Ear-­to-­ear smiles, gushing praise and near­-constant arm flailing and jumping jacks. And that's just the headliners. Crowd reaction might be the standard barometer for a show's success but, on this drizzly July eve, the joy on the faces of the performers says it all. Beaming back at the gathered, soggy thousands, Florence and Mr. Lightbody (neither strangers to a monster show), seem moved by the scale, running out of superlatives before they run out of songs.
The third of this week's Phoenix Park events sees the likes of Bressie and The Temper Trap take to the stage before the sun sinks down the sky but, really, everyone seems to be here to see one girl play with her Machine. Finally, Florence glides onstage in a silk number that '70s Bowie would have been proud of and announces her arrival by making full use those lungs. We'd wager the flame­haired singer can be heard in Cabra. Tonight's performance draws heavily on her second album Ceremonials with sprinklings of the debut tunes that made her name. 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)' and 'Dog Days Are Over' have lost none of their power through over- familiarity, whilst newie 'Never Let Me Go' has an altogether lighter touch, a meditative delicateness that lets the crowd catch its breath.
All the while, Florence spins around in the spotlight and shakes wildly. By the end, having joined her thunderous rhythm section, she quite literally bangs the drums. A theme is emerging in these Phoenix Park shows. Strong of voice, she does veer wildly off­-key on a few occasions (another theme?) but its endearing rather than detrimental – Florence is lost in the moment. And the crowd seem smitten, with one sign asking if she wants to 'Shake It Up' post-­show.
She might have taken the offer up, because she makes her exit after a mere hour, the one disappointment for a crowd eager for more. Lest we forget, Snow Patrol are waiting in the wings. 'Hearts Open' finds Gary duetting with Nathan Connolly, setting the arm­around­your mate tone for the rest of the evening, whilst 'Take Back The City' is a rollicking statement of intent. They seem to have appropriated Coldplay's stadium ­gigs-­done-­in-­a-­humble-­manner style and, while the 'mobiles aloft' thing can be cloying, it seems to be working for them.
By the time 'Run' arrives (still their finest work), Gary Lightbody is having a moment. "It just keeps getting better and better in Ireland," he gushes, dedicating it to the entire country, "North, South, East and West". A girl nearby whimpers "but we're from the Midlands!" A rookie mistake that Chris Martin wouldn't have made there, Gary. 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' is typically gorgeous though, with Maria Doyle Kennedy sharing vocal duties, while the intro guitar line to 'Chasing Cars' causes a skinhead in front to pump his fist and shout 'yes!'. It's a more eclectic crowd than you'd imagine. From there, there aren't many more anthemic places to go, and the Fallen Empires material, bar 'Called Out In The Dark', fails to ignite. The techno of the title track is out of place, 'This Isn't Everything You Are' is fridge-­magnet mawkish. Perhaps we overload on sentiment. The encore arrives quickly, with Lightbody getting emotional and dragging his dad over, a nod to family he seems to do most shows these days. And 'Lifening', which amounts to a one-­note, contented smile, isn't the best soundtrack to an arduous trek back across the deepest mud imaginable. "This is all I ever wanted from life" he sings. Me? I'd settle for a cheap taxi.