As the band took the stage under shadow, cheers erupted from the audience, the air turning electric with anticipation and excitement. As I gripped my camera, I felt my ears pricking to catch their opening notes and my eyes probing the darkness for Danny O’Donoghue, The Script’s lead vocalist, to send the first words of “Superheroes” out into the crowd.
The Irish rock band performed at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Sept. 10 as part of their “Satellites World Tour.” Originally formed in 2001 in Dublin, the band is best known for their early 2000s hit singles “Hall of Fame” (featuring will.i.am) and “Breakeven.” “Satellites” is their first album since the passing of founding member and lead guitarist, Mark Sheehan, in 2023. The band now consists of O’Donoghue, Glen Power on drums, Benjamin Sargent on bass and Ben Weaver on guitar. Native San Franciscan band Analog Dog opened the show with a setlist driven by the psychedelic pop soundscapes of the 90s.
When Power, Sargent and Weaver took their places on stage, the crowd leaned forward, all senses heightened. O’Donoghue emerged in a bedazzled black blazer to greet the tangible buzz emanating from the hall after a few notes into the first song. Striding energetically across the stage, he pumped up sections of the crowd, pointing his microphone toward them and inviting them to join in during the chorus. After a rendition of “Rain,” the band performed the first track from the new album, “Both Ways,” one of my personal favorites. With its snappy, conversational verses, whistling, electrical guitar and upbeat chorus, it’s exactly the sort of song you’d want to hear on a day at the beach in summer.
The band was always sure to include the audience in the show. At the request of an audience member, they performed “At Your Feet” earlier than expected: “We’ll do it for you, mate,” O’Donoghue noted, launching into the gentle rock song.
The most memorable part of the show was the introduction to “Before the Worst” — a song about O’Donoghue’s nostalgia after a breakup with his girlfriend — for which O’Donoghue requested members of the audience to call their exes, and the first that picked up would be serenaded by none other than him. The crowd sang along to amplify the message, thrilled at the antics. Fans screamed with glee when the phone call turned to FaceTime, revealing the face of the unfortunate “piece of shit” — as he was called in the audience member’s contacts and by O’Donoghue himself.
The Script also proudly displayed their pride in their Irish heritage with a performance of “Paint the Town Green.”
“Any Irish in the house?” O’Donoghue called out as he was stepping off stage.
He then walked along the pit before the crowd, showing off his prowess with a bodhrán, a traditional Irish drum held in one hand and beat with a small stick called a cipín. Meanwhile, the other three band members marched with large bass drums strapped to their shoulders and broad grins on their faces. The song turned into a tribute to celebrating one’s homeland, with fists rising and hands clapping to the invigorating rhythms.
As the music dwindled down and the band left the stage the crowd became one voice, chanting the lyrics from “For the First Time.” “Oh, these times are hard/Yeah, they’re making us crazy/Don’t give up on me, baby,” they sang as a call for an encore. Returning to the sounds of whooping and applause, O’Donoghue remarked, “I’m having too much fun,” before jumping into “Home Is Where the Hurt Is.”
The encore was the powerhouse of the performance, rooted in the band’s core truth: there’s always a way to move forward. “Dedicate yourself and you gon’ find yourself standing in the hall of fame,” they sang in the closing number, “Hall of Fame.” It was like drinking liquid adrenaline, to hear such an iconic song with all the life and intensity it champions.
Especially after their performance, I am all the more convinced that The Script is a band that will stand strong through the years. Their forever-relevant messages, persistence to spread positivity through their lyrics and a timeless fortitude through their melodies are all reasons why they’ve come so far. As tough as they may seem, there’s a fearless vulnerability that always shines through, setting them apart from the rest of the music world. Their words are free of anger, regret and pessimism, replaced instead by laudable aspiration and ambition — true role models of the times.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective opinions, thoughts and critiques.
