The tag line for this gig goes something along the lines of the story that, way back in the 1980s, Green on Red self-imploded due to all sorts of rock'n'roll reasons and that Dan Stuart was certified as clinically insane in order to pull the last gig of a European tour. 20 years on, this particular incarnation of the band are returning to play that missed gig. Green on Red - Chuck and Dan, basically - returned and continued until about 1992, but it's 20 years since these guys last played together....

Support act Corb Lund starts to a deserted venue, but his set and the audience both gather momentum, and he'll do well when he goes out touring acoustically with Chuck Prophet later this week. Cowboy talking blues and yodelling always has an audience in this house.

Bang on time, the promoter comes on and announces tonight's main act, and naturally they come on to a heroes' welcome. Immediately, Dan gets his wires mixed up and his guitar goes out of tune before they even start. "Some things never change..." quips a punning Chris Cacavas and the light-hearted tone is set. As DS remarks at one point "Hey,like we know you've paid money and stuff, but we want to have some fun" we all do, so that's alright - it's joyous to see the on-stage interaction, banter and warmth, especially from Dan Stuart. This is the same man, who I once asked for his autograph and who replied with "Can't a man get a fucking drink in peace?"....legend. Age hasn't mellowed his humour, but family life and the love of a good woman, along with a lack of class A drugs has made him a much more pleasant human being...and a thinner one too.

The playing is tight - the only weak link is the depping drummer who is replacing the sadly departed Alex "Mad Dog" McNicol, who misses a few endings - but no-one cares - it's just another chance to wring out another Chuck Prophet guitar solo. What becomes obvious about Chuck, in this setting is the way that he's a much better player without the tendency to overindulge.Plus, Dan was a better song-writer than him.

The set opens with "Death and Angels" and we get loads of "Gas Food and Lodging", "The Killer Inside" and "No Free Lunch", plus a blistering "Gravity Talks". True to their word, this is the same set they probably would have played if Dan hadn't been under the doctor. Nothing appears from, or after "Here comes the Snakes". Nearly two hours, including two encores after they started, it's all over and people are walking out saying how they're actually better now than they were. That seems to be the case with some of these reunion gigs. If it's less about the money and more about the music, the camaraderie and the occasion, it seems to work.

2 hours and 40 minutes of driving at an average of 85 miles an hour up the M6, I get to bed and get three hours of sleep before getting up for work. I console myself with the fact that I felt crap when I was younger and I did this, so the fact that I feel knackered now should be no shock...