The walk home after a gig

My favourite part of any show is not the show. It is the walk home afterwards, with the night cooling around me and my ears still ringing.

The adrenaline takes a long time to leave. I am usually not hungry, not tired, not anything that makes sense. I just want to walk for a while and let the night settle. The streetlights look kinder. The pavement feels soft. Songs from the set keep replaying in my head, and I notice tiny things I would change next time.

I think this is when the show actually finishes. The encore is for the audience. The walk home is for me. By the time I get to my front door, the gig has put itself away, and I am ready to be a person again.