It was our Glastonbury, thankfully the rain held off all evening and it was a wonderful night.
Planning for the concert started in the autumn of 2006 when a local events management company, Jill Todd Consultancy (JTC) was sourced and in collaboration with hospital staff delivered a spectacular result on Saturday evening. Garland Wing and the grounds below were ideal for the numbers we needed (around 2,000 people) with the natural terraces and acoustics from the surrounding countryside. Only the weather we couldn’t control.
All morning of Saturday 23 June, the staff from JTC fought the weather. Thunder and lightening, torrential rain and wind but the show went on. The stage erected, the sound equipment tested, the bar and barriers put into operation and slowly the 96% cloud cleared, the rain stopped and out came the sun at around 4.30. The timing couldn’t have been better and the forecast for the evening was good.
And then they came ……….. with their tables and chairs, groundsheets and picnics to make the most of the night and by the time the live entertainment started at 6.30 the lawns were packed. Rooms in Garland were taken by suppliers who used them for corporate entertainment and others took seats on the lower balcony area just in case the weather changed.
Abba Magic were the first on stage with great music appealing to all ages. By the stage, crowds accumulated to get nearer to the entertainers and we all joined in with singing and dancing. There were children on their parent’s shoulders getting a better view showing that this group is still as popular as ever.
Then Robbie Williams and his dancers had a tough act to follow. He came on very smartly dressed and with very clever costume changes during the course of the next hour or so, clothes came off and the familiar black tee shirt delighted of the crowds towards the end. As Robbie admitted he wasn’t on top form with a throat problem however it was still good entertainment. By this time the picnics were going down a treat and the crowd by the stage started swelling. People were still coming in to see their favourite entertainers.
It was dusk and Killer Queen came on stage. Wow – what a performance. The other groups had been great, but this really got the crowds going. They were fabulous – you just had to be there to really feel the way they interacted with their fans and build such enthusiasm from everyone. What a crescendo, the night was made.
After the encores died down, the firework started with a really dazzling display – perfect timing and a perfect end to a perfect night.
Crowds melted into the darkness and peace and quiet returned to the beautiful grounds and buildings that never, in the almost 80 years of their existence, had seen such sights. The TB patients who lived on the wards and rooms on Garland Wing in the early 1900’s would have been as pleased to see the place come alive for that brief moment in time, as we were.
Event Photographs|