[2] In A Sea of People...

-- ...there is only you. --

If you're standing, you might want to sit down before I come out with a revelation. Yes, I'm deaf. I was born with no ear openings, ear drums and hear purely through the use of vibrating sound through my skull, directly to the auditory nerves. I refer to myself as a member of the hearing deaf community. So why is it such a shock that I love music, or that I used to sing in choirs?

Music has been part of my life since before I was born. My first concert was very simple - I was eight and a half months gestation in mum's belly. I came just a few days later, after Kylie Minogue and Jason Donavon frightened me out, most likely. I was then brought up on a diet of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and lots of other folky type music. It wasn't long before I discovered other music, and although I went through a patch of liking low quality stuff, I found my way to some of the best music in the world.  I still often forget to pay attention to top 40 like artists, until I take a second listen.

My iTunes library is about as full as it could get, and I have seven or so CD's to be imported from gifts and me rewarding my music drought with lots of new stuff.  There's a huge part of being a music lover that those of us with a disability miss out on all too often.

The Script at the Odyssey Arena 2013 (C) Michaela Hollywood

Going to a gig is a huge part of the student culture.  For a young student with a disability, this is often one of the main social outlets.  When I'm sick, I almost always manage to get to a gig between the hospital visits, the antibiotics and all the rearranging that has to be done.  From January to May this year my life was dictated by repeated pneumonia, which was overcome by going to concerts even when I knew I'd be in hospital a few days later whether I went or not.

But imagine wanting to sit with more than one person, and not being allowed to because you use a wheelchair, and having to text the people your with.  That's the reality of going to a concert, and it gets worse if the gig is standing.  Without seats on the ground floor, the Odyssey Arena wont let you on the ground floor, while small bar type venues like Speakeasy and the Oh Yeah Centre make sure you're safe, and with whoever you came with without the need to use extra barriers.

Then there are the heartbreaking cases, when there are gigs in venues where you can't even touch the front door, never mind support the music and artist that your non-disabled peers can.  There's even times when one of your all-time favourite artists, who has never played inside the UK, is playing in New York and you can't get that flight because of your disability.

With Bruce Springsteen playing in town, I wouldn't even venture to try to sort my dad and me with tickets as I knew it was an outdoor venue and if it were to be raining, I'd be a blue puffball again if I was even allowed to go at all.  So when I heard fans complaining that they couldn't get a beer I was furious.  Free water is handed out at most gigs like that, and I know it was such at Springsteen.

Complaining about beer is the very least of the worries of disabled people around the world trying to support, and enjoy, music.  When I realised that Matt Cardle's latest gig in Belfast was in the completely unaccessible venue Empire, I knew that I had to buy tickets for similar yet totally accessible venue Whelans.  This allowed me to support his music, and gave me a glimmer of hope.  As it happened, I was far too sick to go.  But at least I got to support the music.  If the gig in Belfast the next day had been accessible, I would have been able to go.  Instead, I went to the Lord Mayors Party where Cardle headlined, although I had to turn myself into a blue puffball for the event.

Seeing Matt Cardle in my puffball costume. (C) Michaela Hollywood

So, the next time you go to a concert remember this: there's probably someone there with a hearing impairment partying, singing and dancing louder, harder and prouder than you.  And there will always be someone with a disability missing out on the same experience you're getting, if they can be there at all.

Most of all - support music!  Pay for it when you download, spread the word with videos of good concerts, drag a friend or three.  Oh, and never ever make a jibe at Clay Aiken, or you'll end up with me and a bunch of angry Claymates after you!

I'll admit it took me a bit to find a good song to fit this blog, but this about does it.  Archie was runner-up on Season 7 of American Idol and this is one of the songs that he did on his debut albums that just makes me want to crash a concert, and dance.