Girls Aloud // Manchester Arena, 2013 – Fiona Li
The Manchester Arena is packed with screaming fans during the night of the concert. They range from young to old generations, male and female alike. Aside from a small number of teenagers and children with their mums, I even see a couple of guys holding glasses of beer in their hands while they stand a row in front of me. While we wait for Girls Aloud to grace us with their presence, everybody else is making wave-like movements with their arms. Seeing as this is my first concert, I am confused about what the audience is doing but it doesn’t take me long to join in. When Amelia Lily closes the opening act, the real show begins, with Girls Aloud taking centre stage.
My fingers tremble around the digital camera, taking countless snapshots in quick succession and recording the band members’ every move, capturing every moment. As I continue to take photos, other people quickly take photos of the girls or record them belting out their back catalogue. During slow-paced songs like ‘Life Got Cold’, ‘Whole Lotta History’, ‘Beautiful ‘Cause You Love Me’ and ‘I’ll Stand By You’, the crowd illuminates the pitch-black arena with a sea of glow sticks and lights emitting from mobile phones.