Out and About: Snow Patrol @ Stubb's

There's nothing quite like having concert tickets months in advance, waiting what seems to be an endless amount of time before the show finally rolls around. That's how it felt waiting for Snow Patrol to get here.  Known for a slight rocker edge to some really good love ballads, we knew it would be a fun, romantic night under the stars at this great venue. We lucked out with beautiful weather, and had such a great time.

We started the evening early with some pre-show grub at Easy Tiger. We stuck with what had impressed us before- pretzels with beer cheese and the New Yorker platter. Hunk ventured out and tried one of their house made sausage as well, to good reviews. We were blown away our first visit there, so it was slightly disappointing that everything from the pretzels to the service seemed to have dipped down a tad bit in quality. The pretzel was overcooked, the corned beef was way too fatty, and our server was far too occupied with tables outside to provide us attentive service inside. Hopefully that is all due to growing pains, as they had a pretty packed house. We'll go back, but they'll have to get their act together if it's to continue in our usual rotation.

Next we made the short jaunt to Stubb's, careful to avoid the Salvation Army a block away. That's my only complaint about this venue- there is an awful lot of loitering in the area. Definitely not a place you should be walking by yourself. We got to the show a little early, grabbed a beer, and found a good spot in the back on a slight incline so that we'd have a good view of the stage. I don't remember the name of the opening act, and his act really wasn't all that memorable. He had a great voice, but it's hard to carry a show when you're just one guy on the stage. It just felt a little too mellow for me. The crazy work week was taking it's toll, and it would have been nice to hear something a little more upbeat if anything- just to stay awake.

Finally, Snow Patrol came on. The first 5 or 6 songs were easily recognizable, reminding me how many songs they really have. I guess I don't always realize how often you hear them on the radio. The middle part of the show was a little on the mellow side, but still good. They sounded great live, always a plus. The last few songs picked up the pace, and got everyone awake and moving again. I loved it. One of their songs is one of "our songs", and there's nothing like getting to hear it live.

If you haven't had a chance to see a show at Stubb's, I highly recommend it. You see people of all ages, and there's hardly a bad "seat" in the house. When the weather cooperates, there's no better place to see an outdoor show, in my humble opinion. Fortunately, we'll be back in just a couple of short weeks for The Head and the Heart...should be another great show!!