Photos by Abigail Blascovich
Gary Lightbody introduced Snow Patrol’s final two songs of their set at Brooklyn Paramount as a quite one (“What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” and a loud one “Just Say Yes.” That sort of balance of songs — loud and quiet, big and small, old and new — defined the night. At times, it could have been multiple different bands on stage song to song, musically diverse but subtly woven together by Lightbody’s tender voice.
Eight albums and nearly thirty years later, Snow Patrol has survived numerous member shifts maintained a devout fanbase that clearly love them for more than just radio hits like “Chasing Cars” and “Run.” Singalongs during “Shut Your Eyes” and the aforementioned “Just Say Yes” were eagerly welcomed. During quieter songs, fans hushed chatter in the crowd to make sure even the back of the sold-out venue could hear Lightbody’s words.
The dynamic pacing was complimented by a vibrant, dynamic light and visual show that accented, but never overpowered the instrumentation on stage. Projections of the band on stage were cut between filmed visualizers behind the band’s five on-stage members. A venue like Brooklyn Paramount — epic, majestic and huge — was the perfect home for the show.
New songs like “All,” “The Beginning” and “Talking About Hope” from 2024’s The Forest Is the Path felt special to hear live with Lightbody’s added spoken context, but there is something unmatched and truly magical about hearing Snow Patrol’s transcendent songs of the past few decades live. The setlist sequencing excellently melded the full repertoire together.
For the final two songs, it was beautiful to see the starry eyes looking to the stage during “What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” mold into bright smiles for “Just Say Yes.” The Forest Is the Path is clearly already embedded in the minds of fans and tied to memories the same way songs from the likes of Final Straw and Eyes Open are. It’s an exciting thing when a band known for music from a certain era captivate fans with new songs, and it will be even more exciting to see what new tricks Snow Patrol has up their sleeves when they return to New York for the next one.
