Be still
And go on to bed
Nobody knows what lies ahead
And life is short
To say the least
We're in the belly of the beast
Be still
Wild and young
Long may your innocence reign
Like shells on the shore
And may your limits be unknown
And may your efforts be your own
If you ever feel you can't take it anymore
Don't break character
You've got a lot of heart
Is this real or just a dream?
Rise up like the sun
Labor till the work is done
Be still
One day you'll leave
Fearlessness on your sleeve
When you've come back, tell me what did you see
What did you see
Was there something out there for me?
Be still
Close your eyes
Soon enough you'll be on your own
Steady and straight
And if they drag you through the mud
It doesn't change what's in your blood
Over chains
When they knock you down
Don't break character
You've got a lot of heart
Is this real or just a dream?
Be still
Be still
Be still
Be still
Over rock and chain
Over sunset plain
Over trap and snare
When you're in too deep
In your wildest dream
In your made up scheme
When they knock you down
When they knock you down
Don't break character
You've got so much heart
Is this real or just a dream?
Oh Rise up like the sun
And labor till the work is done
Rise up like the sun
Labor till the work is
Rise up like the sun
And labor till the work is done
Awesome lyrics, awesome band. Burns, Bobby, & Brandon in Delaney's Dublin - 22/02/2013
Showing posts with label the killers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the killers. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Let Me Entertain You
There is a common feeling throughout that sport stars are overpaid. How is it justified that some skinny kid from Manchester can earn £150,000 per week, when so many people would aim for that in a decade? I actually have no problem with it. I like to be entertained, and clearly so do millions of other people whether it be on television, in the stadium or the arena. Last week I saw The Killers and Bon Jovi – both of which are totally different performances, but entertained me and the masses thoroughly. Brandon is shy and introvert, but he doesn’t really need to be anything else – the music speaks for itself. Jon is a natural entertainer and gets the crowd going as much as the music does. I love both of them.
Tonight is boxing. David Haye and Vladimir Klitschko will earn over £10m from 36 minutes of scrapping tonight. It may be less than 36 of course. It is not just a conversion - £10m divided by the number of rounds or minutes that the fight lasts though. The training, the PR, the general effort that has gone into building this fight up has been huge, and it is more than just the time in the ring tonight which makes this such a big fight. Plus, anybody who is prepared to be punched in the face by either of these two chaps deserves £10m.
I’ve mentioned this a few times but HJ and I have this ongoing joke about how I get an idea about going to a UFC, football or Boxing event, and I build it up and justify going by saying it is the biggest event ever or in ten years. This one actually is….seriously, I’m telling the truth this time HJ! It’s been years since a great heavyweight fight, and finally we have one. I was happy to pay the 200 Euros to get into the stadium tonight, as are 50,000 other folks, and millions will pay the £15-20 on PPV. Why? Because it will entertain and intrigue us.
Aside from the actual cost of watching or attending, what price or value does entertainment have for us? It is huge for me. I love to be entertained and I love to entertain. It doesn’t have to mean stepping into the ring with a Ukrainian beast to do that though. I enjoy nothing more than seeing my girl, friends or family smile, enjoy a moment or two, playing with my niece and nephew….although I suspect the big bag of sweets has more to do with their smiles and laughter.
I would never risk my boyish looks by fighting (stop laughing over there) so I would always have to find other ways of entertaining. I always fancied myself as a singer in my mid-teens, but when it got even remotely close to being possible that I would sing in a crowd, I bottled it. Singing wasn’t for me, didn’t like the sole focus or attention nor had a good voice. Not positive characteristics to replicate a Bon Jovi or The Killers. Playing football was slightly different. Perhaps it was because I formed part of a team, but for some reason, I always raised my game the more people were watching…especially if there were one or two girls viewing. Bowling or batting in the last over playing cricket was always something I relished and enjoyed. Knee and ankle injuries later didn’t help that, as well as discovering alcohol, so my next form of entertainment was and is to make people smile. Whether that is a joke, having fun, or a gesture that lets somebody know that I am thinking about them. The small things that entertain or make people feel good about themselves.
As I get older and maybe think a bit more than I did when I was a young pup, I realise the small stuff is just as important if not more so, than the grand gestures. My lady has certainly been key in that realisation. She is the most kind, caring and thoughtful person I know (will they make good vows?!). You don’t have to take the punch in the face, score the winning goal in the cup final, or blast out Mr Brightside – the card in the post, the smile, the phone call is just as important. But just accept that the love and smile in return is better than the £10m.
Tonight is boxing. David Haye and Vladimir Klitschko will earn over £10m from 36 minutes of scrapping tonight. It may be less than 36 of course. It is not just a conversion - £10m divided by the number of rounds or minutes that the fight lasts though. The training, the PR, the general effort that has gone into building this fight up has been huge, and it is more than just the time in the ring tonight which makes this such a big fight. Plus, anybody who is prepared to be punched in the face by either of these two chaps deserves £10m.
I’ve mentioned this a few times but HJ and I have this ongoing joke about how I get an idea about going to a UFC, football or Boxing event, and I build it up and justify going by saying it is the biggest event ever or in ten years. This one actually is….seriously, I’m telling the truth this time HJ! It’s been years since a great heavyweight fight, and finally we have one. I was happy to pay the 200 Euros to get into the stadium tonight, as are 50,000 other folks, and millions will pay the £15-20 on PPV. Why? Because it will entertain and intrigue us.
Aside from the actual cost of watching or attending, what price or value does entertainment have for us? It is huge for me. I love to be entertained and I love to entertain. It doesn’t have to mean stepping into the ring with a Ukrainian beast to do that though. I enjoy nothing more than seeing my girl, friends or family smile, enjoy a moment or two, playing with my niece and nephew….although I suspect the big bag of sweets has more to do with their smiles and laughter.
I would never risk my boyish looks by fighting (stop laughing over there) so I would always have to find other ways of entertaining. I always fancied myself as a singer in my mid-teens, but when it got even remotely close to being possible that I would sing in a crowd, I bottled it. Singing wasn’t for me, didn’t like the sole focus or attention nor had a good voice. Not positive characteristics to replicate a Bon Jovi or The Killers. Playing football was slightly different. Perhaps it was because I formed part of a team, but for some reason, I always raised my game the more people were watching…especially if there were one or two girls viewing. Bowling or batting in the last over playing cricket was always something I relished and enjoyed. Knee and ankle injuries later didn’t help that, as well as discovering alcohol, so my next form of entertainment was and is to make people smile. Whether that is a joke, having fun, or a gesture that lets somebody know that I am thinking about them. The small things that entertain or make people feel good about themselves.
As I get older and maybe think a bit more than I did when I was a young pup, I realise the small stuff is just as important if not more so, than the grand gestures. My lady has certainly been key in that realisation. She is the most kind, caring and thoughtful person I know (will they make good vows?!). You don’t have to take the punch in the face, score the winning goal in the cup final, or blast out Mr Brightside – the card in the post, the smile, the phone call is just as important. But just accept that the love and smile in return is better than the £10m.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
How many times has the title of that song been appropriate for moments in our lives? I consider myself pretty good at spitting the word out but I won’t pretend it is easy. I don’t think it is easy for anybody, but I do personally feel it is better to say it that not.
One of my favourite bands of all time broke up recently few months back. I consider myself a pretty loyal guy and I stand by my bands and artists regardless of what anybody has to say about them. For some reason Barry and Jon Bon seem to be on the receiving end of a fair bit of stick recently and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Some folks owe them an apology. They have stood by me for years and in turn, I’ll repay their faith and support them. That’s what love is about. So, when I heard that The Killers had broken up a few months back, I felt pretty let down. What had I done to deserve that? It was harsh to say the least.
Thankfully, it seems a temporary break – a Ross and Rachel ‘break’. I was heartened by that news, coupled with the announcement that front man Brandon Flowers was going solo while the other boys took a break. Heartened but concerned. I’ve seen this happen so many times to good people. They get all carried away thinking that can go it alone and produce the goods, and fail miserably. I feared for Brandon I have to admit. Maybe I lost a bit of faith. Jon taught me to Keep It and maybe I lost it.
Brandon I apologise.
Sunday night, HJ and I went to see Brandon in Zurich, and Brandon nailed it. Great energy as you would expect from The Killers chap, but a slight twist of country and randomness meshed in. In a fabulously small and intimate venue called Kaufleuten, it was the perfect setting for a quality gig. The album, Flamingo, is a gem and I have yet to hear anybody say a bad word about it. My favourite tunes, enhanced by the gig, are Magdalena, Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts and Hard Enough. No complaints about any on the album, and I recommend it.
So the gig was due to start at 8pm which was handy as the last direct train was set to depart at 10.04. Early starts for both of us this morning so it made sense. Well, my naivety and inexperience of these small venues and gigs was exposed. Brandon came on stage at 9.30, ten minutes before we had to leave for the train. Not only would it be a case of leaving early, but virtually leaving after two songs was not really an option especially given my recently tarnished reputation. So we bit the bullet and saw it through and rolled into bed at 2am, cream-crackered but happy. A great gig, and thoroughly enjoyable.
So Brandon and I are back on after our date last night. I feel a bit bad for any doubt I had. I cannot wait for the Killers to rekindle their magic, but solo Brandon is pretty darn good. He moves on to the UK soon, and I would recommend any folks to grab a ticket if you can. Brandon is even heading to Leeds for a gig at the O2 Academy – after my last blog about my library in Leeds, he thought he would make an appearance. And he is going to nail it.
One of my favourite bands of all time broke up recently few months back. I consider myself a pretty loyal guy and I stand by my bands and artists regardless of what anybody has to say about them. For some reason Barry and Jon Bon seem to be on the receiving end of a fair bit of stick recently and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Some folks owe them an apology. They have stood by me for years and in turn, I’ll repay their faith and support them. That’s what love is about. So, when I heard that The Killers had broken up a few months back, I felt pretty let down. What had I done to deserve that? It was harsh to say the least.
Thankfully, it seems a temporary break – a Ross and Rachel ‘break’. I was heartened by that news, coupled with the announcement that front man Brandon Flowers was going solo while the other boys took a break. Heartened but concerned. I’ve seen this happen so many times to good people. They get all carried away thinking that can go it alone and produce the goods, and fail miserably. I feared for Brandon I have to admit. Maybe I lost a bit of faith. Jon taught me to Keep It and maybe I lost it.
Brandon I apologise.
Sunday night, HJ and I went to see Brandon in Zurich, and Brandon nailed it. Great energy as you would expect from The Killers chap, but a slight twist of country and randomness meshed in. In a fabulously small and intimate venue called Kaufleuten, it was the perfect setting for a quality gig. The album, Flamingo, is a gem and I have yet to hear anybody say a bad word about it. My favourite tunes, enhanced by the gig, are Magdalena, Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts and Hard Enough. No complaints about any on the album, and I recommend it.
So the gig was due to start at 8pm which was handy as the last direct train was set to depart at 10.04. Early starts for both of us this morning so it made sense. Well, my naivety and inexperience of these small venues and gigs was exposed. Brandon came on stage at 9.30, ten minutes before we had to leave for the train. Not only would it be a case of leaving early, but virtually leaving after two songs was not really an option especially given my recently tarnished reputation. So we bit the bullet and saw it through and rolled into bed at 2am, cream-crackered but happy. A great gig, and thoroughly enjoyable.
So Brandon and I are back on after our date last night. I feel a bit bad for any doubt I had. I cannot wait for the Killers to rekindle their magic, but solo Brandon is pretty darn good. He moves on to the UK soon, and I would recommend any folks to grab a ticket if you can. Brandon is even heading to Leeds for a gig at the O2 Academy – after my last blog about my library in Leeds, he thought he would make an appearance. And he is going to nail it.
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