Elbow at the Apollo - Four Days Like This

So - Elbow again.

Not a huge stadium gig this time - 

 instead a mere 3500 at the Manchester Apollo

The night before Al was mid work crisis - 

not sure if he was going to get away in time for us to get there for the doors at seven.

So we abandoned plans to go with Kathie and Iain 

and she dropped off our tickets on Friday lunchtime.

In the end - Al's crisis was unsolvable in the day -

and we made it to Manchester in time to get a good place in the queue

and a quick hustle at doors meant we had a place at the front.

But Iain and Kathie were still at home -

having decided that if  we couldn't get there early -

they wouldn't try for a good position.
What a mess - If only I'd thought to text as we'd run out of home.

We saw the support act from the front row-

but when Kathie texted to say they were in the buildling,

and that she could barely see the stage - 

well - we weren't going to stay put.

The music is the music - 

front row or straining to see from the back - with friends is best.

And oh - the music.

The last time we saw Elbow I left the gig on a complete high - 

two days later Jonathan broke the news he had cancer -

a week after that Gill's ascites suddenly developed along with the dreadful realization that her time was going to be so much shorter than we had hoped.

This time - from the opening song - This Blue World - I was just in pieces. 

Tears flowed - before Al could squeeze through the crowd to hold me

 I was comforted by a very lovely {and somewhat drunken} man

{to depend on the kindness of strangers}

Songs from albums old and new - 

all performed with the usual Guy Garvey brilliance -

the lighting  was exquisite -

the atmosphere charged -

I cried and sang and danced.....

And at the end -

Not One Day to send us out on a joyous high into the night

{the uplifting sing along came in the middle of the set}

But instead - My Sad Captains  - 

Oh the tears and the love -

leaving me absolutely spent -

{and today full of a headache which refuses to go}

But what a perfect waste of time.