- Irish Band The Script Rocks Manila for the Fourth time.
- This was part of the Asian leg of their Freedom Child Tour.
Back in 2015, they made a promise with their Filipino fans that they will be back. And they sure did kept their promise as the Irish pop rock band The Script rocks Manila for the fourth time last April 14, 2018 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The band stopped by the Philippines as part of the Asian leg of their Freedom Child Tour.
The Irish band, led by vocalist and keyboardist Danny O’Donoghue with lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power, was formed back in 2007 in Dublin, Ireland. The band’s second single, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, which was released on 15 September 2008, became one of their most successful hits and even became certified platinum in the United States, with over a million sales. This was followed by another hit single “Breakeven”, which was certified Platinum in the United Kingdon and Multi-Platinum in the U.S (with more than 2 Million certified sales). “Hall Of Fame”, the lead single from their album #3, was a worldwide #1 single with over 5 million sales, 133 million YouTube views, and over 100 million Spotify plays.
Other hit singles from the band include “For the First Time”, “Nothing” and “Superheroes”, with their next three albums, Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014) all topping the album charts in Ireland and the UK, while “Science & Faith” reaching number three in the US.
They have played in sold-out arena shows in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia including 2 shows at London’s O2 arena. They also received multiple recognitions, including three Meteor Ireland Music Awards and two World Music Awards and have received two Brit Award nominations.
Although they went to a nearly year-long unannounced hiatus, their legions of fans welcomed them with open arms as they return with their latest album last year, entitled Freedom Child. This is also the name of their concert tour, which started last September 2017.
The Asian leg of the tour was presented by Midas Promotions, South East Asia’s leading live music promoter. This is the fourth time that The Script visited the Philippines and serenaded their Filipino fans.
This also marks the second time that the band performed at the Mall of Asia Arena (their first two concerts here in the country were both held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum).
Fans have been clamoring for the band since they’re got a big fan base here. So upon the announcement of the band’s return to the country last October 2017, everyone has been eager to see them perform live here in Manila that tickets got sold-out just days after they’ve been released.
Ticket prices were at P12,000 (VIP Experience); P8,500 (VIP); P7,500 (Patron); P6,000 (Lower Box A); P4,000 (Lower Box B); P2,500 (Upper Box) and P1,000 (GA). The VIP Experience included a Top price seated ticket, Exclusive 2018 tour VIP gift, The Script 2018 tour VIP tote bag, a signed 2018 tour programme and a Commemorative VIP laminate & custom lanyard.
They opened the show with an impressive performance of their hit single “Superheroes” that set everyone inside the Arena on fire. The number was coupled with a fantastic display of dancing lights matching their music.
They immediately followed it with “Rock the World”, the fourth song from their album Freedom Child. The whole Arena was filled with the color green, a reference to the band’s Irish roots, as they sing “Paint The Town Green.” Danny O’Donoghue showcased his amazing voice with a soulful acapella rendition of the first stanza of the song “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” before the band started playing the rest of the song. The Arena, which was packed by fans of all ages, roared when the band performed their other beloved hits, such as “Nothing”, “If You Could See Me Now”, “For the First Time” and “If You Ever Come Back”.
Just like their concert back in 2015 when they had a bit of Pacquiao-Mayweather role-playing, the band took a break during one part of the show to try something weird and crazy: riding some Bamboo bicycles on stage and taking photos with them.
One of the best parts of every concert of The Script were the audience interactions, as Danny and the band are known for mingling with the audiences during their live performances and obviously, the crowd loves it when they do.
So it is no surprise that the whole crowd went wild when the group decided to leave the stage and joined the audiences in the Patron area of the Arena to sing the song “Never Seen Anything Quite Like You”.
But it looks like Danny really enjoyed hanging out with the crowd because after the lights went out inside the whole Arena, Danny popped out of the Lower Box A area with the spotlight on, shooting himself on a Go Pro camera while singing “The Energy Never Dies” as lucky fans got to touch and hug him, with others snatching some selfies.
The band also sang other songs from their new album like “Wonders”, “Arms Open”, “No Man Is An Island”, and “Rain”. But when the group abruptly ended the show and bid goodbye to the audiences, the whole Arena clamored for the band for more.
So Danny and the crew went back on stage to perform some more of their hit singles, “No Good in Goodbye” and “Breakeven”. One of the highlights of the night was when the Arena was filled with a galaxy of lights as the audiences raise their phones with their flashlights on to sing along with the band when they finished the show with an emotional performance of their hit single “Hall of Fame”.
“The only way we can thank you is to keep coming back again and again,” says Danny as they bid their final goodbyes to the audience.
Well, I guess every one of us will be looking forward to watch them perform live here in Manila again. It was indeed an unforgettable night for everyone.
The two-hour show of sights and sounds and the roller coaster of emotions were worth the two-year wait from their last visit here in Manila. I, for one, will always relive each moment of that night every time I hear their music.
With their awesome music and amazing talent on full display all throughout the night, The Script proved once again that they are worthy of the success that they have now and they have rightfully earned their position, standing in their Hall of Fame.
