They cry, we cry.

By Maisharaqh Mustajab

The sudden downpour earlier might have dampened the mood of the crowd at Fort Canning Park who were waiting for The Script’s arrival, 13 April 2011. But all was forgotten the moment the stage lights dimmed, as they clamored for the Irish indie rock band’s entrance. It was almost like the 4,000-strong crowd had simultaneously packed their problems in a box and tucked them away for the night.

The 3-man band, Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power wasted no time getting the ball rolling with up-tempo hit, ‘You Won’t Feel A Thing’from their latest album, Science & Faith. The sardine-packed crowd flung their hands up in unison and started moshing to the their first song.

The stage lights beamed a spectrum of different colours across the night sky in sync with the beat of the music, elevating the mood of the crowd as they sang to the chorus of ‘You Won’t Feel A Thing’ in unison. The elephantine screen on the stage displayed snazzy graphics that complemented the song. From time to time, cameras would sweep across the audience, displaying their feverishness on screen.

Hits such as ‘We Cry’, ‘Nothing’, ‘Dead Man Walking’ and ‘If You See Kay’ dominated the first half of the concert. Without a doubt, they had their fan’s eating out of their hands, sustaining them even as the hype slowly died at the end of every song.

Even during the short interval halfway through the concert, the band shared heartwarming short stories with the house that night. “Singapore, you guys are one of the loudest crowd we’ve ever performed for. You have made us proud,” frontman, Danny, said appreciatively, with a can of beer in his right hand and a cheeky smirk on his face.

Encouraged, the crowd grew wild and thundered animatedly, with their hands in the air flashing the universal hand sign for rock and roll. Guitarist Mark Sheehan, even got the crowd to pose for a Twitpic.

Of course, the massive hit ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ could have easily been the highlight of the evening. Danny got the crowd singing to the start of this popular love song and many were teary-eyed at the heart-wrenching lyrics of the ballad:

“Some try to hand me money, they don’t understand
I’m not broke, I’m just a broken-hearted man
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do
How can I move on when I’ve been in love with you?”

Surrounded by thousands of fans, swaying and belting out the lyrics, word for word, was truly a goosebump-inducing experience. They drew the show to a close with their first hit single ‘Breakeven’. As if not to break the spell, the audience echoed ‘I’m falling to pieces’ till the song finally ended.

All 3 gave outstanding performances throughout the 60-min set, either rocking out to an electric guitar, smashing the cymbals and snares or running about on stage. For all their artistry, the band was incredibly down-to-earth and worked hard to engage and interact with the audience as much as they could.

“We’re so far away and it’s great that you, in Singapore, are singing along to our songs. We feel right at home!” hooted Danny as the band left the stage, leaving his shrieking fans, screaming even louder with their departure.

Check out Urbanwire‘s interview with The Script here.

Photo courtesy of: Maisharaqh Mustajab
Acknowledgements to Sony Music.