Finding Calm in the Midst of Noise
It was the calm before an excellent storm of U.F.O. classic rock anthems. I've listened to the music of Phil Mogg (78) and the boys from UFO since I was a teenager and it was a dream for me to see such a great band that fueled so much of my young rock journey. Now in my 50's I would finally see them live as they would wind up their final tour "Last Orders."
While it was joyous, it was also a sad moment to know Phil was stepping back and UFO would no longer be performing live. Another happy moment was realising that Andy Parker (now aged 74) and Paul Raymond would also play. Raymond's playing has been on some of the most iconic albums of my youth, for example "One Night at Budokan" by M.S.G. So I was doubly stoked. Left-handed and also doubling up duties on keyboards, Paul would be remembered for his black and white stripped pants back in the day. But that moment was also short, because only a few weeks after this gig, Paul would pass away from a heart attack, aged 73.
You might say to me "What does this have to do with mindfulness or inner peace n such?" I've 2 such thoughts... firstly that as I stood waiting for this band, and as I look at this image, I am reminded of the pure happiness I felt knowing I was going to finally get to see this great band. Sometimes we find peace in the taking of the photograph, but we forget too that peace can follow as we revisit our images and that is the case here for me.
The other thought is a more sombre one. As I stood there in that night in March 2019, what would I have done differently if I'd known I only had 3 weeks to live? I am easily distracted. I find much to fill my mind, and at times at the expense of those who matter in my life. Would I change things? Would I spend less time on my P.C. or Netflix? Or my phone? The whole idea of being mindful and 'present' in the moment is that it causes us to reflect in that moment on what matters most to us.
Can I just encourage you to savour those moments in your life that bring you joy and fulfillment? This moment lives on for me as I also recorded some live video of it and I'll provide a link below so if you are a UFO fan, you can enjoy it with me. Now, the video isn't the best at times, but thankfully the audio is pretty good. P.S. Phil Mogg is one kewl lil dude.
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