Snow Patrol • March 28, 2025 • The Union Events Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Snow Patrol is a band that I have had on my list of bands I’d love to cover for quite some time. On Mar 28, 2025, I was finally able to cross Gary Lightbody and the fellas off that list. Snow Patrol played a hit-filled show at The Union Events Center in Salt Lake City on their North American Tour. I was so excited to not only be in the photo pit for the first three songs but to watch this band perform.
Before I get to the concert itself, I want to share an experience I had in the photo pit. As I mentioned, as is typical protocol, I was set to take photos for the first three songs of Snow Patrol’s set. I attached my lens, turned on my camera, and got ready to shoot. But as soon as the concert started I noticed there was some issue with my camera. With shooting time so limited, my anxiety began to grow as I couldn’t get my memory card to be recognized by my camera. I tried my spare cards, and none of them would work. One song went by, and I had yet to take a single shot.
As the second song concluded, I finally walked up to a fellow photographer to ask if they had any idea what was going on since we have the same brand of camera. They couldn’t figure it out either, but they graciously gave me a different type of memory card, and that worked! Fortunately, I was able to shoot the third song. I appreciate the photographer community and those who look out for one another. Anyway, enough of my drama, on to the good stuff!
While I was dealing with camera issues, I was still able to focus on what was happening on stage. This show started off with a bang. Snow Patrol dove right in with a couple of my favorite songs of theirs. Opening with “Take Back The City” and “Chocolate” had the Union crowd roaring. What a way to start off a show. It says a lot about Snow Patrol’s catalog. They can play such big songs and have plenty of other greats to perform later in the show.
I left the photo pit and found my place to get settled in the crowd. Just as I got situated, Snow Patrol played another combo of huge songs. “Crack the Shutters” and “Run” back to back?! Are you kidding me? I love those songs. Hearing a packed venue sing the chorus to “Run” must not only be an incredible experience for the band but one of those moments that makes live music so great. The band was in great form as these songs sounded as fresh as the day they were released.
As Gary Lightbody addressed the crowd, he shared that he was glad people were enjoying hearing their hits but assured the audience that Snow Patrol was not a “legacy band”. That they still had music to make. Snow Patrol released The Forest is The Path in March of this year. They creatively weaved songs from this album throughout the set. Songs like “All”, “The Beginning” and “Talking About Hope” fit right in with the set and encapsulated the Snow Patrol sound. The songs seemed well-received by the audience.
The audience rose to a new level when Snow Patrol played what I would assume is their biggest hit, “Chasing Cars. I know that as much as I love so much of their catalog, I couldn’t help but really get into this song. I really enjoyed the live version. There’s an extra energy between the band and crowd during this song, and I was so happy to be there for it.
The concert felt like it went by so fast. Before we knew it, Snow Patrol was on their last song. “Just Say Yes” is, in some ways, a departure from other Snow Patrol songs. It feels like synth is much more prevalent. In some ways, it’s a total dance track. But it still sounds like Snow Patrol. The style of the song is so fitting as a closer for a concert. People were dancing and singing along in a different way than they had the rest of the night. It brought an excellent set to a close and the audience, including myself, seemed more than satisfied by what we had just experienced.
