Slane 2017

Not my real name

I think I was at a different gig, no traffic issues at all.
Left Dublin at 5pm, decided to go through Drogheda. Was parked in Pink car park by 5.40. Same coming home, half an hour walk from the castle, into the car and straight home. A few guards around but traffic flowed and very little stopping. I have to say €20 to park in a field of cow **** is just pure greed.

Gig was great, stayed up the hill so was relying on the screens.
Didn't know a lot of the first few songs so found the second half better. Slash is fantastic and hasn't changed at all. I could listen to him all day. As for Axl, he's aged!!

I'm getting so sensible in my old age, didn't drink coz i just can't handle the toilet situations. They make me want to vomit, but the amount of drunk people (and I'm not talking about teens!) falling all over the place, getting sick and starting fights. What's the point in getting tickets for these gigs when you are unconscious in the corner for most of it? (God I sound like my mother!!) there will be a few sore heads today for sure.

Mushy

Can I ask in what way was Mark lanegan bad? My mates said he was very good, but they're fans. His music really doesn't suit massive outdoor venues at all, I kinda guessed it wouldn't work at all.

Cushtie

Great Gig. Thanks to the posters who have me advice on parking in Navan etc earlier in the thread.. Got on the Navan shuttle at about 4.30. Took a good while to get to Slane and through security etc but got in in good time to get good spot and for start of GnR. Bit of a nightmare getting out of the place. It felt like the whole crowd was heading for the red exit!! Got back to Navan at 12.30 on the shuttle and was home in West Limerick for about 3.30. Gasping for a cup of tae! I'm old.

Both myself and the wife decided this is definately last time for Slane. Just too much hassle. Leave that craic to the youngsters!! As one fella in the queue for beer said last night "unless Michael Jackson rises from the dead and does a concert here I'm not coming back"

charlietheminxx

That was probably one of the best gigs of my life. GnR were on top form and the sound was perfect, actually had goosebumps at one point! Couldn't get over the consistent energy levels of the band... they all have at least 20 years on me and I don't know how they put that much energy into it over such a long set!

That being said, I f*cking hate Slane. Hate it. Was seriously unimpressed with the venue in 2015 and swore I would never, ever go back unless it was a one off opportunity which I felt that this was. The drainage and toilet queues were improved upon 2015 but it's still an awful place for a gig. Transport is crap, the queues for food or a pint are outrageous. It was taking people nearly an hour to get a beer at one point. The food queues were all over the place and actually hindering movement around the rest of the site. I don't think they actually had enough food vans, they all seemed overwhelmed. I ended up buying some popcorn and a bar from one of the shops so I didn't miss a whole support band waiting for something more substantial.

Getting out of Slane... Jesus. We went to the toilets on the way out, and then they had moved the fences so there was a different exit route for men and women coming from the toilets. My other half was on the other side of the fence and security wouldn't let either of us through, so we had to walk against the one way system to get back to each other.

Getting back to town, we had just missed a nitelink and there were no taxis to be had. We had to walk out of town to find a taxi and eventually got home about half 2. My knees and ankles are in BITS.

It was worth it for Guns n Roses, I'm so happy I went and saw them but jayzus, never ever going to Slane again. There's not a single band that would make it worthwhile for me.

twin_beacon

The gig was class, great set list, great performance, good sound.

Getting out was a disaster. Big squeeze trying to get out via the red exit. As for the red car park? Joke. It was a free for all trying to exit. I was in the car for 11:30, by 12:45 no car around me had moved. I left the queue and drove to another part of the car park that was actually moving. Was on the road by 1:20. Then a traffic jam for another 20 mins to get to Navan!

I didn't see one steward in the car park until I was near the exit. at the exit, there were 4 lanes of cars merging onto the mucky exit. Combine that with frustrated and aggressive drivers, I don't know how there weren't a few fender benders.

If I didn't move to another part of the car park, I would have been there for another 90 mins at least.

nikkibikki

Mushy wrote:

Can I ask in what way was Mark lanegan bad? My mates said he was very good, but they're fans. His music really doesn't suit massive outdoor venues at all, I kinda guessed it wouldn't work at all.

If you were a fan, of course you'd enjoy his music. We found him monotone and I don't think he even spoke to the crowd. Just not to my taste. The 2 boys from Royal Blood are incredibly talented.

santana75

Hmmmm how to call this one........messy as fook getting there it seemed to take forever to get to the venue itself. Once in there the lads qued for beer which was a very long que. Tried to get on the hill but it was 8pm by that stage so no chance. Walked back up a bit and we found a good spot to settle. It was so far away though that Axl and co looked like tiny dots on the horizon. The gig itself i found so so. People going on about how it was amazing gig.......you mustve had a few beers on board to see it that way. Axl's voice sounded amazing, its really held up. The band as a whole were tight, they nailed every song. The only problem i had was with the set list. Theyd get the crowd hopping with a classic and then play something from "The new album". Which would kill the vibe. It happened over and over. They played patience and that was great and i thought ok everyone is buzzing, keep it rolling but again they killed the vibe.
All in all the gig was ok, definitely not worth all the hassle. If they had played the 3 arena it wouldve been worth it, but this wasnt.

nikkibikki

santana75 wrote:

Hmmmm how to call this one........messy as fook getting there it seemed to take forever to get to the venue itself. Once in there the lads qued for beer which was a very long que. Tried to get on the hill but it was 8pm by that stage so no chance. Walked back up a bit and we found a good spot to settle. It was so far away though that Axl and co looked like tiny dots on the horizon. The gig itself i found so so. People going on about how it was amazing gig.......you mustve had a few beers on board to see it that way. Axl's voice sounded amazing, its really held up. The band as a whole were tight, they nailed every song. The only problem i had was with the set list. Theyd get the crowd hopping with a classic and then play something from "The new album". Which would kill the vibe. It happened over and over. They played patience and that was great and i thought ok everyone is buzzing, keep it rolling but again they killed the vibe. All in all the gig was ok, definitely not worth all the hassle. If they had played the 3 arena it wouldve been worth it, but this wasnt.

I had 1 and a half pints of Heineken in me. I didn't want to be bothering with the loo so I stopped at that til we got back to the campsite. I think the fact it was an outside gig added immensely to the atmosphere. I think the 3arena would be ****. I def didn't need a few beers in me to think it was amazing gig. People have different tastes is all.

Ash.J.Williams

nikkibikki wrote: »

If you were a fan, of course you'd enjoy his music. We found him monotone and I don't think he even spoke to the crowd. Just not to my taste. The 2 boys from Royal Blood are incredibly talented.

Lanegan was great... He was himself

UsedToWait

How did our sneaky naggin / sandwich bag / Capri Sun folks get on with security checks?

frag420

UsedToWait wrote: »

How did our sneaky naggin / sandwich bag / Capri Sun folks get on with security checks?

I bought a roll up bottle from SportsDirect, came with a clip so I clipped it to the inside of my shorts and let it hang, worked a charm!!

charlietheminxx

My friend got a hip flask of vodka in without any trouble.

Frank Fetterson

This was my first and last Slane concert. I'm glad I did it, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to put myself through the whole experience again. Besides the exasperating logistics involved with visiting the venue, the added nuisance of drunks hassling you and the sight of people urinating where they stand isn't very appealing. I get that it's a rock concert, but outdoor (non stadium) venues seem to stir up the worst behaviour in people. On the plus side, I didn't have any issues regarding the queues for food and drink. I was served in under fifteen minutes each time, which I think is reasonable considering the scale of the event. I didn't experience any hour long waiting periods that others have reported.

jamesbere

Mushy wrote: »

Can I ask in what way was Mark lanegan bad? My mates said he was very good, but they're fans. His music really doesn't suit massive outdoor venues at all, I kinda guessed it wouldn't work at all.

Yeah agreed, his voice doesn't carry very well in a large venue. I taught he was alright and I wouldn't be into his music too much.

AndrewJRenko

73Cat wrote: »

All the fields on the roads to Navan and not one used for park and ride set up, would have taken a lot of traffic off the road. It will be at least 3am before we are home, but worth it !

It's a long time since I was in Slane - U2 in 2001 - but on that occasion and several previous occasion, pretty much every field on the approach to Slane from Dublin was turned into an improvised car park with the farmer charging a fiver or car or similar. It was a gamble to choose something that was within reasonable walking distance without getting too close to be jammed up in traffic. It meant a longish walk on the way out, but once you got to the car, it went fairly smoothly from there.

Does the improvised car parking not happen any more?

D.Q

UsedToWait wrote: »

How did our sneaky naggin / sandwich bag / Capri Sun folks get on with security checks?

No problems at all. Forgot the bottle cap though. Just asked an ice cream man to leave a cap on, and he did. Happy days

threein99

This is the red exit....

santana75

santana75 wrote: »

Hmmmm how to call this one........messy as fook getting there it seemed to take forever to get to the venue itself. Once in there the lads qued for beer which was a very long que. Tried to get on the hill but it was 8pm by that stage so no chance. Walked back up a bit and we found a good spot to settle. It was so far away though that Axl and co looked like tiny dots on the horizon. The gig itself i found so so. People going on about how it was amazing gig.......you mustve had a few beers on board to see it that way. Axl's voice sounded amazing, its really held up. The band as a whole were tight, they nailed every song. The only problem i had was with the set list. Theyd get the crowd hopping with a classic and then play something from "The new album". Which would kill the vibe. It happened over and over. They played patience and that was great and i thought ok everyone is buzzing, keep it rolling but again they killed the vibe.
All in all the gig was ok, definitely not worth all the hassle. If they had played the 3 arena it wouldve been worth it, but this wasnt.

I was the designated driver and I thought it was a fuarking amazing gig.

COH

I must be in the minority - but I love Slane.

Left Dublin yesterday around 2.30pm and was parked in the pink car park in under an hour. Walked to the venue unmolested and without incident and got our wrist-bands for gold circle B and went to get pints, took about ten minutes. Second time going for drinks around 6.30pm the place had filled up and took a while to get drinks but herself was off stocking up on food (the gourmet burgers were immense!) and we met up fully stocked for the main event. Was a little slow getting back down the hill but to be expected with 80,000 people jostling for position.

Thought Guns were bloody brilliant - they really put on a show. I saw the previous incarnation back in the RDS and they were dreadful so was bracing myself for a repeat this time around but f*ck me I was blown away by how good they were. Axls voice was great and held up throughout and the rest of the band were on the money. Anyway, had the time of my life. Took about an hour to get on the road again but we knew this would be the case so had food/drink/change of clothes in the car so just took it handy and got out when we got out... which we did.

I just don't get the moaning to be honest. Its a rock concert, there will be people peeing, there will be drunk people, the odd aggressive prick, its a big f*ck off field in the middle of nowhere in a country where it rains a lot so yeah its going to take a while to get in/out for some. Too many people stressing far too much over things beyond their control :rolleyes:

ILikeBoats

We got to Slane Farm Camping at 9am.set up the tent then headed into the village. Had a few pints to in the village inn and Boyles. Back to the tent for sambos and cans.

We left the campsite at 4.30 and we were in looking at the stage for 5.10 which is pretty quick considering the security!

Didn't notice any trouble or drunkeness. There were a lot of people pissing under the sinks outside the toilets to the left of the stage which was gross but this is what happens these days.

Never too more than 15 mins to get a beer or 4 which grand, was queuing for sweet child though

I thought GNR were absolutely brilliant. I enjoyed the 3 hours, thought they put on a brilliant show!

Half an hour to get back to the tent for a few nightcaps which was brilliant. Camping is the best solution for the aftermath of slane!

No issues or traffic leaving at 10.30 this morning!

What a brilliant day

Rubberlegs

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Fist time in Slane and I was up nearer the front for most of the concert and there was relatively no trouble but as I made my way to the back to get out a bit early, the more I went back the rougher the crowd seemed to get. Saw a two lads scrapping and a lad literally just in the middle of a packed crowd with his schlong out pissing around everywhere :O

Wonder if it was the same lad I saw! Right in front of me and sprayed his girlfriends bag. Awhile later she sat down, pulled down her pants and went herself. Out of it the pair of them, wonder can they even remember the night at all? We had the guts of an hour walk back to the car and then got to Navan in ten minutes as opposed to the 2 and a half hrs from Navan. Home to Waterford by 3. I am still buzzing, it was brilliant. Slash is a legend! Mad to think it was 25 yrs since I last saw them there as a young one and the songs still sound so good today

lafors

Amazing gig! Was very wary of it being in Slane having not been there since the Verve and hearing all the stories of the toilets leaking down the hill etc.

Got Dublin bus from Parnell sq at 3.15, traffic stopped near the venue but Garda motorbikes then pulled the buses out of the line and drove them last the traffic. The walk was long as expected and they could have done with a load more toilets at the bus drop off but grand other than that. Got a position down near the bottom of the hill in the middle decent amount of space. Queues for her were mad but that's expected at a gig in Ireland, sure they couldn't really fit more bars in fairness. Toilets were very quick, not once did I have to queue, it was walk straight in each time.

As for the band's Royal Blood were unbelievable for just 2 lads on that stage, definitely going to go to them again.
Then G'n'R were amazing, what a set, slash is phenomenal. The Godfather bit was unbelievable.

Then getting out, just a lot of walking, buses were straight on, queued for no more than 3 mins. Then to top it off the bus driver stopped and let me out in Whitehall, legend.

Itssoeasy

Big Nasty wrote: »

How was Axl's voice? Seemed a bit short of breath in any vids I've seen.

It was brilliant. The only time I heard some "shortness of breath" was maybe during coma. But that song is tough anyway.

Itssoeasy

threein99 wrote: »

This is the red exit....

Jesus Christ that was starting to drive me nuts by the time the guy stopped and the girl took over.

Denisoftus

Great gig for sure, first time in Slane, always wanted to try it out, surly G&R is a good choice to start with. Not sure if I unhappy like others about outdoor experience like Slane, IMHO everything was organised to its best, you can't satisfy 85K people in any matter, for sure, lines for beer were really organised well, considering the crowd, toilets experience can be improved for sure. Fireworks at the end such a great idea to keep people form rushing, and damn, it was so good!

Getting out was a bit pain (red car park), but what can you expect, it was so damn muddy, cars got stuck all the way, and after all, it wasn't too bad, I recall getting out of a Bord Gais, another night, took as almost as much, and it was only 2000 people.

@threein99, yep, she made a night

Am I only one who missed "Don't cry"? I was hopping for it all along.

Bonzo Delaney

Itssoeasy wrote: »

It was brilliant. The only time I heard some "shortness of breath" was maybe during coma. But that song is tough anyway.

And slash breaking a string before the outro solo to coma knocked him of a bit that's the only blip I could hear and it's a very minor blip
Axl voice was on point the whole way through for a high energetic show
For a +50 yr old singing the way he's does
UNBE****INLEIVABLE

Really enjoyed seeing guns & roses, wasn't allowed the last time they played!!
The concert was great, loved it.
Didn't have any problems getting Dublin bus back, good system in operation.

Seriously though, Axl must have more costume changes then Lady Gaga! Meant to many breaks between songs for me.

Itssoeasy

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

And slash breaking a string before the outro solo to coma knocked him of a bit that's the only blip I could hear and it's a very minor blip
Axl voice was on point the whole way through for a high energetic show
For a +50 yr old singing the way he's does
UNBE****INLEIVABLE

The crowd during jungle was insane. I saw guys there with their kids and the dads were singing along like it was 1992. It was brilliant to see. And one guys son was on his shoulders next to me and he was about 9 or ten and he was belting out night train I thought that's good parenting.

sammyjo90

Got in the door after half 5...codnt find a taxi for love nor money when we got eventually arrived in cork. Just alive now.

My baby food pouches worked no bother,had them stashed in my boobs and took them out after the first check then had to quickly shove them back in when I realised there was a second one! The steward was impressed with my provisions for rain in my tiny bag she didn't really pat me down too much
Was hilarious when my ready drunk boyfriend grabbed on e outta my bag and Downed it for all to see and everyone going "WTF is that man!?!" :pac:

Like a poster said above.it will be campervan and be the last person to leave the next time I'll be off to slane. It's great but it's such an ordeal . And I'm only 27...too old for it :pac:

xzanti

I sold my tickets as I'm heavily pregnant, and now I'm gutted I didn't just brave the elements, the gig looked amazing from the clips I'm seeing.

Hopefully they'll come back again