Nickelback at the O2

Went to Nickelback's concert at the O2 today. I have never seen Nickelback live but they are a staple of my mp3 playlist, partocularly when I'm running. Their songs have a great energy and beat that makes you run faster and work harder. Sure, they all sound the same. That's not the point. They all sound good to me.

The support act was Staind, who I'd never heard of. They started in a disappointingly headbanging style, with the lead guitarist making full use of his long hair, and adopting a laughably wide stance that simply made him look like he was parodying a rock star rather than trying to be one.

But the music won me over and I quickly warmed to the band as well. There was very little showmanship - as a support act they were quite limited anyway - but you still got a sense of some guys with real stage presence. Songs came densely packed and included some brilliant records like 'Believe'. Later I was surprised to find out that they have had a number 1 album in the UK. Missed that one.

Nickelback came on to a grand unveiling and noisy pyrotechnics, and sadly failed to live up to Staind, at least in my view. They had the run of a much enlarged stage, a catwalk, a dozen video screens, flame throwers and more pyrotechnics. The songs were performed well enough and of course it was a genuine thrill to see some of my favourite songs performed live for the first time. In fact, if they'd stuck to singing it would have been a better performance.

Chad Kroger seems to have the mistaken impression that people want to hear him talk. In fact, he prattled on in between every single song, and made time for several pointless stunts such as firing Nickelback memorabilia into the crowd using compressed air cannons, and lobbing open half-pints of beer at those minded to scream and shout loud enough. These distractions meant that pauses of 5-10 minutes between songs were not uncommon, and you started to wish that they'd stop mucking about and play some damn music.

I still love Nickelback's music and it was an entertaining, enjoyable show. Tellingly though, while writing this blog post, I'm listening to Staind. Go download The Illusion of Progress. It's great.

Visit to Kew Gardens

Today I went to Kew Gardens, which is the UK's oldest and most well known botanical gardens, and only a couple of miles from my flat. I should have been there before really, but you never find time for the things on your doorstep.

You have to pick a good day for it, as admission is a rather hefty £13 (a whole pound less for all manner of concessions, none of which apply to me). Today didn't disappoint though - weather was perfect, and the gardens are spectacular in the sunshine.

We tried out the new treetop walkway, which snakes through the treetops about 20m above ground level, and it's great. Some spectacular views as well - you could see the arch of Wembley stadium to the north. Unfortunately the lift was out of service so Auntie couldn't come up with us.

Kew has several very large and famous glass conservatories, the oldest built in the mid nineteenth century, and they house some of the world's largest indoor plants, including an eighteen metre Chilean wine palm, which has been growing in this conservatory for over 150 years!

It's a shame they won't let Shadow in. While I've been walking around Kew she's had to stay at home so now she's insisting on going for a walk right now.