I visted the O2 last night (previously the Dome) for a “secret” Snow Patrol gig that was an invitation only affair for many of the people who worked on the site, or had something to do with it. My involvement is minimal to non-existent – I supplied the odd piece of data to a friend who works there.
The last time I got off the tube at North Greenwich was in 2000 when the Dome was originally open. I was vaguely curious about the delights it held in store at the time, but my real reason was that somewhere within, there was a machine that scanned your body and allowed you to create a digital avatar. You could then use this in various PC games. As it happens, I didn’t really use mine as the resulting avatar really brought home how out of shape I was.
Anyway, last night I made my first return visit, and the Jubilee line delivers you straight to the neon lit venue. Once inside the dome, they x-ray your bags (or at least should), and then you can wander around the various shops and bars. There’s an 11 screen Vue cinema, and a VIP bar which was quite smart.
I was whisked upstairs into one of the very plush suites which have a bar and eating area at the back, and seats in the arena at the front. All in all a very civilised way to watch a concert (Of course, this does now prevent me from writing a rant that I’d had building up inside me, about all the VIPs at that great “egalitarian” festival Glastonbury. Still, you do have to read Charlie Brooker on Glastonbury in Monday’s Guardian). I preferred to sit on bar stools overlooking the seats in front of me into the main arena.
The arena is very adaptable with sports events including basketball, ice hockey and, er, Ultimate Fighting Championship events coming up. I also understand that for smaller events they can put in a fake ceiling to make the arena feel more intimate and cut-off the top tier of seats.
What about the concert? Well, I saw Snow Patrol on the Isle of Wight a couple of weeks ago, and they’re very much a band that everybody likes a bit, but nobody loves. They’re quite probably the biggest selling contemporary band in the UK, but they’re just not a band you can get excited about. The invited audience at this gig certainly didn’t get too excited. The band played gamely on, and had success with a couple of their really big numbers.
What I will say is that the acoustics are excellent. AEG, the American company who built it, are stadium experts and considering that it’s a similar size to Earls Court or Wembley Arena, it sounds vastly better.
Finally, a really nice thing. There’s a bit of wall somewhere near the main entrance which has the names of 11,000 or so people who worked on the project. And my name’s up there! Names are sorted in alphabetical order, and although this terrible photo doesn’t do it justice, I’m on the topline. I love it – even though I feel a bit of a fraud (See also my Lord of Rings DVD appearance).