Snow Patrol Roadies Tuning Up
©2018 Michael Smilonich
Snow Patrol has been around for 25 years. Something I didn't realize until I recently saw this band made up of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jonny Quinn (drums), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, backing vocals). Their appearance was quite a learning experience for me. Initially I was in the take-it-or-leave it camp about seeing them in concert, however, seeing them live was a great decision! They transformed me from a casual to serious fan and I will see them anytime they happen to be in town.
I own Snow Patrol's greatest hits, solely for the song, "Chasing Cars". It's something in my music collection that's been there for quite some time and resurfaces occasionally. I didn't own or hear Snow Patrol's latest "Wildness" before seeing their concert. This was a completely fresh and unbiased experience.
Snow Patrol at Live Express! Columbus, OH
©2018 Michael Smilonich
Lightbody has an instant likable, friendly presence and shared some stories about walking around Columbus and about what inspired some of the songs he has written. He was able to engage the audience in a way that seemed honest and with gratitude.
The entire band are professional, polished musicians that are enjoyable to see play. They seem to have created their own formula for their song composition that's given them a niche in today's music scene, although, I would suggest their is some influence with ColdPlay, who seems to have lifted some of Snow Patrol's sound.
The entire "Wildness" album is filled with great tracks like, "Don't Give In" which was the first single released. The crown jewel of this album is, "Life on Earth", which is an exploration of emotions spanning happiness, loneliness and the difficulty both can sometimes bring to life. The story-line and feeling the listener leads perfectly into the chorus, "It shouldn’t need to be so fucking hard, this is life on earth". I am sure most of us can relate to this sentiment at some point, like right this minute.
I highly recommend not only adding "Wildness" to you music collection, but more importantly, take the time to see Snow Patrol in concert as you will not regret it.