10.13 PM EDT - Backstage
Well it's all over with another scintillating performance of Latin Simone and the screams are audible coming down the halls. The verdict backstage is that tonight was definitely the best of the five NYC shows by some distance. Bootie Brown & Neneh Cherry send their wishes out to everyone online and they've been asking quite diligently how you're all getting on. We all hope you enjoyed the show online as much as we did!

9.59 PM EDT - Backstage
They're preparing for the Hong Kong/Latin Simone encore at the moment. The album's title track just gets more and more immense every time you hear it. Have just been dancing behind the stage with Neneh Cherry and Shaun Ryder, who was effusive in his praise for the gospel singers.

9.53 PM EDT - Backstage
Well talking of legends, Dennis Hopper has just finished his narration on Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head and sometimes you can't believe you've just seen this happen. I assure you, however, that it is true.

Other performances that just wrapped up since then... Roots Manuva & Martina Topley-Bird on All Alone... the best performance of that song I've seen yet. Beautiful. Both of them really looked the part, with Martina dressed in red kimono and white makeup.

Shaun Ryder and Rosie Wilson took centre stage for DARE in similar triumphant fashion... possibly also Shaun's best performance of the last few shows. The stars are really going out with a bang on the last night. Right now are the opening chords of Demon Days... before the inevitable encore.

9.33 PM EDT - Backstage
Ike Turner just wrapped up Every Planet We Reach Is Dead in a beautiful lavender sequined suit. I couldn't make this up if I tried trust me. Legend!

9.25 PM EDT - Backstage
We're into El Mañana now. Just passed Roots Manuva in the stairwell who is warming up for All Alone. Also passed Martina Topley-Bird and rumour has it that she is going to be coming out in some very different makeup - unbelievably cool. As for the first few songs this may have been the first night out of the last three that I've seen that Feel Good Inc got the crowd more than Dirty Harry - but the percentage of fans singing and dancing is wonderful.

Just talked to De La Soul on my way in - they definitely rocked out there and all those HAHAHAAAAAAAAAs.... I've got no voice left.

9.01 PM EDT - Backstage
After Murdoc & 2D's puppet introduction the show proper is underway at 9.01. Will report back on the first set of songs soon - just ran into Bootie Brown in the stairwell and he seems pretty excited for Dirty Harry... as one of the show highlights he's definitely not the only one. I just walked past the kids in the green room a few minutes ago - their excitement is unbelievable.

8.52 PM EDT - Backstage
And we're off! Just bumped into Ike Turner (!!!) in the stairwell and then after Murdoc's nude introduction on his mobile it's the Merry Melodies Robin Hood Daffy cartoon, which is usually rapturously received - at least by those who are young at heart.

8.39 PM EDT - Backstage
The house is steadily filling up with loads of excited people. They're coming up they're coming up they're coming up... they're still coming up. It's only minutes now surely.

8.18 PM EDT - Backstage
Running up and down the stairwell and everyone's out and about. Just bumped into De La Soul for a photo op. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA. Feel Good. About 25 minutes to the band coming on they tell me.

8.03 PM EDT - Dressing Room
All I know is that if the gig is half as loud as this room you're all going to be in for a treat.

7.52 PM EDT - 125th
Here's a look at the folks queueing outside waiting to get into the gig:

7.39 PM EDT - Backstage
Just had a quick look around the venue. The curtain's down and ready to go. The Dirty Harry kids are in exceptionally good cheer down in the Green Room. I love those kids! Those of you watching on the stream are really in for a good treat. Went outside and had a look at the queue - it's now stretching down the block and doors will be opening any second. Snagged a camera phone picture which I'll try and post in a bit. If you thought you saw an annoying looking guy on a camera phone and are reading this after the show, it was probably me.

7.17 PM EDT - Backstage
Well now is the hour isn't it? Less than an hour until doors - you can kind of feel the tension, people starting to chill out a bit before the start of the show. In 45 minutes the assembled masses queueing outside will enter in. It's the final push at the moment and everyone's doing everything to make everything happen. It's kind of amazing, really.

6.51 PM EDT - Backstage
I've met a few of the interns who responded to the advert on the fansite. They've been working ever so hard behind the scenes to make sure that everything comes off on the day. They seem pretty tired by day five but enjoying it. Now how about that...

In other news, MSN (see link above) have got the game in full swing. There's cameras swinging about all over the place. Should look quite nice for those of you watching on the web tonight.

6.08 PM EDT - Backstage
In something like the eye of a hurricane, I'm sitting in an empty production office in the middle of the most hectic backstage in Gorillaz history. Off in the distance somewhere I can hear the choir singing Don't Get Lost In Heaven. It's bizarrely apt.

5.52 PM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
After a few protracted and abortive attempts, the soundcheck/rehearsal proper is now well and truly underway and a virtually empty Apollo is rocking. Last Living Souls got the opening treatment in typical fashion, and the band have just fired off a highly impressive rendition of O Green World - it puts the album version in the shade. Don't tell Murdoc. Up next: Dirty Harry.

4.57 PM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
Well, the long wait is over. Murdoc & 2D have finally made an appearance... in their much vaunted puppet forms.

4.38 PM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
It's turned into a bit more of a soundcheck at the moment with various people starting to move onto the stage to make sure all of the sounds are in good working order for the evening. But the real treat of the moment was just watching the videos for Feel Good Inc and El Mañana on the big screen.

4.11 PM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
I figured I probably spent enough time hanging out backstage in Hopper's dressing room so I'm back here sitting in the lower mezzanine. Aside from the guy at the front shining lights in my eye it's a pretty amazing sight (when I can see) at the moment as they are testing the lights and visuals ahead of the show. All six panels are being lit up in various colours, at times quite different from what we usually see throughout the show. The word around the Apollo at the moment is that tonight's show is the most hotly anticipated of the whole week.

3.44 PM EDT - Backstage
125th is absolutely positively buzzing in the afternoon sun. The kids are lining up along the street taking pictures of the marquee and the Gorillaz sculptures on top with disposable cameras and then taking them in to get developed immediately. Nice. Inside it's not that different. The webcast team are setting up big style doing test runs ahead of tonight's big show. It sounds like everyone's trying to pull out the stops and make it the best show yet.

That would take some doing. On the train last night a girl who was with her boyfriend told me that she'd been to over 60 concerts including two nights of the shows here at the Apollo and said they were absolutely the best she'd ever seen. Good to know the reaction is as good on the Downtown bound D late at night as it has been inside the venue.

12.35 PM EDT - Backstage
The last hour or so has been overall very quiet. A few people have been moving a couple instruments into place on stage and having a go on the ivories. It's sort of difficult to describe how just about every facet of this place is immersed in music. The camera teams for the webcast are starting to file in a bit more now. The Apollo tour guide has been taking individuals around the theatre and is quite effusive for his praise for Gorillaz. The amount of knowledge he has about not only the history of the Apollo but music in general is staggering.

Time for a bit of a lunch break - back early this afternoon.

11.36 AM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
It's warming up behind the scenes as more support staff are making their way around the building, but from my viewpoint at the moment it's still more or less very quiet - aside from the hum of the vacuum as they attempt to whip this place into shape. There really is a lot of care and love that goes into getting the place clean ahead of the show. Aside from that, it appears they are just starting to rig up a few bits of equipment for the webcast.

More tours through the early part of the day. Here's a shot of Amateur Morning. Don't even think about trying this tonight - security are well drilled when it comes to cameras, phones and camera phones.

10.49 AM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
The tour is making its way through the building and learning about the famous musicians who have performed here. These kids know their stuff. Their reaction to B.B. King is reserved to say the least but James Brown gets a rather warmer reception. The loudest screams go to the mentions of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. The tour guide does a mean Louis Armstrong impression.

Now they're learning about Demon Days Live at the Apollo. There are 1,484 seats here at the Apollo. They're all brand new apparently. The old seats were 19" wide and the new seats are 23" wide. That means those of you who are seeing or have seen the show get 4 more inches of comfort. The kids are gobsmacked to find out that Gorillaz sold out all of the nights in a little over 12 minutes. Not bad...

Apparently the Apollo is closing for a couple of months this summer. They are rebuilding the stage and all of the dressing rooms and the green room as well. These kids are great. They get to perform in their own little Amateur Night... er... morning right now.

10.19 AM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
Suddenly the Apollo is sparked into life for the first time today. A couple of groups have just pulled up for tours, including a group of very excited children. Some of the people here have come from as far away as Milwaukee. The kids are loving it. Every member of the staff gets a rousing round of applause before the tour has even started. It is, after all, the World Famous Apollo Theatre.

A little while ago someone's run up the stairs shouting "It's coming up, it's coming up, it's coming up..." and then when he got to the top "IT'S DARE!" Shaun Ryder's had his flies undone on stage every night this week but that was just almost as entertaining!

I'm going to go watch the kids for a bit.

9.45 AM EDT - Lower Mezzanine
It's been a very chilled out kind of morning so far. Everyone around the venue seems pretty relaxed. It'll be interesting to see how the morning progresses as the filming crew is due to start loading in for the webcast (see link at top of page) in just a little while.

It's a bright morning in Harlem and there's a pretty good mood about the place. One of the stage crew has just started singing the classic "I'm In The Mood For Love" to the empty theatre. Well, except for me I guess. I'm sitting at the back of the Lower Mezzanine level. Even when the building is mostly empty you can still really get a feel for the magic feeling of the Apollo. When you walk up the steps there are loads of pictures of some of the most famous names in music. It's a venue that's legendary at 9am just as it is at 9pm.

8.56 AM EDT - Backstage
Welcome to the Live at the Apollo blog! Over the course of the day I'll be updating with all of the goings on so that you, the fans, can maybe get a better insight into some of the things that have been happening before you come through those famous doors to see the Demon Days Live shows. I'm going to move around a bit so I'll be back in a little while with some updates!

Demon Days Live at the Manchester Opera House is out now on DVD.