The Last Domino

I had hoped that our first gig after restrictions were lifted, might be a small one. But no, we jumped right in at the deep end with Genesis at the Manchester Arena. Us and 20,000+ other people all in one place. Quite a daunting prospect after 18 months of strict social distancing.
A few random thoughts on the night:- Despite a long queue, the entry process was quite slick and they moved people into the arena quickly. Very little mask wearing though.
We had to show a Covid Pass, or similar, but I could probably have shown any old QR code on my phone as it only received a very cursory glance!
My not wanting to eat “junk” food after 18 months of abstinence from burgers and the like, slightly backfired. We ignored various places outside the Arena, only to find that the only food available inside was a box of Nachos with a dip. This would come back to haunt us later.
There was an hours delay to the start of the concert but we weren’t told the reason (failed generator and a replacement had to be sourced) for an awfully long time, leading to fears of cancellation.
Despite the delayed start, we got the full concert. But due to the lack of food earlier, we were starving by the end!
We had used the Metrolink Park & Ride to get into the city centre. Trams definitely not as busy as before the pandemic. Hoping that they were still running around midnight, we got halfway back to the car before finding that the line we needed to change on to had been suspended. No more trams that night! Helpful staff gave us a taxi number and one turned up within ten minutes, so not too long a delay - just the hassle of the inconvenience and extra cost.
Managed to find a sandwich in the motorway services and thankfully dry and empty roads meant we got home quickly, though it was still nearly 2am when we walked through the door.
But despite all that, it was a brilliant concert. All the hits, superbly performed. Very sad to see Phil Collins struggling to walk though. Despite the optimistic “?” after the tour title, I would be very surprised if this was not the last time we will have a chance to see this superb band in concert. It might have been a year late, it might have cost a fortune and we might have had a few hiccups along the way but, by God, it was worth it!