Memoryshare

Monday February 14th 1984, and Me, Paul and Karl were spending Valentine’s Day the way any fourteen year old would love to; going to see Howard Jones at Sheffield City Hall.

I'd bought some flying boots specially, the big leather ones with fur round the top, and was wearing my biggest thickest jumper, 'cos it was February and cold.

Sheffield City Hall

My dad wouldn't tell me why he had a big daft grin on his face when he dropped us off, but two hours later when I began to wilt underneath the heat of wool, leather, the odd illicit beer, and City Hall lighting, I realised that he'd known exactly how daft my concert going clothes were.

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Over the years, my visits to The City Hall continued. Def Leppard, Human League, nine minutes of Chubby Brown. As I got older, the bands changed, but the venue didn't. The Beautiful South, Richard Hawley, comics like Ross Noble... all seen in Sheffield City Hall.

Then they shut it, for nearly two years and spent nearly £12 million doing it up, putting new seats in and fancy air conditioning.

Just before it reopened, I got a call asking if I'd compere the first night in the venue for an audience full of the builders that had worked on it, local dignitaries and loads of staff, about 2000 people in all.

Now I've never told anybody this, but I was petrified. Who wouldn't be?

I've played to bigger crowds before but this was the City Hall - I've grown up with it.

When you've been in a room as much as I've been in there it's odd to think that you'll be on that huge stage, with a full room waiting for you to make them laugh.

So I got there early and paced around for two hours, changed my clothes four times and convinced myself I was going to be awful.

Showtime came and as the lights came up I could barely breathe. The audience clapped and I walked out.

It was great. I loved it, and before I knew it I'd done twenty minutes and put the first act on stage.

The whole night flew past, and I left at the end feeling the same buzz I'd felt eighteen years before after seeing Howard do New Song for an encore.

Of course this time, my Dad didn't drop me off - he’s not with us any more - but I'm pretty sure that wherever he is, he'd got that big daft grin on his face again.

:: Toby Foster is a stand-up comedian and BBC Radio Sheffield presenter. Listen to Toby's Bigger at Breakfast, weekdays from 7-9am.