There are too many words to describe how incredible this gig was. Having never seen Snow Patrol live before, I didn't know what to expect. Man, I wasn't disappointed.
Got to the BIC at just past 5, having gone straight from work. Chatted with some lovely people in the queue (who, by the way, I hope I'm as cool as when I'm their age) and finally got let in at about half 6. I will always maintain that the walk from the doors to the barrier feels like the longest walk of your life. But I got there. Right on the barrier, just to the right of the middle. What a place.
Everything Everything came on at 7:45 - one of the best support bands I've ever seen (apart from Hurts...Hurts were awesome). Dressed in matching grey jumpsuits, they launched into what I can only describe as electronica/indie/disco madness. They were absolutely amazing. The lead singer, Jonathan Higgs, has a voice that cannot be described, nor would anyone be able to mimic it. His range is incredible - falsetto notes were hit with no problem, though they would make his diction go to shit. The bassist, Jeremy Pritchard, treated his bass like I hope he would never treat a woman - slapped it like a good 'un and threw it around the stage with gay abandon (he was also a bit gorgeous - quiffed, slender and beautiful).
They left the stage at around 8:30 and there was a flurry of activity on stage, ripping away guitars, keyboards & drumkits at the speed of light. Everything Everything's banner came down and revealed, what looked like, a relatively simple set up (apart from the sheer amount of everything) on a slightly raised platform, in front of a plain black backdrop.
As the time edged closer and closer to 9pm, the atmosphere in the arena grew to fever pitch. An excited buzz of conversation, a few excited whoops here and there. Then the music, which had been a pleasant background noise, got turned suddenly up, with Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out blasting out over the speakers.
As the last notes of that faded out, the lights went down and, what had looked like a plain black backdrop, burst into colour - a massive screen behind the stage, flashing random images. The band on the platform took to the stage first, playing the opening notes of I'll Never Let Go. Then Nathan Connolly, Paul Wilson and a skinny, lanky Gary Lightbody took to the stage, Lightbody tightly hugging the stage-hand that had shone their way onto the stage. He grabbed the mic from the stand and suddenly bent double, staggering, swaying. Then the opening line of I'll Never Let Go escaped his lips - as perfect and as pure as the record. And from that moment on, I had a smile on my face that I didn't lose until I fell asleep. The rest of the crowd seemed as enraptured as I, singing the lyrics back to him, the collective power of our WHOAs seeming to almost knock Gary off balance. As the end of the song came around, he staggered over to Nathan Connolly and put an arm around his neck - and forehead to forehead, they sang the last minute of the song.
A roar went up as the song finished and the always effervescent Lightbody, a huge smile on his face, turned to the crowd and in his beautiful Irish lilt "A'right, Bournemouth, how're ye doin'?! This is Take Back The City". And with that they launched into the hit from A Hundred Million Songs that got the crowd bouncing, and left us breathless and exhilarated. Finishing that, they went straight into Hands Open - it must've been a picture, seeing us from that stage - 6000 odd people, all with hands outstretched and, indeed, open, singing every single lyric back at them. Then they took it back down again with another single from their new album - This Isn't Everything You Are - easily one of my favourite tracks from Fallen Empires. As the guitar & piano led in the song, I found myself with tears in my eyes. Not because the track is overly sad - but because I was there and I was watching it and I was watching them. Singing every single word, I wanted to burst with happiness. Then they took it back down one more notch with Run, possibly the song that everyone associates Snow Patrol with, hence how they get their boring reputation - but they proved everyone wrong with this song. Lightbody couldn't get a word in edgeways - we were singing the first verse for him. A huge smile on his face, he took his place back at the mic for the chorus, wanting to get the song back.
"Light up, light up as if you have a choice - even if you cannot hear my voice, I'll be right beside you, dear"
As the song ended, and the cheers died down from the crowd he stated "I saw a lot of smiles on faces during that song - and that's a hard thing to achieve!" and pointing out a man in the crowd "You win this round sir!" for having the biggest grin on his face. They then went into Crack the Shutters - another song I adore. And then they played In The End, another song from Fallen Empires - a song the crowd adored and, despite it being new and relatively near the end of the album, sang every word, every syllable, along with the band.
Next, they played Set The Fire To The Third Bar - and managed to find the perfect person to fill the shoes of Martha Wainwright. Their voices curled round each other, tangled, complimenting each other.
For the life of me, I cannot remember what the backing singer's name was - but she was fantastic. Hitting every note perfectly, she was incredible to watch and to listen to. The Garden Rules came up next - with Gary proclaiming it his favourite record he's ever written - and you can see why. Its simplicity is what makes it beautiful. With just a guitar, a piano and his voice, it makes it one of the most perfect songs I've ever seen performed. Next up was Shut Your Eyes - again, nothing less than fantastic. Near the end of the song, the band kept going, with just a bit of a backing track. Gary Lightbody then walked the stage, proclaiming that one of the best forms of therapy was shouting "YES!" as loud as you can. So we did. He then encouraged us all to finish the song with him - all 6000 of us singing "Shut your eyes and sing to me" over and over. Then the beautiful guitars that herald the beginning of Chasing Cars came in and man, did everyone go a bit mental. Again, he didn't have the chance to sing the chorus - we all sang it for him.
Then came Chocolate - my absolute favourite Snow Patrol song - and I sang like my life depended on it. From Final Straw, it is one of the songs that pulled me up from the depths of grief after my cousin died - it will always hold a special place in my heart. That was then quickly followed by Called Out In The Dark - the audience chanting the chorus of "We are listening and we're not blind" like a mantra. Fallen Empires, the title track from the album, came up next - Nathan Connolly playing what looked like a mandolin (I could be mistaken!) which was quickly taken over by synths and the drummer getting up and playing a massive kettle drum. It was fantastic, and mad, the lighting reflecting this - mental, strobing - pretty damn awesome.
Finishing the song, they said their thank you's, as if the next song was the last, and launched into You're All I Have. Gary seemed to enjoy performing this one the most - when he wasn't making amazing sounds coming out of his guitar, he bounced around the stage - as he sang the line "There is a darkness deep in you - a frightening magic I cling to", he seemed to stop and take a minute just to gaze out at the crowd. Then as the guitars crashed back in, he was back to reality and singing his lungs out. They left the stage to rapturous applause - only to come back on for the expected encore two minutes later. This time, only Gary, Nathan and the piano player came back to the stage. A single spotlight on Gary, he stood centre stage with just an acoustic guitar and played Lifening. This is another one of my favourite songs from Fallen Empires. It's simple, but the lyrics are beautiful - "this is all I've ever wanted from life" never seemed truer than at that moment. Next, from Eyes Open, was Open Your Eyes. I love this song - the simple guitars for a minute, then the drums, building it up, Gary Lightbody's beautiful voice earnest and filled with longing. The rest of the guitars crashed in and Gary was catapulting himself round the stage, going over to join Nathan, and then Paul and then back to the mic to sing the last, beautiful seconds.
Last, but by no means least, was Just Say Yes. And it was the perfect song to go out on. Did I neglect to mention that they had a giant snow flake above the stage? Well, they did. And it strobed with the beats of the song, flashing up pictures of the band, the crowd. As Gary sang "Please take my hand", all you could see were hands outstretched towards him, willing to be that person who would. As the song slowed down, Lightbody came and sat at the edge of the stage, about 3 feet away from me - everyone reaching out for him. An exhausted smile on his face, his lilting tones turned all the women in the audience to mush. As the song resumed it's normal pace, he was back on his feet, no longer bouncing around the stage as he had been, but still ever the showman.
The song ended and the band, obviously exhausted, stumbled off-stage, shouting thank you's at the audience, Nathan Connolly throwing his plectrums into the crowd, Paul Wilson following suit. The lights stayed down and on two "arms" of the snow flake were scrawled the words "Snow Patrol <3 Bournemouth"
I stumbled out of the arena, an ecstatic smile still on my face. I phoned my dad and found my voice was hoarse from all the cheering and singing I'd been doing.
I can honestly say that this gig was one of the best I've ever been to. And that's saying a lot. The pride that the band showed and the utter joy in the way they performed was incredible to see. The crowd interaction was amazing, the set-list inspired. If anyone says to you that Snow Patrol are boring - they've obviously never seen them live.
This is a band that I've been a fan of for almost 8 years. I can't believe it took me so long to get to see them live. But it was well worth the wait. This is a concert that I won't forget for a very, very long time.
