Here is night 2 report. Sorry for the long post - but need to put it down while it is in my memory. I'm 51 and have been a fan since 86.
I JUST woke up as I had a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Madison WI.
Night 1 had 15 row with my wife and son, Night 2 I had 2nd row and went alone - centered between Daryl and Mike. Daryl was probably 15 feet away from me. First of all, 2nd row was a different experience than 15 row, I'll say that. I could SEE what Mike and Daryl were playing, and I could hear the 2 vocalists raw - without the mains (PA). Obviously I could hear the raw drum sound as well. I thought I would be able to hear the guitars/bass a bit better as the amps were right there - I could hear them, but the front mains were right in front of us too. Defiantly could hear the guitars more than the keys this time - when I had 15th row the keys were HOT. Not so much from 2nd row.
Daryl playing the pedals was amazing to watch/feel/hear.
The vocalists at the end of Afterglow - they sang all the way to the end and it was fantastic.
Mama had a problem - Tony's keys went out for about 12-16 bars after the interlude - they just waited. It was interesting to see how they rebounded from it - usually when a song goes south, it's very difficult to pick up the pieces and move on. They did a decent job of finishing it off.
Mike loves the 2nd half of Domino.
I never knew Daryl's bass playing at the end of Invisible Touch was so complex - was fun to watch. Mike even came over to watch a bit of it.
Crowd by me was into it - even the older tunes.
Misunderstanding was great - once it started the crowd came alive.
Watching Nic on drums was fantastic, one could tell he was into it mentally and he was on time and I didn't see even one mistake. His rolls are like his dad's, but other ones (like in Cinema show), he plays them different than Phil.
Saw an older couple in front of me, who I'm sure have been fans longer than I have (looked like in the early 70s). They were frail and you could tell tired - one looked like they had chemo at some point. Seeing them come to life and give what they could with clapping and singing, than having to sit down - puts everything into perspective.
Two younger women filed in next to me - they were..maybe 25? My first thought was they were rich and just wanted to be there. Well was I wrong - they knew EVERY LYRIC! Even more than I did - and they knew they drum hits as well. Was fun watching them get into the music so much. Lots of younger people around me - kids in their 20's.
Lots of younger people around me - front row had a few people who were on their phones the whole time (why?), but a couple in their 30's had dead center and they were loving it and the band watched them quite a bit. Talked to them on the way out - they were really nice.
I know Mike saw me a few times during Domino - I was mimicking his guitar swoops during the 2nd part, and he smiled when he saw me and the guy next to me doing it.
But the real moment for me was Second Home by the Sea - my all time favorite. I've probably heard that song over 300 times in my life, it is my favorite musical composition and I never get tired of it. Monday night was great - but being right there seeing them only a few feet from me was worth the $ for the ticket. During the middle of SHBTS right before the solo when the drums do 4 heavy rolls (right when the eyes come on the screen), they are 4 bars that intro into the solo. Daryl was doing a heavy progression on the bass, Nic was pounding the drums and Mike was handling the guitar like he was 30. It was truly magical - there is no better word for it. I felt a brief musical euphoria - know it sounds kind of weird but best way I can describe it.
All in all, it was both a sad occasion - some of us talked about it before the show how it's the end of the band - and US as we are getting older. But at the same time, it was a celebration. Genesis had an amazing run and what else is better than that? As someone else on here said...We'll never see the likes of them again.
Also - these two shows were musically better than the 07 shows. Just sayin