The Script at Sidney Myer Music Bowl – 17th September 2022
It had been four years since The Script last performed on Australian soil. The Irish three piece returned to Melbourne on Saturday for their Greatest Hits tour. Following their Friday night show in Sydney, the Irish rockers filled the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
It had been a heavy day of rain, the saturated ground was reminiscent of the recent Splendour in the Grass mud. Two-dollar ponchos and gumboots were the fashion staples of the night, but it wasn’t enough to keep people away. Late arrivals of the crowd surged over the hill as the opening tracks played. Not only a call to their fans, but a call to the Irish with red hair and thick Dublin accents spotted throughout the crowd. Opening strong with a pop of streamers and their hit, Superheroes. Vocalist, Danny O’Donoghue donned a thick grey trench coat to brave the brisk Melbourne air, he quickly took the crowd far back to their first ever release – We Cry. The crowd forced the speakers louder as they sang along.
Danny joked between tracks ‘There’s something different about Australian hangovers – they don’t last 1 day, they last 5!”. He continued the party vibes as he sang Paint the town Green – a sea of green graphics and confetti guns flew across the bowl with the iconic bagpipes radiating across the lawn. The international success meant high production value, even more impressive when you consider they set up the entire show the same day – confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, massive LED walls and streamers adding to the WOW factor of the show. After the jokes and the highs, it was hard to find a dry eye during The man who can’t be moved – supported by the Melbourne choir. It took the already heart wrenching song to a new level of captivating despair.
After an hour of back-to-back hits, the boys thanked their fans as they walked off stage. The crowd quickly kept the lyrics of For the first time going, calling out “Oh, these times are hard, Yeah, they’re making us crazy, Don’t give up on me, baby”. It was a beautiful moment, the still, night air, crisp from the earlier downpour, lit up with phone lights throughout the chorus.
Knowing their fans would not forgive them for ending the night too soon, the band stormed back onto stage for their last two tracks – Breakeven and Hall of Fame. I was disappointed not to hear my favourite track If you ever come back, but as the only criticism of the night I think it’s safe to say it was an overall success. An almost 90-minute set which delivered enough to keep The Script fans satisfied, yet somehow itching for more. They have one show left for their Australian tour – Perth, before returning to Ireland.