Snow Patrol @ Rod Laver Arena,Melbourne (17/09/2007)

Thu 27th Sep, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Snow Patrol are the quiet achievers of modern rock and roll, their catchy melodies and memorable lyrics building them up a solid, age-varied fanbase to a size which even seems to surprise the band on occasion.

“We never thought we’d ever be playing to arenas,” Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody shouted at the crowd at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Even at a venue the size of Rod Laver, the typical Snow Patrol enthusiasm could not be dampened, and it proved a flawless transition from their last performance in Melbourne at the much smaller Festival Hall, like they’d been playing arenas all their lives. This time the band brought with them a light show reminiscent of the work done by Willy Williams on early Savage Garden and U2 shows. Even with the flash and glare it was clear that despite the new production, this was still the same band that had rocked Melbourne only eight months previous.

There is a distinct sense of sincerity in Snow Patrol performances, and at no point in the night are you ever left doubting that these boys in the band are doing exactly what they want to do with their life.

In what was announced to be their third last concert ever of the Eyes Open tour, Snow Patrol took to the stage to a deafening roar from the crowd. Launching straight into ‘Hands Open’, it was clear that Gary Lightbody held the audience in the palm of his hand. Not just content with putting on a show, participation was a definite requirement with Gary wooing both the ladies and the gentlemen in the audience during ‘Shut Your Eyes’.

With a full arsenal of hits at their command, the energy-packed set was well crafted with songs from Eyes Open and Final Straw, the move of offering a free copy of Final Straw with every ticket purchased so people could sing along was a clear winner with the crowd belting out the words along with the band. In one of the gentler lulls in the set, Melbourne singer Laura Jean joined the band on stage for the haunting and melancholic ‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’ which was one of many highlights for the evening. The atypical three song encore ended the night on a high note with ‘You’re All I Have’.