snow patrol

tuesday night, matt and i had tickets to see snow patrol at the electric factory.  snow patrol is one of my favorite bands and plays one of my favorite songs, "chasing cars," which also just happened to be our wedding song.  i saw snow patrol a few years ago (also at the electric factory) and the show was great.  i had gone with a coworker friend of mine who was also a huge snow patrol fan (and who was also considering using chasing cars for her wedding song).  unfortunately, we both changed jobs and kind of lost touch with each other, but this time matt wanted to come, so it worked out.

the electric factory is a pretty cool venue.  it's basically like a big warehouse.  when you first walk in, there is just a big open floor, with a few cocktail tables set up near the bar (but no seats).  off to the right is a flight of steps that takes you to the balcony.  on the balcony are 2 more bars and a bunch of stools that line the railing.  our goal was to get in line early so that we could get upstairs and score some seats.  we did (not without being practically run over by some asshat behind us that i wanted to punch in the throat because he literally almost knocked me over) and we were right along the railing with a perfect view of the stage.  the other nice thing about our seats is that i could use the railing to steady my camera when taking pictures.  i always turn my flash off in concerts but then my pictures are often kind of blurry because it is physically impossible for me to hold my hand steady.  with the railing there as support, i was able to get some really nice, clean pictures.

the opener for the show was this guy called ed sheeran.  i'd never heard of him, but holy shit, he was amazing.  he was just one guy with a loop machine.  so basically, he'd play a bass line, then start looping.  then he'd play a rhythm on the guitar and start looping that.  then he'd play another rhythm and start looping that.  then he'd do some beatbox and loop that.  and so and so forth until it sounded like there were 12 people/instruments on the stage.  not only that, but he had a great voice, to boot.  and he's one of these guys who can sing so quickly that it sounds like....like i don't know what.  he was incredible.  i'm not sure, though, how it would translate into a studio album, which is why i still haven't downloaded anything.  here's a video i took.  the quality's not that great, but you get the gist.  check out this video to see him in action, though.



snow patrol came on around 9pm.  i don't know if he's changed and opened up or if i just didn't remember, but gary lightbody was really funny!  he was joking with the audience and really interacting with the crowd.  i love when bands do that because it makes you feel like a part of the show and makes you feel more invested.  what i also loved about snow patrol was that they had fun up there.  and gary lightbody was very appreciative of the success they've had, and he was so genuine and thoughtful about it.  you know, so many times artists are like "thanks for coming out" and that's kind of it.  gary must have thanked the crowd about a hundred times and not just for coming to the show but for being fans and for giving them the opportunity to reach the level of success they've reached.  it was really cool.  anyway.  they played a lot of my favorite snow patrol songs, and then played quite a bit off the new album, which i actually hadn't downloaded yet.  i often don't like when bands play all new stuff because i don't know it and i lose interest, but i was really caught up with everything in this show.  all the new songs were fantastic, and made me run home and download the album that night before i went to bed.  i've listened to it nonstop since then.  gary said during the show that he thought it was their best album yet and i would definitely have to agree.  the song writing is beautiful and every song has a lot of depth to it, lyrically and musically.

here's the set list for the show:

berlin (remix) - i'll never let go - take back the city - hands open - this isn't everything you are - run - in the end - crack the shutters - the garden rules - new york - 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

it was excellent.  i bawled during "chasing cars" because the song is so beautiful and holds so much meaning for me.  i cried again during "lifening," which is a new song but they lyrics were so moving.  the girl standing next to me was also crying.  bunch of saps, we are!  here are a few pictures and video i took.

if you ever get the opportunity to see snow patrol, i definitely recommend it.  it was a really good show and especially with ed sheeran opening, i can almost guarantee you'll have fun!