KEY POINTS:
Mumbling his way through the opening three songs, it seemed this was not going to be Gary Lightbody's night. The internal sighs of the audience were palpable as the Irish soft rockers began a lacklustre performance of unfamiliar, old material.
It can't be easy for the band, who formed more than ten years ago, but are known primarily for their recent contributions to medical drama soundtracks. The Irish quintet have released four albums since 1998 but it was last year's platinum-selling Eyes Open that thrust the band into the pop rock stratosphere, which ultimately led to Thursday night's sell out show.
The problem is, boys, you might think your old stuff's good, but nobody else did. So it's probably not the best idea to spend the first 20 minutes of your concert serenading the crowd with tracks they've never heard.
Fortunately, first impressions can be deceiving, and as the evening progressed, Lightbody proved he is every inch the showman you never knew he was.
Turning to the crowd after the track How to be Dead, Lightbody cocked his head to one side and said, "Sorry, about that. I was just so relaxed I was thinking, 'this is great. I'm having a great time... oh s**t, what are the words?' At least I can guarantee that was a completely unique performance."
Later, he told the crowd of his plans to jump off "that stick with a doughnut on it" [SkyTower], before dedicating the hit song Chasing Cars to "surviving your own suicide". It would seem the band are as sick of that song as everyone else is, burying it in the middle of their set.
Comic banter aside, the night really came alive when Lightbody made the impromptu decision to perform a solo rendition of the duet Set the Fire to the Third Bar - normally performed with Martha Wainwright.
The track show cased Lightbody's spectacular vocal range, silencing the entranced crowd, and marked the point at which the concert should have begun. Following up with Run, All That I Have and Ways and Means, Lightbody mesmerised with his powerful vocals and frenzied spangle movements.
An encore comprising The Finish Line, Open Your Eyes and Hands Open ended the night in an epic fashion and showed that great things do come from small beginnings.
