Snow Patrol at Terminal 5

Vocalist/guitarist Gary Lightbody co-founded the band Shrug in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. In 1996, after releasing an EP, the band changed its name to Polar Bear (or Polarbear) to avoid issues with American bands that were also named Shrug. Polarbear also released an EP, but for the same legal reasons changed its name again to Snow Patrol in 1997, and relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, and then Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1999, Irish music magazine Hot Press awarded Snow Patrol the Phil Lynott Award for Best New Band, but early album sales were minimal. Initially an indie rock band, the band rose to prominence in the early to mid-2000s as part of the post-Britpop movement. The band has sold more than 16 million records worldwide. Snow Patrol released its seventh and most recent album, Wildness, on May 25, 2018. The band presently consists of Lightbody, guitarist Nathan Connolly, keyboardist/guitarist Johnny McDaid, bassist Paul Wilson, and drummer Jonny Quinn.

Snow Patrol headlined Terminal 5 tonight realizing that most of the local fans did not see the tour preview at Irving Plaza a year ago or the abbreviated summer stadium shows where the band opened for Ed Sheeran. The house lights extinguished, a huge snowflake graphic appeared behind the musical equipment, and the musicians marched on to perform "Take Back the City," a fine ode to urban life which rallied the audience with lines like "I love this city." This led to a retrospective of the Snow Patrol catalogue, including sing-alongs on some of the most popular songs and an unplanned fan request, "You Could Be Happy." The tone was mellow, peaceful, and pensive. Lightbody's engaging vocals smoothly introduced convincing sensitivity and vulnerability, and the well-rehearsed musicians embraced the intrinsic beauty of each lyric and melody. If anything, the music was perhaps a bit too clean and safe. Harmonies added pop dynamics amidst an almost total avoidance of the guitar solos which would have rocked the songs. The set was middle-of-the-road pop fare, but loaded with authentic passion and integrity.

Setlist:

1. Take Back the City
2. Chocolate
3. Crack the Shutters
4. Empress
5. Don't Give In
6. Open Your Eyes
7. Run
8. You Could Be Happy
9. Life on Earth
10. Make This Go On Forever
11. Shut Your Eyes
12. Called Out in the Dark
13. Heal Me
14. The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)
15. Chasing Cars
16. You're All I Have

Encore:

1. What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?
2. Just Say Yes