Irish pop rock band The Script took to the stage to ‘Rock the World’ under a sky full of stars, the sun, and the moon on Friday night at Resorts World Arena. The award-winning trio, who have the most number 1s of the previous decade in the Official Irish Albums Chart graced the stage to raucous screams before they launched into ‘Something Unreal.’ The seventh show of their 2020 Sunsets & Full Moons European tour, this show encapsulated the band’s love for music and their love for their fans.

Today they are still a popular and strong force on the music scene with their popularity only growing more powerfully

Buzzing with anticipation and excitement, the fans sang, swayed, and cheered along to all 20 hits. It’s hard to believe that Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power formed The Script 13 years ago. Today they are still a popular and strong force on the music scene with their popularity only growing more powerfully. Undoubtedly, The Voice certainly helped skyrocket their success, which is where I was first acquainted with frontman Danny and subsequently the band. I remember as a child we would always talk about who we would want as our coach and I, albeit I can no longer sing, always wanted to be on Team Danny; it’s safe to say I was disappointed when he left, and stopped watching The Voice soon after.

I think it was Danny’s personality that drew me towards him and his band eight years ago. The band carry themselves with such humility, gratitude, and love. They are authentic; there’s no façade, no persona. It’s just them laid bare for us to see. And that’s what we saw throughout the show. In a reference to the late Caroline Flack, Mark reminded us ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind,’ but remember to also ‘be kind to yourself’ before the band sung ‘If You Don’t Love Yourself.’ They also joked about the weather before breaking into ‘Rain.’ 

Audience interaction is at the centre of their performances

It was clear to see how much love they had for music through their energetic and heartful performances, but also how much love they have for their fans. All of their performances have used three stages with one in the side stands which creates an intimacy not normally felt in big music venues, let alone arenas. It was almost as if they were performing in a pub. The band referred to the crowd as their “Birmingham choir” and dedicated ‘Run Through Walls’ to their fans who have helped the band through their toughest trials. Audience interaction is at the centre of their performances: Danny and Mark ran from one side of the main stage to the other and sung through the crowd. At one point, Danny asked fans in the front row to call their ex. He took a phone from someone named Heidi, and sang ‘Nothing’ to her ex, Rick. 

Their infectious energy continued as the band moved to the B stage under a massive moon where the band delighted the arena with one of their greatest hits, 2008’s ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,’ which had the audience captivated as they sang along to every word.

They placed the limelight on their audience, once again cementing how important their fans are for them

Alongside Danny’s impressive vocal range was quite an extensive production with lasers, waterfalls, confetti, streams, graphics, a huge sun, and a gigantic moon. Although there were some beautiful moments like when someone mistook some confetti as a butterfly flying above the crowd, I found everything apart from the sun and moon unnecessary. Their personalities and sound were enough. I went there for them, not the production. It was much more powerful when they tried to create a ‘whole galaxy’ in the arena. With the sun and moon illuminated, they said ‘everyone… here tonight… are the stars of the show… so please turn on the lights of your phones and let’s create an entire galaxy.’ It was more intimate and emotional and a testament to not just their talent and their music, but to Danny, Mark, and Glen as people. There were no frills. It was a moment of true purity. It was real, natural, and effortless. They placed the limelight on their audience, once again cementing how important their fans are for them and how much they value them.

The Script always have familiarity embedded within their music. Whether it’s ‘Science and Faith’ or ‘Hot Summer Nights,’ their music has consistency. They have their sound and they’re happy to stick with it and write about what matters to them. They are reliable and this allows their fans to connect more deeply with the band and their music. And ultimately that’s what sets these three awesome Irish men apart from almost every other artist.

Tickets for the rest of The Script’s current tour are available.
Sunsets and Full Moons is available now via Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited.