There’s a palpable sense of excitement around Dame Street, as 1,200 lucky Irish fans (and some from as far afield as Boston!) descend upon the Olympia Theatre to witness Snow Patrol’s first Dublin concert in six years. Their last show was a massive Phoenix Park outdoor extravaganza. Tonight there are no mega bells and whistles. It is what might be called old school: just a quintet of musicians playing their instruments and making the best racket they can. And the crowd love it.
Snow Patrol could have easily used what is a very intimate gig by their standards purely to showcase the new material from their forthcoming album, Wildness; instead, they present what is essentially a greatest hits set, peppered with some fresh tracks. It’s a wise decision.
The band open the show with the one-two punch of ‘Open Your Eyes’ and ‘Chocolate’, to a euphoric reaction. The atmosphere is electric. Twenty minutes in and the first new track of the night is unleashed: ‘Empress’ identifies the hardcore fans, who are clearly enraptured. The quiet, introspective nature of further Wildness tracks such as ‘Life on Earth’ and ‘Don’t Give In’ confirm that Snow Patrol are playing the longer game. This is music to live with.
Gary Lightbody, a hugely affable and likeable frontman, seems genuinely moved by the wild response from the audience. “You know, Dublin, you are the only audience in the world that sings the guitar lines back to us!” he says beaming.
Lightbody knows how to make use of the intimacy and rapport of the occasion, rarely going more than a couple of songs without addressing the audience. He is the consummate pro, making sure that everybody from the top floor, the middle tier, and the floor, equally, are all having good time, even poking some fun at those in the luxury of the boxes. “I might as well just go around to everybody individually and ask how they’re getting on,” he adds self-depracatingly. There’s not a shred of superstar arrogance or pretension on show.
Witnessing Snow Patrol’s work ethic, and their commitment to their audience, makes it impossible to begrudge them their massive success. The feeling of fans leaving the Olympia Theatre and humming ‘Chasing Cars’ is one of exhilaration. They have been deeply touched by Snow Patrol’s unique song craft, and by the personality of band leader Gary Lightbody. And it is that combination which has made Snow Patrol such a phenomenon.