BEFORE THE band they came to see even made an appearance, 50,000 fans of The Script broke out in song in front of an empty stage, urged on by an electric atmosphere that pulsed through Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday night.
It was that type of night where every song played seemed to hit exactly the right note, meaning that even a recording of Adele's S omeone Like Youbecame an on- the-spot anthem for the excited crowd.
It seemed odd to think that the headline act about to take the stage was a trio of Dublin musicians who had released their first song less than five years previously. After a meteoric rise Saturday night’s 55,000-ticket sell-out “homecoming show” means the only Irish bands to have had bigger concerts in Ireland are U2 and Westlife.
The anticipation was evident on the streets long before the first support act took the stage at 6.30pm.
“The moment it went four o’clock we were out the door,” said Marta Jankowska, who, along with her friend Iwona Szponarska, had been counting down the seconds until they could finish work and start getting ready.
“I really like their music; it’s their lyrics, their lyrics are really great,” said Marta.
For Dayna Whelan and Lauren Reddington, both aged 14, it was a case of getting to the Aviva by any means necessary.
That meant Dayna’s father Paul travelling from Nenagh in Tipperary to pick the two girls up at their homes in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, before bringing them to Dublin.
Unfortunately for Paul, Dayna realised mid-trip that she had forgotten the all-important ticket, forcing them to double back and leave the family home an hour after her dad had first collected them.
It all seemed worth it, however, as they readied themselves to go in, hoping that The Script played their favourite song Scienceand Faith.
The Script was not the only band that had concertgoers excited. Frank Bennett from Baldoyle in Dublin said that while his girlfriend was there to see the headline act, he was looking forward to The Coronas, who were the first support act on stage.
Frank was clearly not alone as thousands filtered in early, basking in the evening sunshine that flooded the stadium.
As a sign of things to come, the fact that The Coronas' lead singer, Danny O'Reilly, briefly forgot the name of their new song Addicted to Progressonly seemed to add to the fun.
Following The Coronas’ 45- minute performance, second on stage was London rapper Tinie Tempah.
While a British hip-hop artist might seem like an odd choice to place between two Dublin bands, the crowd did not have any difficulty in switching to his quick-tempoed melodies as the sun began to dip and excitement built for the main event.
When it came, The Script took to the stage amid deafening cheers, which they elicited from the crowd countless times throughout the performance, at one point leading to a minute-long standing ovation following the band's rendition of their hit single The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
Between lead singer Danny O’Donoghue’s many trips down into the “pit” area in front of the stage and producing a Tricolour for their last song, the show very much captured the homecoming theme and the crowd responded to it.
“Absolutely loved it,” said Madel Burke from Ballyfermot, Dublin, after the concert.
“I was at one other where they guested with Take That but was way better, brilliant,” she added.
It was a sentiment echoed by others walking out of the Aviva when it all finished up about 11pm.
“Very good – Breakeven was probably the best song they had but it was all great,” said Dan Davern from Swords, whose girlfriend Michelle Deegan (also from Swords) agreed.
“It was the first time I’d seen them and I thought it was excellent.”