Leaving New York, significantly easier than usual

I got back from my trip to NYC on Monday morning (I think, I'm not entirely sure what day or time the rest of me thought it was), having of course had a fantastic time, and there will be pictures and reviews over the next few days. So what, then, could have made me bound onto the plane with nary a glance backwards, pleased as Punch to be heading back to the UK?

This?

That was last night's R.E.M. concert at the Royal Albert Hall, only the first of five times I'm due to see them this year - yes I am obsessed and I make no apology for it. Monday's show was to launch their new album, Accelerate, which is out next week, although, ahem, we of course would not be listening to copies leaked on the net now, would we, cough cough? Of course I'm still going to buy it, so they can't really complain. Thank god they appear to have made a decent rock album again after all the Around The Sun buggering about. I have been loyal all this time, in the face of much ribbing, on the basis that they've always been great live throughout, and finally they've returned to form. OK, it's not terribly groundbreaking, but rather that than another ATS.

So the concert was really fucking great and we were even interviewed by one of the Sunday papers afterwards, so my cheesily-grinning mug might be in there at the weekend. Oh yes, and Robyn Hitchcock with John Paul Jones was the support act, preceeded by The Foals and Duke Spirit. Here's Robyn performing with The Venus Three, ie half of R.E.M.:

Some reviews and stories.

But would that really have been enough to send me racing back to Newark with such enthusiasm?

Maybe, maybe not, but this certainly did:

A and I have fanclub tickets to a tiny little private show in the Apple store on Regent Street tomorrow night! Which is just about the most exciting thing ever. We had to go to Warner Bros' offices today, with ID, to be given our passes and wristbanded in advance so there's no chance of us selling the things (as if!) and we are now counting down until tomorrow night. So excited!

Serious amounts of back-blogging to be done as soon as I get a moment to myself, I promise.