Wow, 2011 already! Is it just me or did 2010 fly by? I had some really good times over the last year (and of course some really bad ones, but I’m hoping to forget about those!) and listened to some great music. I planned to not go to as many gigs in 2010 as I did in 2009 and although I only went to half as many, I still went to 7 which cost quite a lot of money as most of them were expensive stadium gigs!

The gigs I went to in 2010:

-Ellie Goulding at the O2 Academy, Birmingham (27^th March) this was the second time I’d seen Ellie (the first time was supporting Little Boots in 2009) and at first, there were a few sound issues, we couldn’t hear her microphone! Once they were sorted however, it was a brilliant gig and I went with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while which made it even better.

In our Ellie Goulding tshirts

- Bon Jovi at the O2 Arena, London (13^th June) I’d wanted to see Bon Jovi for YEARS! They’re one of my favourite bands and I could never persuade anyone to go with me but I managed to persuade my mom and we had a fantastic time! We bought the cheapest tickets that were available (at £50 each, they weren’t exactly cheap) and were on the top tier at the back but we still had a great view.

Inside the O2 Arena

- Bon Jovi at the O2 Arena, London (25^th June) yes, I saw them again 12 days later! I didn’t mean to but the day after I got back from London my brother came into my room and mumbled something about seeing Bon Jovi for a fiver. I was on the phone at the time so I just ignored him but later on I thought I should go and see what he was on about. It turns out that ticketmaster had decided to sell a load of the tickets off for £5 and £10! I quickly snapped up two £5 tickets and then worried about who I was going to take with me. I ended up going with my current housemate and the seat were amazing! They were the ones that were originally £200 and we were so close! Unfortunately they didn’t play my favourite song, These Days, they were alternating the nights they were playing it and did it the night before.

A day out in London before seeing Bon Jovi

- Manic Street Preachers secret gig at Hammersmith Working Men’s club, London (5^th August) I was one of 100 lucky people who won a pair of tickets for the Manics’ secret album launch gig. I’d seen them before in Wolverhampton in 2009 and they were amazing. This gig was even better, it was such an intimate venue and James Dean Bradfield kept messing up but it was fine! They played a mixture of new songs and old classics and I managed to get a set list at the end of the night!

I was so close!

The set list

- Muse at LCCC, Manchester (4^th September) I’m a massive Muse fan and this was the fifth time I’d seen them. I went with my friend who is also a big fan. We drove to Manchester from Coventry (after I’d got the train from Winchester) on the Friday night and stayed in a Holiday Inn opposite the Man Utd ground so that we could get up early to queue outside the stadium. We queued from 9am (doors opened at 4pm!) and managed to secure a spot on the barrier on the left hand side of the stage (in front of Matt). It certainly wasn’t the best Muse gig I’d been to set list wise but the atmosphere was amazing!

Queuing outside the stadium

On the barrier!

 - Muse at Wembley Stadium, London (11^th September) a week later, I went to see them for a sixth time. Yes, I’m slightly mad! Again, we arrived at the stadium at around 9ish (I left my house at 6:45) and queued. While we were in the queue, the heavens opened and we got drenched and we decided that we didn’t want to stand up all the way through the gig, instead we’d try to get seats. All that changed when we got in there and managed to get a spot in the second row in the middle of the stage..once Muse got on I was shoved on to the barrier. This was probably one of favourite Muse gigs. They played Bliss and Ruled By Secrecy which are two of my favourite songs! They atmosphere was again amazing as it was when I saw them at Wembley Stadium in 2007. I was so happy  for those two hours that they were on stage. I want to see them again and again and again! I also managed to get a set list at the end.

The set list

- Manic Street Preachers at Southampton Guildhall, Southampton (19^th October) another band I saw twice in the same year.. I had booked the ticket BEFORE I won the other tickets though. I chose to sit in the unreserved seating in the balcony for this gig as I have a bad back and it had been playing up. I had a brilliant view of the band and sitting at the back didn’t make a bit of difference in terms of the atmosphere, I was still singing along and had a fantastic time by myself. I definitely recommend going to a gig by yourself if you can’t persuade anyone to go with you (as long as it’s safe obviously). I’d rather go alone than miss it altogether!

So far for 2011, I only have one gig planned which is Band of Horses in Birmingham. I really want to see Thirteen Senses in London but I’m going to have to wait until loan day before I purchase a ticket!

What gigs did you go to this year? Which was your favourite one?