I didn't think I'd still get to watch Snow Patrol live. Months ago, I was looking for another fan to watch with me but I was surprised to find out that my usual concert buddies are not Snow Patrol fans. Sure, the band has acquired enough airtime to put it in the mainstream - and its songs have been used in onsite wedding and photo AVPs too many times - but not many people know the albums much less, pay to see the band perform live. I still wanted to watch though, until I started with work and the floods happened and the concert was pushed at the bottom of my priority list.
On the day of the concert, the weather miraculously improved. The sun shone for the first time in days. I reconsidered watching the concert, so I checked on the net if it was pushing through. I was led to an article saying that the concert will go on as scheduled and the band expressed its sympathies to the victims of the recent flooding. I checked if my friend (who I was supposed to watch Smashing Pumpkins with the day before hehe) wanted to watch. She isn't a fan, but she told me she's game. A few hours later, I was on my way to Araneta Coliseum to see the band live. It took me less than 30 minutes to get to Cubao from Ortigas since there was no rain and no traffic at all. We got tickets, had dinner, then secured good seats at the Gen. Ad. section.
The concert started later than we expected. There were a lot of empty seats - which I attribute to the recent disaster, the band being underrated, or the relatively high ticket prices. Or all three.
There were still a lot of empty seats when the concert started, but it wasn't as obvious when they turned off the lights. Hehe. Everyone was just happy to be there, singing and screaming. My attention was caught by this British group at the Gen. Ad. section carrying a large UK flag. And this particular tall guy at the Upper B section who was dancing and jumping throughout the entire concert. :P Their performance onstage surpassed my expectations. I liked how the sounds, the white screens, and the lights worked together to produce one powerful show.
Some of the more popular songs they played were "In the End" (which I was listening to minutes after I parked the car), "Run", "Chasing Cars", "New York", "Called Out in the Dark" (which I regret not recording). They ended with "Just Say Yes" (a popular wedding song for obvious reasons hehe) I was looking forward to hearing "Spitting Games" (which I was listening to a long time ago in college) and "Signal Fire" but they didn't play those. I realized they do have a lot of sad/tragic/depressed songs. I prefer the more upbeat ones though.
I was trying to take a photo of the screen where a huge Snow Patrol *heart* Manila sign was, but my phone cam couldn't capture it. It's nice that the band had kind words to say about the recent calamity. They commended the Filipinos' strength amidst the tragedy and said that we are "an inspiration to the whole world." I could only imagine their shock, arriving in the Philippines for the first time and coming here under dismal circumstances. But it must have truly moved them in some way to see how Filipinos responded to this particular circumstance. They kept on thanking the Filipinos for the kindness we showed. Thank you also Snow Patrol for braving our shores and for giving a short and sweet (and yes, nakakabitin :)) ) concert. I hope you'll come back (as promised), with much lower ticket prices (I doubt it haha). But seriously, I'm so glad I decided to watch. :)
Oops, wrong poster :P
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