Snow in Hamburg

Snow in Hamburg

Irish-Scottish band Snow Patrol plays at the heart of beer country

By Paul John Caña, Contributor  When I found out that Snow Patrol was having a show here in Hamburg, I knew I had to be there. Financial resources were limited and time was short, but I knew I had to at least hear Gary Lightbody’s voice live, even if I couldn’t see him in the flesh. I arrived with a friend at the venue, the open air Stadtark Freilichtbruhne, at a few minutes past 8 p.m. Already, I could hear Lightbody’s unmistakable wailings wafting through the crisp summer air. Upon the advise of several German friends, we tried showing our press IDs at the gate in the hopes of being granted entrance. Unfortunately, we were shutout as we needed to be on a pre-approved media list. Outside, my friend and I contemplated our fate and tried to decide what to do next. This German guy suddenly comes up to us and tries to sell us two tickets for the show at the regular ticket price: 36.60 euros (roughly P2,500). The show had already started and we figured the price was too high so we said no. We noticed the guy try to sell the tickets to somebody else, and saw they didn’t bite also. The guy then came back to us and tries to sell us the tickets for 20 euros (about P1540). My friend and I looked at each other and thought it was still too pricey. Then the guy suddenly told us, “Okay Merry Christmas” then shoves the tickets in our hands. We were too stunned to say anything but “Are you serious?” But then the guy was already making his way inside. I tried to drag my feet out from being plastered to the street and we finally went inside. Talk about being lucky. The Stadtpark is a cozy little open-air amphitheater bounded by tall hedges on all sides and the stage in front. The venue was packed as we slowly made ourselves in. Men and women were lugging their beers around and chugging them while singing along to the band. Onstage, vocalist and guitarist Lightbody, guitarist Nathan Connolly, bass player Paul Wilson, drummer Jonny Quinn and keyboardist Tom Simpson were already pumped up, trying to work the crowd. Unfortunately, except for a few pockets of slightly inebriated Hamburgers (the people, not the sandwich), the crowd was mostly quiet, clapping politely and throwing the occasional whoops of approval. It is in this respect that I felt proud of us Pinoys as concertgoers: we always know how to “make some noise” and give it up to make bands and artists feel special and welcome. Despite the slightly better than tepid response from the crowd, the band put on a decent performance. While I am not exactly an expert in the whole Snow Patrol discography, I felt appreciative of the fact that they performed many of the songs that I was familiar with: “Open Your Eyes,” “Run,” “Take Back the City,” “Hands Open,” “Make This Go On Forever,” “You’re All I Have,” and of course arguably their biggest hit (at least in syrupy-songs obsessed Manila) “Chasing Cars.” With couples embracing and kissing and everyone singing along to the song that proved to be a definite highlight of the show. Throughout, Lightbody kept making cracks about the gigantic balloons shaped like beer bottles on either side of the stage. Beer was freely sold inside by guys wearing backpacks that dispensed the spirit onto plastic cups. One guy was also going around the crowd selling pastries in a huge breadbasket. The singer noted that it was hard not to notice the basket floating around the mostly blond heads of the audience. The band performed five encores, much to the audience’s delight. Lightbody’s voice is exactly as it is on the record: commanding and gentle, provocative and sweet. Besides the anemic audience response, I thought it was still a fantastic show. I suppose you can put a price tag on the experience of seeing a concert by a band you like in a European city, but to see one unexpectedly without shelling out a single cent (euro or otherwise), that’s priceless.