There are a few, key elements you can always predict will present themselves at a concert with The Script.
The first is that lead singer Danny O'Donoghue will poach a national flag (Irish or otherwise) while mingling with the audience and don it on stage.
The second is that you'll never know when or where he'll sneak his way into the crowd during the night - only that he will. Somehow.
The third is that you can't predict much more at all. Only that whatever the band has in mind will completely throw you, elate you and bring to light just how appreciative they are of their fans.
Tonight (20 April) at the ICC Sydney the audience welcome support act JP Cooper warmly. They lap his words up greedily already familiar with his chartbuster 'September Song', falling quickly under the spell of his smooth croon and easy-listening tunes.
A 30-minute set is an injustice to the artist and his talent, but The Script have five albums of stage-play up their sleeve and time is ticking down.
Unafraid to belt out their shiniest tracks before backtracking onto crowd favourites, The Script lead with a trifecta of heart-thumping, leg-pumping, self-affirming, high-energy tracks: 'Superheroes', 'Rock This World' and 'Paint The Town' sending the punters into a spin as the roof explodes in green confetti, dressing the stage and its Dublin trio in a beautiful shade of clover.
Is this the end already or just the tip of the iceberg? I think we all know the answer.
Moving in for the kill, the band hands the mic to the punters, goading us to serenade them with their breakout 2008 track heart-wrencher 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'. The thousands deliver in spades blazing through to the chorus before the band resets to take us from start to finish, vigilant as ever not to deprive us of a single second of airplay.
At 1.91 metres, the tall drink of water that is Danny O'Donoghue soaks up the crowd spreading his immensity from stage left to stage right and dashing into the pit for high fives and hugs. His energy is electrifying and his voice is unwavering, soaring above the thousands as they battle against him for volume superiority.
He pulls out a tried-and-true trick during 'Nothing', snatching a phone from a barrier-pusher and singing to a random who is being face-timed then turns on his unpredictability button for 'No Man Is An Island' walking on stage with a surfboard and literally crowdsurfing the pit.
But it's that smoke and mirrors moment that takes the gig to the next level as the trio emerge miraculously in the stadium's seats for stripped-back versions of 'If You Ever Come Back' and 'Never Seen Anything (Quite Like You)'.
It's a gimmick that's been on repeat for years, though one that still catches me off guard every, single time. It's a thank you to their fans and a testament to the band's humility and ends with Danny continuing the interaction, snaking his way back to centre stage through the crowd all the while stopping for selfies, hugs and high fives as he sings 'The Energy Never Dies'.
An Aussie flag makes it around his neck as the encore takes hold, drawing on nostalgia with 'Breakeven' and shooting for the stars with 'Hall Of Fame'.
The band calls for phones to dress their sights with the twinkle of lights before startling us with one, last explosion of confetti and a set of streamers, for good measure.
This time it really is the end. And that's the most predictable, though heart-wrenching, part of the night.
