It's always fun to see a band play live that you have seen many times since their inception… not only because you love their music, but because it is wonderful to see them progress as musicians and performers. Having seen Snow Patrol nearly a dozen times over their career, I can honestly say that I believe the band has fully come into their own in the live arena, not only performing flawlessly, but seeming very comfortable on stage. On this very cold, clear December night in chilly Colorado, Gary Lightbody seemed more at ease and jovial than I have ever seen him. Perhaps it was the smaller venue, the intimate setting, or perhaps it was that there was no opening band, the concept of "rock show" thrown out the window and replaced by the brilliance of "An Evening With Snow Patrol". Regardless of the why, Gary and the band performed better than I have ever seen them, interacting more with the audience, and seeming to enjoy themselves in a looser fashion… or perhaps it was that they could hear themselves as flawlessly as the audience could hear them, thanks to the wonders of digital technology and the Digidesign system that was on tour with the band… more on technology later though.

The band was on fire as they blasted through a tremendous amount of hits… beginning with their new record opener, the incredible "If There's a Rocket Tie Me To It" and continuing through the encore of the downbeat and dreamy "What If The Storm ends" and the rocking "Open Your Eyes". The setlist touched on all the greatest songs from the past 3 records, including "Chocolate", "Run", "How To Be Dead", "Chasing Cars", and "Crack The Shutters". The only really amazing single that the band neglected is the amazing "Signal Fire", their contribution to the Spiderman 3 soundtrack.

With seven (!) musicians on stage the band was set to produce the most sound they've ever been capable of, and with the fancy Digidesign system, they were able to do it cleanly and audibly. The band barreled through the dynamic and anthemic "If There's a Rocket Tie Me To It" like they were on a mission, every nuance of the music able to be heard in the wonderfully sculpted walls of the Gothic. Building the sound even more, the guitar tech joined the band on stage for a number of songs playing acoustic guitar, adding yet more sound to the mix and allowing for an even more mesmerizing and dynamic performance. "How To Be Dead" showed the band at their top. It was a dynamic performance with three guitars alternating between soft and heavy, Gary throwing the words in a quick staccato that was very weird, but very cool at the same time. The band slowed "Run" down a bit, building backgrounds of strings into the sound the band got tremendously sonic, building it all around thundering drums and beautifully noisy, soulful ebbs and flows of sound. The entire audience was singing along, creating an energy in the room that was magical. The sound receded just a bit for a version of "The Golden Floor" on which Gary switched to a Gretsch 6120 as the percussion throbbed along and the keyboards pounded out their Kate Bush "Running Up That Hill" style sounds. This song from their new record was vibrant and lush, heavy and throbbing, belying the lithesome sound of the album version.

"Shut Your Eyes" was cool, dark, and super-sonic. The rhythm guitar lines from the Duo-Jet were fierce, giving the song even more impact as Gary led the audience in another sing-a-long at the end. From a soft and beautiful beginning, "Chasing Cars" launched into a severe, loud bridge - shockingly loud. "Take Back The City" was much more exciting live than on record, more distortion, more noise, more rock, and somehow with a very Bowie-esque flavor thrown in. The heavy rocking continued on "You're All I Have", the tenderness and nuance of the recorded version being replaced with a raw ferocity of which I did not believe the band capable of before tonight. The song began rhythmic and hard, then smoothed out towards the building climax, until it unleashed all that it had in a loud, but somehow relaxed, fury.

The band was joined by original drummer Richard Colburn (recently of Belle And Sebastian) on percussion which, along with the added acoustic guitar and keyboards, really added a dimension to the live show that made the night all that much more powerful. The technology behind the show allowed every nuance to be heard, creating an atmosphere sorely lacking at most rock shows anymore. This show was about as perfect as it gets. Snow Patrol have proven beyond a doubt that they are one of, if not THE, premier British bands currently, not only with their awesome recorded catalog, but with their live performance. With the added technology, everything the band did was audible (sometimes to a fault, as the keyboards were so clear at times they seemed more like Disintegration-era Cure than Snow Patrol) and able to be mixed and adapted to any room with the real-time spectral analysis tools and excellent ProTools plug-ins. The band seems more comfortable than ever before, able to laugh with the audience and relax as Gary told stories amidst the songs, which drew the crowd in ever closer, more intimately… making the night that much more magical.

-L. Keane

Snow Patrol
12/7/08
Gothic Theater, Englewood, Colorado
www.snowpatrol.com

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