IT begins at about midday as a trickle, the handful of early birds winding their way past the bemused office workers heading out on their dinner breaks for a meal deal.
By mid-afternoon it’s a steady stream flowing in the direction of Victoria Park, and ultimately becomes tide of the gothic.
Or a Black Parade, if you like.
Because – and even now, after the fact, it seems strange to say it – My Chemical Romance are in Warrington.
Pictures by Lee Harman/WAM WArringtonMusic
Quite how these American rock giants, the ones adored by every kid in the mid-to-late noughties who rarely left the confines of the box room of their parents’ house and wore a bit too much eyeliner, ended up here is unclear.
But here they are, post-breakup and on their first tour to these shores in more than a decade.
And yet, after all the hype, it’s a something of a low-key start.
The wind is swirling the sound in all sorts of directions and the big screens aren’t working.
If you’re far away enough from the stage, it might not be totally obvious that the gig has actually started.
MCR power through though, the gusts settle down and the giant televisions flicker into life to a rapturous ovation.
And by the time their set comes to that anthem for a generation of disenchanted youth, the one we may have mentioned in passing earlier, all of those problems are long forgotten.
People are in tears, people are hugging, people are kissing.
They have dug out those old band hoodies that haven’t been seen the light of day in about 15 years, slapped on the outlandish makeup and bared their souls for the love of this group.
Through the lens of an adult on the other side of that awkward phase, it hits differently.
Maybe it even means more.
This is what thousands of former emo kids reliving their teenage years looks like, and it's pretty special.
The final word is a special shoutout to frontman Gerard Way who, after addressing the crowd as being ‘Manchester’ on several occasions, relents and recognises that he’s actually in Warrington.
“Who the f*** knows where Warrington is?”, were his exact words – alongside praise for hometown opening act Crawlers.
Crawlers
Before departing, Way enthuses about how he’d like to ‘do this again’.
Even if it is never to be repeated, this was another remarkable – and still barely believable – night in the town’s musical history.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here