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Some might say Oasis are still world beaters after Slane gig

Monday, 22 June 2009

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Oasis, the one-time kings of Britpop, rolled back the years in front of 80,000 ecstatic fans on the banks of the Boyne.

Fourteen years after they last played Slane Castle, the Gallagher Brothers are back at the top — and it was a champagne supernova performance that wowed the huge crowd on Saturday.

That promised heat wave never did come but the kings of Mancunian cool turned up the heat from the first song.

Noel Gallagher admitted before the gig that his memories of the last time they visited Lord Henry Mount Charles's back garden were somewhat hazy.

But it must have all come back to him as he looked down at the huge crowd packed into the natural amphitheatre of one of the world's truly great rock venues.

And for the Gallagher brothers it was very much a family affair, with a huge contingent of the extended clan given VIP access for a gig that became something of a homecoming for a band still proud of their Mayo roots.

Kicking off with Rock ‘N’ Roll Star, the hill erupted as the British pop legends banged out some of their newest hits, such as Lyla and Shock of the Lightning, before delighting the crowd with classics including Roll With It, Wonderwall and their massive smash hit anthem Don't Look Back In Anger.

The united voice of thousands of the band's die-hard followers could be heard for miles around the castle as the iconic Manchester outfit rocked it up.

Back at the VIP garden party, scores of the brothers' extended family lapped up the atmosphere at a gig that is regarded as the first big date of the summer.

They could be seen living it up with other VIP guests in the cocktail bar, champagne room and Irish whiskey tent. Manchester City star Stephen Ireland was also on the list to party the night away alongside former Irish international footballer Gary Kelly.

Earlier, high-profile warm-up acts, including The Prodigy and Kasabian, entertained the crowd during the afternoon, as well as Mullingar band The Blizzards, who put on a high-energy set that was full of verve.

That kept the fans more than happy but there was no doubt who the real stars were.

With a whopping 70 million records sold worldwide, the crowd were left in no doubt that they were in the presence of a band that had shaped a generation.

This stadium tour sees the group play to their biggest audiences yet but it's doubtful they will ever forget their second visit to Slane. It was a triumph.

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30 Comments

I was a bus driver working at Slane . Never before was i parked so far from town , didnt have a ticket for concert but just walked in.
Too many people out of it, Toliets were closed. Times for groups wrong

Posted by steve | 27.06.09, 15:54 GMT

I really enjoyed d concert but felt it was ridiculas to expect people to have to walk for a solid two and a half hours after the concert to get to the place where the taxis and buses were.organisers are being greedy leaveing in so many people if the exit roads cant cope with the volume of people entering and leaveing.only one bar open where we qued for one hour but maybe it was a good idea as so many people were very drunk and didnt need more oasis never plyed"shes electric"disapointed !

Posted by yvonne | 25.06.09, 00:03 GMT

Total mayhem!! My girlfriend and I were in Dublin for her birthday weekend and The Slane Castle gig was supposed to be the highlight. Sadly it turned out to be a chaotic & shambolic day. Dumped miles from the venue, 3 hours of being herded like cattle just to get in, queuing for an hour to get a beer. I've been to massive gigs like this before and have never seen such a poor set up. The organisers should be ashamed of themselves. Were Oasis any good? Couldn't say, left early to avoid the chaos!

Posted by Mark | 24.06.09, 09:42 GMT

came by car from north wales, got in 7p.m. after almost an hour walking up the winding lane, it was horrendous with some festival goers clearly wasted and getting agitated with the long walk,we got in without checking our tickets but never went to the bar or the toilets as the queues were too long and the place was filled to capacity,leaving before the end was easier down the main road,we drove away via the back road, no traffic or hassle,rain would have caused a major h&s issue,gig was brill

Posted by sharon | 23.06.09, 23:23 GMT

Been going to gigs for over 20yrs never experienced such an unorganized event! Walking(shuffling) through the wooded area was rediculous, got to the venue at 7.45(left Dublin at 3pm) missing most of the bands. Never once got asked for a ticket! Was told we would half to go back the way we came in, so left at 9.30 (with few 100 others) but walked out to a road! Local resident were cashing in selling water/hot dogs etc at their gates! No complaints about the bands just the SHAMBOLIC ORGANIZATION

Posted by Lesley | 23.06.09, 23:01 GMT

This event was a disgrace. I was working at it and it should never be allowed again. The stewarding staff for the most part were inexperienced many told me it was their first time doing something like this. There was no briefings for our company before it, there was clearly no drug searches at the gates, no sniffer dogs etc. Some of the staff were so rude to customers i was embarrassed to be with them. Disgrace plain and simple

Posted by Anon | 23.06.09, 21:50 GMT

the bar situation is ridiculous, surely these people can see they are losing a fortune by not providing enough bar space and a descent queing system, waiting an hour for a pint is above and beyond!

Posted by Mihe | 23.06.09, 16:39 GMT

was in slane 95<r.e.m, oasis specail guests.can't remember queuing somuch, but what a day all worth it.

Posted by ULA | 23.06.09, 15:50 GMT

yes worst concert i have ever been to this was a venue not fit for purpose, herded around like cattle , all bands were failry average sound was terrible, food and drink was non existence or just over crowded and badly set up - concerts should be great fun and allow you to have a great day and night out this concert at Slane Castle was a huge disappointment! won't ever be going to slane castle to see any other bands!

Posted by Mark | 23.06.09, 15:27 GMT

I attended the gig with a few friends and the only complaint I had were the access to the bars. I paid £75 for a ticket and expected to be able to buy a pint without an hour que only to be told that I could have a max 2 drinks at 6 euros each. The event was quite long so it was thirsty business. There were more burger stands and only 2 bars to cover 100,000 people at the very least.

Posted by J.Smith | 23.06.09, 13:52 GMT

wat a load of muck i'm reading by the previous posters here!! I've seen Oasis 7 times now and that was the best.
F***in Biblical!! great gig, great venue!!!
live forever!!

Posted by BiblicalRoasty | 23.06.09, 13:21 GMT

what kind of "truly great rock venue" has the big screens a whole two seconds behind the actual live performance - Ryan in answer to your question, all of them. Sound doesn't travel as fast as light and magic wands havent been evented yet.

Posted by GDW | 23.06.09, 13:06 GMT

Oasis were excellent but the worst organised music event in history! I've been to Slane before but have never witnessed such chaos and such a disregard for public safety from the Stewards and Gardai. I entered the extremely overcrowded wooded area at 4:30 and got in at 6:45 without having my ticket checked once. How nobody was seriously injured on that lane is a miracle.Then a 2 hour walk out of Slane before we managed to get a bus!??
MCD, the Gardai and Lord Mountcharles should be ashamed!!

Posted by M.T. | 23.06.09, 12:41 GMT

Had the people who are complaining never been to Slane before ?? Walking for miles, lack of toilets and queues are par for the course. What else can you expect from a gig in a field in a tiny village for 80,000 people ?!

Posted by Beenie | 23.06.09, 10:48 GMT

Hard to believe that Slane has got it so wrong. If this had been the first time the venue was used, it may be excusable, but Slane has been hosting 80,000 crowd gigs for decades!

I've attended a few over the years, the most memorable for me was Robbie Williams, but the organisation was fine. (Considering you are piling 80,000 people onto a country hill, in the middle of nowhere, with no real road infrastructure)

You'd have really thought that Slane would improve over the years, not get worse.

Posted by Stephen | 23.06.09, 10:48 GMT

I came over from Scotland and although Oasis were outstanding the event itself was a shambles.I can not believe having paid for buses we would be dropped off miles away.This venue is an accident waiting to happen . I saw people fighting trying to get up to the stadium and fencing torn down by que jumpers. No one checked we had tickets all the way into the venue and toileting arrangements were prehistoric. If it had rained people would never have been able to get out and possibly crushed.

Posted by LIAM.C..... | 23.06.09, 01:40 GMT

came all the way to ireland to view my favourtie rock band(oasis) in what is reguarded as an amazing venue, ok it may look great seeing all those people in a field jumping up and down but when your at the top of the hill the stage is pointless. the organization was god awful. got on dublin bus at 4pm, arrived at 5 and the place resembled a war zone, casualties everywhere. we thought 5pm would have been ample timing for kasabian but didnt get in until after 7pm. left early best thing all day.

Posted by sim | 22.06.09, 22:20 GMT

outstanding concert & venue :-) the reporter has got it spot on!!

Posted by Paul | 22.06.09, 22:20 GMT

2 exits for 80,000 people...I walked by 2 big gates on the way out and why these gates were'nt opened is beyond me....an absolute disgrace...

Posted by Kevin | 22.06.09, 17:56 GMT

I thought Oasis were brilliant, the whole day was fantastic. We drove to the gig and parked about 3km outside the town in a residential house who were charging €10 in their field.Thought this to be reasonble.only complaint i had was the public toilet displays of men and WOMEN!-gross. More porta-loos next year.

Posted by Caz | 22.06.09, 17:34 GMT