We’ve been annoyed when we’ve seen age-defying celebrities post their barely different photos and shocked when we’ve seen the dramatic climate change comparisons.

But nothing says Sydney better than the #10YearChallenge one local musician came up with.

The viral social media hashtag prompted Ash Broadbridge to compare two photos from Kings Cross between 2009 and 2019.

His post quickly went viral, with many groups picking it up including the Keep Sydney Open Party.

That group’s post got more than 5000 likes and has been shared hundreds of times, with locals reminiscing about the good old days and posting comments such as “RIP nightlife”.

“I feel so sad to see this … I remember Sydney as an exciting and vibrant city, creative and alive … a city that people from around the world fell in love with, for its freedom to work, to live and to be creative and it knew how to party,” wrote one commenter.

“The city that I love being turned into a cultural wasteland inhabited by greedy speculators and compliant politicians … we must take our city back from these and restore her back to life, care for her and rejoice in her beauty … let the music return … and let’s party!”

On Mr Broadbridge’s post one man said he did not care, saying nightlife was just an excuse to get drunk and pick up women and wake up hungover the next day.

“Besides there were too many idiots in Sydney,” he said.

“More safe without the nightlife.”

But Mr Broadbridge replied that as a musician the night life was something he heavily relied on.

While his photos appear to be from different years, news.com.au created some 10-year challenge examples with photos on file between 2008 and 2018.

In November streets were empty, but rewind back to 2008 and you couldn’t get a taxi.

The laws introduced in 2014 to curb alcohol-related violence slowly killed Kings Cross nightlife, with many businesses closing or seeking compensation because of the 2am lockout’s impact.

Recent research showed Sydney has the second earliest closing time out of 30 global cities.

Figures from Liquor & Gaming NSW show 418 licensed premises had closed in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross since 2014, while 242 small bar and on-premises licenses were granted.

That’s a net loss of 176 venues.