Duran Duran + Pigeon.

Okay… Completely different one for me this, and definitely not my usual kind of gig some might say. Truth is, it’s about as far adrift from my usual choice of extreme metal, 80’s hair metal, and Irish punk/folk gig as you can probably get. But this was never about me, this was about Sonia and her finally getting to see a band she’s been waiting to see perform live for well over 40 years. Ever since the day her sister refused to let her tag along to see them in Birmingham back in 1984 in fact.

Thing is, each and everyone of us probably has some kind of bucket list we’d like to complete before the day we die. A list which may include places we’d like to visit, car’s we’d like to own, thrills and adrenalin rushes we’d like to experience, and artists we’d like to see perform live, and for Sonia, seeing Duran Duran perform live was one of those items on her list. So it was only fair that the day the band announced they were going to be playing their home town of Birmingham again as part of their current UK tour, that we’d do our best to get our hands on a couple of tickets. And that we did.

It’s all about balance and compromise when your married to the person you love. It’s about give and take and doing the things you both love… more importantly, it’s about doing them together, even if it does mean stepping outside of your own comfort zone every once in a while.

Sonia was by my side the day I finally got to see the Eagles perform live (a life-long wish) at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium back in June 2022, as was she when we went to see Mariah Carey (one of my guilty pleasures) at the Sandringham Estate in August 2025. And I’ve completely lost count of how many obscure metal gigs and rock shows she’s been to with me over the years. Not exactly her bag, but she was there with me none the less, and has even grown to like a few of the bands as time’s gone on.

At the same time, I’ve been with Sonia to see Rod Stewart perform live at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham back in December 2022, and what a phenomenal gig it turned out to be. It was so good in fact, we tried to get tickets gain this year, but just couldn’t warrant the extortionate prices at the time. I also tagged along with her to see Bruce Springsteen at Villa Park in June 2023, again, not really my thing, but it was another artist ticked off Sonia’s bucket list, and that’s the important part.

In all honesty, I have another guilty pleasure artist to tick off my bucket list in March 2027. Someone we already have tickets to see, and they’re not even the headline act. But that’s for another post closer to the time.

So fast forward to Tuesday nights gig, and to one of those venues I truly love to hate.

In a journey that resembled something from a cash stricken low budget remake of Phileas Fogg’s ‘Around the World in 80 day’s’, we made our way from our home in Wolverhampton to the Utilita Arena via an Uber, tram, and an overpriced black cab which spent most of it’s time sat in static, bumper to bumper traffic, and in wet, dreary, miserable weather conditions. A journey which in the end took around 2 hours to complete. But at least it meant I didn’t have to walk very far. Especially seeing as I’m still not fully recovered from last Friday nights seizures at KK’s Steel Mill.

Christ, I’d forgotten how uncomfortable and sticky those trams actually are.

Upon reaching the Utilita, via our newly discovered taxi drop-off point, much closer to the accessible entrance than we’re used to. We were pleased to see that we’d beaten the majority of accessible attendees to the venue, meaning we didn’t need to queue. We literally flashed our tickets at security and walked straight in. No searches. No questions. No nothing. A little concerning when you think about it. What kind of lapse security was this? Anyone could have literally gotten anything into that arena on the night had they wanted to. It’s somewhat more of a little worrying.

Once inside, we made our way to our seats, and Sonia toddled off to purchase drinks… None alcoholic drinks at that!… Yes folks, you heard it here first… None alcoholic. No Guinness. No cider. Not even a whiff of JD & Coke, but a nice warm hot chocolate instead. And oh how welcome it was too given the cold wet weather outside, as well as how damned cold this venue always appears to be. Regardless of what time of year you visit.

You’d think that a venue packed with around 15,800 people of varying age and size would at least generate a little heat. But no, not the Utilita. It’s as if they keep the temperature as low as possible just for the inconvenience and irritation of the paying customer. I’ve never known an indoor venue so cold in all my life.

And to top it off, the seats are uncomfortable, the concrete floors play havoc with your legs and back, and if you’re looking to eat or drink anything during your visit, you’d better take out a small loan or credit card beforehand.

First on stage was a band that neither Sonia or I had ever heard of before, or want to again for that matter. A 5-piece band from Margate who go by the name of Pigeon, and who, according to their Facebook page, identify as a disco/grunge/no wave band. More like a no thank you band if you ask us.

Honestly… They were just awful.

Why Duran Duran, one of the 80’s most iconic New Romantic bands of the time, would choose what essentially sounded like a bunch of 5 year old nursery children all playing different tunes on different instruments that they had absolutely no idea how to play, and at different tempo’s was beyond us. Especially when there’s literally dozens of 80’s bands and solo artists out there who would have suited the support slot much better, and would have no doubt jumped at the chance. It made no sense. And don’t get me started on the vocalist… I couldn’t work out whether he was drunk, off his tits on illicit drugs, or in extreme pain… I’ve never heard anything like it.

And we weren’t the only ones who thought that maybe the band, and I use that term loosely, should seriously consider adding the word sh*t at the end of Pigeon, as everyone around us was also having to endure the same pain and suffering that we were.

Thank God their set was only a very short one.

During the interval, Sonia was greeted by a good friend of hers Tim, a friend she hadn’t seen for at least 30 years, although they do keep in touch on Facebook from time to time. They chatted between themselves for a while about days gone by, and then he chatted to me about Iron Maiden and Saxon, two bands whom like me, he’s seen live on numerous occasions over the years. This chat was cut short however, as the headline act were about to hit the stage.

As the stage lights went up, and Duran Duran appeared to a magnificent cheer and round of applause from the audience, the whole crowd took to their feet… well, with the exception of myself (who really wasn’t that bothered) and any other member of the audience who struggles to stand for any given period of time, and for whatever reason that is. Why bother making it an all seater arena, if they’re just going to allow people to stand anyway? It makes no sense. Just make it a standing gig if that’s the case.

And yes! I know there’s going to be people like myself who wouldn’t be able to attend if it meant standing for the entire show. But what’s the point if everyone else is stood up in front of you and you can’t see the show anyway?

People soon spewed out into the aisles as they were dragged back dancing and screaming into their long past youth, to a soundtrack that I personally only ever relate to whenever my sister was recording the Top 40 onto cassette on a Sunday afternoon, before I was even a teenager, or even worse, when I was forced to watch Top of the Pops because there was only one TV in the house and there was stuff all else to do.

Again, they’re really not my cup of tea, but it’s amazing just how many of those songs you actually remember and find yourself singing along to, even though you were never a fan yourself.

Sonia was one of those people who’d accidentally on purpose decided to stray slightly into the aisle so as she could try and get a half descent view of the stage and the band she’d come to see. She’s also the only one I saw a member of security walk up to and say she had to get back in her seat, despite hundreds of people doing the very same thing across the whole arena. But she’d picked on the wrong member of the audience that night, and Sonia was having none of it, and refused to move. What was she going to do? Eject her? We’d have had the place up had she tried. If it’s good enough for one, it’s good enough for all. End of.

After the band had played the majority of the hits Sonia had waited to hear for so long, and they’d started playing their more modern releases, Sonia decided she’d had enough and wanted to head for home before the arena mass exodus at the end of the show. So we made our way back out into the pouring rain and back to where the black cab had dropped us off earlier that evening from where we could book an Uber straight back home.

According to the app, we only had 4 minutes to wait for said Uber, but this quickly turned into 10 minutes, then 15, then 20, until our trip was eventually cancelled… Damn. I tried again, though this time the trip had apparently increased by £11 in the time it taken me to re-book. Funny that isn’t it? It’s also funny how they were also able to find a driver who was just around the corner less than 4 minutes away this time around. Amazing what hiking the price up can do. Still, we can’t complain, it was still cheaper than we originally thought it was going to be, and much quicker and more comfortable than the thought of getting that dreaded tram back.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad night. Sonia thoroughly enjoyed herself, we hadn’t spent a great amount of money, and I knew I wasn’t going to be waking up the following morning with the hangover from hell caused by cider from a can which never once came within a mile of an actual apple throughout it’s entire production process. Result.

No more gigs now for a week or two, so time for a little R&R at home in front the TV with our slippers and the heating on, as the cold weather and dark nights start to draw in. Unless of course things change and we accidentality find ourselves popping off to the pub for a ‘quiet drink’ one of the nights… Stranger things have happened.