Covid was ‘f***ing hell’ – but I’ve never been more positive about the future, says Danny O’Donoghue
DANNY O’Donoghue has said the pandemic was “f***ing hell” for him — but he has never been so positive for what is ahead.
The Script took to the stage for the first time at the weekend since Covid first hit.
The band had been on tour with two sold-out dates at Dublin’s 3Arena less than a week before Leo Varadkar made the initial lockdown announcement on March 12, 2020.
Their Belfast shows were their first time back on an Irish stage and guitarist Mark Sheehan was back with the boys after having to take time off due to “family circumstances”.
Speaking to the crowd, lead singer Danny said: “What a feeling it is to be back at these shows again, looking at the whites of everybody’s eyes. What a moment. We needed it. You guys needed it.”
He added: “Because we’ve all been through f***ing hell and back. But you know what, we’re here and we made it.
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“We made it through. I’m not talking about Covid any more, I’m all about Novid, I’m all about having a good time...
“Things are finally getting back to normal, it’s a new normal but it’s a more positive normal. I’ve never been more positive about the future.
“This moment tonight will never come again . . . Life is too short to be dealing with bulls***.
“If you are not in the right job, if you’re not in the right life, if you’re not with the right person, go and find it, find what you love to do and do it till you die.”
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The 41-year-old told the Script fans at the SSE Arena in Belfast that he took a hard look at himself during the pandemic.
The singer admitted that he took a hard look at himself during the lockdown.
Speaking on stage, Danny said: “Staring at the same four walls, and eventually those four walls, turned into a prison cell, taking us away from everything we love and everything we know.
“For years and years, I was a rockstar pretending I loved myself, but I didn’t even know if I liked myself.
“I was standing looking in the mirror, I really wanted to love the person looking back at me.”
TIME FOR CHANGE
And chatting to Crossy on FM104, Danny said being forced to look at his life gave him a new perspective.
He added: “I feel if there was any good to come of it is that I got the chance to unpack a lot of things emotionally from the inside, cut down all my circle of friends down to people who really matter and people who really count, got to really decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
"Because even though I am in a rock band, people think ‘he’s in a rock band, he loves himself,’ I got to the stage where I didn’t even know if I liked myself. 'Who am I, what am I?'
"I don’t know where I was going, touring, recording, touring, recording…it sounds exotic and lovely but like everything else you can become used to it, you can become complacent.”
LOCKDOWN LOVE
He also was put to the test when he moved in with his French girlfriend Anais Naing two weeks before the lockdown hit in London.
And the move and the time when you couldn’t leave your home made him realise what he had been missing out during the height of the band’s fame.
He said: “That was a bit of a test, the test turned out that we passed with flying colours, she’s the love of my life and we’re having an amazing time.
“But to construct yourself you have to deconstruct yourself I believe, so I’ve done a lot of deconstruction about unpacking things and calling people I hadn’t called in a while.
"Making amends. I’ll be honest with you, there’s a lot of birthdays that I missed, weddings of friends that I missed, a lot of stuff in retrospect I wished I hadn’t.
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“I got a chance to rectify that and be able to put those things to bed, the things that were always in my mind.”
- The Script will return to their hometown for three nights at the 3Arena on June 14, 15 and 16. For tickets to their last Dublin show, visit ticketmaster.ie.
THE SCRIPT AT BELFAST'S SSE ARENA REVIEW
ON Sunday night, I was one of the thousands of people at the sold out Script show in Belfast.
A long-time fan of the band, I have seen them in the 3Arena, the Aviva and even Croke Park. Every time, I have had an absolute ball.
But there was something in the air last weekend for their Greatest Hits tour.
After two years of lockdowns and restrictions, it was very clear that the fans were up for a great night and so were the boys.
Kicking off the night with their hit song Superheroes, the energy was jumping from the start, with the stage lit up in colours, images and lights - not to mention a lot of confetti!
We were treated to all their classics - Breakeven, Before the Worst and Rain, as well as an acoustic version of their hit The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
After being in that Covid bubble for so long, it was gorgeous to see both the crowd and the band enjoying themselves, getting really into it.
Even though hearts collectively broke a little bit, including mine, when Danny talked about his girlfriend, everyone was full of joy on the night.
And for me, and most definitely for the people sitting in that section, a highlight had to be when the band climbed off stage, went into the seated areas and set up camp, singing three tracks while surrounded in the seats by fans.
Danny had two rules- 'don't touch my arse or rob my wallet!'
And without giving a spoiler, let's just say a few exes will be getting calls from Danny that they may not be expecting when they go to the 3!
The trio have long been one of my favourite celebrities to deal with, because despite their fame, they are still sound Dublin lads who can't quite believe where they are.
And despite not getting home til 2am, after being rained on when returning to Dublin, I had no bad words to say about a great gig and a great trip to Belfast.
But I think I'll be buying tickets for the 3Arena, it's a bit closer for the walk home!