IT WAS 1972 and I was queuing outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester to buy tickets for my favourite band, Genesis.

I'd bunked off school for the morning and spent four hours waiting in the light drizzle to secure two tickets, sharing jokes with the many fellow fans who didn't think twice about spending a good few hours in the cold.

How heartening it is to see that nothing has changed when it comes to the love of music and the drive it takes to secure tickets for an unmissable gig.

You can only hope that every single one of the Oasis fans who queued up for tickets to their October gigs walked away satisfied, especially those who'd been there for almost a day.

What a shame it is though to see that unlike 35 years ago - when the notion of selling those hard-won tickets was simply unthinkable - there are enough human beings - and even ticket touts - ready to make a fast buck from internet auction sites while many true fans without a sizeable wad of cash to pay the money-grabbers miss out.

  • IT WILL come as no surprise to friends and colleagues that I am not a member of Mensa.

In fact, it's been rumoured that I am one of the few people in this country with an IQ equivalent to his shoe size.

However, even those of us without the wherewithal to impress in a Mensa test would have to be awestruck by 94-year-old Reg Noquet's success.

However, I wasn't the only one in the Echo newsroom who struggled with the three questions featured with Reg's story today.

But I am the only one still trying to find the answers 24 hours later...