The Friday from hell at work and the fact I picked up my girlfriend two and a half hours late knowing I had to get to Manchester for 7:30 things weren't going well on Friday night so for some bizarre reason I was hoping the gig wasn't canceled. The first music gigs in the GMEX centre that I can remember since Oasis played there about 6 years ago.
A rain filled night lots of traffic but we were finally there along with the 10,000 other people who had turned up. Now i have certain criteria about gigs so I was hoping this would live up to my expectations:
1) You can get alcohol very quickly
2) You can see the band
3) You can easily avoid meat heads
4) You can get beer easily!!
5) The lights are good
6) They sound good
7) They dont spend all night talking (a la Scissor Sisters)
8) They play songs we know!
I have both Snow Patrol albums and I know my girlfriend is crazy about them so i thought we would have a good night and I would be able to work out actually how many band members are in the Scottish band I thought there was only 2, turns out there are five of them and they are from Northern Ireland so two myths exploded right there.
Upon arrival one of the support bands was just finishing with the stage covered in a dark blue light and some caterwauling we were glad we hadn't come just to see them. First trip to the bar - pint bought in under a minute - excellent!! We shuffle to the front to get in position to watch Elbow a Manchester band who weren't too bad but was doing far too much sucking up to Snow Patrol for my liking. Their songs were good but the odd on the lyrics couldn't be heard that topped with the bottom of my cardboard pint glass falling out and another trip to the bar was in order (waiting time 2 minutes).
Back to catch the last few songs and get in prime position for the main event. The venue used to hold lots of music gigs in the 90's formerly a train station it has been converted well and it suits live music well all standing and easy beer access with only 1 bar but about 50 people serving tremendous.
The lights dimmed and snow patrol came on to a rousing cheer spaces filled and people moved closer to the front some of their songs lend them selves well to large crowds singing lyrics back to them which they played on quite a few times but they played all the favourites the crowd expected, with moving screens at the back of the stage zooming in on the lead singers faces and various hands picking at guitars and cymbals crashing. Picking a mixture of songs from "The Final Straw" and "Eyes Open" the GMEX was filled not with mad lunatics jumping about but a more serene type of concert goer so meat heads were a no no mainly lovers in each others arms and whispering the words of each song to each other. Biggest cheer of the night was for Grammy nominated "chasing cars" a song that can be heard almost everywhere at the minute dedicated to anyone who "is in love"... probably two thirds of the crowd.
Ending the gig with "run" was quite appropriate with the lyrics "I'll sing it one last time for you. Then we really have to go" and by now the crowd was buzzing not a single cigarette lighter insight now it seems they have been replaced by the lights on mobile phones being waved and the band happily waving back and bowing in front of 10000 happy mellowed out fans, a fitting close to what must have been Snow Patrol's biggest year so far, by the end of it I was convinced that there were definitely more than 2 members of the band and they weren't Scottish so the two questions I wanted answering by the end had been. Total beer queuing time about 6 minutes not bad for four drinks however the guy behind there did give a pint of cider at one point so that wasnt too impressive.
Navigation
SNOW PATROL @ Manchester GMEX 15/12/06
Linear Mode
