Date: Sat, 2 Nov 1996 00:12

The first time I heard The Roses was in late '89 or early '90 when my sister played Elephant Stone for me in the car one day, followed by What The World Is Waiting For. I made her play those two over and over and over. And that did it. I went mad.

So one day in 1995 I was checking out the Roses page. It was very rarely updated, so I had developed a daily habit of going there and instantly leaving as I saw that nothing had happened. But this day I went and left as usual, then ooo, something was different. It took a second to register that there was a new thing that said US Tour Dates, so I frantically tried to reload the page, then called my sister. I said, "He's coming! Reni, he's coming!" We both went nuts and ordered tickets to NY and Philly gigs, a total of nearly 2000 miles in the car. Then not long later, I learned that Reni had sacked himself. I was well pissed off.

So we went to the gigs, and entering the Manhattan Center they started confiscating stuff. We'd spent the day as tourists in the city, so this one girl had most of our stuff in her bag. The bastard took the batteries out of everyone's cameras. Then he was so distracted by his task of confiscating the lemon that I had brought for The Roses, that he forgot to frisk me and I got my camera in. After the gig, I wanted to stay around and wait for them. I used getting my friends' batteries back as an excuse. So I was standing there for at least an hour, when this girl came up and smacked me across the chest. She said, "Top floor. Hurry." I looked down and there was this blue sticker where she smacked me that said "GUEST". So I went running. They were indeed ready to go, so I had a quick picture with Mani. I didn't talk to him cos Ian was leaving, and I went and had a pic with him. Outside the venue, I found that the kids were with Ian and Robbie, who beat me by taking the elevator down while I took the stairs. I talked to Robbie while Ian tried to hail a cab. Nice chap--very excited to be a Rose. Had a picture and everything. I got those 3 pics blown up to 8x10s for Philly.

I STOPPED FOR AN OLD MANI HITCHER:

So after the Philly gig, Mani, Ian, and Robbie signed all my pictures with em. Then John Squire, my idol (next to Reni), came out. I had 2 smashing pictures with him. So I was really happy as we started the drive back. We stopped a block or so away, and I'm standing there pumping gas when Mani comes strolling down the street with some roadie. We capped up and drove by. I yelled MMMAAAAAAANNNNNNNNIIIIII!!!!!!!!!", and he came over and hopped into the car. We drove around, just as lost as he was, as he talked nonstop. Speaking of Reni, he said, "I don't understand it. I WOULD NEVER LEAVE THIS BAND." Bastard. So anyway, this was the proudest moment of my life, hanging out in the back of my car with Mani for some 20 minutes. Then the roadie got pissed off cos we were lost, and demanded to be let out. So Mani went with him and that was that.

THE THIRD COMING:

So John sacked himself then. Everyone said The Roses were over. I, on the other hand, had been made a fool of by Robbie when I thought that it was over without Reni. So I posted that someone could fill in, and you lot went off on me. But I still believed. When I found out that my summer session I was gonna do at Cambridge would end August 1, and the Third Coming would take place in Spain August 2, I booked a flight from London to Valencia for Aug2. I was shaking with excitement. I was on the plane with Shed Seven, and I had no idea of who these guys were, though they were soon to become my favourite non-Roses band. I found a Reni hat at one of the vendors at the gig, and I went towards the front two acts before The Roses, coincidentally Shed Seven. Garbage played what seemed like a 39235 hour long set, and though it was good, I couldn't wait for it to be over. As soon as it ended, I violently started pushing towards the very front/center. As I was fighting through in my new Reni hat, all the Spanish kids were yelling, "Rrrrrrrrrrreni!" It was ace. So when the gig was ready to start, I was two people from the railing, right at the center. Ian came out, looking super cool, and said, "Aziz, yeah." Then this chap started playing. I thought, 'wow, that was just as good as Squire.' Ian's singing was absolutely unbelievable! If he'd sung like this at Reading, everyone woulda gone mad. His voice was perfect, almost exactly like on the album. I couldn't believe how good it sounded! Then by the end of She Bangs The Drums, I'd finally gotten to the very front, and Aziz started Love Spreads and the place went mad. I idolized John Squire so much, that I was having trouble accepting this fact, but by the time Daybreak was over I'd come to accept the fact that Aziz was BETTER than John Squire. And so now I had a new idol, and John Squire became just some kid that could write and play really really well. The surprise of the show was Fools Gold. I guess I've been lucky, cos as rare as it is that they play that, they've done it at 2 of the 3 gigs I've seen. Ian introduced, "Here's a new one", and my pulse shot up to about 293bpm. Then Robbie started I Am The Resurrection. Bastard. Ian was playing with our heads, and we would not hear the two new songs. The gig finished with Breaking Into Heaven, with a performance by Aziz that absolutely pissed all over John's attempts to play it. Yeah John wrote it, but Aziz did it so much better. I was convinced that with Aziz, The Roses would go on to become the biggest band on earth by the time the next album came out. But now all you bastards who unjustifiably ripped on them have spoiled that.