On Friday, my hostess and I, along with friends Ian, Jane and Wilma, went to Murrayfield Stadium for Party on the Pitch. I had been somewhat apprehensive about tribute bands anyway and Murrayfield’s failure to deliver our tickets had only served to deepen this apprehension. In the end, my hostess had to go to Murrayfield Stadium on the day of the event, trog more than three-quarters of the way around the stadium to the ice-rink ticket-office and yibble at the ticket-sellers there. They were quite calm and offered her more tickets than we’d paid for. However, our chances of touting them were minimal.

We gathered at the Mill in the early afternoon and headed over in the cold afternoon air to the stadium to find that there was no sign of where we were meant to queue to go in. Still, more walking round the stadium could only have been good for us. Inside the stadium were a few early-birds but the audience were few and far between, as you can see here. So many people were saved from hearing the utter ghastliness of Led Astray. I walked out when the guitarist strapped on a double-necked guitar – covers of Stairway to Heaven give me the pure boke.

I rejoined my companions after the sacrilege was over and the perps had been taken back to the cubes in which they could fondly imagine that anyone at all would want to listen to them. After a interval marred by two gibbering clowns from Radio Reykjavik South Central or some other to-be-avoided-at-all-costs station, a mob called Killer Queen took the stage. Despite the obvious wigs and “Freddie” ‘s painted-on mustache, they were good at what they did, the general mood livened and a few people started to dance in the stands. Even your curmudgeonly reporter enjoyed himself and shook such of his stuff that hadn’t been frozen off or dissolved in the plastic cup of used bath-water he had been sold in place of beer.

I didn’t see much of The Bootleg Beatles, mostly because I was queueing for hot drinks (the beer-queue had become surprisingly long, considering the venue was less than a third full) and fly-agaric doughnuts. However, what I heard and later saw showed that these lads knew how to do a show and I felt sorry for them and the other bands (Led Astray excepted) that this venue was so noticeably empty. I can’t comment on how good they are at recreating the Beatles’ songs because I am pushed to name a Beatles song I like. However, my companions passed very favourable comments on them, so I am happy to pass on their recommendation that you see them if you want, ideally in a smaller, warmer and above all fuller venue. I found great amusement in the serruptitious scousers’ performance of All you need is love while uncontrolled children knocked lumps out of each other with inflatable guitars.

The highlight of the evening came in http://www.bjornagain.com/‘s set. They had performed some Abba songs to a pleasing standard and the girls had snuck off-stage for a costume change when “Björn”‘s darker side was revealed in a crowd-pleasing version of Rocking all over the World. Encores were Dancing Queen and the la-de-da-de-dum song.

Overall, a good, fun afternoon and evening: my attitude is marred by the absence of a dear friend at this event. More pictures are here.

Speak To Me/Breathe – Pink Floyd