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OK, so if Glasgow was my blue pill, Manchester was definitely the night I took the red pill (Matrix reference people, incase you're wondering);)

Let's get straight to the show: After the blinding BINXS god of lightning & thunder showered us during Suicide Blonde, the setlist was pretty much the same as Glasgow.

This time, I got to appreciate different aspects of the show: My balcony view slightly over to the right afforded an awesome view of the Warp Drive RiffMaster and his hypersonic axe, the Marlin, an instrument coloured and designed for musical hyperspace if ever there was one. His fretwork was tingling with the joy of a man not caring a jot about his knee problems, if they were still there or not. A change of guitar here and there, the guitar of the moment being tickled and tormented during frenetic pieces like Original Sin, or deliciously spanked with abandon for the funky numbers like New Sensation in the encore. His harem of stringed lovellies adored him for his attentions and we heard the twangs of delight all night! During, NTA, his deft stroke up the neck induced the now classic introduction to Kirk's fountainous spraying of the INXS lexicon; spelling it out in his saxophonetic way for all to understand and collapse to. But yes, Tim was the guitar man of the evening for me!

JD swore and fingered us to our amused satisfaction; his afterglow now warm and glowing after the emotional watershed he had brought me to at Glasgow. For those interested in flesh, he changed his Vader Floyd shirt in the dim stage lighting, revealing a bare back as he hauled his long sleeved buttoned shirt on...which later was undone. He pulled it close together in a mock moment of modesty...and a wicked smile ;) A gap between him and the audience precluded intimate entaglements until he overcame this obstacte to his fans and jumped down to engage them in the way only JD does! A visual motif of this evening was his shadow, cast upon the curved wall to my right, in his seductive clasping of the mic, with one foot on the lights.

But the man that won my heart tonight was Andrew. I loved his synth work on NYT in Glasgow. This time, the same song was more like the CD, with Andy leaving the programming to repeat the smooth signature strike along to his (I presume) Gibson guitar playing. The encore with GTT started with the lovelly Wendy and ended in sublimely sumptuous sensitive layers from his two keyboards as I stared in watery eyed admiration at the quiet, unassuming Master Of Ceremonies showing us what his Band has been about for 30 years.

Jon was as ever, the powerhouse, air lifting the show though the evening on his power beats and air chopping cymbal clashing. The lightshow from his drumkit is an event in itself, drawing gasps of awe and wonder from his bandmates and the audience. He is the last word in rhythmic delight for the ending; JD asking if we'd like him to bring the house down one more time - he did! A tango here, jungle drums for JD to squawk like a Maccaw to there, brought the steaminess of the BINXS Amazon to a climactic climate changing ending.

After only being initially distracted by the bare cleavage of the Four Stringed One, who changed for the encore into his black buttoned vest, revealing his arm insignia even more, I simply enjoyed his precise and controlled fondling of the lower frequencies with a subtlety only he has.

So that was the show.

Then I met them...

I waited outside, backstage, and was soon rewarded with the sight of Mr Pengilly in his mustard leather jacket and oblong specs. Patient to a fault with everyone, he eventually drifted to the tour bus with the redoubtable Tony's assistance. I got to touch the lovelly Saxoman on the hand and tell him how great they were at Glasgow and how I was looking foward to Newcastle.

Then, I was delighted to see Andrew humbly walk out to acknowledge us while making his way to their mobile home. He seemed so nice and even overwhelmed to have our attention thrust upon him, so I patiently bided my time to greet him warmly, when a tramp selling the Big Issue came up to him and, presumeably unaware of who he was asked for change. To my surprise, Andrew gave him a pound and told him to get a cigarrette. This generosity inspired me to give something back to Andrew...I went back to him and gave him a ten pound note, saying Britain's expensive and wishing him well. I took it upon myself to show Tony what I was going to give him to potentially alay any securtiy fears, not that he was suspicious of my motives. I then thanked Tony for looking after our boys by shaking his suprised fingers. I guess he only expects to get used as access to the Band, like the lame wench who went on the pretext that he'd promised her backstage priviliges!


The smiling T Farriss was next out and though I didn't get to say anything to him I smiled in his direction while close up and saw how wonderful his eyes are - and how much like a virtual plumber from Nintendo he looked, even without the 'tache ;)

While expecting a huge response for JD, a man of recognisable proportions strolled in my direction. I took my chance to pat him on his leather clad shoulder and tell him "soonergurl loves you!" ;) his momentary look of bemusement was a joy to behold...and so worth it! He was cheery, joyful and unbelievably patient with everyone. I accompanied him around the crowd to the door of the tour bus and saw the delightful Kerry up close. Her smile was bright and cheerful. I didn't call out to her as I wanted to see her and Jon undistracted and safe back on the bus.

Then, if I remember the sighting sequence correctly, JD himself came along. In the gap amoungst the surprisingly small crowd around him, baying for photo phlesh and squeeing with delight at their catch, I grasped his hand and thanked him for resurrecting INXS. His warm dark eyes gazed kindly upon me and, feeling the temperature of my hand told me "stay warm man, stay warm".

So that was the BINXS, but the real treat for me was to watch the guys haul the gear into the equipment trucks. It was here that I found myself beside the lovable figure of Lyndsay, who upon smiling at me found himself being greeted by a grateful pup.

Then, seeing the man who I could have introduced myself earlier to, outside the entrance to the show before it started, but refrained for fear of holding him up, I waited patiently to say hello before leaving.
He was superb at organising the equipment storage while acknowledging people around him, not that I guessed anyone really knew him or his importance to the proceedings. After waiting like a patient pup at the corner of the gate, I finally had the chance to speak to our very own DrumTech! I told him my name, and who I was on RockbandLounge. He seemed genuinely delighted to meet me and clasped my hand warmly. I was happy to report Glasgow was a success in my eyes and, upon being asked if I was seeing more shows, reeled off my itinerary. He seemed slightly awed to put it mildly! After commenting on how skillfully he and Lyndsay wrapped up things tonight, I bid farewell to a top guy, and not caring that I'd missed my train, went off happily into the night rain to catch a bus instead.

Yes, I know what you're thinking: where was he and did you meet him? The answer to that is: tight security surrounding him and his beloved with no stopping on the way. I only heard this when one drunken lad was saying to two girls across the entrance about him and that he hadn't come out. The girl, confidently asserted he'd come out as described above, and I believed her. I agreed with her that was most likely and we exhanged words like private, reserved etc, and concluded that's how he likes it.

However, while waiting after everyone else had gone, a guy from the van came up to me and asked if I'd seen the show. Responding positively, I was given a green pic...:)

But I was satisfied with the night as it was...how could I not be?

:]