WITNNESS - Your Reviews

MrJoeSoap

Saturday

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I'm just back from the festival and can honestly say, it was just as good as last year (so far). Jimmy Eat World, The (Amazing) Hives, Green Day (ROCK!!!) and the Foo Fighters (What can I say?). The Upstage was flooded (good old Ireland) and didnt open til 18.30 , but Wilt rocked it when it did eventually. The highlights of the day were Tre smashing his drums, the pint-guzzling rabbit on the Main Stage and last, but not least, Dave Grohls shot at Courtney Love, that went something like:

"So, I was at our gig with Jimmy Eat World last night (Cheer) in the Ambassador and someone goes to me - 'Let me see your nipples'. (Big Cheer) So I says 'Hey, I'm not Courtney Love, I don't get my tits out every time i go on stage (Huge Cheers)."

He then dedicated a song (Stacked Actors, if I remember correctly) to that "guy" singer from Hole. Superb Entertainment. NOW FOR TOMORROW !

poobags

The weekend was the dogs bollox. Wow.

BEat last year hands down. No doubt about it. The amazing line-up certainly helped out in that respect. Started off with Turn. I was slightly inebriated (already) but the lads gave it their all and sounded great. Had a pint and almost puked. Did they heat the Carlsberg cause it tasted awful. Then proceeded to loose all my friends. Broke into the pit for The Hives. Watched them. Came back out. Met this girl i'm in love with. The excitment starts to rise. Then suddenly I meet all my friends. At this stage i'm ecstatic but suprisingly sober. Then Glen Hansard comes on and I'm in heaven .This girl beside me and The frames in the air. **** me.
I couldn't stop smilin. Then some seriously funny mud fights at Green Day. Then this guy who looks like jesus starts one with me. We get mucky but its all good. Go get some noodles. Return for the Foos. My Hero is just mind blowing. That song just brings back so many childhood memories. Thers a guy behind me cryin when it comes on. Poor fella was just overcome. Went crowdsurfin landed on my face Stacked actors comes on. I get up brush myself off and bellow at the top of my lungs. Everlong probably the best Foos song and fireworks. ****in magical. Prodigy had alot to live up to for me and did well. Maxim is awesome on stage, the guy is just raw energy. Great Great night.

I have a campin band and a space in my mates tent but I decide to go home have a shower and somethin to eat. I feel so much better. Polyphonic spree provide some craic at least. Then the weekend takes a turn for the worst. I unwittingly follow my mates onto Ali Barba and Dance master "rides" near the upstage. They should renamed the puke inducer and the stomach pump.
My face is green. NOt good at all. I should have known what to expect by lookin at the guys who were runnin it. They looked very dodgy. Then the woman I love ran away and I didn't see her again for the rest of the day. I was close to tears. Then I meet the dude out of Rival Schools hangin around the main stage for polyphonic spree. I gave him a rich tea biscuit. He said it was a good biscuit. I agreed. I ****ed off. Watched athlete. Damn impressive, but couldn't cure my broken heart. My mate suggested we go see Starsailor. Oh dear, what a heap of steaming **** in a bucket. When your biggest cheer comes froma Beatles cover you have to know your finsihed. That nasty band did nothin to cheer me up but then............

Then came Mundy.

Christ on a bicycle that gig was the ultimate. MExico had me in such a happy state I was dancin like a mainiac. Then July.
Holy **** on a stick that was amazing. Absolutly wonderful. Just indescribable. Wow.

Then to Less than Jake who provided the best laughs of the day.
Iwas located at the front right of the stage. This huge pit broke out. Just to see nu-metal kids gettin creamed in the muck was worth the price of the ticket. It was ****in hilarious.

Gomez provided an amazing set but the crowd weren't happinin for them. I wish they had of played that set at the Ambassador in April. Las Vegas dealer is an amazing song but i thought they were on the wrong stage. I think in the rising or upstage would have suited them better cause hallf the people in the pit were just there to be in the pit for Oasis. Next up Badly Drawn Boy. I'll say no more. He was pure class. That guy is a legend.
Some south dublin ****er starts shoutin at him sayin " I bet you can't play wonderwall you fat bastard. OASIS" His friend leads him away as he bursts into Three lions on our shirt. This guy is actually Irish. But nobody cared. Witnness is just such a happy buzz. The crowd is predominatly friendly apart from the odd asshole who thinks he's a slane and can do whatever he wants. The security were all pretty sound (especially on the Upstage,did you see the guy with the fez) apart from the Main Stage. They were assholes. One guy came up to me and dragged me away from the crowd. " I had trouble with you before at the frames in dublin castle. If you do one out of place thing i'll have back in whatever ****hole you come from before you can cry for your mammy". Well something to that effect. Yes thrown outta the Frames for gods knows what, twice. I'm famous for it. At least 7 or eight people stopped me to tell me they seen me gettin chucked out of the Frames. Must be the only one ever to be thrown outta of a Frames gig. 7 or 8 people. Bet thats more fans than Damian Rice. Ha.

Then to Basement Jaxx who quite simply stole the whole show. Just fan-****in-tastic. Wheres your head at was particularly genius. And I was crowd surfin for them. Left 20 minutes early to see Soulwax. Well what can I say. I'm quite sure there was no better way to finish the night. My friend then got arressted for startin a mud war at Oasis. All in all the festival was brilliant. THe best thing about witnness is it has a sense of humour. Its quirky and so attracts funny people. It wallops the **** outta Slane as an outdoor gig. It recognises that its not just about the bands but the audience you attract aswell. I was a bit worried that the Oasis contingent might ruin it but the anti Oasis contigent blew them away. Gathered at basement Jaxx we revelled in our anti oasis atmosphere. Roll on next year.

Smell the glove my friends. Smell the glove.

Robbo

Superb, orgasmic, fantastico.

Primal Scream were mildly dissappointing due to being on the main stage. I was up in the pit for this and it was full of all these scangers with neo nazi haircuts and Celtic shirts shouting for Oasis. Anyone who was there to see Primal Scream was mainly looking for stuff off Screamadelica which was never going to happen. I appear to be one of the few that prefers the later stuff and with that they were pretty much flawless in what was always going to be a losing battle.

Soulwax were just amazing, I pissed off all of my friends by leaving to see them instead of Oasis. Given a chance to see an outdated rock band or 2 of the most innovative DJs around, I made my choice.

I lost interest in the Frames due to them opening with Revelate. (It was all going to be a downer from then on, realistically).

The Prodigy blew my mind completely, I was right close to the front and having lost my mates (recurring theme), I settled down to form a few human pyramids. The sheer buzz of me and a few thousand of my closest mates erupting at the start of Their Law was one of those defining moments.

I caught the end of the Foos, just in time for the Courteny baiting and they rocked.

Alas I missed the Dandy Warhols and Sonic Youth due to some timetabling errors. Oh and those idiots throwing mud reminded me of chimpazees with faeces. It's all bloody hilarious until you get a clod in your eye.