Plucky Survivors See Europe Day 35: London

Pretty short update for today as a combination of work and laziness drove me to stick around the room for a big chunk of the day.  I know I should’ve gone out and seen more of London, but sometimes you just need air conditioning and a comfy bed, you know what I mean?

I managed to drag myself up for food, one of the few things that will get me to move, and headed a few blocks to the Black Tap, a burger and beer joint on Picadilly Circus.  I was really tempted by the French Onion burger with caramelized onions and gruyere, but ultimate went with the Wagyu burger because it had pepperjack cheese on it.  I know, it’s a sickness.  That and a side of onion rings did the trick.

The people at the table near me got ice cream and the photos speak for themselves.

I would be dead after eating that.

Late afternoon I started heading toward the Underground to go to the festival but made a little detour into the casino where I turned about 500 pounds into nearly 3,000.  Just in time to have to exchange it all for Euros.  Eh… I can save it for the casinos in Monaco.

The BST Hyde Park Festival is an annual event that features multiple stages, food, rides, and lots of big name headliners.  Garth Brooks, Maroon Five, One Republic, and Duran Duran, whom I was going to see, are just a few examples.  I had planned on going earlier to catch Chic with Nile Rodgers and Scissor Sisters but I point you back in this travelogue to the lazy, work, and casino effects and I missed all but the last few minutes of Scissor Sisters.

The festival grounds are enormous and I’m told that there were as many as 70,000 people there.  I splurged on the Ultimate VIP Terrace, which had shade and seating but by the time I got there all the seating was taken and nobody was moving.  That’s okay, I got a few drinks and a steak sandwich for my splurge.

Duran Duran was formative for me.  Their music sounded much different than what I had grown up on in Iowa and their style and videos made me want to be them.  Of course, they were cute, too.  That didn’t hurt.  I saw them in concert at some point in my late teens or early twenties, but I don’t remember where.  Probably Los Angeles. 

The original fivesome is now a foursome, with lead singer Simon LeBon, bassist John Taylor, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and drummer Roger Taylor still in residence.  Guitarist Andy Taylor has been fighting cancer for the last few years and isn’t on the roster.

They all look and sound great for guys in their 60s.  They move a little bit less and some of the songs were modulated down from their original so Simon could still hit the high notes, but he was fantastic.

They did most the songs I wanted to hear – “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Notorious,” “View to a Kill,” “Please Tell Me Now,” “Rio,” “Come Undone,” “Ordinary World,” “Save a Prayer,” and my own favorite “The Reflex.”  The only one they didn’t play that I would’ve liked to have heard is “I Don’t Want Your Love,” but that wasn’t a huge hit so I understand why it was left off the setlist.

It was a great time, very nostalgic, and it reminded me of when I used to enjoy going to concerts with lots of people and nowhere to sit. 

I snuck out a little early because I wanted to beat 70,000 people, a good chunk of whom I’m sure would’ve been headed to the Underground.

Tomorrow, I have a flight back to Paris and pick up PluckyMobile to head to Voelklingen, Germany.  Where?  Why?  Valid questions.  All will be revealed.