I was out with some old friends recently – friends with whom I grew up listening to Rush, camping out to see them at Manchester Apollo, enjoying carefree days of 2112 and Hemispheres.

The memory of seeing Rush close-up, from the front row, as the dry ice trickled out at the start of Xanadu will stay forever. 

We reminisced about school days and about concerts, about girlfriends and what we got up to, and then one of the lads said “Hang on – I’ve got a photo from 1980 of us all when we were camping”

Then he flipped this photo on his phone and there we were, 30 years ago, youthful, hairfull, optimistic, happy, thoughtful, serious.

Suddenly 30 years melted away in a moment …… it was a very atmospheric moment as we silently reflected ….

I’m on the left by the way and you can just see my 2112 t-shirt.

To think we are all still in contact, sat next to each other in a Manchester bar – older, not much wiser, still into music, still the same people …..

Memories.