Capital of Culture Opening 300m eyes on Liverpool

[A.D.W]

Found a video done by CBS of Ringos 08 performance on you tube. Unfortunatly I am unable to put the link to it on here.

So the best thing to do is go to You Tube, search under Ringo Starr Liverpool 08 and you should see the video near the top

[youtube]Ag1MgtHzEqI[/youtube]

[A.D.W]

My final video of last night. Enjoy or not!



[youtube]neOsWen0Tgg[/youtube]

[lindylou]

As the great Stuart Hall would say on It`s a Knockout "Nil Points" for
Liverpool`s opening night of the C O C. It looked like all the fellows that have been working on the various building sites in the city had decided to have
a party in their working clothes

Hi greg's dad, As far as I understand it, the workmen and cranes featured were to represent the 'big dig' - there was a slogan about the ''big dig coming to the gig'' - I think it was a good idea to make a reference to the cranes which have been part of our landscape for so long.

[lindylou]

The narrator who was at the top of the Wellington column - does anyone know who he was ?

[mimng]

mimng, or is it John?
You talk about honesty.
Why can't YOU be honest enough to post in your usual name, rather than inventing one just to have a go at last night?

honestly, phil G, im not john. i don't know john, unless john is the john who is the drummer in my band. and i dont think he is (mainly because the john i know cant use a computer)!

i am merely a disaffected punter who typed in 'liverpool forum' into google and came here in order to vent spleen about last night. is john a notorious doom-sayer on this site? he seems pretty right on to me!

[buggedboy]

Well I went to both events and was hugely impressed with both.

The friday night event was brilliant. I was very impressed with the use of the plateau and everyone around me had a great time. The cranes, guitarists on car parks etc was clever and the kids demonstrating their work was a nice touch.

As to any accusations of miming. I didnt get any inkling of that from either Ringo or the Wombats.

Even if they did. it wasnt a concert, it was a ceremony. The Big Dig/Gig thing was only used because it rhymed!

The archer at the BArcelona olymics in 1992 actually missed the torch and it was activated by a machine, btu who cared? Nobody. It was great anyway.

Also I'm glad they veered away from Beatles stuff on this occasion. If they would have trotted out any of those, it would have looked far too much like we were indeed living in the past.

Yes Ringo was there, but he is an actively recording artist and to use new stuff blended in our past with our future pretty well.

So Friday got a thumbs up from me.

On to Saturday.

As opposed to the more cynical on here the whole thing wasnt a big corporate shmooze at all.

How did I get in? I got in for FREE because of my charity work, along with hundreds of others. Loads of seats were given away by the Culture Company to local community organisations.

As to the content. Really good actually. Chest swelling pride stuff at times.

The orchestra was immense throughout, along with the No Fakin boys. You name it, rope stunts, Irish solo singers, African music, breakdancers, a moving tribute to John Lennon, amazing visuals, the Farm getting everybody on their feet and of course...Mr Starr giving us a rendition of his horribly sentimental but ultimately quite cosy new single (which suffered the only technical glitch of the whole night) as well as "a little help from my friends" and "power to the people" when all the artists came on stage for a signalong.

Brilliantly executed and a tremendous opening weekend.

[Howie]

IS THAT IT........?

WE went with high hopes - but left with huge disappointment.
Tonight's opening was typical of the Culture Company's top down approach.
A massive crowd turned up expecting a great show.
But none of us were engaged.
There was no singalong to any recognisable Liverpool 'anthem'.
No dancing. No terrace chants. No humour.
No emotional engagement with what is being done in our name, with our money, in our city.
Instead we were presented with a generally uninspiring, unfocussed, unintelligible series of set piece scenes.
It was cold and flat and, sadly, a bit dull.
It has also cost the city a fortune.
Ringo's appearance was a cynical attempt to cash in on the year - and promote his new single. Incredibly, the unknown MC told us, without a trace of Scouse irony, that Ringo's single was "on sale on Monday."
People in the crowd shuffled their feet with embarrassment.
As the patient and passive spectators were showered with confetti, one wag near us commented loudly: "That's council taxpayer's money."
The sound was crap, the fireworks flat and the music, too often, a lifeless thrash.
St George's Hall, as ever, looked wonderful.
People started leaving after 30 minutes.
By the end, most of us were dying to get off to the pub and drown our disappointment.
We have no doubt that the people of Liverpool will make the most of 2008.
But on the evidence of this damp squib, it will be in spite of the city council and the Culture Company and the hangers-on and the bullsh!tters - not because of them.
We will say no more, except to record the fact that Jason Harborow had the utterly astonishing cheek to turn up at the after show party at the Empire where he spent most of the time the time drinking with Hasitall and Colin CoverUp. No doubt negotiating his pay-off. We will post a picture soon.
We leave any further comment on what should have been an historic and celebratory night to you, the people of Liverpool. Feel free.
This is Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008.

Source: Liverpool subCulture

[PhilipG]

I clicked on the link in the above post, and every last comment was negative.

Representative?
I think not.

[shoney]

what actually goes on during this capital of culture year, I have no idea, I know people are spending vast amounts of money trying to beautify the place but I still don't know what really happens, does anyone else have a clue.?

[Howie]

what actually goes on during this capital of culture year, I have no idea, I know people are spending vast amounts of money trying to beautify the place but I still don't know what really happens, does anyone else have a clue.?

Presentation of the Capitals

The title "European Capital of Culture" was designed to help bring European citizens closer together. This was the idea underlying its launch in June 1985 by the Council of Ministers of the European Union on the initiative of Melina Mercouri. Owing to the many visitors it has attracted, the title has since gone from strength to strength in Europe. This event is different from other cultural events by its size and its visibility. It requires a high standard of artistic quality.

Since 1985, more than 30 cities have been designated European Capitals of Culture, from Stockholm to Genoa, Athens to Glasgow, and Cracow to Porto. Over the years, this event has evolved without losing sight of its primary objective : to highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures and the features they share, promote greater mutual acquaintance between European citizens, foster a feeling of European citizenship.

Below you will find all the relevant information about the development of the action since 1985, the current process of designating the European capitals of Culture, and the European co-funding of the event. Various experiences from previous European Capital of Culture (ECOC) selections are presented to illustrate the criteria the cities have to meet in order to be selected.

• Purpose and objectives of the event
  
• Official documents
  
• Designation process
• 2011 - 2012 et 2013
  
• Community co-funding
  
• History

Source: European Commission


>> Liverpool 2008 Programme Download (755.3KB .pdf) <<

[iain]

I thought it was brilliant

My vantage point wasn't so brilliant, there was a tree between me and most of the action but I thought the setting of the show was superb, using all the buildings in sight with a fantastic light and firework show. All the acrobats performing in mid-air being swung around by the cranes were brilliant! Especially the bit with the animation on the big screens and the people acting in front of it. It didn't take me long to realise the guitarists were faking it, but I didn't let it spoil the show - I was there to enjoy myself so I did I must say though I didn't know the Wombats or Ringo were miming. Why give Ringo such a slating? Criticised for leaving Liverpool, and now criticised when he comes back! Everyone in earshot of me at least gave him a rapturous welcome back.

Yes it did cost our taxpayers' money. But how do you put on a show otherwise? "Nothing is ever free". Yes you could save hundreds of millions of taxpayers' £££'s by not having any of these events .... but what's the Capital of Culture without anything going on

Friday's show made me proud.

[buggedboy]

I clicked on the link in the above post, and every last comment was negative.

Representative?
I think not.

True. I never listen to much that is said on the Liverpool Subculture. We often log on at work to simply giggle at the moaning LCC employees who winge at everything and anything done by anyone except comrade Joe Anderson and his cronies who wish nothing but to take the city the point where all have to queue for our bread before taking our hammer and sickle out into the fields.

[John(Zappa)]

honestly, phil G, im not john. i don't know john, unless john is the john who is the drummer in my band. and i dont think he is (mainly because the john i know cant use a computer)!

i am merely a disaffected punter who typed in 'liverpool forum' into google and came here in order to vent spleen about last night. is john a notorious doom-sayer on this site? he seems pretty right on to me!

I think they think you are me or I am you.
If they had enough balls just to say so.
I will not and never have hidden my name,changed it or whatever you think.
I am what I am,like it or loathe it.I am me.
You are what you is.
So anyone who thinks am signing in as mimng please say so...to my face(address available upon request).Am not into silly stupid games kidz!!

[Kev]

I think they think you are me or I am you.
If they had enough balls just to say so.
I will not and never have hidden my name,changed it or whatever you think.
I am what I am,like it or loathe it.I am me.
You are what you is.
So anyone who thinks am signing in as mimng please say so...to my face(address available upon request).Am not into silly stupid games kidz!!

John, the member in question mimng, shares the same IP address as another member called 'Jon' who I'm still waiting hear from, I had earlier posted a message in error with the name spelt 'John'. Thats probably the misunderstanding.

[PhilipG]

John, the member in question mimng, shares the same IP address as another member called 'Jon' who I'm still waiting hear from, I had earlier posted a message in error with the name spelt 'John'. Thats probably the misunderstanding.

My comment wasn't aimed at any John in particular, and I did put a question mark, but even without Kev's typo it was obvious that mimng was invented for one purpose only.
I do apologise to all the John's on this forum.