The Cure are my favourite band! They have been since I was a kid, when my parent’s electic tastes and experiences were starting to influence mine. They had introduced me to music from artists including Tina Turner, Bob Marley (who dad was an unofficial roadie for back in the day when he toured small London clubs (Just dropping that in there!)), Simply Red and the Rolling Stones along with a lot of Motown music.
I loved and still love it all. But then one day on a Friday back in 1992, when I was around 8, we were in the car and the DJ for GWR radio (We lived in Swindon then) announced it was Friday and they were putting on a hit song from the Cure, Mum said “Oh I love this song”, turned up the radio and the now instantly recognisable introduction to “Friday I’m in Love” started up. At least that’s how I remember it. My love for the Cure began right there and then!
Moving forward to today and as many of you know I am disabled, my limited mobility is something I refuse to let stop me doing the things I want to do. One of those things is to see the Cure!
I had however, put that goal on the back burner as they don’t tour much anymore. They first got together in 1976 so I think they deserve a break! There have been concerts and festivals here and there but I was not able to attend them, so I forgot about it for a while.
One night I was tagged in a post by an old friend named Christine, that I hadn’t seen in a while. When I clicked on the notification, it took me to an online poster showing that The Cure were going to be playing in Hyde Park in 2018! I yelped a little and Dan came running. (My poor husband is always on alert as when I am upright I fall a lot). After we had talked it over a bit, as Daniel knows that they are my favourite band, we decided to take the plunge and buy tickets to see that amazing and influential band.
As Barclays are currently sponsoring Hyde Park events and I have a Barclaycard, I was able to book the ticket 48 hours earlier due to their “Priority Ticket” service. Not something I was aware of but a great service I want to look more into.
Here is where I came across a few issues. I was diverted to a link of the company that was handling the tickets called AXS. I wanted to buy a disabled ticket so I looked for that on the website. I went to the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section to find out how to buy one and kept going round in circles. There were messages about having a membership card and I was getting confused.
Getting frustrated, I decided to go to Hyde Park events directly, which was what I should have done in the beginning. Their accessibility info page is brilliant! It gives you all the information you need to keep in the know. The website it gave me all the contact details I needed. It gives you the access and travel details also.
In order to book I called the customer service number on the page. I spoke to a lady whose name I wish I had taken down because she was really helpful, and explained the situation. In no time at all I had my ticket booked with my plus one in the disabled section. This means that I can go with Scootie or a wheelchair and Daniel can come in as a carer so we can watch the gig together. We only pay for one ticket as I am registered disabled and I need to bring my proof with me when we arrive.
It was such an easy process and I was emailed my tickets immediately. So now myself and Dan are going to see The Cure in an amazing venue, along with other artists including Interpol, Goldfrapp and Editors, the soundtrack to my youth as someone says.
I’ll let you know how it goes…
Tips
- Contact the venue directly if you can as it bypasses a lot of steps
- Ask about accessibility
- Ask the venue whether you will need to bring a chair for you for yourself if you are not in a wheelchair and if you need one for your carer (in Hyde Park’s case portable chairs of any kind are not permitted)
- Make sure your disability documents are up to date to take with you
Links
Barclaycard Events: https://www.barclaycard.co.uk/personal/credit-cards/barclaycard-entertainment
AXS Events: https://www.axs.com/uk
Hydepark: https://www.bst-hydepark.com/tickets
Hydepark Disability Access Page: https://www.bst-hydepark.com/event-info/faqs/disability-access-faqs
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