Third leg of six, and this one was easily the best so far.
It started off good when I arrived at about 5pm, and found a free parking space in the MEN multi-storey on the ground level (last time I was here, it took over an hour to get out being up on the 4th or 5th level).
It was even better when I got inside the arena – I’d been worried that the seat numbering began from the opposite end to which it actually did, which meant that I was right in front of Geddy’s keyboards, and only three rows back.
And this new camera is bloody brilliant – even the blurred pictures are still good.
The crowd was up for it right from the start (in huge contrast to the Sheffield lot). The band obviously felt this, and is was clear that they were really enjoying themselves – an impression which became stronger as the show progressed. Alex and Geddy were laughing among themselves, and when they brought Neil in on it there was even a deviation from the set (albeit for a few seconds) at the end of Closer to the Heart.The crowd was singing along and very animated throughout.
At the end, even Geddy’s farewell made it clear they were overwhelmed by the crowd response, even more than at Glasgow.
Being on Geddy’s side, my pictures were oriented to him, and it was difficult to get a decent shot of Neil from that angle (some of the better ones were when Geddy was away from his keyboard and Neil was behind him in some shots). 
And I was right about the car parking space. I got out within 10 minutes.
Another awesome show. Next stop, Newcastle on Saturday. Get your backsides down there and make it a sell-out – and let’s make it the best one again.