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Event: 2011 Clinique Gala Dinner
Date: 2nd November, 2011
Location: Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland.
Band travel: Tour van – with stopover on the 1st Nov in Keswick, completing the journey on the 2nd Nov. Our accommodation was at Allandale House, a mile down the road from the hotel. Upon arrival at the guest house, we checked in, had a wander up the high street, ate a few Scotch Pies (not to be recommended as they we mostly grease / fat).
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The Venue: Gleneagles is a stunning building, with amazing views, and apparently a very good golf course! Inside, there were hints of an up market cruiser / liner, with all the separate restaurants and shops… We were tempted by the £465 whiskey, but showed restraint. We setup behind a projector screen – there were to be presentations in the evening, plus various video clips etc. We also ran through the first song, which was My Way, sung by 2 talented Clinique employees… and played by us. Food was a in a Tapas restaurant – the meals were great, and the staff were very friendly. Later, in the Green Room, we warmed up to various Abba songs (these had been requested for the Clinique boss).
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The Gig: As with any event, the speeches overran, but we eventually went on playing a short but energetic set. Of the 130 guests, 10 were male… They were definitely up for it, and the Abba songs certainly did the trick. These were some of the songs we played:
My Way, Dancing Queen, Valerie, I Got A Feeling, Mama Mia, Pretty Woman, 9-5, Blame It On The Boogie, Superstition, Forget Her – Ceelo Green, Brown Eyed Girl, Sex On Fire, Mr Brightside, Waterloo, 500 miles…. followed by some DJing.
After the music, we were asked to join the (mostly) girls at the bar, so we obliged – we had actually played one of the girl’s wedding a few months before at Brocket Hall, so it was a fun re-union. They were a really nice crowd, and very welcoming! At the request of the girls, Jason and Rob prepared for an impromptu Ceilidh, but the hotel staff were swift to cut them off – something about other guests in the hotel etc… shame!
After a long load out, we headed to the guest house for some well earned rest.
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The journey home: In the morning, after a full Scottish breakfast (very similar to an English one – it just included black pudding), we set off on the long journey back south. 12 hours later, the last member of Rollercoaster had found his way home…
Summary: In all, it was a great trip, and lovely to play to such a great crowd of people. The location was simply stunning. The views on the way there and back were inspiring, and many highly intellectual conversations were had. It was a real shame we didn’t get to play longer, but it was still a great event, and we were very proud to be part of it.
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The photo diary:
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