ASH Start A – Z Tour: Setlist!!

Ash’s A – Z tour kicked off last night in Aldershot (no idea, somewhere in England…look up Google Maps if you care so much). According to the official site a good night was had by all so folks, Dublin calling!!

Remember Ash are playing the Button factory on November 25^th!!! Tickets are on sale now and you’re guaranteed a night of full frontal, explicit, naughty and damn right savage Irish rock n roll baby!!!!

The lads are in the middle of releasing 1 song, every week for a year (26 in total) and there’s a handful of them in the set including Arcadia and Return of White Rabbit (ROWR is not one of the 26, that was just an advance kid n of warm up – Ed.)

A few more tracks like Uncle Pat, Angle Interceptor, Jack Names the Planets and we’re sailing. TT hopes to see you all there. Ash are probably Irelands leading rock group at the  moment. Their back catalogue is over crammed with hard hitting belters and by all accounts they’re incredible live. Be there or be somewhere sad, pathetic and lonely….or a strip club. But, if you’re going to a strip club, why not head along to the gig first?

Read more @ ASH-Official.com

Set List:

Arcadia
A Life Less Ordinary
Meltdown
Shining Light
Joy Kicks Darkness
True Love 1980
Kung Fu
Wild Surf
You Can’t Have It All
Oh Yeah
Space Shot
Jack Names the Planets
Sometimes
Goldfinger
Walking Barefoot
Orpheus
Girl From Mars
Return of White Rabbit
- – - -
Lose Control
Twilight of the Innocents
Burn Baby Burn

Oliver Cole – The Odessa Club (Single Launch).

Going to the Odessa club’s like going to the dentist except for two prominent differences. One, it’s totally self inflicted. You’re actually paying to go though the awfulness that awaits you inside its doors, without the excuse that it’s all being done to avoid much worse pain in the future. Second, they don’t hold you down and numb you when you walk in. You have to work long and hard at the bar in order to numb out the sounds of rejected D4 ego tripin’ ponces, moaning on about riff raff always attending sales in brown Thomas. Anyways, I won’t go too off the rails because tonight is Ollie Coles first solo single launch and no crowd, no matter how up their own arses they try to be, can dampen that.

About three minutes after entering the venue, Tickets There turned and ran. I am no fan of that venue and I’d timed my arrival to the exact moment I thought Ollie would be walking on stage, Unfortunately, I’d arrived half an hour before the support act was even due so running was really the only option. After a few failed attempts to find a quiet pint nearby and a nice wee walk around the town, it was time to face it and head back. In the door, straight up the stairs and to the bar that’s the only option in crisis times like these. Drown out the blues. Thankfully the Odessa has some good…ish smoking areas and the roof one was nice and quiet.

After a couple of pints, it was time to head down and check out the support (name totally escapes me). I only managed to catch three songs and it all seemed like a mock cliché. I remember there was one song called Small Fish, Small Pond and really that doesn’t hold up great aspirations does it? Remember that scene in Family Guy when Stewie bashes the shit out of the jackass with the guitar. That kind of guy and that kind of music. Ended on a funny note though when the guitar kept making strange noises. Ah well, good fun.

After another blatant crashing of the private party upstairs and some more smoking area intrusion, it’s finally time for Ollie to take the stage. With no commotion, Ollie Cole, long time friend and band mate, Gavin Fox (Concerto for Constantine) and Ciaran Bradshaw (Dark.Room.Notes) take the stage and quietly get things ready. With a few words of welcome, the band start the show with Oh My Girl. The sound is surprisingly good and the venue flips from half full to wedged within seconds, as people continue to pour in throughout the opening number. Not letting the enthusiasm drop, Ollie and co plow on through another new song before playing a great version of the single they’re here to launch, What Will You Do?. Live, this song sounds even better that on record and band and crowd start to flow together a little better. A rendition of Turn classic, Close Your Eyes follows and brings a very quiet, appreciative atmosphere with it.  

Not one to stay in one style, the band launch into some upbeat / heavier numbers ,including Need You Strong, Drug Song and Holding Your Heart. Unfortunately Tickets There missed, what sounded like, a great job on We Albatri, one of the best known songs from Ollie’s forth coming album. After another new one (didn’t catch the name) the band finished the evening off with another old Turn number, Life’s Great Advice, which still sounds as strong as ever.

With no encore, the band turn and run before the masses piled on top of each other, start their descent towards the stage. Tickets There did likewise and briefly meet a trapped Steve Wall on the road to safety.  

With the album due out next year, you can be sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about Ollie over the next few months and by the sounds of the material and band tonight, that’s going to be a good thing.

 

The Stunning – Leopardstown Racecourse – July 23rd 2009

Every few years, the mighty Stunning emerge from the bowels of County Clare, Galway and Dublin to assault the Irish people with their infectiously catchy, effortlessly cool and charismatic back catalogue of Hits that still need a good milking. Their career was sadly cut short in the mid-nineties but only after the band became one of the biggest indigenous groups this country has ever seen. While they didn’t look to astonish you with grand ballads like U2 or pound your face in like Thin Lizzy, instead they merged the country and music style the existed in every single dance hall in the country with a fender driven dose of rock N roll swagger and a wit and talent for story telling that only the Irish (and Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and a handful of other’s) can master.

Tonight’s show at Leopardstown racecourse is a far cry from the normally jam packed audiences the Stunning normally command. They’re playing as part of the Bulmers Live Event that’s taking place all summer. At first sight of the stage and music area, things look a little more bleak than dodgy. As the races end and swarms of people march towards the exit, the Stunning arrive on and kick things off with Got to Get Away while people continue walking past the stage on their way home, with very few stopping to see the show. Large empty spaces with more children than adults are very evident around the front and the only thing missing to make this show a joke is a clown and face painting. Not that any of this bothers Steve, Joe, Jim, Derek or Cormac and the band carry on with hits such as Town for Sale and Everything that Rises.

After a few songs the crowd suddenly starts to swell thanks to a mixture of people arriving late and the racing crowd finally being able to get the pint they were waiting for. The blues driven Tightrope Walker ushers in the night time as the stage lights lift off to reveal that there are now several hundred people gathered to show give the Stunning the audience they need to kick things into overdrive. Head’s, December Sky, Mr. Ginger, Half Past Two see’s the crowd singing every word along with Steve before fan favorite Romeo’s on Fire sends the die-hards and interested observers into bliss.

Since the Stunning split, Steve and Joe Wall have been working hard on their new band The Walls and tonight the band decided to give one of their most popular songs an airing. With a teaser intro of Brewing Up a Storm, Steve and Joe play a stripped back rendition of To The Bright and Shining Sun with Jim on light percussion. The band re-join the brothers on stage for a cover of MGMT’s Kids, which many in attendance swear if better than the original, before closing the night off with a boisterous performance of Brewing Up a Storm, citing mass sing alongs’ as far back as the eye can see.
While it may not have been U2 on a stage the size of Croke Park or KISS with more pyrotechnics than..well, a normal KISS concert, it was everything music is meant to be, entertainment. Steve and Joe’s charisma mixed with the bands polished and perfected performance is just so enjoyable to watch live it’s hard to put into words. Unfortunately Steve announced towards the end of the show that this will be the Stunnings  final gig for a couple of years so if you haven’t experienced them yet, you’ll have to wait.

At the end of the show, the band stayed at the side of the stage to sign autographs and take pictures. Was Tickets There too cool to line up?? Not at hope, we were first in line

Top Pic taken by Rob O’Donovan - http://www.bulmerslive.ie/bulmerslive_music_events_dublin.html

Picture Two is my poor attempt

Bruce Springsteen: Live at the R.D.S. 12/07/2009

What can you write about the Boss that many other, much better writers haven’t written before? Very little, that’s what. Those who’ve seen his legendary live shows know exactly what it’s like to stand in his crowd and see one man control almost every element, both natural and spiritual around him. More than most performers, he manages to bring an incredible amount of love into his shows and makes the experience special and unique for everyone in the audience rather than going through the motions every night. As if this wasn’t enough, he’s backed by the incredibly talented, fun and inspiring E Street Band who must have inherited the title of Hardest Working Band in Show Business at this stage. As if keeping up with Bruce’s constant set-list changes, crazy sliding and crowd pleasing antics isn’t enough, the band manage it with such ease that their musical expertise and experience stands out twenty miles. So with The Boss, The Big Man, A Soprano and the rest of the band in toe, how did they hold out at their second show in Dublin’s R.D.S.

Opening with the energetic No Surrender from the bands Born To Run Album, Bruce and co bursts onto the stage and into the crowds awaiting hearts. Bruce’s command of the arena is astonishing, especially considering he’s creeping close to the grand young age of sixty six. His sher zest for performing carries him through the three hours and ten minutes with ease, despite having a couple of falls the previous night. The band continues to build momentum as the jumpy classic Badlands and atmospheric Outlaw Pete set the tone for the night to come. An extended rendition of Hungry Heart see’s Bruce collect several song requests on boards from the crowd before continuing the set, delivering classics such as Johnny 99 and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Bruce then turns to the boards he’d collected earlier and starts picking song choices at random, giving his band about three seconds to prepare for each one. Spirit In the Night, Sherry Darling, Proud Mary and Prove it All Night get and airing before an emotional performance of Promised Land.

Hardly stopping for a second between songs, Springsteen gives the audience little chance top catch their breath before exploding into Radio Nowhere from 2007’s Magic. American Skin, Lonesome Day, The Rising brings things near a close before the ultimate anthem of them all, Born to Run excites and delights the forty thousand fans in attendance.  

Amidst the chants of BBrrruccceee (which several people confused as Boo’s) , Bruce returned for an extremely moving performance of Jungleland before the Irish sounding American land exploded in all its majestic energy. Rosalita, Glory Days. Dancing in the Dark and this tours closing sing along, Twist & Shout ended one of the longest sets this country has seen since..well, since the last time Springsteen played the country. With Bruce and the band still performing like this now, who knows how long the E Street band will be around for and by the looks of things, they will continue to enthrall and inspire their audiences for many, many years to come.

Set-List
No Surrender (Born In The U.S.A.)
Badlands
Night
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working On A Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
Darkness On The Edge of Town
Spirit In The Night
Sherry Darling
Proud Mary
Prove It All Night
Trapped
Waiting On A Sunny Day
Promised Land
Radio Nowhere
American Skin (41 Shots)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born To Run (Born To Run)

Jungleland (Born To Run)
American Land
Rosalita
Glory Days (Born In The U.S.A.)
Dancing In The Dark (Born In The U.S.A.)
Twist & Shout

AC/DC – Punchestown Racecourse Review

Well, Well, Well. It doesn’t get much better than this. Standing with a cold beer, with a gentle breeze watching the mighty AC/DC pile drive through some of greatest rock songs known to mankind on a stage filled with more props than Alice Coopers duffel bag. This is the life, and Tickets There won’t bore you with details about the utter disaster that was MCD’s organization skills. Instead, I’ve pasted a complaint to MCD on the MySpace, check out the link below.

Further down, I’ll do the gig review first.

Thanks to the fine people at Dublin bus I fortunately missed the Blizzards and more unfortunately, missed The Answer and surprisingly enough, anyone else I talked to didn’t see them either. How strange considering the majority of the Dublin fans in attendance paid a professional bus company to arrange the transport for us. Ah well. At least Tickets There was in time to see a giant moon appear on the massive screen around the stage sending eighty thousand people into a frenzy.

The roars and cheers throughout the opening video were astonishing and there are very few bands who can get away with a five minute long video about a train. With a massive explosion and a train/stage collision, Brian, Angus, Malcolm and co run across the stage and explode into Runaway Train from last years Black Ice album. Rather than lose momentum, the band continued to enthral the crowd with Hell Ain’t A Bad Place to Be and the massively popular Back In Black. New song, Big Jack sits a little silly on stage but everything’s rescued with the awesome Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Thunderstruck. Black Ice shows it weakness beside the Auzzies classics while War Machine proves its might, sandwiched in between Hell’s Bell’s and the iconic You Shook Me All Night Long.

The band perform each song with such extreme passion and energy, you’re almost distracted from the massive props, amazing lightening set up and theatrics that fill all two hours of the bands set. From the full sized train crashing onto the stage to the massive bell Brian likes to swing from during Hell’s Bells and the massive inflatable woman for Whole Lotta Rosie, not to mention the constant explosions and the scenes of some young Irish ladies proving their here for a good time during the dirtiest den of them all, The Jack.

Being on the road for so long after such a lengthy absence hasn’t held the guys back on bit and Angus still isn’t afraid to strip of the uniform and bear his AC/DC undero’s to the world. With an explosive performance of T.N.T., A boisterous Whole Lotta Rosie and a foot stomping, cigarette smoking, fist shaking, all round legendary Let There Be Rock that includes a ten minute guitar solo from Angus that sees him running down a ramp, climb up to the sound desk roof and face the back of the arena with six floodlights reflecting the pouring rain aimed on him. Before we could leave, the band come straight back for a crowd driven Highway to Hell and a incredible performance of For Those About to Rock, accompanied by twelve full sized cannons.

All in all an incredible show, except for the parts organized by MCD and Dublin Bus, such as the transport, area inside the arena, drink prices, lack of crowd control, overpriced food and beverages, overpriced ticket and extras and lack of apology for being treated like a cow. Tickets There may not be AC/DC’s biggest fan but there’s denying they put on one amazing show.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=279244428&blogId=497633376

Friday June 19th 1992/2009 – THE MIGHTY LEPP (Seventeen Years Later)

Today (Friday the 19th June) is the 17th anniversary of the first time I saw Def Leppard in concert. I don’t remember massive amounts from it since I was eight years old, but I clearly remember walking into the Point Depot and being more excited than I’d ever been before. I also remember being very surprised at the fact that a band as big as them would actually be playing a show in Ireland. I don’t recall (starting to sound like Forest Gump now ) as much about the show as I’d like and much of what I remember is just based on fact checking rather than real memory. One thing I will never forget is sitting on the balcony facing that stage with my little leather jacket on that I got in Birmingham (Leppard and Guns N Roses influence). The walls were dark and the arena felt more like a massive theatre rather than a cold empty hall. The red velvet curtains, yellow railings and trimmings and carpet added such class to the character filled Depot.

I’ll also never forget the moment when the house lights went black, surrounding the crowd in darkness. A voice shot out from the PA as the classic Dirty Harry intro boomed out while the massive black curtains surrounding the stage lit up as strobe and laser lights exploded behind them. The stage was in the round and the curtains remained hanging even when the guitars burst out playing the opening notes of Stagefright. With the anticipation building and the curtains still hanging, things hit fever pitch when they eventually dropped to reveal the mighty Leppard just as the bridge kicked in. Classic!!

After that I don’t remember a whole pile. Same with the second show I saw them play in 1996, also in the Point. Over the years, I’ve managed to see them a total of ten times and every time they play I try to absorb everything I can so in seventeen years time I don’t have to base my memories on facts from the web.

Here’s to another seveteen lads, I’ll have a pint tonight!!

Live Review: Man Raze, The Academy 2, Dublin

On a quiet Wednesday night in these recession times, surprises are welcome treats to break our attention from the constant news update about how screwed we all are. Tonight there’s more than one in store as The Academy fills up with members of Whitesnake, Def Leppard and their entourages to watch Man Raze in action.

Formed in 2004 by Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Paul Cook (The Sex Pistols) and Simon Laffy (Girl), Man Raze have been working on and off ever since. Because of the members touring and recording commitments with their other bands, they have only recently managed to release their debut album, Surreal and play a hand full of shows around the U.K. Tonight see’s them in Dublin for their first ever Irish gig which they’re using as a warm up performance for their set at this years Download festival.

Read More at Drop-D.ie

Live Review: Def leppard / Whitesnake / Journey – O2 Arena, Dublin

With the arena world filling up with reformed pop bands and mediocre indie acts like Coldplay, Snow Patrol and the Kings of Leon, it’s about time the people who do it best return and show the kids what a live performance is all about. When you take two bands like Def Leppard and Whitesnake and put them in a venue like The Ambassador or The Olympia, they’ll give you an incredible show, but when you throw them into an arena, they’ll put on a concert worthy of the gods.

These aren’t guys used to playing a corner stage in a tiny venue with an acoustic guitar, they’re road trained, crowd pleasing beasts who’s command of the crowd and stage only grows with a bigger space to fill. The last time Leppard played a big show in Ireland was 1996 at the Point Depot, tonight they return to the new O2 Arena to reclaim their crowns as kings of arena rock….

Read More at Drop-D.ie

CONCERTO FOR CONSTANTINE / THE AFTERMATH / ANIMAL CHANNEL – RADIO CITY

Stop the presses; Tickets There is doing a review of Concerto for Constantine and The Aftermath!!! Holy God, I’ll bet no-one say that coming.

OK, so my interest for these two bands may be the worst kept secret in the world but when two of 2009 Tickets There’s Choice Award Winners get together to play a show, I sure as hell aint letting it go without dishing out some praise. It’s been a few months since I did a live review and I have written about these bands so much I’m running out of things to say, so please bear with me.

Radio City is less than packed when I arrive. The first band of the night, Audio have already finished and the fifty or so people in attendance are evenly divided between the smoking area and bar. Good atmosphere in the place and the Guinness aint too bad. Radio City is a nice little venue. Very small, very poky, dark and a lot of little nooks and crannies, all the perfect trademarks of any underground club. It’s also on the north side which makes a nice change from the Wexford street scene.

With pints in hand and Animal Channel all set up, it’s straight to the smoking area I go. Despite the fact that it’s been about three months since I saw an Irish band live, I have no interest in watching one I don’t know tonight. Especially when they sound exactly like every other indie/Franz Ferdinand wannabe out there. I did give them a few go while en-route to the bar but they just didn’t grab me. They sounded great and the songs were tight but just too done before. Thank god the real support of the night are just around the corner.

After last seeing them supporting The Stunning in Tripod, it was great to see The Aftermath back on a small stage. Johnny and the boys never have any trouble filling a big space but they completely own Radio City tonight. With an enthusiastic crowd down the front the band belts out one perfect song after another. Six Days to Saturday, All I Want Is For You To Be Happy, I Wish My Love Would Die, One is Fun and many more I cant remember (blame the booze) thrill the growing crowd. There’s no ego in this band and there’s no experimenting or retro rehashing attempts, just good, solid, catchy, perfect rock songs. How anyone could not love this band is beyond me. Also, how Michael Cronin (Drums) can play a set in a leather jacket is a mystery. Hopefully more people will start paying real attention to The Aftermath soon, because these guys deserve it.

It’s hard to believe it’s been year since Concerto’s first headlining show in Fibber Magee’s. 2008 saw Concerto’s audience grow from former JJ72 die-hards and local hanger on folk, into a real fan base. Mark Greany’s days with the popular trio are well and truly over and it appears he has found his niche with Gavin and Binzer. The sher presence of the lads ooze’s stardom as they command the stage and crowd alike. By now, their fans have become more than familiar with tracks like Gaps, Minsk, Wasps and Killing Fields. While newer tracks like The Last Swim are fast becoming favourites. Sadly, Concerto play a very short set, only consisting of seven or eight songs but the audience laps up every minute of it. There’s even some light moshing up the front for the heavier material.

Despite several notable missing songs such as Silver, Everything and Cats Cradle (I don’t think they played this, beer again), the band did treat the crowd to, two brand new songs. Hard riffs with some serious blues style lead all backed by furious bass and drum beats. With an announcement about an EP coming our way in May, the band jump into The Last Swim before departing the stage without an encore.

It may have been short but it was sweet. Sadly Sinead what’s her names DJ’ing manages to clear the venue out before Tickets There decides to throw in the towel and head home. Looking forward to the next one.

The Aftermath

Concerto For Constantine

JAPE – THE BUTTON FACTORY: May 23rd 2009

God, its 2:37 am on a Saturday night (Ed. Sunday morning A-Hole) and I’m not only still awake but also sober! It’s not that I wasn’t out or can’t get booze, quite the opposite in fact. Tonight, I broke this years tradition of not leaving Dun Laoghaire for love or money and finally succumbed to the enchanting allure of seeing Jape live for the first time in five months and not only that, but I also managed to get back home by twelve, get food and wine (which hasn’t been drunk) and I know a shop where wine can be purchased twenty four hours a day. So why, you ask, am I sitting at home sober, when I could be in a night club right this very moment, telling some fella in a very loud slurry voice how stupid is hat looks and why Def Leppard ARE much cooler than The Killers?

I suppose it all started with getting into Temple Bar much later than planned. It’s amazing how a day doing basically nothing leaves you tired and unmotivated. Anyways, I managed to get in around 9.15, only to discover the gig was sold out. Since I wasn’t going to do a review (sometimes you just need to enjoy a gig and not nit pick), I could only look on at the million page guest list and struggle to keep my hand away from my phone, least I annoy performers. Luckily the ticket man took pity on the last few stragglers and re-opened the desk. There was enough time to run in, grab a pint from one of the most ignorant bar men in Dublin and squeeze past seven million people to the smoking area where my pouch was instantly drenched by some bastard who knocked beer all over the table. Town eh! Fantastic. What’s the point? It’s just 100,000 people who can’t handle their booze, rude bar staff in almost every place, swarms of people packed into every single quirky, gimmicky pub they can scavenge out and their unexplainably bad dress sense (hats, rainbow stockings, big thick military style glasses, cheesy seventies moustaches and hair do’s..etc are not fucking cool people. Try and get your own fucking image for once).So with all of that out of the way, it’s finally time for the show.

I’ve written about Jape so many times in the last two years that the English language can no longer supply me with words on credit. So instead of writing five hundred words about how fantastic Nothing Lasts Forever, Strike Me Down, I Was A Man and all of Japes other deadly tracks are live, I think I’ll write a little about the changes among Japes audience ever since the release of Ritual.

Over the last couple of years, Japes reputation and popularity has been growing at a rapid pace, despite not yet having a hit single or album. Fans are starting to flock to his shows all across the country and Europe for the matter. His biggest hit Floating managed to attract a lot of attention and his well thought out plan to burry it in his live sets and reserve the prime time slots for newer songs of equal perfection has worked exceptionally well. I was A Man is now the standard finisher for Japes set despite first time spectators urging him to play Floating from the word go. It works so well in fact that Jape doesn’t need to rely on this song anymore either and can pretty much do what he likes and get away with it, mostly down to the fact that every time Richie gets on a stage, he gets better and better at being a front man and is falling into the singer role with ease. Tonight’s set isn’t short of surprises either as Mr. Egan arrives on stage alone to open things up with a few quite numbers. Unfortunately for anyone in the audience who paid for a ticket to actually hear the man sing and play, you were disappointed instead, we’re forced into listening to hordes of retarded poncy prick bastards yelling at each other as loud as possible throughout every note, word and melody. The kind of people who have more love for Twitter updates, phone pictures and ‘wacky stories’, than the actual performance of a live show. Off course this is normal enough at an O2 show but I have to admit being a little astonished to see this at a Jape gig. Normally his fans are beyond respectful and attentive. They’re generally hanging on ever second of Japes quiet songs and act privileged to hear him tone things done to the levels of his first and second albums. Alas, this was to be the mood of the evening.

Cleary taken aback by the crowds refusal to ciúnas during the first two songs, Richie turns to Nothing Lasts Forever to dim out the noise of audience and continued into Strike Me Down, Floating and Graveyard which finally managed to subdue most of those in attendance. After a quick smoke (in Temple Bar terms, 15 minutes including the time to actually get in and out), I arrive back to see a great performance of I Was A Man and another new song before introducing the lovely Lisa Hannigan to perform what I hope will be a song from Richie’s next album (title escapes me).  Unfortunately the crowd’s astonishingly rude behaviour sparks up again and the song is kind of destroyed by people all battling to be the louder than the PA. With that, the band leaves the stage only to return for a quick rendition of new song, Technology, which Richie dedicates to the members of the audience who remained quiet during the more mellow numbers.

Overall, a pretty strange gig. It seems that with success, come the inevitable shower of pricks who’ll always destroy the special aspect of what ever they can before they forget it and move onto the next big thing. On a more positive note, at least Richie is finally starting to get the numbers he deserves. Next stop, Marlay Park!

JUDAS PRIEST / MEGADETH / TESTAMENT – @ The O2 Dublin, LIVE REVIEW

Since I was eight years old, The Point Depot was my all time favourite venue for a gig. I saw my first four shows there and many, many more over the years. The brick walls, red carpets, yellow trimming and little bars dotted around were so unique in a venue of its size. The little men’s toilet was a war zone at the best of times and the red velvet curtains around the balcony’s and yellow railings made the place feel more like a massive theatre rather than an arena. To pit it simply, when you went to the point it wasn’t a gig, it was a concert. I know many folks out there hated it. I’m not sure why but many, many people hated it. The main complaints I’ve heard were ‘It was too big’ (well duh, it’s a fucking arena for Christ’s sake!, Not everything can be the Lower Deck). The second, and most common hatred, was the sound. I can honestly say, after 20+ gigs over a fifteen year period, I never once had any issues with the sound in the Point. It was always perfect. To say the least, I was upset the day I heard they were remodelling it and last night’s first experience of the new O2 didn’t help in the slightest.

Before I get to the gig, I think I should bitch, bitch, bitch about the changes. First of all, the Point’s character is gone. Yes they kept a few walls but that’s about it. There are three entrances instead of one which is pretty cool, no more massive queuing all the way around the site but, there’s no grand entrance anymore. You walk through the gates, then through another door and your inside. The arena isn’t secluded at all, which just encourages people to walk around all the time instead of watching the bands. The bars, merch stands and food stalls are all inside the arena and because of this, the place is extremely bright with very little darkness. Something that destroys the buzz of a band like Megadeth. When  I walked in the door, I was expecting a foyer. Instead, I got Testament…maybe I won’t complain this on time.

Testament are a mental band. Savage thrash metal, that explodes inside your ears. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me and I was forced into talking several wanders around the new venue to take in the bright lights, over priced ‘1 part pour’ Guinness and  the venues one saving grace, a massive, massive smoking area. Testament’s sound was perfect. The guitars and vocals added a bellowing background to the massive steel structure ‘progress’ forced on us. The band seemed to be in their element on this tour, playing their first show in Ireland in over 22 years (according to lead singer, Chuck Billy who spent most of the night playing air guitar on his mike stand and lovin it!). Hits from Ritual and New Order were blasted out but sadly, Ticket’s There’s personal favourite True Believer wasn’t played. Ah well, next time.

Honestly, I was only here for one band. In 2001, I got to see a show in the SFX that has remained one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to in my life and tonight, Megadeth are back. Dave Mustaine may not be as angry any more after finding Jesus n all, but that doesn’t stop Megadeth tearing through a set of blistering classics. Take No Prisoners, Wake Up Dead and Sleepwalker sound like machine gun bursts through the PA as the band stand their ground, drop kicking the audience with every world ending riff and solo. With the tri-colour firmly placed on the drum kit, the assault continues. Skin O’ My TeethIn My Darkest Hour and the iconic Hanger 18 roar out delivering rapid solo bursts and apocalypse bringing riffs that guarantee sore necks for 12,000 people in the morning. Fortunately Dave doesn’t fill up 40% of their stage time with long stories and assurances that Megadeth love you, like certain other Metal giants out there. He also doesn’t attempt to use their hour to sell their latest album or appease hard core fans who would prefer to hear less known tracks. A Tout le Monde and Sweating Bullets are notably missing but you can’t have everything in an hour.

The set winds up wind Tornado of Souls, the definitive Megadeth classic Symphony of Destruction and Peace Sell’s. Never a band to disappoint, Dave and co return for an amazing encore of crowd favourite, Holy Wars!. Considering Megadeth are now down to one founding member, tonight’s performance shows it’s business as usual in their camp. With a new album nearly finished, be sure you catch them on their next trip to ..Eire.. and see them in all their headlining glory.

After another trip to the bar, smoking area and bar again, it’s time for some “Priest style metal”. Theatrics’, leather, spandex and flying V’s galore as Glen Tipton and KK Dowling fly into view before the shinny caped figure of Rob Halford shoots up to the top of the stage as the band launches into Prophecy from their latest album, Nostradamus. Opening with a new song is always dodgy but Priest jump back with the classic Metal Gods from their 1980 album. British SteelHalford appears decked out on leather and studs as the band make their best effort to remind the audience why their headlining and not Megadeth. Their stage show doesn’t boost anything extra special but then again, compared to Radiohead and Coldplay, it might as well be KISS, Queen or Alice Cooper playing. Devil’s Child, Dissident Aggressor and Death all get an airing before Priest un-leash the fury of Breaking the Law.

Halford punishes the stage with slow motion movements that only exasperates his status as a god of metal. His imposing figure lurks behind the perfectly practiced hard rock gestures and poses of the Priest. Why did this band ever think it was a good idea to lose Rob? He’s always been the driving force behind everything they do and nothings changed. Hell Patrol, Angel, Sinner all round of the set as the roaring sound of Painkiller ends the band set.

Before long, the sounds of a motorbike revving up booms through the PA as Priest return to the stage for Hell Bent for Leather with Rob riding a Harley Davidson onto the stage. The Green Manalishi and a rapturous performance of You’ve Got Another Thing Coming ended the encore as the band hug and depart leaving Dublin with a desperately needed dose of hard hitting, in your face Heavy Metal. The Point may have now become a fond memory but it’s good to know the bands who make the venues special are still going strong.

TICKETS THERE – BEST LIVE GIGS OF 2008

Not going to put these in order, just a few pics from the best shows Tickets There attended in 200

Some amazing shows this year, KISS in Holland, Def Leppard and Whitesnake all around the U.K., Jape in Tripod, Whelan’s and The Button Factory, Concerto for Constantine in Fibber’s twice, Whelan’s, The Sugar Club and a few other gigs, The Future Kings of Spain, Bruce Springsteen, Oliver Cole, TKO, Humanzi, The Things, The Dagger Lee’s, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, Ham Sandwich,  The Aftermath, The Stunning, Wired Desire, Leopold, Bravado and a piles of others. Great year and with Megadeth, Judas Priest, Testament, Neosupervital (wow, the change) and Bob Dylan coming up in 09, there’s some competition .

Happy New Year everyone!!

….and yes. I took all the pics. I sadly didn’t bring my camera to a few great shows like The Boss, Oliver Cole in Whelan’s and a few others but some shows you just have to enjoy. Also, The Goo Goo Dolls and Velvet Revolver are in there but they were pretty shit gigs.

CONCERTO FOR CONSTANTINE – Whelan’s – April 15th 2008

Concerto for Constantine returned to Whelan’s for their third appearance in the venue on Tuesday night. Previous shows included the middle band slot on the November 2007 2FM 2MORO 2OUR which introduced them to the country followed by a guest appearance at the recent School of Rock showcase for younger up and coming bands from around the country. Their third appearance marked their biggest headlining show to date. After support slots for ‘The Smashing Pumpkins, The Futureheads’ and ‘The Enemy’ along with a handful of successful shows around the country, Concerto have sharpened their sound, songs and stage presence to perfection and on Tuesday night they showed a packed crowd in Whelan’s what their years of experience and hard work have produced.

Dublin based Funk/Rock group ‘Leopold’ opened the night. Playing a truly impressive set that brought to mind ‘Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine’ and ‘The Red Hot Chili Peppers’. Leopold have grown steadily in their two and a half years together and even managed to land support slots for late soul legend ‘James Brown’ and Irish rockers ‘Thin Lizzy’. Although it took a few songs for guitarist Stephen McHale and singer Richie Glynn to get comfortable on the stage, this didn’t manage to affect their performance. Songs such as ‘Loser, Lonely World’ and debut single ‘Subliminal Hit’ show great prospects for their forthcoming EP. Along with acts such as ‘Waiting to Explode’ and ‘Simon and the Ghost’ Leopold are adding a nice dose of Funk back into the Irish rock scene.

As the lights dimmed around 9.30, a very excited wave swept over the crowd. With Whelan’s in darkness, Concerto’s intro track came onto the PA and Strobe lights lit up from the back of the stage. Mark, Gavin and Binzer appeared to a rapturous cheer from their new fan base as forthcoming single ‘Minsk’ opened the show. The fact that Concerto have yet to release any material doesn’t seem to matter one bit to their fans collected in Whelan’s tonight. As the band tore their way through ‘WASP’S, Cats Cradle, Stand In My Way, Falling’ and future single ‘Silver’ the crowd followed every second.

Mark’s shredding vocals are a far cry from his days with ‘JJ72’ and show a new maturity and depth lacking on his previous outputs.

The show was not only a means to give fans a chance to hear Concerto live but it also served as way for Concerto to debut a lot of their unheard material in their own surroundings. This was shown even more when Mark commented his indecisiveness about one of the newer tracks. Mark and Gavin’s usual onstage banter also helped make the crowd more relaxed and the night more enjoyable as y worked their way through the remainder of the set.

After just under an hour and a half, Concerto announced their last song. Black confetti stared to fall from the ceiling as the stage lights went darker and the band played ‘Death in Lisbon’, a haunting instrumental track to round the night off. With the confetti still falling in front of the stage covering everyone in the first six rows, Concerto returned to play an encore of ‘Minsk’, “One for the road” as Mark put it.

Fans may have to wait another while before the band can release a single or an EP and Tuesdays show will only feed that hunger for a release but it’s a great sign of things to come from C4C.

MURPHY’S LIVE SEMI-FINALS 2008 – BRAVADO Vs Stagger Lee + CATHY DAVEY

Whelan’s was packed to the rafters as it hosted the ’Murphy’s Live 2008’ semi finals. Even after the doors had been opened there was still a queue of people stretching back to the front of the pub. The heat inside the venue was so heavy you could barely move without breaking sweat. The tickets hadn’t lied about having to be inside early.

Two bands were on hand to compete against each other for a place in the final round of the competition. ’Stagger Lee’ an incredibly talented and professional quartet with a sound that fuses ’PJ Harvey, Garbage and Sonic Youth’ and ’Bravado’ a fresh young band who are proving themselves with every performance they give. On first sight it’s easy to be pessimistic due to their age but once they play you can hear great potential in their future. Also on the bill, as special guest headliner, is the Award winning and extremely talented and energetic ’Cathy Davey’ who won the award for ’Best Irish Female’ and was nominated in the ’Best Irish Album’ category for her second studio output ’Tales of Silversleeve’ at last years Meteor’s.

First up was ’Stagger Lee’ who did everything in their power to get the crowd energetic from the word go. They had already upped their promotion by providing free badges at the door for all in attendance and were also selling promotional T-shirts. Everything about Stagger’s performance was tight, despite a couple of instances involving high heels and microphone cables; they had their set down to a T, delivering a nice mixture of punk esque rock songs and slower relaxed material. Donna McCabe (vocals) voice gave the songs a ’PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, Shirley Mason’ feel and the music had an overall 90’s grunge sound about it with some crunchy Bass lines. Tracks such as ’Between Control Confusion, Misery River and their debut single ’Bad shoes’ serve as a taste of thing’s to come when they release their next EP.

’Bravado’ came on second and so did their fans. One thing about being in one of these competitions, ensure your friends, family and fans are there on the night to cheer you on. The lads were a little slower to relax into their set, which I’m sure was on account of the massive crowd in front of them and their inexperience with shows this size, however lead singer Brian Whittington didn’t seem phased in the slightest as he belted into tracks from their first EP including Running, Artificial AngelsOne Day and more recent material like ’Any Other Way, Take your Pick and Too Tired to Sleep’ and

This was the second time I have seen Bravado and they have grown enormously since the quarter finals. On first sight of Stager Lee the thought passed my mind that Bravado were now out of their depth, however they once again surprised me and I’m sure many others. The judges have a very tough decision in front of them and no matter who gets through to the finals; both bands have proven they’ve got what it takes.

As the judges reconvened on the balcony to discuss Bravado and Stager Lee’s performances, Cathy Davey came on stage to a rapturous cheer. Cathy’s recent residency shows around the country, awards and recent singles are really paying off and this could be one of the last chances to see her, not only for free, but in a venue as intimate as Whelan’s. She is set to play the Olympia in June and hopefully, she will follow in the footsteps of Damien Rice, Bell X1, Glen Hansard and Paddy Casey to international acclaim and stardom.

Although this wasn’t Cathy’s night, she preformed with the same grace, power and energy she always does. Opening with ’Mr Kill’ from her new album, she played a fantastic set which included old favorites such as Swing It, Yak Yak’ and new material from ’Tales of Silversleeve’ such as ’Reuben, Sing for your Supper, Collector’ and ’Moving’ which blended perfectly with her debut album material.

Mouth pressed firmly into the microphone, covered in sweat (like every one else in the venue), Cathy closed the night with a single encore and proceeded straight to the fresh cold air awaiting us all outside. Another hugely enjoyable Murphy’s Live evening of music and certainly a reason to start applying for tickets to the final as your guaranteed at least one incredible talent to go through from tonight.

Cathy Davey

Stagger Lee

Bravado

Concerto for Constantine – Fibber Magee’s AGAIN – March 17th 2008

St. Patrick’s Day in the capital always seemed like too much of a nightmare to get involved in. For years I have avoided going near the town on ‘Ireland’s biggest drinking day’. So being forced to choose between another Paddy’s day on the couch or Concerto for Constantine live in Fibber Magee’s was …..not that difficult J

Entering the capital was a little strange. Talbot street was packed with people walking towards Connolly station. Little green hats and American accents filled the eye’s and the ears for the 10 minute walk, St. Patrick had arrived. Once on O’Connell street, it was very clear that most people had already left the northside. The pubs were half full, the streets were as busy as a normal Friday night (possibly quieter).

Concerto were scheduled to go on stage at 7.30. Whoever, the site of two dozen people, some of them young children, caused the management and the lads to agree on 10:00 o’clock instead.

Across the road I settled down in an amazing pub called ‘The Shakespeare’. Possibly the funniest pub in Dublin. I advise everyone to check this place out because you’ll never see anything else like it. Just think of Father Ted’.

By 9:45 it was time to head back to Fibbers. The crowd had certainly changed by them. The kids and families were gone (thank god) and the second support band were just finishing up. The crowds were nothing like those at Concerto’s last headlining show in Fibbers three weeks previously. Although, for a show with no advertising, no official announcements and changing stage times, there was enough of an attendance to show Concerto have already established a dedicated fan base.

Concerto eventually got to the stage at 10:30. Forthcoming single ‘Minsk’ once again opened their set. A song that only gets better everything you hear it. Unfortunately, Paddy’s day drinking got the better of me and I can’t remember the exact set list. I can remember ‘Gap’s, Cat’s Cradle, WASP’s’, and new song ‘Knife’ all being played to the high standards Concerto have set for themselves. Even Gavin’s Bass head shorting out didn’t manage to kill the mood of the night.

The set was short, although packed with nothing but incredibility savage rock songs. For a band with no release’s and only a handful of shows under their belt it’s a lot more than you would normally expect. ‘Killing Fields’ closed the show. Afterwards the band jumped of the stage and put their bumpiest show yet behind them.

Despite the changing stage times, no advertising, faulty equipment and missing members, Concerto pulled off another fantastic show. Afterwards, the members left early enough as the band were heading to London the next day for their first English dates. Hopefully they will come back to our shores with AnR interest.

 Be sure to catch Concerto at Whelan’s on the 15^th of April and (not or) the IMRO showcase gig at the Suagar Club on the 11^th April.

Velvet Revolver – The Ambassador Theatre – March 12th 2008

Velvet Revolver landed in Ireland this month to play two sold out nights at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin and Tickets There decided that Slash’s presence in Ireland deserved a mention (personal favourite ya see).

I wouldn’t call myself a Velvet Revolver fan. Their first album was half decent and I remember being pretty excited buying it just before heading to Alice Cooper in the Olympia a few years ago. The first full length collaboration with Slash, Duff Makagan and Matt Sorum, since the last Guns N’ Roses album (The Spaghetti Incident). The excitement managed to cover up the obvious flaws in the album for a few months. By the time their second album came out I had lost much of the interest that attracted me to the group initially. I had spent months following the silent goings on in the Guns N’ Roses world and the new Velvet Revolver album was the enemy, another barrier between the new Guns N Roses and the former band mates.

Liberty, as it was known, turned out to be one of the most over hyped pieces of rubbish I have ever had the displeasure of buying. Every song was a repetition of the track listing from the first album. ‘Big Machine’ became ‘She Builds Quick Machines’, ‘Fall to Pieces’ became ‘Gravedancer’. I remember it promoted me to write one of my first pieces, a short but scathing attack……and here I go again.

The gig was sold out, but there was no atmosphere. The crowd was at least 70% male and made up of ageing Guns N Roses rockers, extreme studiers (you know what I mean, the kind of guys who paid E175 to meet the band pre-show and get every album cover signed), Emo’s (four really annoying ones in particular) and kids…lots of kids.

Support was provided by ‘Year long Disaster’. At first they seemed like…well I don’t know what, just another post millennium metal band. Slow, meaningful lyrics, backed up hard, slow and BORING riffs. However, halfway through their set they really kicked things off, spiralling into classic ‘Les Paul’ jams and spur off’s. ‘Y.L.D. proved to be pretty good considering…..considering they leave the nonsense metal out of it. Slayer did it as well as it can be done already so what’s the point.

VR came on stage about 9.30 hammering straight into ‘Let it Roll’, the first track from the last album. ‘Let It Roll’ had all the trademarks of an incredible fast paced, slap in the face, rock anthem except it fails to deliver, much like the rest of the their catalogue.

I wouldn’t even bother describing the rest of the set song by song as it was all the same. Slash managed to get the loudest cheers every time he’d come to the front of the stage, Duff a close second, Then Scott. Rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner was seen occasionally hanging around while Matt tried desperately to perform strong enough so Slash and Duff wouldn’t wake up and realize their not in Guns N Roses anymore. Each song was delivered exactly the same except a quiet moment or two for the acoustics to be brought out. Even renditions of Guns N’ Roses classics ‘It’s so Easy’, ‘Mr Brownstone’ and ‘Patience’ didn’t manage to impress (me, lots of other people were having a great time). I felt more disgusted that Slash and Duff would let Scott sing three of their greatest works.

There were a few highlights of the night. Firstly the presence of Slash and Duff McKagan (have I mentioned them yet?), Slash playing a double neck guitar during patience, The Ambassador’s smoking area and …..well, I’m sure there was any more.

Even the final song of the night ‘Slither’ their classic first single, was too far into the set to save the night. I had already visited the cloak room for my bag before they had left the stage.

 Set List: Velvet Revolver, Dublin, March 12th/2008,

• Let It Roll
• She Mine
• Sucker Train Blues
• Do It For the Kids
• Just Sixteen
• Big Machine
• American Man
• Vasoline
• The Last Fight
• Interstate Love Song
• Patience
• She Builds Quick Machines
• Get Out The Door
• Fall To Pieces
• It’s So Easy
• Set Me Free

Encore:

• Mr. Brownstone
• Sex Type Thing
• Slither

 

Concerto For Constantine – Fibber Magees – Feb 22nd 08

Concerto for Constantine’s first headlining show in Fibber Magee’s last Friday was certainly an experience I hope to cherish for some time. Fresh from supporting the Smashing Pumpkins at their recent Irish dates, this three piece have managed to form, rehearse and write some ridiculously great ‘in your face’ rock songs all in the last 5 months. How do they do it? well, when you have of Mark Greaney (former JJ72 voice box and axe man), Gavin Fox (formally of Irish indie legends ‘Turn’ and Scottish favourites ‘Idelwild”) and off course, Paul ‘Binzer’ Brennan (who has played with The Frames, Bell X and Mundy, just to name but a few) together, it’s going to be special…or more to the point, it’s Concerto for Constantine and on Friday they ‘ROCKED!’

Support of the night was provided by ‘Power, Jazz trio’ Simon and the Ghost. The group manage to distance themselves from the over ego’d Irish scene they seem to dislike but unfortunately they don’t seem to have the songs to make a real go off it yet. I will say that Jazz to me is like a heater in an igloo, just doesn’t make sense but they are very good at what they do, so for any fans out there, check em out and make your own mind up.

Concerto hit the stage at 10.30 and wasted no time in getting down to business. They opened with ‘Minsk’, a hard, fast, adrenaline fuelled rock n roll anthem that is destined to becoming a fast radio favourite. ‘Minsk’ set the tone for the night as there was no let up in the set. ‘Wasps, Cat’s Cradle, Knife’ and a host of other newly written songs were belted out by the band and sounded like they had been playing them for years. While watching the set, it became very hard to remember they had only formed so recently. It was also hard not to notice the band enjoying them selves so much which can be very rare on our cold, motionless scene these days. Concerto are enjoying what they are doing. Three guys who have played for long enough to understand the importance of having fun.
After an hour and some change they were finished leaving ‘Killing Fields’ to close the set as there was no encore, explained by Mark as being a result of having “no more songs left to play”.

It may have been a short gig by a very new group but it was a certainly the first of many for one of Ireland’s brightest hope’s for a great Hard Rock Band.

Wasps
Cats Cradle
Silver
Falling
Every Thing
Knife
Gaps
Killing Fields

MURPHY’S LIVE 2008 – The Future Kings of Spain – Superjimenez – Bravado

Whelan’s was the setting for the Murphy’s Live 2008, Dublin Quarter Finals. Two Dublin groups were there to battle it out for a chance of winning the grand prize, €10,000 towards studio time, an EP launch, a record deal, a six month management contract and record distribution.

Before saying anything about either group, I have to point out that I was really only there for the FKOS, who are, without a doubt, the greatest rock band to emerge out of Ireland in many a year. Their second album ‘Nervousystem’ is a testament to their song writing skills and their live show is always something to bask in. Therefore I thought of the first two acts of the show as a nuisance I had to sit through in order to see the kings.…how very wrong I was.

Bravado were first to try their luck with the crowd and judges. A very young group from North Dublin who, despite their inexperience and youth, put on one of the best shows I have seen from an unknown group in awhile. Describing their sound would be a challenge in itself. Each song was unique while still maintaining an overall formula. Although you could hear The Clash, Artic Monkeys, The Who and the Stone Roses all dying to break out.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Superjimenez managed to pull of the same show as Bravado. Although they looked the part, were all very experienced musicians and they were much tighter than Bravado, there was something missing. They commanded the stage well, especially for a newer group and managed to really get the crowd going. Their only downfall was their songs. Although the bass lines were something special and the guitars had some shredding moments, the overall package seemed ‘done before’. The U2 and Killers influence was much too obvious. The singer was no Bono, but the Edge was casting a shadow on this group.
The Future Kings of Spain closed the night with their usual energetic performance. Joey, Karl, Bryan and Anton breezed through a great set (taken mainly from ‘Nervousystem’) with such ease and performance it served as a great example to Bravado and Superjimenez how it’s all done. ‘Guess Again’, ‘One More Mistake’, Kick in the Teeth’ and ‘Syndicate’ are all delivered with such passion, they have managed to blend in perfectly with old favourites like ‘Venetian Blinds’, ‘Meanest Sound’ and ‘Hanging Around’. Although it isn’t their show, the Kings manage to steal the night and show a few new faces why they were chosen as head liners.

Set List:
Guess Again
One More Mistake
1981
This is the End
Venetian Blinds
Upside Down
Disappear
Kick in the Teeth
Face I Know
Meanest Sound
Hanging Around
Syndicate

JAPE and The Mighty Stef – Craw Daddy – Nov 23rd 2007

Well it’s a Friday, the greatest Day and Night of the week. NO matter how messed up you get on A Friday, you still have two days left to get over it which has to be a great consolation for everyone…except people who have to work weekends, haha.

So I finished work early cause I had to attend a team event, what’s that you ask? Well it’s when your forced to go out on your own free time with work people under the guise that ‘your going to have fun’. Ends up very silly with non stop Work chat, so I decided to bale, hopped on a dart and went for town to see the fantastic JAPE live.
Now, I notice that all my reviews, except for the Police, seem to be very positive, but I have to say, I haven’t gone to a bad gig in a while (except for the Police) and tonight was no exception to this. Straight in the door, a lovely surprise Guest Spot from The Mighty Stef was a nice start to the evening. Playing solo and covering some of his grittiest material was perfect to forget the nonsense chatter or reports and clients I had tried to block with with bottle after bottle of Bud Light.
Jape took the stage at 9.30 and for an hour (and abit) played a truly enjoyable set. With a mix a material mostly concerned with new EP Jape is Great and his forthcoming album ???.
The new stuff is like New Order crashed into the Monkeys in the Zoo, really Dance orientated with the standard Jape sound he does so well.

Great night, cant wait for the next one and the new album.

SET LIST:

Christopher and Anthony
Gimmie Some more
Replays
GraveYard
Phil Lynnott
At The Heart
Floating
Apple in an Orchard
Nothing Lasts forever
Strike Me Down
I Was a Man

ENCORE:
Street

The Police – Croke Park – October 2007

The Police were one of the first of the legendary groups to announce their reunion this year, ahead of Led Zeppelin and The Sex Pistols and have already played several dates across America and Europe before arriving in Dublin this weekend.
I am not a fan of the Police, I should point that out before saying a word about last nights show. I just never understood what is so good about them, and last nights show didn’t help change my view.
The weather was warm and welcoming in the Big Smoke yesterday, there was a general nice, but strangely quiet atmosphere in the air. Myself and my girlfriend set off for Croke Park quiet early and the streets leading to Irelands most impressive stadium were practically deserted. The only people around were Stewart’s, Guards and a handful of fans.
This trend did not change once inside the venue either. For a show that was to attract over 80,000 people, there was only 500/1000 inside an hour before show time. It became very clear that food a drink were not allowed near the interior of the stadium, not even water, which was down to trying to keep the surface laid over the pitch dry, instead of turning it into an icing rink, but enough of that, the basic line was the facilities inside the grounds were very basic and bare, however the toilet facilities were up to MCD’s recent standards and goes to show that finally portaloos can be maintained at gigs.
The support group ‘Fiction Plane’ or ‘Infant Police’ played a 40-45 minute set which the crowd welcomed them for (they were a nice break from the ‘Water Aid’ adverts and faces of starving children being shown). Joe Sunmer, Stings own ‘Off-Sting’, managed to imitate almost everything from his father including songs, cloths, playing Bass, and style. Not a bad band, but nothing new or inspiring here.
The Police finally took the stage about 8.20pm and both band and crowd relaxed into ‘Message in a Bottle’. The tone of the evening remained similar for the entire night with no major changes from the first to last song. Classics such as ‘Walking on the Moon’, ‘Cant Stand Losing you’, ‘Every little Thing She Does is Magic’ and ‘De Do Do Do De Da Da Da’ were all slipped into the set, along the way, but blended in a little too much due to Stings new decision to fuse all the songs together in a long drawn out reggae jams which any Vegie, Wanky Shitheads in the crowd probably loved. Although I was quiet close to the barrier of the Gold Circle, There didn’t seem to be much singing from the crowd, even during some of their biggest hits. Everyone seemed relaxed and applauded politely but never seemed to feel the special spark you get when you see a great band live. Sting was the only band member who talked, with Stuart and Andrew just following his lead, however he was quiet polite to the crowd and even managed to blurt out his “only word of Gaigle, Slainte” before sipping his tea. All in all the show was quit predictable and passive. Roxanne, Every Breath you take and Cant’ Stand Losing you’ were among the closers.
However I should mention the stage itself, a complex which nearly rivalled (but at the same time doesn’t come Close) the Rolling Stones setup from Slane, takes 42 trucks to move across the world and has taken almost a week to set up showing The Police are not just relying on their music to entertain and are a group who have learned that customers like value for money.
As shows have gone this summer, this was in no way the best, don’t get me wrong, the band sound fantastic, they played a truly great set, the crowd were lovely and the organization and Croke Park itself was fantastic, but something was missing from this show, something that makes a great gig memorable. Maybe Police Fans have a different story, and I hope they do, because after 30 years, The Police couldn’t pull it off in my eyes.

SET LIST:

Message in a Bottle
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon
Voices Inside My Head
When The World Is Running Down
Don’t Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
Truth Hits Everybody
Hole In My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
Walking In Your Footsteps
Can’t Stand Losing You
Roxanne
King Of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You