Snow Patrol - Manchester 3rd February 2012

It was a bitterly cold early morning as I stood in the station in Carlisle waiting for the train to Manchester.  The icy wind was whistling down the platform as well wrapped up passengers silently shuffled and craned their necks looking for an approaching train.  A few birds were swooping in and out of the old Victorian building and I wondered how on earth they manage to survive in this kind of weather.

After an unintelligible intercom announcement our train arrived and we were relieved to get into the warmth of the carriage.  We sat for quite a while before an announcement by the guard told us that due to a late arrival of another train we wouldn't have a driver for another half hour (there had been a major train incident near London causing chaos to the rail network).  We could, if we wanted, get off and get on the next Virgin train to London and change at Preston for Manchester but I decided to stay on the train as it was a through train anyway.

Eventually, an hour late, we set off.  Being such a cold day meant it was sunshine and blue skies and the countryside looked beautiful as we glided through it.  At Lancaster the guard announced that the train would now terminate at Preston and we would have to then get a train from there to Manchester.  A lot of people, including me, were annoyed at this as the very reason we stayed on the train was because it was a through train.  So it was back to standing on a freezing platform once more for what seemed like a very long fifteen minutes until the train came.

Photo: Serena Sinden

At Chorley there was an interesting sight to behold, a very large group of Mormons (they had badges proclaiming their name and faith).  Many got on our coach, and the males were all dressed the same, pristine black suits, black overcoats, white shirts and black ties, hair short, all in the same style.  One of the few females in the group sat behind me and started talking to the man beside her who was a Scot and an atheist.  A very interesting, always polite, conversation ensued, with the Mormon referring to the Bible and the Scot proof from archaeology, geology etc.  to support their views. The Scot got off at Oxford Road and one of the female's colleagues then sat next to her and and I heard her say. "It's amazing how people believe those lies."  Mmmm say no more.....

Once at Piccadilly I met up with my friend Julie, we went for a snack and then headed towards our hotel via the shops LOL!  The hotel was a new Travelodge literally within a few minutes walk from the MEN Arena.  It's a new hotel and indeed you could still smell the paint.  Our room was fine, a bargain for £15!

Later we walked into the city and went to our favourite Thai restaurant Chaophyraya for our meal.  As usual it was lovely, great atmosphere, good food, perfect service.  We washed the meal down with a lovely bottle of Montepulciano, just what we needed to ward off the cold outside.

Photo: Serena Sinden

Then it was time to head for the MEN and the gig.  The support was a band called Everything Everything, we hadn't heard of them and didn't go in to see them.  When we did get to our seats we were very pleased with them, they were excellent, the lower block to the right of the stage. We'd got them with a pre-sale code we were given when we pre-ordered the latest album, Fallen Empires, via the band's official free website.  That's how it should be done U2, I'll say no more otherwise I'll get all steamed up once again!

We saw our friends Debbi and Keith seated not far from us, and, as usual right on the front barrier our other friends Karen and Serena, I envy their stamina, gone are the days at the front barrier for me even for U2!

Snow Patrol took the stage at 9pm opening with the instrumental Berlin accompanied by a very clever and beautiful video animation. I must find out who does that for the band, it was fabulous the last time we saw them live in Manchester three years ago and it was excellent this time too.  The stage was simple, video on the backdrop and a huge movable snowflake that was suspended above the band sometimes moving to add to the video effect.  The audience too was frequently used in the effects with various lighting on it, I thought that was good, we were very much part of the show.

Photo: Serena Sinden

The songs started with a rousing I'll Never Let Go, after which Gary apologised for having his flies open, spawning lots of "shut your flies" jokes.  I never noticed, and from what I hear others didn't either, so no worries Gary LOL.

The crowd really got warmed up with Take Back the City.  Gary asked people who were sitting to stand up and most did which was great.  He has that effortless Irish charm, warmth and easy banter that is so endearing as he chatters away to the audience - something he does frequently.  This create a wonderful closeness that really adds to the whole experience.  Besides that, his voice live is fantastic and the whole band is a very tight unit.  I noticed they used a lot of different percussion instruments which made for some interesting sounds.

Highlights, for me personally, firstly was This Isn't Everything You Are from the latest album Fallen Empires.  A beautiful song, deep, moving lyrics, the crowd joined in I felt a lump in my throat as the voices echoed around the arena. It's just one of those special songs that touches your soul:

"Then in one little moment

Photo: Serena Sinden

It all implodes

This isn't everything you are

Breathe deeply in the silence

No sudden moves

This isn't everything you are

Just take the hand that’s offered

And hold on tight

This isn't everything you are

There's joy not far from here

I know there is

This isn't everything you are."

Beautiful.

Next highlight was Run.  The opening notes rang out Gary came to the mic to sing and the audience took over, he stood back, a big smile on his face and let us sing.  He eventually joined in with us and once more I knew that this song was my favourite song ever, even moreso than any U2 song (well, maybe equal with Bad).  This is a real classic song that will never lose its magic.

Chasing Cars was initially performed quite low key, again it was a communal singalong, with the full band coming in for the last part which was very powerful.  Good to see favourite older songs Chocolate and You're All I Have in there too.  Fallen Empires is one of the new songs I really like.  It is has great percussion and reminds me a bit of Arcade Fire which isn't a bad thing. The set finished with Just Say Yes, which was good, but I preferred the ending they did last time with The Lightning Strike.

All in all I thought the gig was a good balance of old and new songs.  I thought the concert flew by then Debbi told me that it had only lasted one hour forty minutes,(I never wear a watch), so that was the only disappointment, it was a short gig. The show was about the band, the music and the audience, with minimal special effects and it was fabulous, good music speaks for itself, it doesn't need anything else.

Below is a video from the Manchester gig, followed by the setlist.

1. 
   

   Setlist

   Berlin (Remix) @Tape

   I'll Never Let Go
   Take Back The City
   Hands Open
   This Isn't Everything You Are
   Run
   

   In The End

   Crack the Shutters
   New York
   Set the Fire to the Third Bar
   Make This Go On Forever
   Shut Your Eyes
   Chasing Cars
   Chocolate
   Called Out in the Dark
   Fallen Empires
   You're All I Have
   Encore
   Lifening
   Open Your Eyes
   Just Say Yes

Ahk-toong Bay-bi Covered - Review

I wasn't sure about this when I first heard about it.  I tend to hate covers of U2 songs and I wasn't really looking forward to this CD covering the songs from Achtung Baby.  But on listening to the CD I was pleasantly surprised, it is generally a good album.  For those not in the UK and haven't got the CD yet many of the covers are on YouTube.

And, for your interest, the related interview in Q Magazine is fascinating, seems the band are thinking just what us fans are, U2 are at another turning point in their career.  A time of being unsure about their place, relevance and ability to reinvent once more.  The guys are going to have to do a lot of soul searching and work in the next year or two.

The best quote in the article is by the author describes Bono sitting in his seat on the plane as "Compact, stocky and squashed into his seat as he is, he looks like a gothic SpongeBob."  Bet Bono's never been described like that before LOL!

Below is my personal opinion on the songs after the first listen:

1. Zoo Station - Nine Inch Nails. I wasn't sure what to expect with this U2 done by Nine Inch Nails??  But, much to my surprise, I liked their version of this song.  Sung in a low, whispery tone with an almost Spector-like wall of industrial sound.  NIN made the song their own and it worked - except the ending seemed to go on forever.
2. Even Better Than the Real Thing (Jacques Le Cont Mix) - The real U2   I'm not a fan of remixes and this one didn't win me over, it was just a typical, tedious remix like so many before.
3. One - Damien Rice. A bit of a lacklustre, emotionless version of this classic.
4. Until the End of the World - Patti Smith.  A very individual version of this song and what a voice!  Having said that I'm not sure about this song after only one listen, but have a feeling it's a grower.
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - Garbage.  The verses were very low-key followed by a sonic blast in the chorus.  It was ok, but nothing special.
6. So Cruel - Depeche Mode. Never has a title been so apt. Awful.
7. The Fly - Gavin Friday.  The perfect performer for this song, Gavin sounds dark, sleazy and dangerous just as The Fly should be. A great discordant, cacophony of  industrial sounds blasts out around the vocals, wonderful.
8. Mysterious Ways - Snow Patrol.  This is a brave version of the song, very stripped back and different from the original.  But, as much as I love Snow Patrol, I felt it didn't work, the song lost its swagger and sexiness and became tedious.
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World - The Fray.  Another very individual version of a U2 song.  Faster than the original, it sounded to me like one of the myriad of typical American-sounding songs around.  Not terrible, but not memorable either.
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) - The Killers.  I lurrrrve Brandon's voice and here it was full of the passion within the amazing lyrics of the song.  Lovely!
11. Acrobat - Glasvegas.  Sorry I'm not a Glasvegas fan, they bored me rigid on the 360 Tour and this punk version of Acrobat is, yes, different, but also bad, bad, bad.
12. Love Is Blindness - Jack White.  They saved the best to last.  Wow, what an amazing cover this is!  Jack has made it his own and at the same time added to the original.  The emotion is there, and so is anger, screaming, raging anger both in voice and guitar.  It sent shivers up my spine, stunning!

Snow Patrol Take It To Manchester

I went to Manchester yesterday to see Snow Patrol play a gig as part of their Take It To The Cities Tour. I first came across Snow Patrol a few years ago via a friend of mine in Northern Ireland and then of course got the chance to see a short set from them when they supported U2 at a few gigs I saw. I really liked what I heard then and even though I wasn't that into their last album I really wanted to see them play a full concert in their own right.

I met up with my friend Julie in Manchester, and we met up with Debbi and her husband after the show. We decided to give the support bands Cashier Number Nine and The White Lies a miss in favour of going to our favourite Thai restaurant for a meal!

We had great seats at the Manchester Evening News Arena. The stage set up was quite simple but they had some nice lighting effects. Their live sound was great, Gary Lightbody's voice was amazing - and what a tall man he is, never noticed that when they supported U2, probably because I was much further away.

For "Run" Gary left the stage and re-appeared near the back of the arena amongst the crowd. He found a woman willing to hold his mic as he did an acoustic version of the song. Don't know what was going on but he was laughing a lot at first! Things settled and he finished the song very nicely, I was a surprised they did that song that way, but it was really nice. All the lighters and phones were on and as Gary said it looked like the stars had come out.

Of course "Chasing Cars" was a highlight and I must say I felt tears welling up, it is such a fantastic, emotional song, a classic. The band got a good reception from the crowd throughout.

For the encore they played The Lightning Strike a three song epic consisting of What If This Storm Ends? The Sunlight Through The Flags and Daybreak The Lightning Strike accompanied by a brilliant video. The video, which lasted about fifteen minutes was beautiful and really drew you in. It was very intricate and cleverly done and absolutely fascinating. I've never seen a band do anything like that before, but it really worked, I loved it. Below is part of that video taken by a fan at the recent Dublin show - though I must say it was much more effective live.

All in all, a great show!