The Script: Third’s A Charm

You might catch a rocker take a swig of water while performing on stage in Singapore, but beer? Well, The Script are Irish after all, and you know how they love a pint or 2. Even if this wasn’t happening in some cosy pub, but at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,000 on Good Friday, Mar 29. The feeling of intimacy and familiarity was there, nonetheless, as it was the Irish alternative rock band’s third concert in this country. They were here last September for a showcase at Avalon.

In any case, the alcohol was a good segue for Guitarist Mark Sheehan to tease frontman Danny O’Donoghue by telling the crowd that he was a drunk dialer. That led to the highlight of the night, when O’Donoghue asked their fans to take out their cell phones and call their ex-girl/boyfriends. As people were doing this, he casually walked down from the stage, took a phone out of a random guy’s hands and answered “Hello”. He then pointed the phone to the audience who screamed in unison, before starting to sing “Nothing” from their album Science & Faith, over the phone.

Who knows if the girl on the line had any clue what was going on, or even knew that the one serenading her over the phone was someone fans paid $151 for the category 1 ticket just to be near. It was clear that she’s one lucky girl and that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed that interactive number.

What a contrast to when local band, Shirlyn and The UnXpected opened the show. Then, the crowd seemed puzzled and rather unimpressed when they started playing their new untitled song from their album they’re still working on. People at the front were staring blankly at them as they sang. The audience only warmed up to the band after a few songs and even started screaming when guitarist, Simon Yong, did a guitar solo. When the band finished their last song, fans started screaming and chanting for The Script. Half an hour into the wait, the music faded and out came the 3 members, one by one. Everyone was just eyeing for one person to come out.

When lead singer, Danny O’Donoghue, emerged on stage singing “Good Ol’Days”, the crowd went ecstatic. He certainly knew how to charm. Into their second song, “We Cry”, he ran down the stage and stood on the barricade as crazy fans – mostly girls – grabbed and touched him. He sang the line “together we cry” and reached out to the audience in front who sang along to the same line.

Guitarist Mark Sheehan was dressed in the Irish signature plaid print pants and an accordion pleat kilt. The ginger bearded man ran up to the corner of the stage where he played his guitar solo, before throwing his pick to the crowd. The pick landed in the photographer pit where I was standing. Fans at the mosh pit were all screaming and pleading for me to give them the pick. Overwhelmed by their requests, I chucked the pick at them and 1 lucky girl managed to catch it. Although bummed about not being able to keep it, I’d to remember not to abuse UrbanWire’s editorial privileges.

When “Breakeven” came on, everyone sang along to it. The song about heart break when the girl he loves leaves him for another guy is one of the band’s top hits from their debut album The Script, and was certified double platinum in US and Australia. The band then played “Science & Faith”, followed by their breakout single “The man who can’t be moved”, that skyrocketed them to fame in their eponymous album.

Midway through the concert, O’Donoghue, Sheehan, and Power endeared themselves to their fans further, by dressing up as locals. They put on sarongs and straw hats to take a photo with the wild crowd behind as a memento. It’s “their thing”, something they do in every country they visit. The photo was then posted on their Twitter account with the tweet “Singapore, the long awaited pic! Best crowd ever! Skirts and hats! Big love.” After the photo was taken, they threw the hats and sarongs into the crowd. The fans went for them like bloodthirsty predators after their prey.

Before starting on the acoustic performance of the song “I’m Yours”, O’Donoghue revealed, “I wrote it 4 o’clock in the morning when I was broke and drunk and all I had was my guitar.” The sight of the audience waving their phone lights made it a very intimate and beautiful moment.

Ending the concert with “For The First Time”, their #4 top single from their second studio album Science & Faith, The Script left the stage while their fans continued singing. In what seemed like just a minute after they were gone, Danny managed to magically appear in the middle aisle among the sitting crowd singing “You Won’t Feel”. You have to hand it to O’Donoghue who really knows how to mingle with and please his fans.

The Script finished their encore performance with the much anticipated “Hall of Fame”. The collaboration with rapper from The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, on their third album, #3, topped the UK charts and stayed there for 2 weeks, a first for the band. What an awesome end to the concert!