Life Begins At Forty ( Pt 1 )

Dear Diary...looking back over the years, my body clock ticking away for me now as I'm in my sixties, pausing for thought I remember at forty one I was most definitely a non conformist – even now soft melodic music often has me raging for grunge 90s style, or heavy metal bands ripping across my airwaves, though I couldn't find the energy to head bang anymore, or jump around, it's just so fine to be able to remember and still enjoy this music even now.

I can still relish those sweet tasting kisses on a moreish past of long hair, denim jeans and great music, the men were so hot back then. I'm sent on a rapturous journey leapfrogging down the years. My Electric memories of August 26th, Donington 95 sits well in my memory, a reminder of backstage passes and a wealth of gifted bands to set my heart racing.

Donington had my head in a whirl as we arrived on that day, me forty one years young seeking adventure and fun. Nobody could hold me down as I strained on the leash of what society said I should be. Clad in denim I wanted to freak out, be kissed by long haired musicians, to feel my body tremble at their gaze or touch, I wasn't a groupie, but I certainly wasn't a good girl back then either.

I awoke giddy with excitement on that day, clothes I would be wearing lay across my bed already for my weekend adventure, switching me to metal mode, it was just so empowering to be a woman back then, I was ready to rock till I dropped. A grumpy grownup I could never be, this old bird was a rock chick, just needing to be directed like a missile at its target – hence Donington here we come.

How to get there? I hadn't a clue, but then I wasn't driving. As we all piled into the car, I guzzled down a can of beer hastily sitting back to enjoy the ride, followed by loud music thumping out of my friend's boyfriend's car speakers. There was much boisterous laughter as we head banged and sang to Metallica's – Sad but True, knowing all the words but sounding terrible, though we didn't think so at the time, it reminded me of that scene in Wayne's World, when they're in the car headbanging and singing to Queen's, Bohemian Rhapsody, really crazy and fun now I look back.

When we reached another friends house who was also coming with us, we piled indoors as we all needed the loo desperately. I just had to get my friend to take my photo as I posed thinking I looked so cool, guess it was all down to the beer I'd consumed while getting ready that morning, promising myself I was going to flirt like there was no tomorrow, after all I had that back stage pass, that meant mixing with all the famous band members. So with my cut off denim jacket, lacy black top and of course tight jeans and metal jewelry I was ready to hit the road.

My friend was more into soft rock like Bon Jovi and Def leppard, but she still had that raw edge to her personality, that led her to enjoy causing havoc with her wild hair which would whip anyone who got in the way of her headbanging. She too loved Metallica, especially James Hetfield who was her idol. We hatched a plan when we arrived that we would meet up at the toilets once the show had finished.

I was the only one lucky enough to have a backstage pass, it was one of the perks of being a member of the Metallica fan club, you got to know about dates and venues before anyone else and had first offer of backstage passes too. I actually got backstage in America which had its bad points, due to the fact we were backstage on what was swamp area and I got bitten to high heavens, suffering for days of my holiday with terrible midget bites and having to see a doctor out there, but that's another story.

Also at Earl's Court, my most uncomfortable moments of that night, was having nowhere to go to the toilet, as I waited for one of Metallica's band members to come and sign autographs, so as I was backstage and was afraid of missing them, my friend suggested I go behind a screen, I ended up peeing in a plant pot behind the screen, hoping there weren't any hidden cameras watching me, I would have been utterly devastated if I'd been caught on camera. I also hoped the plant survived too.

Anyway, once we arrived at Donington, it was hard to pin point where the car would be when we returned to it at night, as the parking area was so full of hundreds of cars, but the boyfriend seemed not to be worried, so I assumed he had picked out a marker, pointing us in the right direction. So for now I said goodbye to my friends and hoped they enjoyed the show, wandering off on my own to find the back stage entrance.

To be continued...