Lack of a ticket

I was talking to another McQueen fan at their gig supporting Tesla at Shepherds Bush Empire (28/06/07) and described to him a strange ailment, that I was delighted to hear afflicts him too! I find the experience of watching them live a euphoric thing, but no sooner have they left the stage then I become aware that I no longer have a ticket for one of their upcoming shows. This leaves me with a sense of unease that can only be repaired by the purchase of another ticket, or at least hatching a plan which will result in the purchase of a ticket as soon as possible.

On the McQueen forum I found a posting by a fan who was at the Shepherds Bush gig, spoke to the band afterwards and was compelled to go and see them in Holland two days later.

"I saw McQueen last night at Shepherds Bush in London and they talked me into coming to RosRock but I have no idea where it is, how to get there or how to get a ticket!"

That's impressive. At another gig earlier in the year, I was talking to the drummer, Hayley Cramer, and I mentioned that I would love to be at a concert they were doing a few weeks later, on the same bill as Motorhead, another band that I am keen on. I was unable to go, because the gig was in Sweden, I did not have much money and I had various work commitments. Hayley said, "Come to Sweden," in a matter of fact way, that seemed to dissolve all of the aforementioned problems. The sound of the words coming out of her mouth seemed to be accompanied by an invisible fist striking me in the chest, as if to wake me up and let me know that this was the most important thing that anyone had ever said to me. I did not attend that concert, but the impact of the statement remained.

When I was a youngster, the Master (portrayed by Roger Delgardo) scared the hell out of me in Doctor Who. He used to hypnotise people, fixing them with his stare and speaking the line that still gives me goose-bumps, "I am the Master, and you will obey me." Where Hayley learned this art I have no idea, but she is very good at it. She's not as evil looking as Roger Delgardo (no beard for a start) so you don't think to avoid her eyes, before it's too late! I didn't go to Sweden but now I seem to be constantly focused on where McQueen are going to be playing and how I can attend. The Derren Brown thing certainly seemed to work on the other guy at Shepherds Bush who had to leave for another country without a plan!

Who knows, it may have been another member of the band who re-programmed this individual, I am sure they are all capable of it. Their live show seems to generate some kind of mind-control as well, so you're not safe just through avoiding talking to them. The very air in the concert hall seems to be whispering, "You're having fun, remember fun? You like fun!"

I have developed an addiction without noticing it.

Stage one: Hey, this band is good.

Stage two: Where did all these CDs come from, I don't remember buying them?

Stage three: McQueen are more important than my life, must purchase tickets.

You have been warned!