And I'm still all eek over it.
Admittedly it didn't look like I'd even get there at one point since I was supposed to be going with Adam who makes me look organised, so you can guess how bad he is.
He was supposed to ask his brother if I could come with and sort the tickets out, of course he didn't so I had to get them myself and to make sure he didn't stand me up and leave me going to the gig alone, which I would have been cool with but Mum less so, I had to drag cousin Phil along with.
But we were still getting a lift with Ads, his brother and the brother's girl friend. And then they were late.
Which result in me missing half of Razorlight's set, including 'Stumble and Fall' which is a great song. Luckily I heard them do that through the doors before we went in.
Anyway got in to the venue (the MEN for anyone who's been to Manchester) in time to hear the second half of their set including 'Golden Touch' which is was my favourite song of theirs and which I have pimped in here before now.
But they did another song to finish the set which has replaced it as my favourite, of course I didn't catch the name, dear sweet, adorable lead singer mumbles when he talks.
And the poor lamb had to rush off stage at one point because he had to cough up some blood. (Pets lead singer)
They finished their set and that was the point when I started worrying because the Manics hadn't sold as many tickets as last time and I was worried that they'd be dull in comparrison to what had been a stonking set by Razorlight, what I'd seen of it. Because, to be honest, they hadn't blown me away last time, and then their support act hadn't been as spectacular.
I shouldn't have worried, because they were brilliant. They were sharp, angry, the band they sometimes aren't any more.
Their opening video was a case in point, it was classic Manics montage, all "read, destroy, create" and then it finished with "you love us," change slide word by word, "and we love you". And that was when I knew it would be good.
They opened with 'If you tolerate this..." which on the album, and the single, is this grand stately epic, (it's the one with the creepy video of the people with their eyes, mouths, ears and noses covered over) and they turned it into an absolute rocker.
Then came 'Faster', proper, full speed, 'Faster'.
They played '1985' which is my favourite track off the new album, 'You Love Us', 'Cardiff Afterlife', which sucks no matter what you do with it, but the video montage was interesting, and then 'You Stole The Sun' which I hate on the album and love done live, because they totally change it.
And then they played 'No Surface, All Feeling'. Just wow. It's my favourite song of theirs (and one of my top three songs of all time) and I finally heard them play it live.
Then there was 'Solitude Sometimes Is' off the new album, all delicate tinkle and all. That was about the only one that got left as it was, and there's not much you can do with it.
Then they played 'Yes' and dedicated it to Razorlight. Which amused me.
At some point they played 'Australia', and then the other two went off and we had the acoustic part. Now James Dean Bradfield had had a throat infection and the last two shows had been cancelled so people threw packs of throat lozenges at him at various points during the night. And despite this he did the first two verses and chorus of "Archives of Pain" complete with crowd as rhythm sections and all of 'This is Yesterday', which is an incredibly beautiful song.
Back came the band. Now up to this point, Nicky Wire had been wearing a long leopard print jacket with green cargo pants. When he came back, he was in a white strappy top, red mini-skirt and white pop-socks, and then proceeds to climb on to a stack of speakers and merrily jig along those. And then half way through the song sat down and swung his legs off the end of the stack in a most schoolgirl-like manner. So yeah, have no idea which song it was. But it could well have been 'La Tristessa (Duerra)'.
The second half of the set involved, in some order, 'Small Black Flowers', 'Die in the Summertime', 'Kevin Carter', 'Motorcycle Emptiness,', 'Love of Richard Nixon', 'Empty Souls', 'Tsunami', and 'Design For Life' as the big end number, complete with crowd all standing up and singing. And somewhere early on there was the very beginning of 'Sleepflower' played at the request of one guy who'd been to every gig on the tour (no, this is not excessive behaviour, this is reasonable Manics fan behaviour, we're kind of odd).
I swear there's a song I've forgotten but it was so wonderful. And we had great seats too, stage centre, half way up the seating (pictures forthcoming after Christmas). Now I've just got to see them from the standing section one time, but Phil wouldn't do that, and unless they play a mini-gig in Leiester once, Mum wouldn't approve either.
Now to try and compose a gushing fan-letter in thanks. Mainly because they really deserve one for reasons I won't go into.
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