "Gareth I love you", in return, he say "xie xie" (thank you). The guitar Gareth uses is specially exported from Hong Kong coz that kind of guitar isn't sold in Taiwan. Gareth sings not only songs in Asia verion album, but some more from UK version one and some classic oldie songs. Besides, he dances and plays guitar, piano and drums. The fans screams crazily whatever he does, even he just walks, waves his hands, blows kisses or only opens his arms. He also throws towels to the fans. When he is singing "Sunshine" and dancing some sexy steps, there's a fan from the first row throwing an underwear ([censored] labelled) to the stage. Gareth blushes and says Taiwan fans know which brand of underwear he likes.
He speaks a lot at the concert and calls for a pizza by a mobile phone. After he says all the ingredient he wants, then all the fans say, "but, no cheese!". He plays piano at the acoustic set, singing some oldie songs. Some fans cry and sing with Gareth in "What my heart wants to say". Then, he plays drums and other songs. The final song is "Anyone of us". He suddenly picks up one lucky fan to the stage, singing Anyone of us to her. He hugged her and jokely taught her to wave hands, blow kiss and pick nose. The other fans can't help laughing. Then Gareth leaves the stage but all the fans ask for encore. So he turns up again and sings two more songs "Spirit in the sky" and "Say it isn't so". Almost every fans stand up and dance when Gareth's singing Spirit in the sky (some're even standing on chairs).
After the show, some fans still stay there for half an hour, some are waiting for him at the back of the venue but he's arranged to leave through the other exit (sorry for those fans...)
Concert set list:
1. Unchained Melody
2. Foolish
3. Freak my Baby
4. Soul Affection
5. Just say Yes
6. Enough of Me
7. Sentimental
8. Sunshine
9. Acoustic Set
? That's when you know
? Hard to say I'm Sorry
? Overjoyed
? What my heart wants to say
10. Suspicious Minds
11. Club Hoppin'
12. Groove with Me
13. Grease
14. All Cried Out
15. Go Your Own Way
16. Unchained Melody
17. Any one of Us
Finish
Encore
18. Spirit in the Sky
19. Say it isn't So
Play Off
11 April
12:20pm
Gareth goes aboard Cathay Pacific, flight CX421 to leave Taiwan (change the plane in Hong Kong, then directly fly to UK)
The end of Asian tour 2004, enjoy!
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Just to let people know that we are picking up all the tour reviews being 'rediscovered' on GG. They will be put into the archives section on here in the near future.
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A report from a German fan. PopidolGarethfan on GG
After loving Gareth's songs and watching the DVD "Live" so many times I had the great desire to attend his next tour at Wembley. Herewith I want to describe my way to this fantastic event. All concerts were described already so well here, much better as I can. Therefore, it will be another kind of report. I hope nobody is disappointed.
In October I bought my Wembley ticket, too late to get a front row seat. I intended to fly to London. Always I wanted to visit the UK and London, and now I had a very good reason more. But then I looked for a front row ticket still available at other venues, and I got it for Newcastle. Finally I decided to go by ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle and then via Bradford to London. I booked the Ibis Wembley, but no accomodation in Newcastle. There are many hotels and no visitors, I thought. But Gareth was there and also many people because of the football match versus Norwegians. It tooks ages to get a bed - the last, and only with the help of the tourist information. The hotel was not the best, but very expensive. In other countries I would get Hilton or better for the same price. Fortunately there was no hot water in my room and therefore the price later halved. Before the concert I spent many hours strolling through the city. In Newcastle and later in Bradford all people, from the policemen to the salesmen and the car-drivers, were very friendly, patient and always ready to help.
The concert in the evening was my first pop event and so amazing, and I was so close to the stage. Gareth was brilliant! The arena wasn't sold out but I think there were more people as reported. And the screaming was tremendous! I was surprised and supposed twenty thousand Red Indians behind me. One moment was very funny: as the screaming climaxed, the curtain came down, and no Gareth but only some workers on the stage. We all had a laugh. I was also very impressed how lovely Gareth dealt with the young girl on the stage. I can understand that so many people say: That gorgeous boy is the son, son-in-law, grandson, brother, friend, or lover I wish I had. And with his charm, look and smile he's able to melt the biggest iceberg. His singing is amazing, but his speaking too. And saying "Thank you" on stage or in a dialogue he enchants entirely. Sometimes I think he's an angel sent by the Lord himself to enjoy all people who loves beautiful voices and noble characters. Sorry, I know he's only a human being but he's a very special and so precious for all of us.
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SPECIAL REPORT FROM AN AMERICAN FAN: Sorena on GG
Well, I'd been avoiding reading the spoilers for the tour so I would be completely shocked by it all. So all I knew was that UM was the first song and he had lots of costume changes.
Saturday 6 March
I arrived into the UK this morning and I headed for London. xxxLaurenxxx was going to be staying with me. Jon (Allnatural 18) , Leroy and Lauren met me at the Victoria station. At about 4:45pm, Lauren and I left to meet the gang at the Ibis Hotel. I had on a black sequin one shoulder top and beige pants. A little dressed up but it was worth it. Orginally Khelda (Inge) had given me a spare ticket she had for Wembley. She was my angel and still is. So I was looking at A3 row 6 for Gareth. Then one of the members of the boards, I forget her name right now but will insert it later, met with us and gave Lauren some spare tickets. I had moved from row 6 to row 4. I was already bouncing off the wall to be looking at row 6, row 4 was going to blow my mind. Lauren and I headed over to the Ibis and that's where I met a lot of people including Rachel (R4RLJ), Jhoy (chinkeyeyes), Inge (Khelda), Shivers, Sharon, Sharons' mum, Pepper, and many others. We were running very late and so we all rushed over to Wembley.
So we got there and I was waiting to go in and I met babygates (I love you so much babygates) and Sophie, and so many more people that I forget. So we left to take our seats and when I walked onto the floor I was already jumping and smiling like an idiot. When we were walking forward to our seats my mouth dropped. I thought the block that was in front of me was the back of A but it was the back of the B block so I started naturally freaking out as we kept getting closer and closer. I thought I was going to die when we got to our seats. Then without knowing, Lottie turned around and I gave her a huge hug. I had wanted to meet her for ages and I finally did. I say Hay and Jules and went to give them some spare row 9 tickets I had.
Well Lauren came to me and she told me to come and sit down. I was a little fuzzy on the details and why exactly I was sitting where I was but one way or another, I ended up with a front row seat in A2 row 1 seat 19. I was beyond shocked and happy and just ready to bounce around. It was time. Gareth was about to come out. The concert was starting.
I saw Gareth take a few steps toward the crowd and he started coming forward. I just sat there, going picture happy. He looked amazing and then he came down the stairs. When he came over to my side I dont know what had happened to me. I was so full of happiness and joy for the whole night that tears started to fill my eyes. I couldn't take it. I didn't know what I had done to ever... (tearing up now thinking about it) deserved such luck to not only see Gareth in person but to be there in the front row. I was just so overwhelmed, I guess that's the right word. He was so gorgeous in the flesh and he had the voice of an angel. I turned back and looked at Lauren and Sharon in the 4th row. I waved my banner proudly which read "ALL THE WAY FROM THE USA". I'm sure he saw it. I don't have to go through the songlist as you already know all about it. It was just absolutely fantastic. I was amazed not only by the dancing and the songs but by the costumes and his speech.
The dancing was just amazing. So energetic and fun and I wanted to be up there dancing with him. During "Sunshine" he put this little twist on the words and it drove me mad. It was so amazing I was singing along and cracking up and laughing and taking pictures and mini video clips of him throughout the show.
The speech. OMG, the speech. I can't even give it enough justice. He had me in stitches over the Kangraoo bit and thie kissing part. Oh it was so adorable. I was laughing and enjoying it. His speech was amazing. For seeing him speak live for the first time then, I would have never thought he had a stammer if i hadn't know he did before hand. It was amazing. He spoke so clearly and so cute (I have a thing for English accents... What can I say? I'm one of those American women who fall for that. People who've seen Love Actually know what i'm talking about. Speech was amazing. I was so proud of him.
Gareth was hilarious. When Sharon threw the pizza box, I made sure to get it all on video tape. It was so adorable. Gaz laughed and had a fun time with that. Gareth later came down onto the ground floor during one of the songs, I forgot which one it was at the moment and he came over to A2, he was so close to me. The girl singing was 5 seats away from me. I was 3 feet away from Gareth. I was screaming and I couldn't belive it. I wish I could have sung into the mic but it wasn't meant to me. So then he ran right past me and down to A4. That was amazing. He jumped back on stage and I just didnt' know what to do. I was still in shock that he came down.
Later on, Gareth pulled the girl onstage to sing with him. He then made the comment that "I heard I have some German fans here tonight" and I was like "oh no.. he didn't mention Germans" so I started screaming at him "USA! USA! U S A!" and bless him he coudln't hear me and he goes "wot?" and I continue screaming "USA! USA!" and he says "wot?" again and it hit me that he couldnt' understand me, I was either saying it too fast and he couldnt' understand so I started screaming "AMERICA! AMERICA!" So then he finally takes out his earpiece and goes "what?" and I scream again "AMERICA!" and Gareth is looking at me and he says "America? I have fans in America... ROCK ON!" During the whole thing, I had my hands flayling in the air screaming and pointing at me and all the girls next to me were pointing at me too. And after the rock on i just raised my hands and screamed as loud as i could. I immediately turned around to face lauren and i yelled "yes!" That clearly was amazing. All I had ever wanted was for Gareth to know that I existed and that I had come from America and he has a very loyal fan here. That moment I had finally accomplished what I wanted. "Rock on" will forever live in my heart. I will never be able to hear those two words again without thinking of Gareth at Wembley and his America comment. So finally Gareth saw me. I felt like I could die right then and my life would have been complete.
So Gareth continued the concert and I was just still on a high from "rock on" and nothing was going to bring me from the sky. My head was there and I wasn't comind down for a while. So after the concert, Lauren and I rushed to try and see Gareth leave but he never did. We waited till almost midnight and he'd not come out yet. It was insane. But I met up with Lottie again and we took pictures and then I took pictures with a lot of othe people and then made my way back to the hotel.
Wembley was the best night. Most acts dont go two hours but Gareth did and it was amazing. 2 full hours of non stop Gareth, I even manged to catch glimpses of him when he was changing and backstage behind the sets. I was so happy to have just seen him. I would have loved to have met him but I feel blessed to have just had what I had. Everyone, including my mom, could sense the happiness in my heart. It spread throught my eyes, mouth and my heart and in my voice.
To see Gareth was amazing in itself but the fact that I was able to share my first Gareth expirence with so many of my close Gareth friends, some of them family in my heart, meant more to me. It was the best night of my trip to London and it still stays with me. My mom was amazed by my photos which i hope to have up soon.
I want to thank everyone involved in getting me to Wembley including my uni, Lauren, Jhoy, Inge, Rachel, Hazel, Jon, and a very special boardmember who gave Lauren the 4th row tickets. I owe you so many hugs and love from all of my heart.
It truely was the best night of my life, hands down. I'm tearing up again thinking about it and all of you. You are so amazing and I dont know what I would have ever done with out you all. To all my friends on the boards, you mean more then words could ever express my love and eternal gratituede that I have for you. I'm crying now thinking about all of you and how much you have enriched my life in so many ways. You been pillar of strength, hugs and love and truely some of the best people I have ever known.
So I firstly have to thank Gareth. Without him, I wouldn't be on these boards and I would not have met so many awesome people who mean so much to me. He's been inspiration to me and has helped me to accomplish things I never had before him. And to everyone i met and esp Lauren, Jhoy, Inge, babygates, Rachel, Hay, Jules and last but not least Lottie You are all the Sunshine of my life. I'm so happy I met you finally.
And to the people I didn't meet, I wish I could have met you, especially Blondelaine. I promise to meet you the next time I go to England even if I have to take a train or a bus or fly there. I promise you that.
I love you all and I thank you so much. I will never ever fully be able to thank you. And now, this novel is finished. I"m sorry its so long. There is still so much more I want to say but its already long enough.
One last message: Fran, Thank you for giving me the opportuinty to express just how i feel to the rest of the boards. Thank you *hugs*
With Lots of Love,
Maria xxxxxxxxx
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Taiwan. Ecstatic arrival:
Gareth (plus guitar) was greeted at the airport by fans waving banners and bringing him gifts of chocolate to welcome him. He remembers some Chinese, and says to fans "Ni hao" (How are you?), "Ao shi xiao ge" (I'm Gareth), "Ao ai ni" (I love you) and "Xie xie" (Thank you). It's only the second time he's been Taiwan, but he acts like a tourist guide, introducing Taipei to his crew and recommending them to have a massage.
The next day gives a short interview in chatroom of yam.com. Ten lucky fans were picked up in a lucky draw and able to meet him at the studio. He came a little late because he did some practice with his speech therapist. The hostess chooses some questions from the Yam Club and the chatroom, then Gareth answers them one by one. After the meeting, he gives interviews to the other media, giving them details of the speech practice he does each day.
In the evening Go Your Own Way, the sell-out concert, starts off to cheers from lots of enthusiastic fans. He blows kisses and says Chinese, "Da jia hao, ao ai ni men" (Hello everybody, I love you all). Some fans scream "Gareth I love you", in return, he say "Xie xie" (Thank you). Gareth sings not only songs from the Asian version album, but some more from UK version one, and some classic oldie songs. Besides, he dances and plays guitar, piano and drums. There is very good audience interaction and everyone is disappointed when the show ends.
Gtang gave us her version of events at the concert:
“It was hell of a concert! Gareth was great & awesome~~ he even played the guitar, drums, & keyboard, danced while jiggling his butt! It was the same as the Malaysian concert, apart from the fact Gareth didn’t take off his shirt.”
She liked Grease, Suspicious Minds, and the parts where the audience had to respond including shouting “No Cheese” on the pizza.
”When he picked a girl from the audience to sing Anyone Of Us, he picked a girl holding a board saying 'Gareth, Gaz marry me'. The girl was very very shy and kept trembling with nerves and excitement.”
She just wishes that that night hadn’t ended and hopes that he returns to Taiwan very soon.
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Report from Charlotte from Singapore
Gareth fan Charlotte went to the concert in Kuala Lumpur and described it as “Fantastic and AMAZING!! A really wild night, in fact!” . She loved the electric guitar, drums and songs Grease and Suspicious Minds. “Gareth can hold his own concert really well!!!! He knows how to lead the crowds!!”
The audience had to shout NO CHEESE three times for the pizza boy to hear!
But the best part was the after concert party, where Charlotte was a contest winner guest, sitting on the next table to Gareth. He popped the champagne and did some cheers! The atmosphere was like a buffet in a normal hotel and they played Gareth's MTVs and the Asia footage.
When it was time for a group press photo she got very close indeed. In fact so close she “held his waist”. She gave him a letter, showed him her Gareth folder (which he signed) and he thanked her for supporting him.
Her write up taken from GG....
HEY!!!
YEAH! i went for Gareth's concert in KL! It's Fantasitc and AMAZING!!! ( only the world's best word can describe it, none other than that.)
First, Guy did a performance, he sang two to three songs!
Then came Gareth!!!!!!! He rocks!!! Wohhhhhhhoooo!! It's a really wild night!! I was so so HIGH!!! He played the drums and electric guitar!
Guess what???! He sang Grease and it's so so amazing!!! moreover, the audience was told by him to change the word of the suspicious minds lyrics! lol! ( it's being changed to "Because I love Gareth too much baby!")
lol! I thought he wanted us to guess the title of the song in which he gave the lyrics and I shouted Suspicious minds and he heard it and said no.. lol!! (I felt so sheepish.)
ooo.. He did a repeat of the ordering of pizza thing and I shouted NO CHEESE! lol! He called the pizza boy 3 times.. cos I think the audience didn't shout that loud enough??
The last song he performed was Spirits in the Sky... and me and this two other Brits whom I've met on the spot of the concert were so high!! lol!! (hey, if the two of u are on the boards, u shld know who u are..)
The concert started at about 8.30pm instead of 8 pm and it ended quite late say about 10 plus.
Okay, this is the best part!! I went for the post concert party for Gareth! wooooohooooooooo and Guess what?? Gareth was sitting on the table just beside mine!!!
He popped the champagne and did some cheers! lol!
The best part have yet to come!!!
We( the contest winners) took a group pic with him! Guess what?!?!? He was standing on my right and beside me!!! I held his waist! lol!!! tt's how close i was to him! This pic is with the press and they're going to send it to me soon, hopefully!
Then after, I gave Gareth a letter!! OH GOD!!!! I so happy!!! He talked to me!!!! Thanking me for supporting him and.........
I supposed he remembered me????? Cos I have met him 7 times in less than 8 weeks?
Then, I went to chase him when he left! lol, cos i wanted to show him my file of him and he said, 'Cool!'.... wohooo.. he signed one of the articles which talks about migrane with love gareth...
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June Faith on GG
Hey guys... his show was amazing and from the bottom of my heart, it was one of the best nights ever in my life.
you can never believe what happened .... but believe it .... LOL
so, i went to the venue 5 hours earlier and ofcourse, got great spots, right in front, front row! the show started with Guy singing about 4 songs, he was great!! But ofcourse,the show doesn't start if Gareth doesn't come out ... so after Guy sang, he came out and the crowd went crazy! Everyone was cheering like there was no tomorrow! He sang Unchained Melody and he sang beautifully.
I brought roses for him ... I think he was singing Sunshine when I threw him the rose, he looked at me, picked it up and said thank you ... he looked so horny when he said that and i'm not alone! LOL my friends say so too! LOL he put the rose in his mouth and the crowd cheered on but i was really disappointed when he went down on the speakers and he tried to give the rose to another fan, but unfortunately (lol) he couldn't reach her and he gave it to the guards and he gave it back to me LOL how weird hahaha i got it back ... and this morning, i went to school and when i came back ... my mom threw it!!!!!!!! i wasn't mad, because I was tooo happy to be mad ...
Picture of Gareth and the rose!
After that, he sang a lot of songs but I lost track of which songs comes first lol I assume it's the same as the Korea one. Yes ofcourse he ordered pizza and we had to shout no cheese ... ehehe he was so cute during that period of time. Okay so there was this time during Suspicious Minds where he said "I don't think I'm suppose to do this but...." and then he jumped on the speakers and off the stage, the crowd was crazy! LOL and he said he wants us to join him, so he'll sing the words "I'm caught in a trap, I can't walk out..." and we'll have to sing "Because I love you too much baby." and the he started picking people to sing and he walked pass me and i was like darn LOL but then he walked back and asked if i wanted to sing!! I was like lol but manage to nod or say yes, God knows what did I do LOL and he sang and I sang and his eyes are so beautiful to look at LOL and then, it was shocking coz he didn't do this to any of the girls he picked, he kissed my hands, (suave kiss) ... and the rest was history.
And ... this is the most unbelievable part, as you all know, he picks a girl out from the crowd to sing to. And I came 5 hours early to the venue, so to kill time, I got some pen and papers and wrote PICK ME lol incase I get lucky lol ... so he started saying "Let's make this more interesting, I'm going to pick someone out from the crowd to come up here bla bla" whatever he said I was too nervous. I took out the paper and waved it around LOL he passed me once and didn't see it, he then passed me again, saw it and continued walking, I thought all hope was gone so I put down the paper, BUT, he walked back again and he was like, "What? Pick Me? Pick You? Okay I'll pick you!" ... that was when hell brooke loose LOL. He got the guards to carry me out through the barricades and then Kelly led me through the back and up the stairs to the stage. And when I walked out, I felt like the luckiest girl alive, EVER. I walked to him and he embraced me in a hug so tight but i manage to breathe LOL... he then asked for my name, I said June and repeated a few times because it was o noisy and he couldn't hear, I was soft anyways, was nervous LOL. He then asked how old are you, I thought he asked how are you...so i said im good and he was like no,no how old are you? the crowd laughed ... how embarrassing lol and i was like oh im 17 ... and he was like "seventeen?" .... lol don't know what that means ahahhaha so he asked for stools but there were no stools, so he was like okay we'll sit at the stairs, so we sat down below but he then went higher and i followed him. he then "patted" (i dont know what word to use lol) on the stairs, asking me to sit down beside him so i did ... and then he sang to me, it was "Anyone Of Us" ... not a doubt its now on my top list of fave songs lol ... he put his hands around my waist, he is such a gentleman ... and then he asked me to sing along ... so he put the mic in front of me and i sang the chorus, i dont know how i sound lol probably horrible ... and then he (OMG lol) took my left and held it throughout the second verse. we were so close that i was staring right into his eyes and he did the same and it was like...THAT. words can't even describe how i feel and i felt awkwards because he kept looking at me that I sometimes look away or bit my lip or stuck my tongue out.... when the chorus came he stood up and we walked down the stairs...i know this sounds stupid but it felt like it was a wedding LMMFAO!!!!! okay anyways, he asked me to wave to the crowd, and i did and he asked me to blow kisses to the crowd so i did and then he was like, "now pick your nose" and he started demonstrating ... lol it was hilarious i was like laughing so hard and i was like "no way!" and playfully pushed him, i know i was flirting ... eewww but i can't help it LOL. and he was like, "why not?!" and i was just laughing and laughing lol he stopped and held my hands again and sang again... then it ended and he was like, give it up for June and he said thank you and I kinda walked off before he finished ,(wtf was i thinking lol) he then came after me for a hug LOL how dumb was i hahaha and then he hugged me and kissed me!! on the cheeks ofcourse and he turned to the crowd and went, "She's lovely..." I was just too frozen up to react ... Kelly led me down and asked did i enjoy myself and i was like yeah ... she's nice after all, she's so nice! LOL
So after that ... he sang a few more songs and ended with Say It Isn't So ... I was in tears but I wasn't crying like two rivers flowing down my cheeks LOL.
The night has been AMAZING, I couldn't believe all the things that happen to me. And when I told my friends I hope I get picked, the response I got was, "Out of 8,000 people there, you think you would get picked?" SO yeah, I got picked fellas!!!
8th April - The most amazing night for me ever !!
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Smells like teen spirit
The fast-rising Pop Idol Gareth Gates and Australian Idol Guy Sebastian recently provided Malaysian teens with a mouth-watering date. IZUAN SHAH shares the Idol experience here.
"IT’S so hot in your country! I’m dripping!” said Gareth Gates from the stage as he removed his jacket to the delight and shy squeals from the crowd.
Is Gareth Gates Britain's answer to Enrique? Pop Idol runner-up Gates performing for his Malaysian fans in The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur.
Is Gareth Gates Britain's answer to Enrique? Pop Idol runner-up Gates performing for his Malaysian fans in The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur.
Although such stage clichés were expected, the reality was that he was dripping, or oozing, the right combinations to make him a pop star! The charm and banter, needless to say, were spot on. The hype surrounding this former runner-up to British Pop Idol Will Young has certainly not been unwarranted, as Gates certainly showed that he was indeed born with the Idol Factor.
This was the first (world) tour for the young Bradford-born star, and he certainly had no intentions of letting the eager-to-impress momentum stop in the slightest. This was the Go Your Own Way tour, and with two albums, nearly 10 well-known hits and Guy Sebastian as his support, the 20-year-old Gates was out to claim the hearts of Malaysian fans.
For early atmosphere, concertgoers milled in gradually and without much urgency as show time approached. By 8.15pm, the scheduled time for Guy Sebastian’s appearance, nothing much happened save for the occasional unified cheer of seeing candid audience antics captured on the venue’s dual big screens.
The Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort indoor arena in Kuala Lumpur has proven itself quite the venue of the moment for international concerts here, and for this twin-idol jaunt it would again be the only place to be to catch the world stars. The audience make-up last Thursday consisted mostly of urban teens, with parents in tow, and the odd middle-aged pop diehard tiptoeing anxiously in the front row.
When the plucky Adelaide-based Guy Sebastian appeared, the excitement picked up considerably as teens rushed the stage to vie for a good spot. The singer took everyone by surprise by immediately launching himself with ceaseless audience interaction and unfaltering falsettos. Unsurprisingly, when the Klang-born Idol dropped the mention of his hometown, he was repaid with a roar of glee from the young Malaysian crowd.
When he launched into the smouldering Prince classic When Doves Cry, however, the response was more muted. The audience seemed too busy fidgeting with their glow sticks and each other to move along to the Sebastian’s smooth R&B sounds, despite his most elaborate efforts – he grooved, he shimmied and even did a spot of air guitar, but was probably wondering, under his ever present smile, why he couldn’t get the crowd to do the same.
Two more songs in, the beaming Climb Every Mountain and the pleading All I Need Is You from his current debut album Just As I Am, quick scour of the venue revealed a mere crowd of less than 2,000 people. Still, Sebastian, clad in the everyman pop star uniform of bleached jeans and snazzy-looking work shirt (to go with his self-chosen “clean” image), tried to up the ante on his finale, the tingly hit Angels Brought Me Here. Injecting even more honey into his already sweetened vocals, and pulling notes higher when he could, Sebastian ended his opening performance as a short and sweet five-song affair and contentedly left it at that.
Perhaps the main act would do the trick for the pacified audience, and it was Gates they were waiting for.
Seconds after Sebastian walked offstage, the inevitable chanting of “We want Gareth!” began.
When Gates calmly appeared on the cue for his tender, sugared version of Unchained Melody, the glow sticks went up in full force and the teen massive began to sway obediently to the ballad, waving placards that read “Blow Me A Kiss” and “Came All The Way From Singapore” with giddy purpose. Of course, they were screaming their lungs out every time Gates pulled a high note or ceremoniously wiped sweat off his brow. The Righteous Brothers classic, which to Gates’ credit had a youthful teen zest to it, worked wonders on the Bukit Kiara crowd.
With a full rock band assembled behind him, there was definitely a pop rock bent to his show, which lasted a little over an hour, but Gates tempered the rockier bits masterfully with mushy favourites like Foolish, Bring My Baby and Soul Affection. Looking for the most part like an English Enrique Iglesias (with hints of a young Roy Keane), Gates had the small crowd wrapped around his little finger by the time he swung into the timid Just Say Yes. Judging by the doe-eyed reactions of teenaged audience members, perhaps Gates proved himself as Britain’s answer to the Spanish star (who cancelled his visit here just a week earlier).
Like Sebastian earlier in the night, Gates in full swing was disarming stuff. These lads had come a long way from being mere contestants on reality TV programmes and it showed. Perhaps the performance training and the boost of a record contract, albums and opportunities for their own originals to be included on their records had kicked in for this tour.
For Pop Idols, they certainly knew how to work a crowd.
In between songs, Gates would address the crowd with lengthy bits of info on his tour – “my lifelong stammer” and “music as my release.” He tried some cleverly orchestrated gimmicks; including ordering a pizza onstage and having the crowd scream “no cheese!” (Gates is allergic to cheese, apparently), and “firing” the drummer in front of the live audience so he could show his own drum chops.
Later, on the self-penned rocker, Enough Of Me, Gates made up for his stammer by strapping on an electric guitar and laying down some passable heavy metal riffs!
The pop star further showcased his multi-instrumental skills by launching into a soft piano medley, which included the achey-breaky That’s When You Know and a soaring bar of the R&B/pop staple It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry. An acoustic rendering of Sentimental set the teenyboppers swaying even more, and with the audience under his spell Gates took the opportunity to introduce members of his band.
Comparing Gates own idolatry with consummate pop stars like Robbie Williams and greats like Elvis Presley, his show wasn’t lacking the requisite Elvis hip wiggles and Robbie-esque shuffles. It all came shakin’ down as the climax of All Cried Out, Go Your Own Way, Anyone Of Us and the encore – Spirit In The Sky and Say It Isn’t So – followed briskly.
Then like a true Idol, Gates bid goodbye to his small, but loyal Malaysian following with neat send-off: “Look at all of you, you’re beautiful.”
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Malaysian fan Hafizah Hoze Rizal......
I sooo understand how gareth's fans feel...
He came to Malaysia recently and boy, was he cute!! At 1st, i wanted to go to the airport and welcome him but he came 2 days earlier..y? he wanted to prove to his Malaysian fans tht he really wanted to visit Malaysia..(awww!) there wasnt supposed to be any autograph session but then, he planned an autograph session a day after he arrived! Sigh happily...i still cant forget abt it.
I was the 4th person to go up the stage. the promoter allowed us (fans) to present him only ONE item for him to sign. But i had two; his Cd and a potrait of him (i drew).i couldnt care less so..as i went up the stage, the promoter snatched the potrait and let him signed the CD only. I was mad but the moment i met him face to face...ahhh..only God knows how I felt! Did i cry? yea!
as i was saying..while he was signing my CD, I gave him the cookies tht my sisters and I baked for him. "We baked cookies just for you.." and he was like, "thank you." yes, you guessed it, i cried even harder. Then, I asked him, "Can i have a hug?" (tht moment i couldnt care less abt my make up..thank God, i didnt wear mascara!) I dont know whether it was just me, but he looked rather SHOCKED than flattered to see me crying for him. So, he smiled, got up and GAVE ME A HUG!!!! while he did tht, other girls were screaming...lol. Coz i got like the LONGEST hug frm him!!!! well, partly because i was crying my eyes out!
Ok,ok..while hugging him, i whispered, "I love you" to his ear. and he smiled back, and replied, "Thank you/I love you too" i couldnt hear wht he was saying because those gals were screaming so loud! but it did not matter..oh, and he smelled soooooo good, btw. ;P
OOOHH and here's the BEST PART : After hugging me, he looked at the promoter who took my drawing and said," Gimme that." (AWWWW! SO SWEET!) He got the drawing and signed it for me. After tht, he handed it to me with a heart-melting smile...sigh..he was super nice!
His concert? AWESOME!!! but since professional cameras werent allowed..i managed to take only 2 pics during his concert..right now..im begging some local newspapers for pictures and some of my instant friends tht i met during his concert. i'll share with u guys soon, promise.
Did my sis take a pic of me hugging Gareth? she DID NOT!!!
her reason, " i was to busy admiring him from far.." but not to worry..she did take pictures of him signing autograph for his fans.. I'll develope them ASAP k? Thanks for reading this! means a lot to me!
Hafizah Hoze Rizal
PS- if u have read the malaysia's second review on his concert, the placard "Blow Me A Kiss"..it was mine!
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Link to comments sent in about MEN concert
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/entertai...?story_id=83225
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Gareth Gates @ M.E.N Arena
Helen Tither: Manchester Evening News
"ROCK on, Manchester!" Now there are three words you never thought you'd hear from the cherubic, choirboy lips of Gareth Gates.
But then, if you are as cynical and jaded as me, you probably never expected him to play the guitar, drums and keyboard and sing his little lungs out for two whole hours.
The truth is, it would be so easy to shoot Master Gates down in flames. I mean, he's a Pop Idol loser, he gives Darius a run for his money in the schmaltz stakes, and he insists on a ridiculous mullet haircut.
Syrupy
In fact, after his syrupy image was somewhat tarnished following that infamous fling with glamour model Jordan, his career was going only one way. Down the pop plughole.
However, and it pains me to say it, his 15 minutes may not be up just yet. Not judging by this sterling effort anyway.
He danced, he sang, he rocked, and he banged on his drums - and boy did those teenyboppers love him for it.
Every word he uttered saw ecstatic screaming and waving of fluorescent bunny ears - the only nasty incident being a scuffle between fans over his on-stage cast-offs. Which stewards broke up. Honestly!
That aside, things flowed seamlessly from rock to acoustic smootch, via some funky disco numbers, and he really did put in a cracking effort. At times it was Justin Timberlake-esque but that's no bad thing.
And, believe it or not, there was barely a cover version in sight - obvious exceptions including Unchained Melody.
However, he was best when steering clear of the schmoozing and trying his new funkier material instead.
I'm not quite eating my hat, but his career's not ready for the Pop Idol graveyard just yet.
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Link to the people's reviews in the Birmingham on line newspaper here
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From FrankieC on GG
Saturday 6th March 2004 was a red letter day for me One of the best days of my long life.
It started at 3.00pm when my son Gary and I left Thames Ditton,Surrey to meet lots of lovely people from Gareth's website at the Ibis Hotel Wembley many of whom I had met at the PITP in Bingley last year.
After saying hello to you all,Gary and I dashed off so I could buy souvenirs before the show started as I was anxious they all be gone if I wated until later.Amongst other things I bought a wand for my lovely 7 yearold grandaughter which she has taken to bed with her.
Next we bought some food and went to our seats to wait for the concert to start.
The girls who opened the show were quite good but now to the important part, Gorgeous Gareth.The "piece de resistance" the boy I had been waiting for all week.
He was even more brilliant than I had expected him to be and that's saying a lot because I always expect so much from him.
I can say right now Gareth is the most important,talented artist/star/siger/musician in popular music this country has and is a great ambassador for us in Asia,europe,South Africa and many other countries you would like to mention.
Gareth's speech is now clear and confident.It was inspiring to hear him talk to us and funny is to put it mildly.He was hilarious at times.
His singing was out of this world and his acoustic tracks carried me away. How brilliantly he played the guitar and keyboards and then came his mind boggling stint on the drums.[i knew he could play drums but not as great as that].It was terrific to see him playing alongside the band's drummer. Gareth has to be an exceptional drummer to be able to do it.
He played rock guitar to the rock song he has written ie "Enough of Me" and Gary sitting beside me said,"That is a great song brilliantly sung and what great guitar playing".He also said that "Given space and time to develope his own style in music Gareth will have a long career".
There wasn't a moment without Gareth being in complete control of his stage.His movement around it was terrific and talk about dancing!"Wow!!Can that man move? his dancing was sexy, supple and confident.
Didn't he just know how to play his audience? He held us in the palm of his hand. Not many artists can do that.
There are so many things to talk about.If I named them all I would have to write a book about them. I was completely engrossed and carried away by Gareth's artistry and beautiful performances of his many different great songs. He is a complete entertainer but sadly it was over all too quickly for me.
If my very grownup son hadn't taken me all the way across London I wouldn't have been able to see Gareth so Gary made me a happy mum.
I hope my "piece" is of interest to one and all and helps to fill a little space in the experiences we have shared together.
Love Frankie
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From BlondeElaine on GG
My Wembley report.
I saw Gareth last night and to describe it in one word would be FABULOUS.
There were no fancy stage props or gimmicks just pure Gareth at his best. His singing was beautifull as usual but nothing prepared me for his dancing in perfect rhythm with his Dancers (think Suzanne must have been giving him lessons), also his speech was great, he had the whole of Wembley hanging on to every fluent word that came out of his mouth. You couldn't shut him up, he was so natural and confident and I felt so proud of him. Even poking fun at himself describing the different stages he went through with his stammer, to finally getting where he is now. He was so funny doing his skippy impressions. He said his biggest acheivement was his speech and being able to speak to us tonight and who would have believed it 2 years ago.
He had no hint of nerves and at 19 what an acheivement. I wonder does this make him the youngest star ever to crack Wembley on a solo Tour? If so he may go down in the Guiness Book Of Records. I allmost forgot to mention his other talents, Fabulous electric guitar playing, piano keyboard and also the drums, talk about multi talented.
The audience consisted of all ages, young, old, male, female and families. He sang his hits interacted with the audience and who was the lucky girl he got up on stage and gave a cuddle to?
He surely didn't dissapoint and if any of his critics saw the show, they will surely have to eat their words. A truly professional show from a truly professional performer, he has certainly proved his worth.
My friend who by the way is a Will fan, thanked me for inviting her along and when I asked if it was what she had exspected. She said no, he had surprised her and it was much better than she had exspected. I think I may have converted her, as she never stopped talking about it on the way home.
Elaine
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Excellent Frankie - we'll pick it up from GG
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I am very angry and sad at the same time. No apology for the damage done, no remorse, no nothing, and the thread where people have their say about it gets locked. Sad and pathetic .
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Tour reviews?
in Gareth's Music
Posted
We now have a section called performances on this board here - and all the tour reports that have been rescued so far are in there. Enjoy.