The Script – State Theatre – Minneapolis MN – April 5th 2022
Presented by Live Nation
Review and photos by Patrick Dunn
The Script – Greatest Hits Tour 2022
There are two variables that are necessary for a band to be in a position to release a greatest hits album. In the case of Irish pop rock trio, The Script, they have plenty of material with six studio albums to their credit, but the more critical element they have attained is having enough tunes from their catalog that have also captured significant commercial success. Their chosen collection of these exceptional songs was released in October 2021 and is cleverly titled “Tales from The Script”. The “Greatest Hits Tour” now underway in support of this release made a Twin Cities stop at the State Theatre on April 5th and it truly was a celebration that felt like it had greater significance than being just another night of live music.
While the setlist each night has been static, a key variable that can elevate The Script’s performance from show to show has to do with how engaged an audience chooses to become and how well they are able to take part in the conversation that fuels these driven rockers. Minneapolis fans exceled on both fronts and helped produce what I expect will be one of the more memorable shows for the band and all who were lucky enough to have been present.
The Script’s quest to engage the audience appears to be very intentional and is clearly led by lead vocalist / keyboardist Danny O’Donoghue, who effectively makes his way around all parts of the stage and performs to all sections of the crowd. The band creatively adapted song arrangements to facilitate getting up close and personal with fans like O’Donoghue sitting at the edge of the stage for a scaled down intro to “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, which sparked some of the crowds best singing along of the night. An even more extreme example of audience interaction happened when the Trio came down onto the main floor and settled a quarter way up the aisle for a 3-song section that was a standout.
With the crowd now completely along for the ride, they returned to the stage for some of the evening’s hardest rocking moments during “Something Unreal” and “Paint the Town Green”. The audience remained on there feet throughout the performance and O’Donoghue was fully aware calling out “I see all you people towards the back having as much fun as those right here up front.” Finally, a strategic choice to close the set with one of their biggest hits “For the First Time” was brilliant as the band ended up exiting the stage while the audience continued to chant, “Oh, these times are hard – Yeah, they’re making us crazy – Don’t give up on me, baby.”
The Script returned to the stage for a triumphant 3-song encore featuring “Breakeven”. I made a point while up in the balcony to scan the audience and take a temperature check on the overall vibe and ended up seeing so many signs of joy with people singing, dancing, hugging and one group of five friends was locked arm in arm swaying back and forth to the groove. It was the most organically normal crowd scene I’ve experienced since the return of live music.
O’Donoghue addressed the audience one final time acknowledging how much they aided in the show’s overall outcome, “I could already tell how good tonight was going to be just by your reaction to Calum Scott” who delivered a fantastic opening set. He asked fans to hold up their cell phone lights to help set the perfect mood for “Hall of Fame”.
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Setlist:
Superheroes
Rain
We Cry
I Want It All
The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
Before the Worst
The Last Time
If You Could See Me Now (Acoustic)
Nothing (Acoustic)
Never Seen Anything “Quite Like You” (Acoustic)
Something Unreal
Science & Faith
Talk You Down
Paint the Town Green
For the First Time
Encore:
No Good in Goodbye
Breakeven
Hall of Fame
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