My first concert after lockdown

Thursday 13th February 2020:

Before the first wave swept across the UK, I managed to fit a trip across to Manchester for a concert. I got to see Bowling for Soup for the 3rd time, supported by Simple Plan. It was a good gig, and getting back to Manchester after a year or so away was very enjoyable. My brother and I have been to numerous musical events, both as spectators and staff, and will be planning to go to many more in the future.

Friday 19th November 2021:

After months of anticipation, the day finally arrives. There has been a lot of back and forth about childcare and transport and the like. We had a last minute change of venue, my partner and I originally had tickets for the show in Manchester on the 29th, but when they announced another gig to their tour much closer to home, I changed my tickets.

This would be the very first night out my partner and I have had since our 5 month old was born. We were nervous, but it is always important to make time to spend just to ourselves to make a relationship work. We go for a meal beforehand, then head off to the Bonus Arena.

My partner doesn't deal well with crowds, so she stays close to me as we pass through security. We are up on the second tier, so we skirt the lines for the downstairs bar and head for the stairs. We enter the arena just as the opening act are starting their last song. Apparently they aren't too popular with the crowd, but hey, this is the first time for me seeing live music in over 18 months, and for my partner nearly 15 years.

Our seats suck. They are at the end of a completely full row against the side wall, so the only way to get to them is past a dozen or so people, any time we want to get in or out. Really bad.

*WARNING - TOUR SPOILERS AHEAD*

But eventually, at about 9pm, the lights go out and they come out on stage. The opening bars of All I Want start to play, and The Offspring start their set. Their entire set takes about 80-90 minutes, and is high energy from start to finish. They released a new album earlier this year, and they mix in a couple of new songs into the middle of their setlist.

The Offspring are an all-time great band, but I wouldn't describe myself as a superfan. But they do have a 30 year back catalogue of fantastic hits that are more than enough to fill a playlist for a gig.

My musical tastes, like most peoples, developed in my teenage years, which for me meant the late 90's and early 2000's. Nu-Metal and Pop Punk were, and still are, almost my entire playlist. But the first album that fostered my love of music that I still carry today was Americana, despite this I never managed to get to see them live. So when this opportunity came up, it was a direct chance to check off something that had been on my bucket list for over 20 years.

The band have a great mix of playful, fun hits and harder hitting songs that are all great singalongs, and The Offspring have had years of tours to perfect their set to keep the energy up all throughout the entirety of the gig. I've got my own personal favourites but the last song of the night was Self Esteem, which was a fantastic way to end the night.

I love live music, and it meant a lot that my partner was able to go with me to see a band that quite literally helped shape my childhood. Most of the bands I grew up listening to are still touring, and I have managed to add some new music along the way. We have tickets to see Royal Blood in April, and hope to see more in the future.

The world may be a different place to what it was a year ago, but the music is still good.