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Slane 2017
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Jerichoholic wrote: »Not according to Bruce's book. He said he was terrified due to the amount of drunken idiots pushing at the front. He was going to walk off at one stage.
Yeah, and even contemplated ending the tour over it. Here's the relevant passage on it:June 1, 1985, Slane Castle, Dublin. Ireland, our first stadium show, ever. Precariously perched in a field fifty miles outside of Dublin were ninety-five thousand people. The largest crowd I‘d ever seen. They completely filled a grassy bowl bounded by the Boyne River at our stage’s rear and Slane Castle perched in from on a high green knoll, in the distance. The crowd closest to the Stage, an immediate couple of thousand, were deeply into their Guinness and dangerously swaying from left to right. They were opening up gaping holes amongst themselves as audience members by the dozens fell to the muddy ground, vanishing for unbearable seconds 'til righted once again by their neighbors. Then, once standing, they'd slosh back the other way and the whole interminable, nerve-grinding exercise would be repeated again. ad infinitum. It was a sight way too hairy for my tender eyes. I thought somebody was going to get killed and it‘d be my fault.
At stage right, Pete Townsend and a variety of rock luminaries bemusedly watched me break into the big time. At stage left stood my wife; this was our first trip together as a married couple and I felt like I was going to come apart before her eyes. I was singing, I was playing, I was thinking . . . "I can’t stand up here and sing these songs, nor these songs, while putting people in a situation where they could be grievously injured." I kept singing, I kept playing, but I was in a pure rage and simmering panic. Okay, Mr. Big Time . . . how‘d you get here?
We. broke for intermission. I was seething. Mr. Landau joined me in my trailer during intermission and there, in the middle of the biggest concert of my life, we had a highly charged debate about canceling the entire tour. I could not face what was happening in front of the stage at Slane on a nightly basis. It was irresponsible and violated the protective instinct For my audience I prided myself on. Fans were pouring, red faced, soaked in booze and heat exhaustion, over the Front barriers to be taken to the medical tent or to flank the crowd, throw themselves back in and take another crack at it. Our insistence on having seats at our concerts had begun in the early seventies after I stood, hidden, at the side of the bleachers in a college gymnasium one evening and witnessed the cattle rush to the front of the stage. I didn’t like the way it looked. I’d made my compromises with European local customs over the years, but this was something else.
Keep in mind this was the first and only stadium show I'd ever performed or attended. I had nothing but this night to judge my decisions upon. Jon wisely counseled we postpone our decision until we had at least a few more concerts to judge by. (We’d already committed to, and sold out, the entire tour.) He was frightened also, and said if it was a recurring situation, he’d honor my feelings; we‘d cancel and take the heat. It never happened again. The crowd settled during the second half of the Slane show and I observed there was a sketchy but ritual orderliness to what appeared from the stage to be pure chaos. The crowd protected one another. If you fell, the nearest person to your left or right reached down, grabbed an arm and pulled you upright. It wasn‘t pretty (or, to my eye, safe), but it worked. The other ninety-three thousand gatherers were clueless about the soul-searching mini drama being played out right before their eyes. To them, it was just a beautiful day with a rocking band. In the end, Slane joined a rising number of our other performances to attain “legendary” status and, despite my distraction, turned out to be a solid show. On the streets of Dublin, it is often mentioned to me. If you were there, you were there. I was certainly there.
There's some decent footage of the crowd on the day in the following news report from the time:
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We'll just have to batten down the hatches on Saturday am and come up smiling in the afternoon!
Many folk heading up today?
MEEEEEEEEE !!!
Boss dont know it yet, as hes stuck for someone to work tomorrow !
Cant fricking wait !!!!
GET IN THE RING !!!!! \m/
"Bright lights and Thunder .................... " #NoPopcorn
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greenspurs wrote: »Bring cans !!!! warm beer ... Ace !!
Fat chance of getting any alcohol into the gig I'd say, unfortunately 😓0 -
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greenspurs wrote: »Ohh , into the gig.... ?
I thought in the Village was what was meant......
Yeh, no chance, unless a naggin or similar in the jocks !!
Yeah 😂0 -
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greenspurs wrote: »MEEEEEEEEE !!!
Boss dont know it yet, as hes stuck for someone to work tomorrow !
Cant fricking wait !!!!
GET IN THE RING !!!!! \m/
Sweet as!!:D
Just have to get through a half days work (mostly spent on the interweb) and then I'm hitting the road to Slane Farm. Cans and disposable BBQ in tow!:D0 -
greenspurs wrote: »Ohh , into the gig.... ?
I thought in the Village was what was meant......
Yeh, no chance, unless a naggin or similar in the jocks !!
I tend to get a shoulder and some of those empty travel shampoo bottles you get in Boots. Split the booze over the 4 bottles and hide in different places on one's body. The security will more than likely find one and be content with taking that off you. I think in 2011 they found 2 of them!0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HehJDZOwlOs
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