Folks,
While sunning myself in Jersey (a holiday I'd already booked and paid for back in March which unfortunately clashed with BITLive) and sat on the beach Saturday night with someone close to me (aww) I spared a thought for the masses who were gathering in London for BITLive and how much they were going to enjoy the whole concert. By the sound of what everyone's written, it seems (hopefully so at any rate) that no one will have been disappointed with the evening, and that it was a night to remember. Not just that, but as with the previous events people got to meet each other, chat, and enjoy themselves.
This is something that Chris should bloody rightly be proud of. I can remember when BITLive Birmingham was in the early planning, and how much enthusiasm Chris had for the whole thing. Even though in retrospect the venue was probably too large at that time, the people who were there not only had the chance to enjoy a chat with people they regarded as heroes, but also to get to know them not just as that, but as people too. What really amazed me back then was the sheer enjoyment of the whole thing and how everyone came together, and meeting up with various people from old times and new just made it a real buzz. People whom I'm now glad to call friends.
From that moment on, the event of course evolved into much more than a dance night of playing C64 tunes and remixes, and by the second Gossips outing, a full on gig. Knowing full well of Ben's gigging history (and having seen him play live) he seemed the right man to not only be the compere, but also to play a bit on the old flute. Believe me folks, next time Cold Flame hit your town, GO! See Ben do Bouree better than Ian Anderson! (well that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.)
Anyway, the whole Gossips gig in a way was a turning point - it singlehandedly shaped the future direction of BITLive events in that a concert was the right way to get people together enjoying the music as well as getting the venue and atmos right. As Ben mentioned, a gig packed to the rafters is immensely rewarding - you can imagine how I felt being in the MEN Arena with 20,000 others going mental seeing Morrissey in his home town? Exactly. That sort of atmos was what Gossips had, and other subsequent events have continued to do so since.
So for anyone to come along and say "blah blah it was probably dull etc" - you have completely missed the point. It's about the love of the 64, the love of the music, and the adoration at those far more talented musically than I could ever hope for, belting out blasts from the pasts in a completely new and different light, meeting up with people of a like minded interest and sharing memories, moments, stuff like that, and also getting to know one another far more than email or forums ever could. It's not just a gig - it's an event. As all great gigs are.
Bearing in mind all that, although I can imagine many of you would love to see it continue (as probably does Chris, deep down) maybe it's a time to stick by the guns and have this weekend's event as the last BITLive ever. My reasoning is this: you go out on a high, and everyone remembers the events as the legendary times that they were. In years to come, those of us lucky enough to be there at the events will look back and say with pride "I was at Back in Time - what great times they were" and be able to tell their own story of what it meant to them. And also this way it would probably remain a legend of not just the remix scene, but the C64 scene as well. Maybe something to consider post euphoria.
In any case, I was with you in spirit, humming PPOT's Comic Bakery remix as I was cycling over to Corbiere Lighthouse in the sun :)
A thought from the Towers..
A thought from the Towers..
Warren Pilkington (Waz)
Zzap! 64, CF and HVSC Contributor
Flickr! - http://www.flickr.com/photos/zawtowers/
Twitter: @zawtowers
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Zzap! 64, CF and HVSC Contributor
Flickr! - http://www.flickr.com/photos/zawtowers/
Twitter: @zawtowers
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lol