How exciting is this!

Lee is doing the first ever residency at the Pheasantry, with a new show entitled "Up Front and Centre" (intriguing .... ), with one show a month from February until November (plus two on the same day in March).

For details of dates and booking, see attached link:

https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/lee-mead-up-front-and-centre

Great news!

Lee seems to really enjoy playing the Pheasantry. I really hope to make it to one of the dates - lots to choose from so it would be rude not to arrange a little weekend in London sometime...

I notice there's no Pheasantry date in December - hopefully there'll be a Christmas concert at a bigger venue, maybe the Joseph 10 year celebration that Lee has talked about wanting to do?

Well done Lee! Though when I first read the news, I misread it, and thought that Lee was going to be performing there nightly for 10 months! That'll teach me to read things properly!

So happy because I can pace myself with these. Oh it's lovely to have a reason for clicking on Booking.com again!

Great to see how well this is selling, bearing in mind there are 11 shows to choose from. February is virtually sold out, and April, May and November are down to the last few!

Just before Christmas, I was able to snag a few of the last tickets for February and so am bringing my sister and niece to London and to see Lee!!!!


I'm so excited that they will finally get to see Lee perform live.

It's also their first visit to London so lots of touristy things on the agenda. Woohoo!!!!!

I think this venue is my favourite place I have been to watch Lee on stage.

It sounds as though it is one of Lee's favourite venues to perform as well going by
his tweets.

I agree, maggiemay - the Pheasantry is the perfect venue. Well, except for having to wait in line for seating as it is not reserved.

But the intimate setting is perfect for Lee, imo, partly because it requires a smaller band - I'm not fond of all the horns, etc, as what I really want to hear is Lee's voice.

It's the venue where I first heard him sing "Feeling Good" - he leaned back so far on the stool!!!!

Oh, my. That was a treat. *ahem*

I love the Pheasantry too (I just have a beef with the fact that if there are three of us we get relegated to the balcony, no matter how long we have queued ). That apart, the excitement and intimacy of the venue is something special.

Brilliant that you are able to bring your family, Lin. I hope they see what you see (ahem indeed!)

Would anyone mind me joining their table at the Phasantry n Feb 19th. If someone can oblige I am able to get in. Left it too late as I thought I would not be able to attend but can now if anyone out there does not mind my company.

Posted today on Lee Mead Facebook page:

"Just to let everyone know who has booked for the Pheasantry. The Pheasantry management have now brought our concerts in line with their other events and tables will be allocated on a First Booked, First Seated basis. This means that you no longer have to queue outside on the staircase, when you arrive the Manager will have your booking and will direct you to your allocated table. We know it's not how we have done it in the past but we have to respect the management's decision. They hope it will lead to a smoother transition between your arrival and being seated at the venue."

I personally enjo*** chatting with others lining up but it could be a bit claustrophobic.

Now I hated queuing on the stairs and, in fact, had decided this year to turn up much later and take pot luck (combined age, back and knee problems are taking their toll, sob sob). I remember last year standing on the stairs for over 2 hours (yes, I know that wasn't long compared with some of you!), being seated in the balcony area as there were 3 of us, and then watching people behind us in the queue taking better seats because there was an even number of them. This time we vary between three, four and a possible five, so we shall see what transpires .......

I can definitely understand your frustration, A/Liz! And identify with the "old-age" issues.

My personal concern was that I had purchased two tickets right away and a couple of weeks later, sis and niece decided to come with me so purchased two more for them. I didn't want to sit separate from them at their first Lee gig. They might need a bit of support. *ahem*

However, I spoke to the Pheasantry and they said they would combine my two orders and use the earlier date for assigning four seats. So all is well.



In other news, I am flying three weeks from today!!!

Hi Maggie just wondering did you manage to get someone to share a table with you for Lee's concert if so hope you enjoy it and tell us about it.
Cheers acer xx

Hi Acer. No not any offers . But have changed my date to March and have a friend (yes I do have one !!!!!!!!!!!) to come with me.

Maggie pleased you are fixed up I tell you if I was fit and could travel I would join you like a shot anyway enjoy I will be thinking of you.
cheers acer

Thanks Acer.

OMG Lin. I am looking forward to seeing you again

Maggie The Pheasanrty is such a lovely warm friendly place you are never really alone.
I have booked for just me on my own and I am sure that on the night there will be lots of friends there.

I agree A/Liz, nearly finished me off queueing on those stairs! As you say, we shall see.

It's FEBRUARY!!!!!

Pleased that there is a system in place, and I hope it works. I always found the physical queueing difficult and "when is a queue actually a queue" type of thing very unfair!

I think it's much easier to have allocated seating rather than having to arrive at least an hour before the show starts. Okay we take pot luck with the allocations but we did that with the queues anyway - and oh the luxury of only needing ONE trip to the ladies before the show is wonderful.

OH No........ Just read this post from Eclipse

We very much regret to announce that Lee is unwell and unable to perform at The Pheasantry on Sunday 19th Feb. The show has been rescheduled for a Matinee on Sunday 30th April (time to be confirmed with promoter expected to be around 2pm). Lee is devastated to have to cancel but he has no voice and is certain you will understand. Please contact the venue to reschedule your booking or for reimbursement if you are unable to see Lee on that date. We all wish him better I am certain! He will be tweeting about this himself on Twitter. Thank you, Eclipse

Big online hugs for everybody who was going then. And a big 'get well soon' hug for Lee.

I hope that most people were able to rebook the Pheasantry for April.

I know that it is not possible for everyone.
Especially those that have to travel from overseas and those with family commitments.

Although yesterday wasn't the day we planned we made the best of it and still met up in London and had a lovely day.

What did you do yesterday?

I had a normal Sunday!

Having been caught out by Lichfield and Chesterfield, where we had already reached our destinations when we heard the news of Lee's illness(es) but carried on with our visits regardless, this time we had good warning. Being close enough to London not to have to buy advance train tickets, I didn't lose any rail fares, and was able to transfer my hotel booking to April without loss.

Glad to hear that those who went ahead with their London trip had fun. Well, maybe not quite as much fun as originally planned, with a certain person being missing, but you all made the most of it. Lin, do I feel for you after your long journey though.

Oh, and a word of praise to the Pheasantry for transferring the bookings so efficiently, in the order of original bookings.

I had a normal Sunday too!

Disappointing weekend as the birthday party I had been invited to over the same weekend also had to be cancelled due to unforseen cir***stances. The hotel very kindly moved my booking to April so I didn't lose out there. I had bought advance train tickets, so not pricey, if it hadn't been for the dreaded engineering works I might still have gone to London but at the moment, on Saturdays and Sundays it is taking 3 hours for me to get to Liverpool Street and with no Lee at the end of the journey I decided to stay at home!!

I am glad some of you were able to meet up, particularly with Lin.

Hope to see you all in April

Of course I was truly gutted, but thankfully was able to drown my sorrows in a lovely Sunday roast (in lieu of the planned pizza) with friends.

Sis and niece were also disappointed as they had really looked forward to finally seeing Lee - but we had so much fun exploring London that it really was a wonderful holiday!

We did all decide that Lee owes us a trip to L.A. . . . someday . . .

So sorry to have missed seeing everyone - that's always a fun part of each trip.

You certainly made sure you had a good time despite your disappointment. Good attitude to have! I wish you could have seen Lee as well but hopefully all will go well for your next visit!

Well, let's try this again, shall we? And this time, let's do it twice!!

Sadly, I will not be there - but who is lucky enough to see Lee tomorrow? And will you "do the double"? *ahem*

Wishing everyone going to the Pheasantry tomorrow a fabulous afternoon/evening or both! Looking forward to hearing some reviews when you have time.
So sorry you're not able to be there Lin.

Hope everyone going to today's gigs has a fab time!

I was lucky enough to be at both Pheasantry shows on Sunday. As most of you know, I was less than 'enchanted' with the last batch of songs that Lee did, just not my cup of tea. It was the songs, I hasten to add, I'm always more than enchanted by Lee himself (and, to be fair, there were always some songs that I did love)!

I'm a bit hesitant to do a proper review, as I wouldn't want to give away any spoilers for those who are going at a later date and like the set list kept as a surprise (also, I confess I can't remember all of them!). Suffice to say that this time I am very happy with his choice, with musical theatre numbers to blow your socks off via songs he sang when he was young, cheesy pop songs and right through to very new stuff, plus some old favourites (how could he leave out Any Dream Will Do - I don't think he ever will!). He still told funny anecdotes and was in great form, and seemed very happy. He said the idea of this show is songs he used to sing in the past and songs he always wanted to sing but hasn't dared until now. He also said he had about 40 songs he would like to do - well, I don't see any problem there ......... He also said that the set is a work in progress, so some songs may be dropped and others brought in as the set evolves. Interesting!

Lee seemed quite nervous for the first show (well, I guess debuting the new set is a bit nervewracking!) and also the cough was still a bit in evidence (he said he'd been so ill that he'd had to delay his start in Holby by a week) - but much less so in the evening.

He had no guests in the afternoon, but in the evening who should turn up but Stephen RH (surprise surprise!) and Rhydian. Stephen sang a couple of songs on his own, whereas Rhydian duetted Bring Him Home with Lee.

The new seating arrangements seemed to work very well, especially in our case, as our threesome was finally NOT relegated to the balcony! I had to laugh, though, as we still managed to form a queue on the stairs. In fact, for the first time ever, we found ourselves at the head of the queue (between shows, we'd been busy chatting, then looked up the stairs to see lots of people above us ), just when for the first time it didn't matter in the slightest who was first!

Thanks A/Liz! Sounds like two great gigs!

Also meant to attach this great review ...

Warning - there are spoilers in it.

http://musicaltheatrereview.com/up-front-and-centre-lee-mead-the-pheasantry/

"Grey haired groupies" .... how very dare he! I'll have him know I've coloured my hair for the last 20 years ..... (actually, make that nearer 30!)

"Ladies of every vintage" ... well, yes, that's true!

Ooooh! Thank you so much for that review, ALiz. It does figure he would have a bit of the jitters at first - and I'm sure having a couple of his mates around in the evening help settle them down.

Lovely to hear that he sounds happy. Hopefully that bodes well for his work on Holby.

Thank you, also, for the review of the seating arrangement. I'm still not clear about it but at least we know it really is according to day of purchase.

Thanks for your review A Liz. I loved hearing about the two shows. Can't wait to hear some of those 'new' songs.
Thanks for the link to the Musical Theatre review too.

Thanks for the lovely reviews there. Hopefully I can fight my 'personal demons' about public transport by the time I come in November. And until then there'll be Lofty to enjoy.

Thanks A Liz for that fabulous review.
As you know I only went to the evening show. But it was a very special show for me because it was mothers day and it was the very first time that my son had seen Lee.
Well he has see the photo around the house but never seen him live
Unlike A Liz I was hoping for a couple of the "Enchanted" songs
But I wasn't disappointed with the new set list.
I loved the duet with Rhydian.
one funny moment was when Lee did the intro to a Wet Wet Wet song saying that his mum liked Marti Pellow.
Lee's mum was sitting behind us and I heard he say Oh No I looked around to see her with her head in her hands. Yep sons can be embarrassing sometimes.

Hmm when someone asked my son if he had a good time he replied "The Pizza was good" I take that comment as a huge positive
He says it best when he says nothing at all

Ah, Joan, our boys do know how to wind us up, don't they?

And apparently Lee's mum can identify.

Love the experience - thank you for sharing what must have been a lovely day for you.

Thanks for the reviews. Looking forward to my first visit in May, and can't wait to hear the new songs.

Jane W has come up trumps again and has done a fabulous review of Lee's mothers day gig at the Pheasantry.
Grab a cup of coffee / tea and head over to the website for a good read

Hi Joan just tried to read review but can't get in acer

Fab review, Jane! Loved reading it - it was well written. Thanks for doing it!

acer - the review is on a pdf do***ent which perhaps you are not able to download? No worries. We will email it to you as you do not want to miss it.

A brilliant review. Thank you so much Jane W.

Thank you so much for email of review have just read it !wonderful it is so kind of you I am not much good doing downloads years ago it was no trouble it was just like a link but everything has progressed (except me)but so grateful to you as I will never get to the pheasantry.
love acer xx

Hi Maggie may not be able to email you it has gone off again get so far then it goes off I have tried five times.
cheers acer xx

Hope everyone going to the gigs today has a great time! Meanwhile, the man himself is on his way to the gig!

Lee Mead @leemeadofficial.13m

Chelsea bound. @pizzapheasantry

LINKY THING

It sounds like both concerts were amazing and Lee was his usual adorable self and in lovely voice!

Also great to hear that he will be doing press for Holby soon and we will finally learn more of Lofty's back story!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

We would love to hear more from those who were there.

Yes, another couple of amazing concerts on Sunday. As you all probably know, the afternoon concert was Lee on his own, and in the evening he was joined by Stephen RH again and Daniel Boys, which was a nice surprise. Again, Stephen sang alone (plus duetting Ain't That A Kick In The Head with Lee), and Lee and Daniel sang Bring Him Home together.

Lee had a new song, Blackbird, by Paul McCartney. The original was never a favourite of mine and sorry to say this did nothing for me, but I know a lot of people loved it. Lee did sing it beautifully.

I was totally in awe when he sang Why God Why from Miss Saigon, when he became Chris before my eyes. At the end I was a sobbing mess (twice!). That is the type of song that does it for me every time.

Anecdote time. Remember Louise, she of ever increasing height and Lee's first snog? She has disappeared into the annals of time. Jodie is the girl of the moment now, his first real girlfriend. When Lee was 15 or 16 (depending on which show you were at ) he was in love with Jodie, but she left him for his mate Sean, for the sole reason that Sean could drive and had a car - a red 1.1 Fiesta to be precise. So he went home on his bike, heartbroken, and learned the lyrics to Gary Barlow's Forever Love .... cue for a song!

We had trials and tribulations getting to the Pheasantry, thanks to engineering works again, plus bus alterations due to works in Parliament Square and then having to wait for our rooms to be ready at the hotel, but the seating worked and our table was waiting for us. Going home next day was worse, as we hadn't allowed for the May Day Parade which stopped all transport in the Strand as well as the aforementioned delays. But, hey, it wouldn't be us if we had a straightforward journey. Was he worth it? What do you think!