Taylor Swift, Croke Park, June 15/16th 2018 **No ticket sales / requests **

Mrs Shuttleworth

Carol25 wrote: »

Show me a picture of half the Davin empty. The lower few rows weren’t sold due to viewing restrictions. Same for the two upper corners due to speakers. Here is a video of some of blank space when I was looking in that direction.
Some people on here just want to take down a phenomenal performance and show. Similar to the previous ‘reviewer’ who called the amazing spectacle ‘theeadbare’ (were they even at the concert!) who seems to have gotten free tickets and isn’t even a fan!

Nobody wants to "take down" a show, I go to gigs all the time and also perform myself.

For the hype, venue and face value for those who paid it was a thin production. It was a sleight of hand reliant on screens. I've seen far bigger productions from the Stones, ACDC, Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue than what I saw last night.

I'd put it on a level with Rihanna in the Aviva in 2016. That was a great show in the right setting.

Last night was a good show in the wrong setting.

hee302

Went last night on a ticket bought last minute. Last concert I was at was Beyoncé and this concert was way better than that. Taylor interacted with the crowd well, sound was great, staging and production were excellent. The fireworks at the end were on another level I thought. Sang a great mix of songs. Very entertaining the whole way through. Very impressed despite all the naysayers.

Checkmate19

that last post is the same as a few ago is that u taylor

hee302

Checkmate19 wrote: »

that last post is the same as a few ago is that u taylor

Guilty!

SteM

hee302 wrote: »

Went last night on a ticket bought last minute. Last concert I was at was Beyoncé and this concert was way better than that. Taylor interacted with the crowd well, sound was great, staging and production were excellent. The fireworks at the end were on another level I thought. Sang a great mix of songs. Very entertaining the whole way through. Very impressed despite all the naysayers.

1 post in 8 years on boards, you must have been impressed!

Fortyjocks

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Nobody

For the hype, venue and face value for those who paid it was a thin production. It was a sleight of hand reliant on screens. I've seen far bigger productions from the Stones, ACDC, Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue than what I saw last night.

A thin production!!!! I think that is way off the mark, not sure what you class a big production?, the Stones in May for instance wasn't a patch on it in terms of production values. As for sleight of hand reliant on screens, would love to know what that means!

loopymum

I won 4 free tickets in pitch standing but I'm taking my 10 year old and 13 year old. How strict were they in over 14s in the pitch standing area? My tickets do have numbers on the though. Eg. G6 120

RobertKK

If you want a really enjoyable Saturday night then Croke Park is the place to be.

She put on an excellent show last night, she always fails to disappoint and it was great to hear Mean as the random song. I had a wonderful time singing and dancing along.
I have seen her live three times now and if anything she just gets better and better.
I saw Beyonce at Croke Park but this was many levels above it. The staging was the best I have seen and on a cold June night lets admit it, those fire balls were welcome heat
She always does her best to get close to the people who attend the show and it is something to really appreciate.
It will go down as one of the best shows in Croke Park for a long time by people who review these things.
Every time I see her live, she just confirms why she is a global superstar.

Carol25

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Nobody wants to "take down" a show, I go to gigs all the time and also perform myself.

For the hype, venue and face value for those who paid it was a thin production. It was a sleight of hand reliant on screens. I've seen far bigger productions from the Stones, ACDC, Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue than what I saw last night.

I'd put it on a level with Rihanna in the Aviva in 2016. That was a great show in the right setting.

Last night was a good show in the wrong setting.

Troll alert! Completely untrue, this is miles better than the Stones and others you mentioned. I had a great night, It’s an excellent show, one of the best I’ve been at in Croke Park and you can troll away to your hearts content! Enjoy it tonight everyone!

Pepsicass

I 100% agree with the positive reviewers. It was an amazing evening and an incredible show. The gang I was with - from non Taylor fans out for a night out to my dd who is a massive fan - all had a fantastic evening.

The only empty seats I saw (and I had a great view of the whole stadium) were, as someone else pointed out, left purposely empty due to restrictive views.

Last night's tickets were freebies and we're (just dd and self) back tonight to the snake pit - tickets I bought way back when in the presale. I don't feel the snake pit fans were shafted at all - she played 4/5 songs on the B stages out of (I just looked up) 19 songs.

I loved the theatrics of it all - the lighting, fireworks, giant snakes etc but especially the wristband lighting - that was amazing to see.

Anyone going tonight - you're in for a treat!

hynesie08

Carol25 wrote: »

Troll alert! Completely untrue, this is miles better than the Stones and others you mentioned. I had a great night, It’s an excellent show, one of the best I’ve been at in Croke Park and you can troll away to your hearts content! Enjoy it tonight everyone!

Were you at all those concerts? And every outdoor concert for the last 30 years??? You know it's entirely possible that the poster just didn't enjoy it as much as other concerts??? And I think I know what they mean by stage slight of hand, Sheeran was doing the same thing in the Phoenix park...

Pepsicass

I'd love to know what was meant by "sleight of hand reliant on screens".

I thought Taylor, the singers and dancers on stage put on an incredible performance and the screening was excellent for those not close to the stage.

SteM

Carol25 wrote: »

Troll alert! Completely untrue, this is miles better than the Stones and others you mentioned. I had a great night, It’s an excellent show, one of the best I’ve been at in Croke Park and you can troll away to your hearts content! Enjoy it tonight everyone!

Just because someone posts an opinion on gigs they thought were better doesn't make them a troll. I've been to shows that I thought were rubbish but others loved. I've seen movies that I loved that my wife has hated. It's down to taste. You're a huge fan, that's obvious. Don't feel the need to jump on any differing opinion, obviously from the other posts here a lot of people agree with your view of the show so just be happy that you had a great night.

hynesie08

Pepsicass wrote: »

I'd love to know what was meant by "sleight of hand reliant on screens".

I thought Taylor, the singers and dancers on stage put on an incredible performance and the screening was excellent for those not close to the stage.

In Sheeran's case, it was that he had stuff going on on the screen while he was playing with his loop pedal because otherwise he would lose the crowd.

Haven't seen Taylor yet, but maybe she was using the screens/fireworks to distract from the fact that she was padding out songs with dance breaks/instrumentals?? Were the songs relatively comparable to the album length wise??

Pepsicass

hynesie08 wrote: »

In Sheeran's case, it was that he had stuff going on on the screen while he was playing with his loop pedal because otherwise he would lose the crowd.

Haven't seen Taylor yet, but maybe she was using the screens/fireworks to distract from the fact that she was padding out songs with dance breaks/instrumentals?? Were the songs relatively comparable to the album length wise??

Ah, I get you. Didn't see Ed but in my opinion that wasn't the case last night at all.

micks_address

hynesie08 wrote: »

In Sheeran's case, it was that he had stuff going on on the screen while he was playing with his loop pedal because otherwise he would lose the crowd.

Haven't seen Taylor yet, but maybe she was using the screens/fireworks to distract from the fact that she was padding out songs with dance breaks/instrumentals?? Were the songs relatively comparable to the album length wise??

No padding really. She had couple of costume changes but that was it. The fireworks and flame s were firing during songs. If you like taylor swift then the show won't leave you disappointed. To be fair whatever you think of her music her hits are very catchy and easy to sing along with. We paid 340 for four tickets with face price of 480 from adverts. Lots of tickets going. I'd estimate maybe 70k there last night

Fortyjocks

I don't have any issue with people having different opinions on gigs, that's what makes it interesting as everyone has different views and there were some at the gig last night who may have got free tickets and went along but weren't converted by the experience, nothing wrong with that. However, I don't agree with statements which go completely against the obvious, i.e that it was a thin production! when by any standard it was far from that. Also, the sleight of hand issue with screens makes it sound like she was trying to be Keith Barry, use of large screens as part of stadium shows an is commonplace, they always will so how this is suddenly a topic here is bizarre! I think people need to just give credit where credit is due sometimes & if you have a legitimate criticism fair enough. There were doomsday scenarios about the atmosphere on here all week with empty stadiums or people falling around drunk/chatting ruining it, again all unfounded. Have a great night if you are going tonight, enjoy the show!!

AndrewJRenko

Mongfinder General wrote: »

My Missus sent me a photo. Half full stadium. Load of ****e.

Share the photo here - that'll definitely shut up the naysayers. You can crop out family members if required.

Gal44

Did anyone bring a backpack with them? I want to bring a little kiddie one for my daughter to keep her coat spare hoodie etc

Mrs Shuttleworth

Fortyjocks wrote: »

A thin production!!!! I think that is way off the mark, not sure what you class a big production?, the Stones in May for instance wasn't a patch on it in terms of production values. As for sleight of hand reliant on screens, would love to know what that means!

I shouldn't have to spell this out but here goes. The show had a "gothic horror" theme in the advertising and the pre-show visuals on the screen after the two support acts vimmed me up for what I thought would be a big spectacle. However there wasn't any such "set" then at all, just the screens and occasional blow up snakes. Look at some footage of Stones/ACDC/Kylie gigs the last ten years by comparison. And the narrative was lost pretty quickly on what it started out as.

It was a good show but I do not think it at all worthy of nabbing two nights at Croke Park. For me only the heavyweight rock acts can do justice to those spaces.

blairbear

I have been a fan of Taylor's for ten years. I paid 150e for my pitch seated ticket on the day of release. I am really glad I did!

As a fan, I completely loved every minute of it. By the time Taylor got the stage, the stadium was 90 percent full. 70k were in attendance apparently. The atmosphere was very safe and child friendly. Drinks from the bar weren't allowed on to the pitch, which was no bad thing; nothing worse than messy drunks at a gig.

Her voice/guitar/piano playing all sounded wonderful and I loved the inclusion of so much of her back catalogue. I guess, as a fan, I feel an emotional attachment to her songs so they would have more significance for me than a casual concert goer who picked up a free ticket. Similarly, I would have no interest in the Stones, so any gig of theirs would elicit a luke warm reaction from me.

I was right beside one of her pitch side stages, so she played a couple of songs maybe 8 feet away from me. All of the young girls near me were utterly overwhelmed and so happy to be in such close proximity; I saw another comment a couple of pages back selling this as a negative?!? That the snake pit ticket holders were conned as she wasn't on the main stage all the time. I doubt any diehard Tay-Tay fans would mind other fans also getting a chance to be so close.

She looked gorgeous, was lovely and engaging between numbers, and I had the best fun I've ever had at a gig! Everyone I know who went feels the same!

Have fun tonight, whoever is going. If you're a Taylor fan, then you'll be enamoured.

murpho999

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Just home. First off thanks to MCD for the passes in the competition. If I go to Croker again I'll be going for the Upper Hogan near the stage - view was spectacular and great to see backstage action. Much better than the premium prices I shelled out for Lower Cusack for the Stones and felt about three miles off.

Visibly armed gardai were at the entry point on Jones Road. Haven't seen that except on the days in the suburbs when there's some Hutch/Kinehan action. So I wonder were they worried about security for obvious reasons.

Easy enough access tonight to .....

No need to make of that than what it is. They were at the U2 concert last year too.

Thousands of people gathering in one place to see a high profile singer would be a clear target nowadays and that' why the armed Gardai were there.

hynesie08

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I shouldn't have to spell this out but here goes. The show had a "gothic horror" theme in the advertising and the pre-show visuals on the screen after the two support acts vimmed me up for what I thought would be a big spectacle. However there wasn't any such "set" then at all, just the screens and occasional blow up snakes. And the narrative was lost pretty quickly on what it started out as.

It was a good show but I do not think it at all worthy of nabbing two nights at Croke Park. For me only the heavyweight rock acts can do justice to those spaces.

So you felt it was a series of visuals with nothing tying them together??? That's perfectly valid.

Fortyjocks

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I shouldn't have to spell this out but here goes. The show had a "gothic horror" theme in the advertising and the pre-show visuals on the screen after the two support acts vimmed me up for what I thought would be a big spectacle. However there wasn't any such "set" then at all, just the screens and occasional blow up snakes. Look at some footage of Stones/ACDC/Kylie gigs the last ten years by comparison. And the narrative was lost pretty quickly on what it started out as.

It was a good show but I do not think it at all worthy of nabbing two nights at Croke Park. For me only the heavyweight rock acts can do justice to those spaces.

Think it was generally considered a big spectacle by the majority there. Would be interested in hearing about the big themed shows you have been to? Baffled to know the theme the Stones had in May there!!!

hynesie08

Fortyjocks wrote: »

Think it was generally considered a big spectacle by the majority there. Would be interested in hearing about the big themed shows you have been to? Baffled to know the theme the Stones had in May there!!!

Some shows don't need a theme, but I'm now thinking of Pink's funhouse tour, where everything from the set to the dancers to the confetti fit into the theme. Spectacle doesn't necessarily equate to structure. I'm looking forward to seeing it tonight but I can completely see where Ms. Shuttleworth is coming from if she's right.

threetrees

We thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't a concert but a show and she really did her best to entertain and go from stage to stage. The light up things worked very well too.

paulie21

Anyone park in Clonliffe college last night? Was it easy get in and out

Conservatory

Gal44 wrote: »

Did anyone bring a backpack with them? I want to bring a little kiddie one for my daughter to keep her coat spare hoodie etc

She needs a coat and a spare hoody at a concert in Dublin city in the summer?
Was at Liam Gallagher last night and the signs said a4 bags were allowed so I’m guessing little bags.

Pepsicass

We parked near Botanic Gardens entrance. About a twenty minute walk but no getting stuck in traffic.

The rule for Croke Park is stricter - bags no bigger than A5.

Carol25

SteM wrote: »

Just because someone posts an opinion on gigs they thought were better doesn't make them a troll. I've been to shows that I thought were rubbish but others loved. I've seen movies that I loved that my wife has hated. It's down to taste. You're a huge fan, that's obvious. Don't feel the need to jump on any differing opinion, obviously from the other posts here a lot of people agree with your view of the show so just be happy that you had a great night.

Someone obviously doesn't like it when they were wrong about the gig being a 'disaster'/ 'bad atmosphere' / etc. I can defend what are obviously ridiculous criticisms of visuals, etc if I want and if I think someone is trolling this thread, which plenty are talking through their backside, I will call them out also. Were you at the show? Why are you even quoting and messaging me? Enjoy it tonight if you're going