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A perfect Script

The Script
Hard Rock Cafe
Orlando, FL
October 8, 2011

THe Script

Story and photos by Nick Masuda

If you listened intently, you could hear the shrieks of scared teenagers next door at Universal Orlando's popular thrill-fest "Halloween Horror Nights."

A mere 500 yards away, the only thing that was frightening was how scary good The Script was in its impressive performance at the sold-out Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando on Saturday night.

Playing in front of a crowd that was stuck in a driving tropical storm outside of the venue prior to the show, The Script - and openers Hot Chelle Rae - gave fans an 85-minute reprieve from Mother Nature with a performance that was one part visual and sensory overload and one part incredible restraint.

The Dublin-based indie rock band, led by frontman Danny O'Donoghue and guitarist/vocalist Mark Sheehan, didn't make the show about themselves, but about the screaming room of 30somethings - most of which were women.

O'Donoghue gave those admiring women an immediate gift, hopping into the front row of fans during the set's third song, letting the overjoyed women complete the lyrics of 'We Cry.' While the pit security looked a bit concerned, O'Donoghue was completely in his element, purely enjoying the fact that dozens of hands were reaching out to just touch him and that his fans knew the words to a song that has never hit the radio.

What stood out about the set was how the band mixed its popular songs with ones that were simply built for a live show.

They used their hits like 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' - a sing-a-long hit that left O'Donoghue sitting at the base of the drummer's platform shaking his head in amazement and Sheehan claiming that the crowd's singing left his "hair standing" on his very bald head - and 'Breakeven' - the band's most popular iTunes download - to keep the crowd roaring and engaged. During these songs, you saw a muted light show behind the band, concentrating much more on the lyrics and delivery of the song. This showed a tremendous restraint that most bands cannot, or will not, show during a live gig.

That doesn't mean the band didn't have its sensory-overload moments. At times, the lighting was blinding and slightly distracting, but it fit with songs like 'Science & Faith' and 'Dead Man Walking' - the latter complete with chalk outlines on the huge screen behind the band, with each outline playing an instrument. It was quite amusing.

Two of the most impressive moments Saturday occurred without any vocals or pomp and circumstance. Before the first song, Sheehan came on the stage by himself, playing his electric guitar in front of a back-lit, white spotlight. He crawled on his knees at the outset and eventually rose to his feet, staring right into the white light while waiting for his bandmates to join him on stage. It signaled something unusual in that it didn't seem like O'Donoghue or Sheehan ever fought for attention on stage, as they seemed comfortable as a complement to each other.

Sheehan might have been outdone by drummer Glen Power, who took the stage in the first song of the encore, rapping a marching-band-like drum strapped to him on his shoulders. Power had been mostly subdued throughout the night, so seeing him take centerstage during 'This = Love' was surprising and unexpected.

And so was Saturday night's performance, as the band proved that there might be a perfect Script for a great live show after all.

The Script - Concert review - Nashville, TN - November 2009