I have had the pleasure of seeing Snow Patrol live quite a few times, from the smallest of theaters to larger venues such as Denver's Fillmore Theater. There were a few things that were immediately apparent upon Gary Lightbody and company's appearance on the stage at the Fillmore on this chilly evening, the most striking of which was the effect of the altitude on Gary's voice and breathing. He struggled throughout the show to maintain a level of breathing that would facilitate his delivery of the taxing lines in the songs, but he was a great sport about it and made it through, sounding great by the end of the show. The other most apparent thing about the band (other than the obvious failing of the bass guitar during the first song that made the band bow off stage while the difficulty was repaired) was that their energy was a bit on the low side, most probably due to having a day off the day previous in Denver, and the altitude and drinking taking their effect.

Once the show was in motion, the band picked it up and energy levels rose as they ripped through an amazing setlist that in many ways formed a brilliant summary of their "greatest hits". The band entered stage to some great film running, featuring the above-seen mantra of Snow Patrol (hearts) Denver, which immediately got the crowd riled up and excited for the show. The lighting and film backdrop was one thing that really set this show apart from all the previous times I have seen the band. They seem to have gotten a bit of the multimedia experience fever from their recent forays with bands like U2. The set list ran like this:

1. If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It
2. Chocolate
3. Hands Open
4. How To Be Dead
5. The Golden Floor
6. Make This Go On Forever
7. Run
8. Shut Your Eyes
9. Chasing Cars
10. Crack The Shutters
11. Just Say Yes (new song)
12. Take Back The City
13. Open Your Eyes
14. The Lightning Strike
15. You're All I Have

As I've previously mentioned, during the first song the bass stopped working. Gary covered nicely, excused the band from the stage politely with the promise that they would be back out once the problem was fixed. The roadies took to the problem right away and it was only about five minutes before the band re-emerged to continue the set. Having seen the band in smaller, much more intimate venues, it was difficult to really feel the vibe in the cavernous expanse of the Fillmore. Between that and the obvious tiredness, the songs seemed to lack a little bit of the power that they normally contain during live shows. Offsetting this small lack of emotional power was a brilliant video display featuring some cool loops and a very enthralling light show that made the experience much bigger than it could have been in a smaller venue. This is the large/small venue trade-off I suppose.

Snow Patrol had added a sixth man for the entire show, rather than relying on the occasional joining in of the guitar tech. The show was filled with Telecaster Customs, Rickenbackers and Gary even broke out his Gretsch 6120. My rule of not having two Telecasters on stage didn't really apply to songs like "Chocolate" as one of them was a Deluxe and one a Custom, relying more on humbuckers than the trademark twang of the finest guitar known to man.

"The Golden Floor" was very heavy, building upon a heavy, heavy base of floor toms and throbbing bass, which led nicely into a little heavier than usual version of "Make This Go On Forever". By this time the band seemed to have caught their stride and woken up a bit of their trademark energy and dynamics. "Run" began with just Gary and his Telecaster, extremely beautiful when stripped down and sparse before the band came in on the second chorus and built the song to an enormous wall of sound. The band played a very, very extended version of "Shut Your Eyes", Gary insighting the crowd into a massive singalong… first everyone, then girls, then boys, then everyone… all the while acting the charismatic preacher, whipping his congregation into a frenzy of spiritual bliss… or maybe he was just Tommy. . The band even gave a preview of their new track (allegedly for the first time) "Just Say Yes". The song seems less vibrant than their other work, but was much better live than when I had snuck online for a quick listen.

Despite the fact that the stage was possibly a little large for this band, sometimes seeming a bit disjointed, the show was a resounding success. All the constant touring has turned them into a cohesive and tight touring unit, whether energy was lacking or not. The band is a masterful powerhouse at building songs and sounds and then letting them fall away gracefully before being rebuilt to greater heights. The dynamic intensity of Snow Patrol live is not to be missed. The band continues to grow as a unit and Lightbody continues to reach greater and greater heights as a frontman.

-David DeVoe

Snow Patrol
October 9, 2009
Fillmore Theater, Denver, Colorado
www.snowpatrol.com

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