Scotland’s own Nina Nesbitt was thrilled to be performing in Glasgow on a Friday night, though, as she told the crowd, she almost didn’t make it. A landslide on the West Coast Main Line nearly derailed her appearance, but thanks to a last-minute sprint—helped by a chance meeting with audience members Keith and Jacqueline from Hexham—she arrived just in time.

Resplendent in a flowing white dress and tartan repurposed from a recent Burns supper, Nesbitt’s set was defined by her impressive use of alternately tuned guitars. While she admitted this approach made writing her latest album, Mountain Music, easier, she joked about the logistical challenges of touring with so many instruments. Nonetheless, her seamless transitions between them showcased her artistic prowess and songwriting skills, particularly on the tracks from this new album that dominated her support slot.

Opening with Pages, she then dedicated Mansion to all the beautiful ladies in the audience. Anger picked up the pace with its anthemic, Sam Fender-esque chorus, earning nods of approval when she sang, “Oh, you told me I’m not pretty when I swear. Well, fuck you.”

By the midway point, the Hydro was full, with plenty of love for the band she’s touring with. She dedicated Good Years, her single released that very day, to Snow Patrol before delivering a heartfelt cover of Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia—a perfect opportunity for camera lights to fill the arena. She closed with I’m Driving Home, an ode to returning to Glasgow, leaving the crowd with a sense that tonight, Nina Nesbitt was truly home.

It has been six years since Snow Patrol’s last album, Wildness, and the accompanying tour. With the release of The Forest is the Path, the band is back on the road across Europe, but tonight in Glasgow feels like a true homecoming. As frontman Gary Lightbody tells the enthralled crowd, the band spent 14 years in Scotland—including a decade in Glasgow—where the city’s vibrant music scene helped shape them.

Appropriately, they open with the anthemic Take Back the City. Lightbody is in fine voice, quickly captivating the sold-out crowd and conducting them with ease. Chocolate, from their 2003 breakthrough album The Final Straw, follows, before the 2011 track Called Out in the Dark sees Lightbody leading the crowd in an a cappella chorus. The new song All is One is introduced with the caveat that the audience might not know it, but they sing along with enthusiasm regardless.

Ironically, it’s Lightbody who forgets the opening words to Crack the Shutters. Demonstrating his easy showmanship and humour, he tells the lighting crew not to dim the spotlight so he can sit in his shame. The second attempt is flawless, and the crowd cheers him on with warm support.

A huge, digitised Martha Wainwright appears projected behind the band for the melancholic Set the Fire to the Third Bar. Her haunting vocals blend seamlessly with Lightbody’s, creating a moment so powerful it feels as though she is there in person.

The beautifully melodic Run sounds as fresh as it did 25 years ago when it was written in this very city. Lightbody dedicates it to Glasgow, and as the arena lights up with swaying mobile phones, an emotional connection is cemented between the band and their audience.

A sheer curtain falls in front of the stage, creating a visually stunning backdrop for the recent single The Beginning and The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?). As a digital tree grows and then disintegrates into confetti-like leaves, swirling in Kandinsky-esque hurricanes, the band’s ethereal melodies and haunting vocals match the striking imagery perfectly.

Their note-perfect performance is all the more impressive considering that pianist and guitarist Johnny McDaid recently underwent surgery after getting his hand caught in a train door. Despite this, he plays flawlessly, never missing a beat.

Open Your Eyes provides another chance for the enthusiastic Glasgow crowd to join in, its anthemic finish raising the energy in the arena even further. During Make This Go On Forever, the audience mistakenly cheers for what they believe is the song’s finale, prompting Lightbody to joke that it has more endings than The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—and they’re not quite there yet.

The crowd remains engaged as old favourite Shut Your Eyes and the new track Everything’s Here and Not Lost keep the momentum going. But it’s Chasing Cars—the most-played song of the 2000s—that truly unites the audience. With every hand in the air and thousands singing along, the song still resonates as powerfully as ever.

High-energy singalong favourite You’re All I Have provides a fitting finale, but the night isn’t over yet. As the band returns for the encore, Lightbody beams, “For crying out loud, Glasgow, you’ve done it again. Unbelievable!” They close the show with the new song But I’ll Keep Trying and fan-favourite Just Say Yes.

As Lightbody recalls, when he arrived in Glasgow earlier this week, he felt baptised by the Glasgow rain and thought, “This is fucking Glasgow.” And indeed, tonight is a celebration of everything that makes this city, and its music, so special. Snow Patrol has returned home—and Glasgow can’t wait to welcome them back again.

Images: John Younge

Words: Marie Hendry