Ringo Starr launches Liverpool's Capital of Culture party
Well, we are officially off and running, folks. I've just made it back to my desk after watching Ringo Starr and a cast of hundreds perform outside St George's Hall at our European Capital of Culture opening spectacular.
Thousands of people crammed into Lime Street to watch the show, and we were royally entertained by musicians perched on every rooftop, fireworks and death-defying acrobats.
I'm just about thawing out, after a night that rivalled the Liverpool Nativity for cold, but how lucky were we? A couple of nights ago it was blowing a gale with torrential rain sweeping the city, but the weather relented enough to allow the show to go ahead as planned, with giant cranes delivering crates and suspending performers in mid air, and St John's Beacon and the rooftops of the Empire Theatre, Picton Library and St George's Hall itself all pressed into service as perches for guitarists and drummers and as launch pads for fireworks.
It was a terrific free show in terms of the spectacle it provided, and hearing sensational new Liverpool band The Wombats, Ringo and Dave Stewart perform was fantastic.
If I wanted to nit-pick, I would say it would have been nice to throw in a familiar Liverpool anthem or two for the audience to sing along with. A number from Ringo's old band wouldn't have gone amiss, for example.
But that's to be churlish, really. It was colourful, spectacular, and original, and I'm sure none of us who crowded into the street in front of St George's Plateau will ever forget it.
The pictures that will be beamed around the world, thanks in no small measure to Ringo's presence, will look stunning. A great start, and there is so much more to look forward to.
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Mark Thomas
We all love Ringo, through him, we love Liverpool, and I personally wish that Liverpool has great success with its Capital of Culture activities throughout the year.
"All My Loving, I will send to you," from all of us Beatle fans and fans of Liverpool, from all of us in Canada. Never forget, We would 'stand on guard for thee' too.
Thank you, for what you are doing for the Arts.
Good on Liverpool for getting the City of Culture, but I fear it is now being made a laughing stock with the ridiculous suggestion from some busybodies in your city, who want to raise the age limit of films that show smoking.
For a City of Culture, this is a truly horrendous announcement to make. The whole premise of filmmaking is to communicate stories and show/question something of what it means to be human - good and bad. Isn't that what arts-culture is all about?
It is not often you will hear me say this, but I have to agree with the majority of the people that have responded on the BBC 'Have your say' site on this issue.
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=4487&edition=1&ttl=20080316203345
If the city of Liverpool know what's good for it, they should distance themselves from the philistines who made this announcement and tell the good people of Liverpool that you know they are not idiots and that they are intelligent enough to think for themselves.
Shawn
In the un-cultured city of Brizzle