Fantasy Island Gig Quo Corrie Star Video Photos

A bumper weekend of non-stop rock was held at Fantasy Island, Ingoldmells Skegness.

The mega gig kicked off on Friday evening with the rock band, Status Quo.

We went along, as press photographers, just before the gig started. We were told the photography rules and regulations by Fantasy Island security staff, which made it almost impossible to take good professional photographs. No flash photography, no taking pictures or video after the first three songs - the rules went on and on… We WERE allowed in the pit, just infront of the stage but this meant shooting up or side on, and certainly not being able to get the whole of the band in a single shot, which we weren’t too crazy about. Although photographing from the pit would have been easy, piggy-backing on the bright stage lights!

We declined and decided to just mingle with the crowds and shoot from the audience.

About ten minutes before the gig started, we were invited backstage to meet Status Quo and Bruce Jones and take some pics. We entered the privileged area which contained a number of mobile units which the stars were using as dressing rooms. The members of the band came out to meet us. The guys were excellent and very friendly, signing autographs and posing for photos. Rick Parfitt looked brilliant, memories of the days thirty years ago when I used to swoon over him on TV in his tight denims and long blonde hair came flooding back. I told him I was really please to meet him in person after being a fan for so many years. He laughed, signed his autograph and posed for a photo with me.

Below: Andy Bown signs a fan’s denim jacket.

Francis Rossi came over, signed my autograph book and put his arm around me for the photo. I laid my head on his shoulder, “Don’t fall asleep!” he joked.

Below: autographs of Status Quo band members

Below: a candid shot of Rick Parfitt snapped backstage.

Picture of Francis Rossi, taken backstage, below:

Below: Status Quo band member, Francis Rossi signs his autograph for Corrie Star, Bruce Jones who played Les Battersby in the TV soap series, Coronation Street.

By this time, security called for us to leave as it was time for the band to go onstage. I managed to snatch a quick autograph from the Quo drummer, and, as I turned around, I saw Bruce Jones who plays Les Battersy in the TV soap Coronation Street at the entrance to his dressing room. I called to him and he posed for a picture for me.

We were then ushered from backstage out into the public arena.

I prepared my camcorder to record the ‘first three songs’.

Rapturous applause greeted the band as they were introduced on stage by Bruce Jones who played Les Battersby in the TV soap series, Coronation Street.

Status Quo opened their one and a half hour gig with the old time favourite, “Caroline”.

I began recording but halfway through the song, a security guy came over and told me to stop recording. I didn’t think this was really fair as the whole audience was a sea of camera and mobile phone video recorders. I admit I had a slight advantage over the majority of snappers but one can hardy describe my cam a professional one! Annoyed, I rammed my cam back into by camera bag. Undeterred I joined the throng by whipping out my little digital camera, This is why the video below degrades to mono half way through!

Photos taken from the audience: Well done to professional photographer, Paul Gooch for managing to produce the first two photos of Status Quo under horrendous photographic conditions!

Remember, I had to swap video recorders halfway through the clip above

Below: some of the Status Quo fans at the Fantasy Island Gig. The guy in the picture is Gavin Woodward, nephew of John Woodward, the (former) owner and mastermind of Fantasy Island, Ingoldmells

The Big Gig Weekend at Fantasy Island was a brilliant success for Ingoldmells and Skegness, and already the organisers, Conduit Leisure are planning a similar event for next year.

Were YOU at the Big Gig?

Tell us about it below.

Take any pictures? Send them to MediaMoll for inclusion on this page!

 

Pond Refilled after Skegness Fire

Firefighters have begun filling Tower Gardens duck pond after water was pumped from it during the raging Parade Complex Fire two weeks ago.

The Fire Service have set up hoses from a nearby hydrant and the officer in charge told Skegness Video that the pond would take around four days to fill.

Photo shows the Skegness Firefighters filling the Tower Gardens pond, with Tower Gardens manager Carl Lawrence, top left.

Planning Hearing into gypsy site

A PLANNING Hearing by J Brown and M Sheppard in relation to Cherry Tree Farm in Burgh Le Marsh will take place on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, at East Lindsey District Council’s Manby Headquarters at 10:00am.

The Hearing relates to a planning application to use the site on Youngers Lane as a transit gypsy site comprising of eight caravan pitches.  The application also requests permission to construct a new driveway and widen the existing one.

An independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Government will oversee the appeal.  The public are invited to attend the hearing and at the discretion of the Inspector, may express their views on the application.

To view the documents relating to the planning application, visit www.e-lindsey.gov.uk and select the Planning Portal, or the document can be viewed at Council Offices by prior arrangement.

For further information, contact the Council on 08446 601111 or e-mail customer.services@e-lindsey.gov.uk

Corrie Star to sing with Status Quo

Sacked Coronation Street star, Bruce Jones is to sing with rock band Status Quo on Friday at this weekend’s Fantasy Island gig.

Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby in the Tv soap series, was axed from the show after drink related problems.

Status Quo played at the star’s TV wedding two years ago, and is Bruce’s favourite band.

Other big pop groups appearing at the Fantasy Island Music Weekend are ‘Girls Allowed’ and ‘Bananarama’.

Fire Dorothy Avenue Skegness

Firefighters tackled a blaze at a house in Dorothy Avenue Skegness today.

Three fire engines, including a snorkle, were called to the fire around 6.15pm.

The fire has been contained an no one is thought to be injured.

Skegness Chip Shop Fire - Skegness Hit Again!

Firefighters and police have cordoned off parts of the seafront and around the Clock Tower as they are called to a fire in premises near Tony’s Fish and Chip Shop.

The fire comes at the height of the August Bank Holiday weekend and is the second to hit Skegness within a few days.

Photo taken from Marine Boathouse with their kind permission.

The fire started in the ducting at the back of Harry Ramsbottom’s Fish and Chip Shop.

Businesss premises, Rock Shop, Rock Factory Shop, LA Cafe, parts of Lumley Road and Grand Parade were sealed off whilst firefighters contained the fire. Black smoke was seen billowing down Lumley Road.

More detatils and photos Skegness News on Video skegnessvideo.com

Skegness Future after Fire

So now it’s time to rebuild a Skegness of the future after the recent fire which devastated parts of the seafront.

What would YOU like to see built on the seafront? Tell us in the comments box below!

What would YOU like to see in Skegness? What kind of entertainment would YOU like to see?

Remember The Street nightclub in Skegness? It was the brainchild of Mervyn Cooper back in the 90s, and consisted of six themed bars and nightclubs with a central ‘cobbled street’. The nightclub was a hit with the public, it catered for the old and young alike. I think it would be a great idea to have a similar venue built on Grand Parade.

The Tower Gardens’ bandstand could be used to better advantage, too. Lots of elderly people love to sit and watch the bands there. But how about getting a musician to play ‘Olde Tyme’ music so that they can have a good old sing-a-long, or even do a bit of old time dancing! Let them wave their hankies in the air to ‘Goodbye Dolly’, and bob up and down in their deckchairs to ‘When you’re bobbing up and down like this’. I’m not that old but I love a good yawp to the old songs, and a quick barn dance around the floor!

Skegness has lots of clubs and societies like the Playgoers, line dancing, rock and roll, latin American dance classes - hows about putting on a bit of a show in Tower Gardens?

Any more ideas, anyone?

Skegness Fire ‘We were the first’ boasts local newspaper

A local Skegness newspaper wrote today: “We brought news of seafront fire first”, after it reported on the Skegness Fire on its website.

…and so it should have! - the newspaper’s a massive press association with an army of reporters, editors, sub-editors, photographers, webmasters, offices a couple of hundred yards from the activity - breaking news is not a favour to the local community - its an obligation!

And the newspaper has been established for almost a century!

The local newspaper’s website records its first report on the Skegness Fire at 2.30am Friday17th August, after the fire broke out at around 11pm on the evening before.

My first report on the Skegness Seafront Fire is logged as 3.00am Friday 17th August, just half an hour after the official local newspaper’s post! I uploaded the first photo of the fire at the same time, with my own video footage following shortly after!

At 2.30am, I’d been at the scence of the raging fire for an hour and a half gathering video footage and photos for my Skegness News on Video website, which is run solely by myself, voluntarily, no reporters, no writers, no photographers, no webmasters, no support of a massive media company, just me!

My Skegness Fire and Demolition video is a fully edited commemorative video taken solely by myself. All my photos and videos for my websites are created by myself or my husband. I do not depend on free donations from third parties.

So perhaps the local newspaper has nothing to boast about after all…