Review: The Script, Sidney Myer Music Bowl Melbourne 18/09/2022
By Jonathan Bowen. Photos Demelza Donoghue
The long and winding Tales from the Script world tour, which the band has been on for almost a year finally made its way down to Melbourne, Australia. It has been four years since the boys were last in town and boy did Melbourne miss them and given the show that the lads from Dublin put on for us it showed that they certainly missed us.
Given the elements were certainly not on our side with almost constant rain during the day, the irony was not lost on us that like a tap, the rain was turned off just in time for the start of the show and from my perspective the weather certainly was not putting off any of the fans from turning up. Conrad Sewell was the opening act and he put on a solid performance. His rendition of Tina Turner’s hit Simply The Best and his performance of his hit songs Start Again and Healing Hands had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing in the aisles.
Once Conrad finished his set and after a short break it was time for the main act. Danny and Glen came onto the stage to screaming fans who then kicked off their set with the song Superheroes. Within the first couple of bars of the song starting there was an explosion of white confetti that covered the front part of the audience. We knew then that we were going to be in for a hell of a show! The following song on the list was Rain, and given the weather in Melbourne during the day, the song suited the audience’s mood perfectly.
We Cry followed and then it was Ireland’s honorary national anthem, Paint the Town Green. This song was to me the highlight of the night. Once Danny and Glen kicked the song off, the stage turned green and an explosion of green confetti followed. The crowd sung every word of the song and the tri-colour flags that were brought in by the fans were in full flight. Danny started the next song with a just one quick comment, that when he feels lost, he always goes back to the corner where I first met you. The audience without a hesitation started singing the song The Man Who Can’t Be Moved. I remember many years ago going to see The Script in Melbourne when Danny started singing that song and the entire crowd started singing it and he stopped singing himself and let the crowd sing it for him. Melbourne was the first place where that happened and that tradition in Melbourne didn’t stop last night!
The following songs, Before the Worst and Dare You to Doubt Me, were sang with the passion and energy we have come to expect to see from Danny, however it was with the following two songs when the band ventured into the crowd and performed, that gained the biggest roar. If You Could See Me Now and Nothing were performed by just Danny and Glen. Danny then performed his favourite party trick; he borrowed a phone from a fan in the audience and called her ex-boyfriend, which to our surprised he answered. Danny then asked him to stay on the line while he performed the song Nothing!
Once the band made their way back onto the stage the finished the set with the songs Something Unreal, Arms Open Talk You Down and For The First Time. It never ceases to amaze that even though none of the songs made it to No 1 on the charts, the audience still sings every word of these songs with energy and passion and considering the weather and the conditions most on them were standing in, it truly blew me away. Attending a Script gig really does change your mood and perspective on things. The positive energy that comes from the band’s performance is truly something special. The band then left the stage finishing their set with the crowd singing the chorus from the track, For The First Time.
They reappeared starting with the track No Good In Goodbye, which then followed by a passionate performance of their first hit track Breakeven. The best was of course as always left to last. The boys finished their set with the classic song, which Danny told me in an interview was a song that the band were not originally sure about but would go onto to be streamed over a billion times on Spotify alone. It is also the track sung at every major sporting event all over the world from the Olympic games to the Super Bowl final. Hall of Fame was performed with all the energy and spirit you would come to expect from the band. When the band finished the song, I knew the concert would be over, but the band still seemed to have as much energy at the end as they did at the beginning. In the end that says that says everything about the band. You bring your energy and your voice, and they will bring the performance and just sit back and enjoy the night!
The tour now moves onto Perth before moving onto Asia. The Script still are a band that every person should experience live. They truly are a classic live band.
