It had been a very long six years since Snow Patrol released an album. In some cases, that would have been long enough for a musical act to sink into oblivion. With Snow Patrol it hasn’t been the case. When tour dates were announced, tickets were soon being snapped up. Fans had been waiting eagerly for them to be back!
The show opened up with up-and-coming Derry girl Roe who took to the stage all by herself and entertained the crowd with some very promising music. Hopefully, this tour with Snow Patrol will launch her career. She was followed up by Kodaline who had the crowd chanting along to their best known tunes.
The moment Snow Patrol set foot on the stage and opened up with one of their biggest hits, ‘Take Back the City’, one could tell it was going to be a great show. The crowd was great from the very beginning, waving their arms and singing back some of the most famous lines. Gary Lightbody and Co’s energy was clearly contagious.
In a way, despite the venue being packed to the rafters, it was a very intimate gig in which the band interacted with the public and got them involved during their better known tracks. Most notable of the tracks they performed while on stage was their very first hit, ‘Chasing cars’, and ‘Open your eyes’.
They also took the opportunity to present some of the tracks from their new album ‘Wildness’ – from the more upbeat songs such as ‘Life on Earth’ to the more sensitive ‘What if this is the only love you ever get?’. The crowd were clearly loving the show and soaking it all in.
The stage production was also impressive – a lot of thought clearly went into how to make it a memorable show. The lighting, the setting for each song, the use of live recordings on the big screen behing the stage, the use of images, it all tied up nicely to offer the public a visual as well as a musical work of art.
Heading home after the concert one felt that we the fans had been waiting for Snow Patrol just as long as Snow Patrol had been waiting to get back on the stage and reunite with their followers. It was a show of give and take.
Snow Patrol were obviously happy to be back on the scene! (as made clear by Gary Lightbody’s inability to stop smiling). And the crowd were ecstatic at their return! What a show!
> Naomi Round
