Arriving back after a break is always a chance to see things from a fresh perspective, but now even more so. I return to the tour in Nice after a short absence and something of a cabinet re-shuffle in terms of who-looks-after-what means that suddenly I’m able to get out front during the show.

After 14 years living underneath the stage, this is pretty huge. It’s like spending every day sorting out paintbrushes and pigments, then one day stepping out to see the giant canvas and finally remembering what it’s really all about.

And what it’s really all about, obviously – is you. The audience. Here are the folks in Nice who made up the ‘you’ on that particular night.

Now – there’s already been volumes written about people filming gigs with their phones. To be honest, if folks are enjoying themselves, then I’m not going to question it.

What I did decide, though, was to look for something that was a little more interesting to me. People lost in the moment. People who were experiencing it with every part of themselves, people who were sucking up every bit of the experience by throwing themselves into it.

This was truly the canvas I was talking about earlier. All of the work, all the effort and the struggle is ultimately in the service of *how the show makes people feel*. Getting out there and getting amongst it – experiencing it from close range is incredibly energising.

It’s not just good to be back – it’s invigorating!

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