Hacienda Classical; Ashton Memorial

All the cool kids....
....grew up, got jobs, mortgages, kids of their own - some even became mountain guides.
But this evening a fair few thousand mostly fortysomethings gathered in the grounds of the Ashton Memorial to pay hommage to one of the true musical icons of our age, the Hacienda nightclub, ex of Manchester. For me, the Hacienda represents one of the first turning points of my life, I've more than once said I dropped out of university to go to the Hacienda. Whilst other clubs were arguably more fun or more of a success, FAC51 always felt like home. I doubt there was a weekend between 1989 and 1992 that I wouldn't be found there.
Tonight the original resident DJ's (Mike Pickering & Graeme Park) took to the stage with a full orchestra, MC Tunes (a Manchester club legend) and guest appearances from Peter Hook, Rowetta & Bez. Most of the crowd chose to sit on the slopes of the memorial as it started, heads nodding, feet tapping. But the opening orchestral take on Voodoo Ray had most of us on our feet pretty quick and by the time the strings kicked in for Love Can Turn Around everyone was bouncing, creaky knees and all.....