'We're all just excited to see someone who means so much to us': Excited fans ready to enjoy the hits as they get ready for Will Smith in Wolverhampton

The queues were snaking around the corner of the Civic Hall and down the street, with thousands of fans of all ages getting in line hours before the doors opened for Will Smith's "Based on a True Story" tour show.

They came from all over the country to Wolverhampton and were bedecked in merchandise from shows such as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and from films such as Men in Black, Wild Wild West and I am Legend.

Even the poor weather, with rain coming and going over different periods, couldn't dampen the spirits of those waiting to see the show, with many either bearing the rain or having come prepared with ponchos and umbrellas.

It was a time for friends to come together and enjoy the show, including one group who had come from different points of England to be at the Civic Hall.

Michelle Valadez-Page had come from Benfleet in Essex to join up with Kim Fisher and Julie Podmore from the Wirral, Kevin Tasker from Kettering in Northampton and Ewan Alman and his son Caleb from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

The group said the show was a great way to come together and catch up with each other and all spoke about what it meant to be there.

Michelle said: "My excitement level, from a scale of one to 10, is at an 11 right now and I think tonight is just a rare opportunity to see him and hear the new stuff and all the hits."

Kim said: "It's a group of friends who don't see each other that often, but we've been following him for years, so it's just a chance to enjoy the music and get together and I'm just a fan of everything he does."

Julie said: "I think it was probably starting seeing Fresh Prince and then I got into his music and started listening to the older stuff.

"It's just fun and we need a bit of fun, because the world is such a depressing place, so it's just nice to go and have some fun, have a bit of colour in your life and enjoy it."

Kevin said: "Will Smith was my gateway into Hip Hop and he's stuck with me ever since and we've all been supporting him through the good times and the bad times, so it is what it is."

Ewan said: "I'm just looking forward to seeing him giving that Will energy on that stage, hearing all the hits and some of the new stuff and it's the first time we've seen him indoors, so it adds a new element to it and I can't wait."

Caleb said that it was his first ever gig and he said that his dad's love of Will Smith had come down to him, so he was excited to be there.

He said: "I'm super excited as this is my first concert and it's a sick one to go to. I love a nice mix of his music and I know quite a few of his songs, so I'm excited for a little vibe and a little dance.

"It's so good coming here with my dad as we love listening to music and a lot of my music tastes come from him, so being here is just a great father son experience."

The show had also attracted a lot of local fans, with Donna Rodney coming from Oldbury alongside her friends Mel Wilkes from Wednesbury and Stacey and Rebecca Ebanks from Great Barr.

Donna said: "I can't wait to see Will Smith as I think he's absolutely amazing and we all love him and this is the first time I'll have ever got to see him."

Stacey said: "When we found out about the show, we all put reminders on our phones and made sure we all got tickets together. I'm looking forward to hearing Miami."

The group also got a round of applause from the rest of the queue when they performed the full "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" rap, with many of the people present saying they hoped to hear it at some point.

It was also a night for families, with Nikki Pjetri from Dudley bringing her daughters Lily and Ellie to see the show and saying how she could remember coming back from school and watching the Fresh Prince on TV.

She said: "I used to love watching the show, coming back from school and watching it on the TV and then seeing him in films and I think we're all looking forward to hearing the hits, especially Miami."

There were also plenty of couples outside and looking forward to seeing the show, with Dave and Hayley Howell having travelled up from Telford for the show.

Dave said: "The last time we saw him was in Blackpool with Jazzy Jeff and that was a really good show, but we were really far at the back and so we're hoping to get a bit closer this time as we've booked O2 priority tickets to make sure we were first.

"We're actually going to Florida in three weeks, going down to Miami, so I think hearing that will definitely set the tone if we hear that tonight, and I think it's great for Wolverhampton to have something like this which brings people into the city."