Dziwaczne Odkrycia: Attending Open’er Festival in Gdynia with Noel Gallagher, my Hero

“Keep on chasing down that rainbow. You never know what you might find” – Noel Gallagher.

Since relocating to Poland in 2016 I didn’t have any major regrets until last week. It has long been my dream to attend the famous Open’er Festival in Gdynia and the Woodstock Festiwal in Kostrzyn nad Odrą‎. Sadly I don’t like to go to such events alone and for this reason I haven’t yet been. As none of my close friends were going to such festivals and I kind of waited until one of them might go and invite me. But in this post I’m trying to pretend I was there. Either alone or with friends I was there. Because I should have been there. God knows I wasn’t there and in my lifetime, it’s the closest I have ever been to Noel Gallagher yet not been at the gig.

“In your head, it’s in your head” – Dolores O’Riordan.

“I followed the stars and I sailed to the sun. I held it in my fingers. Alone on the beach, on my own, out of reach and you just passed me by”- Noel Gallagher.

I really wanted to attend Open’er in particular this year. Noel Gallagher played. Yes my favourite lyricist of all time. I quote him regularly on my blogs and social media. I’ve never met Noel Gallagher but my Dad has. And neither of them had a pen to get me an autograph. I have to simply trust that my Dad met Noel Gallagher. Ironically later on that day I met my Dad for dinner. He was in London on business at the time and I lived in London.

“Give me just a smile and would you make it snappy. Get your shit together girl. You got a feeling lost inside it just won’t let you go” – Noel Gallagher.

Arctic Monkeys and Depeche Mode also played at Open’er Festival in Gdynia in 2018. I now wish I had just gone alone anyway. It’s one of my biggest regrets in life. I’m so sad about it. Noel played on Wednesday night so it wouldn’t even have clashed with my second visit to the Blues Express Festival.

“While we’re living, the dreams we have as children fade away”- Noel Gallagher.

It’s not just missing my hero playing that upsets me. It is the fact that he played on my doorstep in one of my favourite cities, Gdynia. Its the first time I’ve lived this close to a Noel Gallagher gig and missed it. Even when I lived in Hong Kong I went to watch Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds. I’m a very sensitive guy and missing this has deeply affected me.

“Every beginning has broken its promise. I’m having trouble just finding my soul in this town ” – Noel Gallagher.

The last few days of my life have been emotionally tough as well. My two year anniversary of life in Poland came round, my Dad left after a crazy trip and I realised it is now two years since the compulsive liar I met hit me with their nasty spate of childish lies deliberately plunging me into depression and despair. The liar is known to the police of course (who she also lied to) after my suicide bid of 2016 but never came clean. Unless she admits her lies and openly apologises to me I will never ever escape this depressive feeling. You ruined me, nasty.

“In a place I’ll never be till I’m crucified”- Noel Gallagher.

As I sleep on the second anniversary of that cruel period, sadness returned ad I missed my hero playing live in one of my favourite cities. This is the biggest regret of my life. As a teenager I owned EVERY Oasis song. Even the bootlegs, the b sides, the rare tracks. I was an Oasis freak. Noel Gallagher is my idol.

“You won’t get. You don’t get. What you need. Life is a strange thing”- Noel Gallagher.

I saw Oasis live 13 times in 3 different countries from 1996 (in Cork, Republic of Ireland) to 2008 (in London, England) and they kept me sane. They broke up in 2009. I even worked at one of Their gigs ( in Bournemouth) just to get free entry. Their happy vibe wiping away any creepily unordered shots of despair.

“Kiss the girl she’s not behind the door”- Noel Gallagher.

Even as I whackpacked the World on a 150 country smugglication, the wise words of Noel Gallagher always followed me.

“I’ll put on my shoes as they’re walking slowly down the hall of fame” – Noel Gallagher.

My mate Dan Barnett gave me a copy of the album (What’s the story) Morning Glory? To play on my travels. I did. I took it around the world, and after visiting my 100th country, I even took a selfie in the same street where the album cover was took, still haven’t uploaded that or covered it further than my tour of hippy Camden Town.

“In Camden Town, I’ll meet you down by the Underground” – Suggs.

I posted in my blog’s Facebook Page about my defeat on Friday morning. I was so sad. Thankfully a few people tried to relieve my sadness. A reader and follower of my blog, Daniel Koziarski spent time in his busy day to openly chat, send photos and videos from the gig. Such people are rare in life. Daniel, I can never thank you enough for that. I would love to meet one day, buy you a beer and watch Noel again…oh that didn’t fit with him did it? Yes, this old truth…

“Do you keep the receipts for the friends that you buy? Ain’t it bittersweet, you were only just getting by”- Noel Gallagher.

You have to love Noel Gallagher…oh and this was me aged 17 on route to my second Oasis gig, ready for the love of my life that never was – Vicky Everitt….

“come eat tomatoes with me…” – oh Vicky…

So now I’m sharing some photos and videos of others from that gig. If you attended Open’er Festiwal in 2018 and have any photos or videos, especially of Noel Gallagher, please send them to me.

“Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be”- Noel Gallagher.

Here are some links about the gig I missed.

 

“Take what you need and be on your way and stop crying your heart out”- Noel Gallagher.

To try and stop myself from crying my heart here are some videos of the concerts: