Mr Blue Sky

When I was 15 I set out with a mate to catch a train to Birmingham. We were going to see ELO at the NEC. It was the first big gig I had been to. And it might partly explain my later love affair with the smaller variety.

The sun shone on this February day. Mr Blue Sky was alive and well, and we travelled light. Jeans, t-shirt and ourselves. But at some point on our trip to the venue the snow arrived.

We got there in plenty of time, late afternoon. And it was quite cold. After a couple of hours we were told that the gig was going to be delayed an hour or so at least. Something to do with the weather. And there was nowhere to go. We just had to wait outside until we were let in, maybe 4 hours after our arrival. Later we discover the temperature had dropped to minus 15 celsius.

When we finally did get in, the venue wasn’t even half full. Folk had struggled to get there due to road conditions. And we spent more than half the concert recovering from what was probably mild hypothermia. I don’t remember much apart from that.

It is, as they say, always good to live in the moment. But here’s a useful tip. It’s also sensible to check the weather forecast.

And here’s a Sunday morning tune that will help me at least to remember that.