Snow Patrol & Ed Sheeran - The Orpheum - April 30, 2012

Writing this review and keeping it unbiased are two separate things for me. As a band, I adore Snow Patrol. The words and music have the ability to get under my skin, fill my mind, make my heart feel full and make my soul smile or sob. This was only the second time I saw them (the first time was when they supported Coldplay on the La Vida tour – I only bought my ticket 5 minutes I found out Snow Patrol would be opening for them, after the obligatory password reset) and my first time seeing them as the main attraction. They did not disappoint, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Snow Patrol had a support act in Ed Sheeran, someone who I’d only heard of as a consequence of this tour (he’s been getting some incredibly positive buzz) but whose music I was unfamiliar with. 

Ed Sheeran is an unassuming looking young man, of a gingery complexion and of English descent, with a much used and abused acoustic guitar (he broke a string on the first and final songs he played). He performed a grand total of 4 songs during his half hour in the spotlight and he used them to his full advantage. There was already a lot of love in the room. He even had the audience divide up and sing two part harmonies while he sang. I don’t buy into the whole singer/songwriter ‘thing’ – it generally bores me to changing the station. What sets Sheeran apart is his very intimate knowledge of his instrument, the flexibility of his voice, and the technology he employs to make him sound like he has a band and backing vocals supporting him. He creates loops – with his guitar, vocal harmonies, percussive sounds (on the body of the guitar as well as with beatboxing), and just layers on top of layers with impeccable timing as to when to use them or not – beat by beat, note by note. I don’t know the names of any of his songs, so my summary is vague:

• 1st song – more of an r&b-ish number with a nice little insta-loop at the end
• 2nd song – his guitar was getting restrung by a tech so he did it a capella with loops and beats. It was impressive. The person sitting next to me videoed it – I wish I had, it was generally wow.
• 3rd song - Sheeran called it his debut single. Had very much ‘that’ singer/songwriter vibe I don’t have a huge fondness for. It was pleasant enough.
• 4th (and final) song – another impressive number. Twanged up but guitar sounded stripped down, went from an ‘energetic spoken word’ song to morphing into a rap. This is where he really showed his mettle with the looping system. The song ended up really intricate and technical and above all precise. And it sounded so very good. The audience thought so as well – he left the stage after a standing ovation. 

At some point during the set Sheeran mentioned (to much cheering) that he would be back in September. I’ll see if I can get a ticket. I’d like to see more.    

Snow Patrol. Singer, front man, and main songwriter Gary Lightbody has been having troubles with his voice for the last week or so. Even under the weather, I don’t think the audience could complain about his performance in terms of voice or energy level. The crowd was very receptive and enthusiastic. It was a sold-out show and from school-age children to people who looked old enough to have been retired, this is definitely a band that appeals to all ages. I’m smack dab in the middle of them, I suppose. I have been a fan of Snow Patrol even before I knew their name. I still don’t know the names of all the members of the band. I’m there for the music and the experience. Run was the song that hooked me. Then came Chocolate. I needed a few more singles before the shoe finally dropped – THAT’s who they are. The year was 2001ish. 

As varied as their songs are, I’ve never not liked anything they’ve recorded (I have every CD since Final Straw) – the rhythmic flows of songs like Lifeboats and The Golden Floor always remind me of Sting during his Ten Summoner’s Tales period. I also enjoy their cover of that Beyonce song Crazy in love or whatever it’s called. There’s humour in it – they’re professionals, no doubt about that, but they also don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re also grateful. The liner notes on Final Straw say thank you to the fans who bought the CD instead of just downloading a pirated copy off the internet. 

Snow Patrol are often/invariably compared to Coldplay and while I understand the comparison in their sound (they like piano, they like percussion, they like syncopation), lyrically, I’ll take Lightbody over Martin any day. Snow Patrol also make better use of their guitars (with Lightbody and Connolly they can do a lead guitar and rhythm guitar configuration in addition to percussion, bass and piano) creating a consistently richer sound.

As far as the front man comparison goes: Martin is more like a geeky nerd boy in the way he dances, tells jokes or stories, but does it in an endearing and sympathetic way. He’s also big into audience interaction, and for an arena tour they have a main stage, a stage in the audience somewhere, and he’s very mobile – Coldplay don’t just own the stage, they make use of as much of the stadium as they can. There’s also the way they have of making you think you’re at a private show, one that you’re sharing with 30,000 other people. That kind of intimacy is really rather extraordinary. 

Snow Patrol don’t do those huge arena tours – they have projection screens like Coldplay do, but the rest is all them. On the stage Lightbody has a lot of presence, but he’s a different personality from Martin. As a band, they’ve been together for a very long time (28 years I thought he said – when did they first get together? When they were 10?), that they enjoy what they do and are humbled that they are able to continue. They were genuinely impressed by the venue. Other than the audience, the primary person he interacted with was fellow guitarist Nathan Connolly. Connolly in turn, visited the drummer and pianist a number of times (remember: I don’t know all their names), but the majority of the set was focused on either his own parts or on the audience.  

The set: Snow Patrol took to the stage to Berlin off Fallen Empires (it was also what plays when the crew starts taking everything down).

• Hands Open
• Take Back the City
• Crack the Shutters
• This isn’t everything you are
• Run
• In the end
• New York (Ed Sheeran was called back to the stage to help out)
• Set the Fire to the Third Bar (Lightbody solo, no one sang or played Martha Wainwright’s part – I did, but no one else around me knew the harmony, much less the song).
• Make this go on forever – which just kept going, with changing moods and it could have gone on longer as far as I was concerned.
• Shut your Eyes
• Chasing Cars (just about CD perfect)
• Final Straw
• Called out in the Dark
• All that I have 

Encore songs were This is all I ever wanted and Just Say Yes – with much audience participation encouraged and received. Standing ovation not necessary, everyone was already on their feet.   
   
Afterwards I headed to Seymour Street to the stage door. Lightbody had tweeted he’d be there and after an hour he and Connolly came out to say hello. I had a very personal reason for going. I had wanted to say thank you for the words Lightbody writes and the music Snow Patrol create. From excesses of joy to helping me get through the anniversary of my mother’s death every year, and that they collectively make the 30th of May not suck so much. That elicited one of those awkward shoulder touches – you just don’t know what else to do. Heck, if someone told me that, I wouldn’t know what to do either. But they both signed my ticket (Johnny Quinn, drums) had signed it earlier) and I went away a very happy camper.  

* I do not use the word ginger as a slight or a slur – can’t stand ginger root, love ginger people – some of the most creative people I know happen to be of that complexion and hair combination. 

Photo of Ed Sheeran from www.aceshowbiz.com
Photo of Snow Patrol from www.ssgmusic.com
Photo of ticket by Sigrid Bernhoerster