dorral

Wasn't sure which pic you wanted posting eternal,so posted both.

This is a lovely pic. of Gareth.

Eternal has asked for these pics to be posted here

Thanks for your lovely interesting report Sarahjane, your pictures are gorgeous.

Thanks Linda for your detailed report,,loving all the videos from the weekend,

Thanks for all your reports,I have really enjoyed reading and listening to them.

Khelda it was " THE VERY BEST OF GARETH GATES" they sold quite a lot the night I was there,Gareth signed them all. Gareth said he and Pete had never cruised before,they were liking it. They do the show in the evening the rest of the time is there own. They can go off the ship during the day to explore the Islands.

I came home early this morning,have had a fantastic holiday,it was 90* when I left Barbados yesterday evening. After my 1st post when I said I hadn't bumped into Gareth, the following morning I went down to Breakfast Gareth and Pete were sat next to us,said hello and I told him we had booked to see them on the Monday.When we went for Lunch later G and Pete were sat about 3 tables away.They finished their lunch before us and came over to the table to speak,we were laughing about how big the ship was and how we were all getting lost.(It turned out Pete was still getting lost on the 5th day), he came up a staircase where we were sitting and asked if we had seen G.he was trying to find the Gym,he was on the wrong side of the ship.We bumped into Gareth and Pete several times they always stopped to speak.One time I was coming out of the Buffet it was afternoon tea I had 2 cups of tea and 2 biscuits they laughed and said all them cakes etc and you've got 2 biscuits. Gareth and Pete said everyone had been lovely to them. I never went out of my way to look for G.when we saw them sunbathing or swimming I would never have taken a picture or asked for one when we met. Limelight Theatre We all had to be seated by 6-30 pm the waiters took food and drinks orders,The entertainment manager then told us how the evening was planned.We would have a appitizer,starter and main course,the tables would be cleared, Gareth would come on and do a 15 mins set.After that dessert and coffee was served and cleared with Gareth then coming back to do another 1 hour set. Because I was so near the stage the manager was chatting to me, each night a different person introduced him.At the end of the night he was selling Gareth CD,he was also enthusing to me how talented Gareth was,he hadn't seen a reaction like that in the limelight club before,people up dancing,Gareth was dancing with them while he was singing.one man dancing with his wife was singing,Gareth saw him and sent him up on stage saying" I'll dance with your wife you go up there and sing"The man got carried away, near the end of the song pete wispered for him to give G the mike back.The last song was spirit in the sky he got a couple of people opposite to sing then he turned round looked at me and said " I know who I'm going to sing with now" Half way through the set Gareth asked Pete what they were singing next,they had forgotten the list,both forgot so Gareth ran to the dressing room for it. Song List Piano 2 songs I BELIEVE I CAN FLY YESTERDAY Then he sang I've got sunshine MY Girl Suspicious minds, after which we had dessert and coffee 2nd set Piano tAll of me For every Word Dancing with My Father (that was just beautiful) Sang His and pete's version of FAITH, VALERIE, ,ANY ONE OF US. Piano UNCHAINED MELODY, SWEET CHILD OF MINE, SANG BROWN EYED GIRL, FOOTLOOSE, SPIRIT IN TH SKY People shouted for more so they sang MUSTANG SALLY. Gareth kept correcting the manager when he said Gareth Gates, Gareth said "And PETE" When we were getting back on the ship in the Afternoon in TObago, Gareth and Pete were getting Off the ship to go home,they stopped and said they hoped we enjoyed the rest of our cruise, I thanked Gareth for making the first week of my holiday so special he said " Awwwww Bless you" and gave me another hug. I

Sat in a little shack in Tobago typing this. Have had a fantastic week ,I made a list of The songs G sang ,he played the grand piano on 7 throughout the evening. My sister was so impressed she even bought a cd,we were sat so close when he played the piano Linda said she was mesmerised with the way he gently touched the keys. Everyttime he went off the stage he stopped and spoke to me at the end he came over and gave me a big Hug.,the man on the next but one table asked me if I was his mother (lol) People on the ship are saying to other people they should go and see GG as it is a fantastic show. we tried to get tickets for last night but they have sold out,decided we will just have to book another cruise. will post a full report when I get home in another week.

Arrived yesterday in Barbados to board Britannia for 2 weeks I haven't bumped into Gareth or Pete yet,I'm sure I will before the weeks out. I have booked to see Gareth in the Limelight club on Monday,will try and write a report after that if I can get internet connection.

P&O Britannia ship is always based in the Caribbean from October to March each year,The Limelight Lounge is a Restaurant where you pay extra to eat whilst watching the entertainment.Last year Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden sang in there.The ports that Gareth will join the ship from in January to March will be St Lucia ,and Barbados. The Britannia is P&O biggest and newest ship with over 3,600 passengers. http://www.pocruises.com/cruise-ships/britannia/entertainment/#heading4

I went to see Footloose in Llandudno last night with ValR. Val drove,we found the theatre and parked in the car park near the exit ready for a quick get away after the show.The theatre is lovely on the seafront,we were having a coffee in their cafe overlooking the sea when we spotted Gareth on the front with a interview inside of the "YES" magazine, After a walk and a meal in Llandudno we went back to the theatre ready for the show. We enjoyed Footloose much better than last year. The show is about 1/2hour shorter than before a lot of the boring bits have been left out,it starts with the footloose dance .All the new cast members are better and more believable than last year,preacher, Ren,Cowboys,they seem to get on better blending with the rest of the cast. Gareth was so good the audience loved him,he played the guitar and the piano a lot more than last year,he is so funny when learning to dance.His voice when singing "Mama says "was strong and beautiful,the applause and cheers when he finished said it all. There was a standing ovation at the end,Gareth had the loudest cheer when he took his bow. .We thought the changes that have been made,taking out parts and adding more have made the show a lot more enjoyable,Val said she had a smile all night. In the Interval Val heard a group of women saying that the show would be nothing if Gareth was'nt in it.

Went to see the panto in Warrington last night with ValR,it was so funny completely different from the normal panto,it was just slapstick comedy from start to finish.You couldn't say anyone was the Star of the show the whole cast were brilliant. When we arrived Gareth's car was parked right next to the front of the theatre,Gareth was stood next to it we said hello but didn't engage in a conversation.His mum Missy and Mia were there also,Missy was trying to skate on a wave board. In the theatre Missy and Mia were sat on the balcony just above us,They knew all the dances,also the actions to the Easter version of the 12 days of Christmas.It was great fun watching them as well as the Panto. Along with other children!Missy was wished a special happy birthday,during the show Gareth put his finger on his lips looked at Missy,she did the same to him,at the end he was blowing them kisses. We were wet during one part of the slapstick when they were using water pistols,Val especially. Having seen lots of Pantos I think this was the best,the children didn't have any time to get bored.

Thankyou Count me in.

ValR and I went to Stockport on Saturday night,it was a brilliant show,loved every minute of it.Gareth's voice was fantastic,we said during the show that he certainly wasn't holding back with it.I have never sat on the front row before,it was comical seeing some of his facial expressions,he really acts out every song he sings, Michael and Gareth were so funny together you can tell they are great friends and have a lot of respect for each other. It was'nt a full house and the audience were a bit slow on the uptake of Michael's jokes etc,he kept saying to the band "am I facing the right way".However in the 2nd half the audience came to life,they did cheer after each song and at the end gave a standing ovation.At the end when Michael acknowledged Gareth saying what a lovely talented man he was they clapped,cheered and shouted loudly. There are 2 more venues near Manchester,would love to have gone to another where the audience are more vocal,unfortunately I will be on holiday. The Stockport theatre is absolutely beautiful,it was closed down,eventually they managed to find funding for the restoration,it is run by volunteers,Michael asked the audience at the end to give generously on the way out to help with the upkeep.

Heather, no it didn't smell of manure,Gareth was very amused with the theatre and it's dual use,he said he'd never been there before.

Valr and I decided to go to Skipton yesterday,Val drove, we arrived late afternoon after a meal we went straight to the theatre It turned out to be a cattle auction market by day that is turned into a theatre, seating approx 350 people.Seats were unreserved so you could sit anywhere. The show was opened by Jai,he has a nice voice but no stage presence,he either stood or sat in the same spot whilst singing.All his songs sound the same,he has no interaction with the audience at all. After the interval Gareth's family came in,there must have been at least 12 of them,What a difference from Jai,Gareth came bounding on stage waving and shouting "Hello Skipton" just at that moment one of his sisters walked in front of the stage taking his Nan to a better seat. G bent down,waved to her and said "Hello Nan" There was no keyboard set up when we went in only Pete's guitar so we were a bit dis-appointed knowing he wouldn't be playing.The 1st song he sang was "free" then he sang a couple more of the usual songs.After that he said he was going to sing a brand new song him and Pete had wrote together,it turned out to be "Hold On" After he had sung Angel on my Shoulder for Mothers day for his mum he said lets Party,everyone got up on their feet and went to the stage.Gareth knows how to party,he rocked that stage jumping around,his sisters and family were very noisy.Gareth got 2 girls one after the other from the audience to sing Spirit in the Sky,they were both brilliant singers,G told the to carry on ,him and Pete acted as backing singers for them. Gareth was struggling with his voice in parts he couldn't reach some notes,he kept putting his hand to his throat and massaging it,after he had been on stage for 1 and a quarter hours he asked Pete what they were doing next,they had a bit of a discussion,then Gareth said he was sorry but it was the last song. A couple of snippits, Gareth thought it was very funny to be playing "On a Farm" he'd never done it before,he said the smell of Manure was very good for clearing his lungs,he said come on lets all say Baaaaaaaa Gareth looked really well last night he was glowing,his hair looked nice, he was dressed imaculate and had lovely shiny shoes.(take note Jai ) If Gareth was wearing his new tanning range,he looked much better than he does with his usual tan. Gareth was selling after the show,his CD, a signed picture and a photograph taken with him for £10. We were a little bit disappointed not to hear any new songs,or see him play the keyboard,but as always it was a brilliant show. It was lovely to meet and sit with Linda,she arrived early and had a chat with Paul and Pete.

I think she did have a meet and greet Val as Isabelle had the tag round her neck for the first half of the show,she was lovely and danced non stop for the whole show(all the performers). It was very confusing with the tickets at Manchester.they were unreserved seats and most people didn't know there had been a meet and greet with Gareth before the show.There was no stage the band were set up at floor level,when G told people to come down and join the party at the latter part of his set, security had a job to keep people back from all the equipment. Gareth had to keep telling people to be careful as they were grabbing hold of him,he was really enjoying it though having selfie pictures with them as he sang. Jai did a meet and greet in the 2nd interval after he'd performed. Editing name,Isabelle not Issabella.

I went to the tour last night in Manchester with ValR,what a fantastic night we had,it was the best Gareth show ever.Thought the girl group and Jai were brilliant singers but had no charisma or stage presence at all. The theatre was only 1/2 full during their performances,In the interval after Jai had sung the theatre started to fill up ready for Gareth. A group of young men came in wearing Gareth masks(had his current hairstyle)they were chanting Gareth's name and they were very vocal all night.When pete and the drummer Adam came out ready to introduce Gareth the young men started singing "Anyone of us",they also sang happy birthday to Wendy much to G.amusment when he introduced AOMS.and was saying it was her birthday on Tuesday. Every song G finished they chanted his name and bowed up and down as if paying homage to him they danced and sang along all night. The theatre was packed and the noise was deafening,Gareth was loving the reaction from the crowd ,I only saw him rub his throat a couple of times,you couldn't tell he was having problems with his voice at all.I was only a few feet away from G when he played the piano,his fingers just brushed the keys so lightly it was just beautiful. There were a few celebrities as well as Faye's family sitting with his Mum, Dad and Jessica. Don't know whether he met people after the show,we went straight home .

I went to the tour in Manchester last night with ValR,we met and parked our cars at the Metro station,then got the metro into Manchester to the Arena. The show was supposed to start at 7- 30 it didn't start till 5 to 8.all the bands sang 2 songs each,thought 3T and Damage were rubbish I really liked the rest of the groups with Blue being the best by far. The 2nd half started,5th story were on 2nd,can't see the point of Kenzie wrapping in the middle of every single tune they sang it just didn't work.Gareth came down to the front and sang with Adam when he was singing his song.(Guess whose voice you could hear) The other bands came on,it was obvious they were making their 2 songs last as long they could,thought they were never finishing.Damage was the worst kept on and on about their tour and music to download today. I'd checked on the internet times of the last Metro tram back because it was a Sunday,10-45pm it was.When it got to 10-30pm Blue and Gareth still hadn;t been back on.Val and I decided we had to go otherwise we would have missed the last tram back to pick up our cars.If the show had started on time we would have been alright for time as it was we missed the 2 acts we most wanted to see.There were lots of people leaving before the show finished,think because it was a Sunday the show should have started at 7pm. I feel so mad and annoyed that we didn't see our favourites because the show was 25mins late starting. Looking forward to the RCM gig in Manchester with Gareth on his own. The selfie picture on twitter of 5th story with the fans in the background,Gareth went off stage and brought back a camera on a long stick,he called it his selfie stick.They then posed for a pic together with back to audience.