“All it does is rain” sang The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue, a mere 2 songs into the set at Halifax’s Piece Hall. It could not have been more apt. All evening the weather had done its best to dampen the enthusiasm of the 6,000-strong sold-out crowd. It was going to take more than 3 solid hours of northern drizzle to keep them down though, as they sang and waved their arms in time with the chorus.
It had all started during Tom Walker’s excellent warm up set. Just moments before the Scottish-born singer walked on to the stage, it started to rain steadily and didn’t let up for the rest of the evening. Walker called out his stage crew who were frantically trying to dry the stage-front monitors and cover them in plastic, so “we don’t get electrocuted!” It all worked out well in the end as a soaking wet Brit-award winner belted away the raindrops with his powerhouse songs Leave A Light On and You And I.
A kaleidoscopic range of coloured ponchos greeted The Script as they came to the stage, soaked but stoked to see the anthemic Irish pop-rock outfit. Danny O’Donoghue waited patiently in the wings for some of the smoke to clear before striding out to the edge of the stage, soaking up the adoration of the fans along with the steady drizzle.
Danny races out of the blocks, covering the whole stage while singing Superheroes, before rolling into that most apt of songs – Rain – as the bad weather persisted. He’s an engaging performer, moving from one side of the stage to the other to make sure he’s reaching out to as many of the fans as possible.
There’s a nod back to the past with a tribute to the late Mark Sheehan, the band’s original guitarist who sadly passed away in 2023. Danny dedicates If You Could See Me Now to Mark, and it’s a touching moment, as he invites us all to think about those that we have lost along the way.
In a contrasting moment of joy though, before playing Never Seen Anything Quite Like You, Danny brings up Claire, to sit alongside him at the piano while he serenades her. However, Claire’s partner has set the whole thing up in a pre-arranged chat with the band, and proposes in front of 6,000 fans. Thankfully, she says yes, to huge cheers, and a challenge from Danny for all the other people who are thinking about popping the question. “You all need to up your game now!” he jokes, as the happy couple leave the stage.
Back to engaging all of us, Danny heads into the crowd, taking a pretty wide-ranging tour, fielding high fives and hugs all the way around the arena during Nothing. Again, it’s a testament to his desire to make sure the crowd get the best experience they can. There’s no hiding here, or reaching over the barrier. Deep into the crowd, 40-50 yards from the stage, he’s delighting some of the fans who probably thought they’d never get this close.
Before heading into the expected encore, we get a cover of Bowie’s Let’s Dance, inspired by the band’s visit to see Nile Rodgers in York (see review here). It’s an excellent cover of a classic, but the crowd are really waiting for the big finish to the set. So with phone lights aloft – or “£700 lighters”, as Danny calls them – we’re singing along and waving our arms to Breakeven and the massive Hall of Fame.
It’s a well constructed show. Hitting hard and fast to begin with, tugging at the heartstrings, and then a euphoric closer. Definitely no need to re-write this script.
