Abu Dhabi part 4

After my 12 days of loving the weather, hanging out with mates and being generally emersed in Chilo's amazing loving persona, it was time for me to return my hairy ass (and it is!) back to UK... But not before one jolly royal piss up! So I arranged with a bunch of folk to have a last meet up on the Wednesday as my flight was scheduled for the Thursday (24th September)

Ramadan was slowly becoming a memory so it was business as usual. Eat what you'd like when you'd like, get shit faced in a bar of your chosing listening to any band play one or all of the following songs at some point through the evening:

1. Hotel California (eagles)
2. Zombie (the cranberries)
3. Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams)
4. Sweet Home Alabama (Lynard Skynard)
5. Sweet Child O Mine (Guns And Roses)
6. Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple)
7. 500 Miles (The Proclaimers)

The funny thing about the last song in particular, and I'm speaking from my 5 years experience in the UAE here, you'd normally only get requested that when there's a load of Scottish in, though I've known it to be requested every set until we finally succumb when there's just the one in!

Further more, no matter how many times it's requested, by the same lot of drunken twats, they NEVER know where the bridge comes. Indeed they always think it's comes after the first chorus. And even when it's apparent that the band hasn't arrived at that part of the song yet, it never is to these lot of overly patriotic Philistines. So as the singer is already at the second verse doing the whole, "....when I come home, I gonna be the man that's coming home t'yee!" they are full on ranting "da dada daaaah, da dada daaaah!" oblivious to what the band is doing. This happens without fail!

Similarly, the Irish will always request "ploy sumtin' fucking Oirish!!!" but really mean Zombie or at a distant second, something by U2. Because if you took it literally and played something by Daniel O'Donnel, The Corrs or Boyzone you'd find yourself being called "coonts!"

The English and Welsh will not be so stereotypical in their music choices, but will usually be as big pains in the ass as anyone when shit faced.

I'm only talking about when there's a quantity of piss comsummed by the way. I thought I'd better point that before the SNP and any one of the Irish Terrorist groups decide to track me down and make me say sorry for my comments about their countrymen here by putting me in a headlock and rubbing my head until I canny tek a no mooorrre! (with rolling the Rs)

Anyway, back to my last piss-up. Benny and Caity were coming up from Dubai for the occasion. Benny was the bassist for the band at Hard Rock and had been in Australia for Ramadan and has just got back.

We all met at 3rd avenue, a British style pub the bottom of The Sheriton, Khalidiyah. Sarah Garaway, Belinda and Larry came too. We all watched the duo, ate and proceeded to get well wasted. Chilo didn't as she's not a drinker, but as long as there some nice nibbles about, she's a happy camper!

The duo were quite unique. There was a female singer/drummer and her guitarist husband. There was a very live element to them. There was some tracks, but extremely minimal indeed. Maybe just a little bit of bass, no more. So they were as close to a band sound as a duo could be.

Their song choices were excellent and she had a lovely voice. In my pissed state, I was joking about her physical appearance. (feeling bad about it now as I account it) She was very pretty but er, well let me put it this way, they used to have pie on the menu before they started playing there if you get my meaning?

After a few hours we all elected to get our arses to Heroes to check out the new (old) band. It's the remnants of the band that Dan and I arranged to take over from us in 2007. The main difference now is that Belinda is no longer with them either, and in her absence she's been replaced by two people. That says how big a part of any band she can be.

We proceeded to get more pissed up than a second hand dialysis machine. The band are very good, the new members are great and have brought a new overall feel to the dynamic. They should do as well as they had done these last two years. I still look at them and think that I should have stayed for at least one more year, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Had a quick chat to the new guitarist who asked, "so are you a drummer?" to which I explained I was the drummer that got Raymar the gig there but felt it necessary to act it out like a waiter would as he brings someone a dish they ordered: "Your cushy gig sir, I hope everything is to your liking sir! Would you like some wine with that sir?" he looked at me bemused. I can't say I blame him, I must come across well odd at a first encounter.

I had a long chat to Gary (Heroes dj) who was also there as his Good Luck do as he was off to Barbados to work. So it was touching moment given his history there.

The next day, I said my goodbyes to Chilo and headed to the airport with an ache in my heart. I know I will see her again, hopefully at Christmas pending some factors.

The trip home went fine, I still hate planes and being on them. Well actually, I marvel at the engineering and genius of them, but would prefer to do that from the ground looking up.

I got suitably pissed on the plane. I even bumped into a blokey that used to drink in Heroes, even though we spoke many times there and for a long time on this flight about all sorts of stuff, I never got his name. He was a decent chap but displayed everythimg typical with an ex pat in the UAE, especially the characteristics of young ex pats.

Once on the ground, I had time for a quick cigarette outside before I was picked up by Jay and Phil to take me up north to the Travelodge for the night, before going to the first of the two gigs we had.

That concludes my Abu Dhabi trip. It was a blast and the highlight of my year, just tipping the Freddy and The Mercurys trip in Spain in August.
(see blog archives of august for details)

-- Post From My iPhone