Orange...Rattle that lock

Yesterday we travelled to Orange, in the Provence region of France, to see Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour perform under the stars at the Théatre Antique - a Roman amphitheatre built in the 1st century AD.  After a stormy, wet morning, the weather cleared and by mid afternoon it was a cloudless sky with no rain expected for the evening.

The four hour train trip delivered us to Orange too early for our hotel check in, so we visited the amphitheatre to learn more about it, but also to see where we would be sitting and watch some of the stage preparation.  There would be about 9,000 people attending the concert, so we expected un peu chaos with the seating!

Our seat was most likely a bottom-sized space on a stone step (a 2000 year old step!), 21 rows up on the tiered amphitheatre seating.  On the way to the hotel we passed a small gift shop with a stand of cushions for sale.  I had been thinking that 3 hours sitting on a cold stone step might turn me into a bit of relic myself, so we stopped and had a chat with the vendeuse.  Orange is a tiny town, fully booked for the concert, and she knew immediately what we were there for.  She confided knowingly that the cushion would soften the seat for the concert ce soir.

We checked into the hotel, which was charming, our room with a view of the ivy-draped courtyard.  We had travelled light, so there was nothing to do but find a café for a wonderful late lunch, followed by a wander around town.  I love visiting the small towns - very little English is spoken, so it's a challenge and a confidence builder for my French.

We had a rest and headed to Théatre Antique.  The queueing was chaotic, but with some guesswork and bonne chance we ended up at the correct entrance - cushions in hand!  We asked a staff member for assistance finding our spot.  I could't understand the first part of her explanation, but she wanted to seat us at the front of the stage.  No, no, I explained, we're up on the steps.  As it turned out, there had been an error setting up the row numbering and we were now seated 5 rows from the stage in a plastic chair!  Not quite the Roman step we were anticipating, but here we were, at the base of the soaring columns and very close to the action.

A young German man, about 30 I guess, had the same experience and was seated next to me.  He was a real David Gilmour fan and all he could say was, "Wow.  Just wow!"  He had travelled to Brighton, UK a week or so ago for the rehearsal for the European tour and this week, had flown from Frankfurt to Marseilles and hired a car to drive to the concert, staying overnight in Avignon and returning to Frankfurt today.  He is a financial controller with Lufthansa and explained, "It is just an office job, but we get the flights too!"  Brent and our German companion had the same taste in music and the same detailed memory for musician relationships, concert set lists, album track listings, et cetera...music nerds, they're everywhere!

The audience was truly a worldwide group - some people had travelled more than 12 hours just to attend the concert - France, UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Spain, Germany, Pakistan...Australia...and probably more!

The concert, my friends, was an absolute spectacle. The lighting and sound were superb.  The band were musicians who have played together for 20 and 30 years, and it showed - there was a joyful chemistry.  I was never a Pink Floyd fan in my youth, but now I think I may have missed something special.  One particular song, Coming back to life, touched my heart, and, from David Gilmour's new album, who could resist the song featuring the announcement jingle heard on all French regional train stations...a few bars that take me back to France every time I listen to the track

Un concert incroyable!