London Concert - 1 December 2017

Talks and reviews about Libera concerts or public appearances

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Surpinto
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Surpinto »

Thank you, everyone! Yorkie, John, andmar, Tim, and, especially, filiarheni! Your kindness, humor, support, and advice led me to genuinely evaluate the possibility of attending this concert - something I would have considered unthinkable otherwise. I spent several hours today pricing out the entire journey, in detail, using multiple options of airfares, accommodations, and schedules (e.g. length of stay in London). This I had side by side with my work schedule and my personal financial documents.

Relative to booking in several months time, I could get an amazing deal using the suggestions and ideas you all have kindly provided me. So it was a bit upsetting to realize that despite these savings my personal finances simply do not allow me to take this sort of vacation under any circumstances. The trip to Saint Louis to see them, a vacation already scheduled and paid for unrelated to Libera, and certain other upcoming expenditures have maxed me out. In addition to my personal finances, I realized that my work schedule would make it absolutely out of the question to take time off during that week.

I felt that I owed all of you an explanation because of your kindness and willingness to help. The trip was considered in detail and all of your thoughts were taken into account. In considering it I tried everything I could to make the trip happen; but it is not to be. Hell, I even considered pulling from certain non-emergency savings that I have to fund the trip, but ultimately that would prove a poor idea in the grand scheme of my finances .....and sanity :wink:

I really hope that those of you who are going enjoy yourselves immensely and write the excellent reviews the rest of us enjoy reading ever so much! :D

A quick tip about hotel bookings that I discovered through this process: If looking for hotels in a given area, use Google Maps to search for something like "Hotels near St George's Cathedral, London". If you put in the travel dates after completing the search, Google will give you room prices as well. You can then book the hotel directly or use your preferred booking website (which may offer additional discounts) to make your booking. This allows you to easily compare hotels in a given area easily and quickly; and even see the transportation options in that area at a glance.
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by andmar »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:58 am">6 years ago</span> ... In considering it I tried everything I could to make the trip happen; but it is not to be ...
That's really sad :cry: . But it is also understandable, that some objective circumstances sometimes do not allow us to act in the way we'd like to. :(
But at least, you don't think of a trip to England to attend a Libera concert as something fully abstract and unthinkable anymore, I guess. That's a good sign for the future. Maybe you can consider attending one of the 2018's UK concerts?
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filiarheni
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by filiarheni »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:58 am">6 years ago</span> I spent several hours today etc.
Yesterday I was on the verge of making a jolly remark that Surpinto is so strangely silent and doesn't answer anymore, certainly because of being busy getting everything booked for London.
I did not know that you were really ...

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:58 am">6 years ago</span> In addition to my personal finances, I realized that my work schedule would make it absolutely out of the question to take time off during that week.
It is sad, as now you've actually tried so hard to find a possibility just somehow and it simply doesn't work. :cry: Well, sometimes a wonder happens ... don't give up.

Thank you very much for being so open and honest - respect! :!: And of course it's sensible to use your money carefully - this can't be discussed and no-one would want you to be ruined financially in any case.

I firmly believe that this 2017 London concert is not a "once in a lifetime" thing for you. I agree with andmar: If you can't do it this year, maybe it will become true in another year, maybe in spring then if it's easier for you to get some days off. One plan, for example, could also be to have your annual vacation in the UK, which is, I repeat myself here, very much worth visiting.

Let me mention only one more thing, and then I won't insist any longer, because I don't want to keep plagueing you:
Would you generally be prepared to stay at a B&B instead of a hotel? It is much cheaper and you have great possibilities to select something that fits your wishes. I've had two very good Airbnb experiences now, they are very well and, much more important, very safely organised.

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:58 am">6 years ago</span> A quick tip about hotel bookings that I discovered through this process: If looking for hotels in a given area, use Google Maps to search for something like "Hotels near St George's Cathedral, London". If you put in the travel dates after completing the search, Google will give you room prices as well ...
Thank you for this great advice! :idea: I hadn't seen that so far and will definitely use it from now on. So, all your searching work with all its frustration at least were able to do something good - for someone else. :D :!:
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Surpinto
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

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filiarheni wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:45 pm">6 years ago</span>
It is sad, as now you've actually tried so hard to find a possibility just somehow and it simply doesn't work. :cry: Well, sometimes a wonder happens ... don't give up.

Thank you very much for being so open and honest - respect! :!: And of course it's sensible to use your money carefully - this can't be discussed and no-one would want you to be ruined financially in any case.
Thank you for being so understanding and helpful :D . As I said, I have already spent more than the amount I am comfortable with spending in a year on leisure (which is what I meant by saying my other trips maxed me out). But that's just a personal note on the matter and does not change the fact that taking off any days that week from work would be out of question. So using B&B versus a hotel was not in any way the deciding factor.
filiarheni wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:45 pm">6 years ago</span> I firmly believe that this 2017 London concert is not a "once in a lifetime" thing for you. I agree with andmar: If you can't do it this year, maybe it will become true in another year, maybe in spring then if it's easier for you to get some days off. One plan, for example, could also be to have your annual vacation in the UK, which is, I repeat myself here, very much worth visiting.
For me the ideal time to visit the UK or anywhere else is the summer as I can take off then without too much trouble. The regular dates for the Autumn and Spring tours are totally untenable with my job which is why I had never seriously considered them. If they ever had a summer tour in the UK again I might be able make a weeks trip out of it if I knew it well enough in advance :D. In 2015, the summer they did that UK tour, I was undertaking many thousands of dollars worth of repairs/remodeling to my home :shock: (which I do not regret as they were needed), and had already booked an unrelated vacation prior to the tour announcement. So at that point going anywhere was out of the question. But a future tour in summertime in the UK could definitely be a possibility :D although by no means a guarantee as there are other considerations.
filiarheni wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 1:45 pm">6 years ago</span>
Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:58 am">6 years ago</span> A quick tip about hotel bookings that I discovered through this process: If looking for hotels in a given area, use Google Maps to search for something like "Hotels near St George's Cathedral, London". If you put in the travel dates after completing the search, Google will give you room prices as well ...
Thank you for this great advice! :idea: I hadn't seen that so far and will definitely use it from now on. So, all your searching work with all its frustration at least were able to do something good - for someone else. :D :!:
Glad it helped! :D
andmar wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 10:02 am">6 years ago</span> That's really sad :cry: . But it is also understandable, that some objective circumstances sometimes do not allow us to act in the way we'd like to. :(
But at least, you don't think of a trip to England to attend a Libera concert as something fully abstract and unthinkable anymore, I guess. That's a good sign for the future. Maybe you can consider attending one of the 2018's UK concerts?
As I said to filiarheni, the summer would be the most ideal time to go. But it remains to be seen. Even if they announced a summer 2018 concert in the UK right this moment I am not entirely certain if it would be viable - although at least at that point it would be at least possible. And thank you again for the support. I want very much to meet all of you in the UK someday. :D

And, yes, you all have made this possibility of travelling to the UK to see them much more of a realistic possibility in my mind. Before these exchanges I had almost entirely dismissed the idea except under the most ideal of circumstances. But having thought about it, and seeing all of these travel ideas and encouragement, I am much more open to the possibility than I would have been prior. I thank you for that. :)
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filiarheni
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by filiarheni »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:01 pm">6 years ago</span> does not change the fact that taking off any days that week from work would be out of question. So using B&B versus a hotel was not in any way the deciding factor.
Yes, I know. :wink: I was just thinking about a general possibility to help reduce the cost, in case you really found the time for a UK trip at another time than December. :)
But I understand that at the moment it won't work.

For me, cost is also high. I'd prefer a hotel, but in London, it makes such a big difference, if it's a hotel or a B&B. Last year, I stayed directly near Elephant & Castle, which was a great location for starting all sorts of activities. :D
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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filiarheni
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by filiarheni »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:01 pm">6 years ago</span> The regular dates for the Autumn and Spring tours are totally untenable with my job
No December, no autumn, no spring? Change your job. :lol: :mrgreen: :lol:
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Al17
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Al17 »

john45 wrote: <span title="Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:43 pm">6 years ago</span>
Surpinto: Last year we arrived in London from Cape Town at 7.00AM (12 hour flight) on the day of the St. G's concert. Enjoyed the concert at 7.30PM (wide awake) and left for Saint John via Montreal (9 hours flying) at 8.30AM the next day. Back to work the next morning. You can do it!
That's the spirit ! 8) :roll:

Thank you all so much for your information, it helped me a lot !

Booked a nearby hotel (Days Hotel Waterloo) and my flight.
Then I asked for some free days by my employer because I have booked a hotel and flight :)
Hope everything will be ok because this is all brand new for me.
Next step is a nice ticket, already nervous about it :)
-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam - Carl Sagan
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Surpinto
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Surpinto »

Al17 wrote: <span title="Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:10 pm">6 years ago</span> Booked a nearby hotel (Days Hotel Waterloo) and my flight.
Then I asked for some free days by my employer because I have booked a hotel and flight :)
Hope everything will be ok because this is all brand new for me.
Next step is a nice ticket, already nervous about it :)
Glad to hear it. Nervous in an excited way? Yes, I am sure. I am excited for you as well! :D
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Al17
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

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Surpinto wrote: <span title="Sun Aug 20, 2017 1:32 am">6 years ago</span> Glad to hear it. Nervous in an excited way? Yes, I am sure. I am excited for you as well! :D
Thanks Surpinto, you are very kind :)
I mean I only want a nice place in that Cathedral, that's all.
-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam - Carl Sagan
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Surpinto
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Surpinto »

Al17 wrote: <span title="Sun Aug 20, 2017 3:07 am">6 years ago</span>
Surpinto wrote: <span title="Sun Aug 20, 2017 1:32 am">6 years ago</span> Glad to hear it. Nervous in an excited way? Yes, I am sure. I am excited for you as well! :D
Thanks Surpinto, you are very kind :)
I mean I only want a nice place in that Cathedral, that's all.
According to John45 in the thread from last year the premium tickets sold out in 3 minutes when they went on sale on September 17. :shock:

But from reading that thread it seems rather likely that you would have a seat within the premium section if you are online buying the ticket as soon as it becomes available (so if it is 10:00 you must be online at 10:00). If you fail in your efforts, I would not panic as some fans buy an extra seat or 2 for a friend or fellow fan who may then, at the last moment, be unable to attend. Putting out a feeler for such a ticket here would probably be more fruitful than you think. I am not sure how reassuring this may be but I know for a fact that this happens and that a few fans who for one reason or another were unable to purchase tickets found themselves with a premium seat only days or weeks before the show.

As far as dates are concerned, last year the tickets went on sale on the third Saturday of the month, and if this trend continues then expect a September 16th ticket sale date or a date thereabout.
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Al17
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Al17 »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Sun Aug 20, 2017 3:33 pm">6 years ago</span> According to John45 in the thread from last year the premium tickets sold out in 3 minutes when they went on sale on September 17. :shock:
Yes I read that also.

Thanks for your information !
Must be sleeping much better tonight :wink:
-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam - Carl Sagan
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by andmar »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Sun Aug 20, 2017 3:33 pm">6 years ago</span> According to John45 in the thread from last year the premium tickets sold out in 3 minutes when they went on sale on September 17. :shock:

But from reading that thread it seems rather likely that you would have a seat within the premium section if you are online buying the ticket as soon as it becomes available (so if it is 10:00 you must be online at 10:00). If you fail in your efforts, I would not panic as some fans buy an extra seat or 2 for a friend or fellow fan who may then, at the last moment, be unable to attend. Putting out a feeler for such a ticket here would probably be more fruitful than you think. I am not sure how reassuring this may be but I know for a fact that this happens and that a few fans who for one reason or another were unable to purchase tickets found themselves with a premium seat only days or weeks before the show.

As far as dates are concerned, last year the tickets went on sale on the third Saturday of the month, and if this trend continues then expect a September 16th ticket sale date or a date thereabout.
Thank you for the info. Looks like tickets for the London concert will be harder to get then those for Ely. Anyway, I would like to get a premium seat (or actually two premium seats :)) too.
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by fan_de_LoK »

Book the date!
Tickets for St George concert will go on sale starting Sunday 3rd September at 2:00pm UK time :)

Another epic tickets battle awaits us! :lol:

Source : https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/EMFEML
(hover the greyed ticket to see the information)
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

Post by Al17 »

fan_de_LoK wrote: <span title="Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:07 pm">6 years ago</span> Another epic tickets battle awaits us! :lol:
My heart beats already faster :|
Just try to go to sleep :?
-- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam - Carl Sagan
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Re: London Concert - 1 December 2017

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Best of luck to all gladiators in the ticket battle! 8)
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