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Slane a bit of history.
It is 21 years since the first Slane Festival was headlined by Thin Lizzy. It was a great choice of band for the inaugural. Slane was a major challenge as a gig and it required someone with swagger and style to dominate this natural amphitheatre, which slopes gently down to the River Boyne, in the shadow of the castle. Phil Lynott was just the man for the big occasion and Thin Lizzy's powerful performance kick-started a festival that has attracted some of the biggest superstars in music to the Co Meath village.
The success of the first festival was critical in attracting The Rolling Stones to headline in 1982. Jagger and his crew had a preternatural attraction to the nobility anyway and the prospect of playing in a castle grounds, at the behest of no less than a lord, must have been absolutely irresistible.
The Rolling Stones were confirmation that Slane had arrived. They swept into Slane in a blaze of excitement and the great gossip was that special gardens had been created for the day in their backstage lair. Such extravagance, such savoir faire. Back then that sort of artist demand had buckets of cachet and the atmosphere was crackling with anticipation as the crowd rolled in.
The day got off to a good noisy start, courtesy of guitar-slinger George Thorogood and The Destroyers. They handed over to Jagger's close buddies, The Chieftains. Next came the American J Geils Band, who played like only an American rock band can. And then came Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones with a fiery, feisty, glorious rock 'n roll extravaganza which brought Slane to its feet. High on the hill, in the VIP enclosure outside the front door of the castle, it seemed like everyone was..eh.. high on the hill. And when I look back on a lifetime of gigs, for me, Slane '82 has never been surpassed.
No one could follow The Rolling Stones, so the festival skipped 1983, only to come back with a bang in 1984 with headliner Bob Dylan. Local hopefuls In Tua Nua opened the show. They were followed by the legendary Santana and UB40, who were on the crest of a wave with their brand of reggae for the unemployed. They teed up the crowd for Dylan, the greatest troubadour of modern times. It was another triumph for Slane.
In 1985, there was only one option. If Springsteen wasn't available, there would be no point. Thankfully, The Boss obliged and Slane seemed to bring out the best in him. He played, he rocked and we cheered. One more time, the hoi polloi pressed their envious noses up against the wire surrounding the VIP enclosure, as we sucked our champagne and passed the dutchy on the left-hand side.
Whether we realised it or not, Slane was spoiling us musically. In 1986, the greatest diva ever of rock n' roll, Freddie Mercury, led Queen through their dazzling catalogue of hits. A year later, David Bowie glided in and gave Slane a whole new dimension in performance. And then, just when we thought it couldn't get better, it stopped.
Four years of darkness followed. But Slane was not dead. It was merely sleeping. Henry Mountcharles loved his rock 'n roll too much. And so, it was with a mixture of joy and relief that Slane resumed in 1992 with a loud, noisy line-up of Kilkenny band My Little Funhouse, Faith No More and the hottest metal band on the planet, Guns 'n Roses. Axel and the boys catapulted Slane back to the top of the tree.
The Sawdoctors played a great rackety set in 1993, paving the way for the grand-daddy of grunge, Neil Young. It was another triumph for Slane. One of the most remarkable aspects of the audiences at Slane is that the numbers have never fallen over the years, even though the acts are drawing on different genres and consequently different fan pools.
REM were hot when they came in 1995 and they had the bristling back-up of Oasis to add to the day. A year later, the style had changed yet again with The Verve as headliners and Robbie Williams as support act. And a year later again, who remembered The Verve as cheeky-chappie Robbie came back to headline a line-up that also acknowledged the nascent talent of David Gray. The following year Bryan Adams brought his very successful rock schlok and then in 2001 Slane became the ultimate venue for the ultimate band.
At the first Slane Festival in 1981, U2 were a lowly support band to Thin Lizzy. In 2001 not alone were they headlining Slane, they were the biggest rock band in the world. The festival was a homecoming like no other. The band had recorded The Unforgettable Fire album in the castle. They played two gigs because of the massive demand and each gig was like a sacrement, as Slane became an open-air cathedral for a celebration between band and fans.
Henry Mountcharles and his wife Iona must have revelled in the magic of those two days. Henry had to cope with his grief at the murder of his gamekeeper, Tim Kidman, in 1989. They had overcome the drowning tragedy that blighted the festival of 1995. And on top of all that, together they had weathered the fire in 1991 that had threatened the very existence of Slane Castle itself. Through sheer perseverance, Henry and Iona managed to refurbish all the damaged parts of the castle, so that on the two glorious days that their friends U2 came to play, Lord and Lady Mountcharles got to enjoy the sublime feeling that it had all been worth it.
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Slane Castle Rock Concerts Part Years.
1981
Thin Lizzy - U2 - Hazel O'Connor - Rose Tattoo - Sweet Savage - The Bureau - Megahype
1982
Rolling Stones - J. Geils Band - The Chieftans - George Thorogood & The Destroyers
1984
Bob Dylan - UB40 - Santana - In Tua Nua
1985
Bruce Springsteen
1986
Queen - Chris Rea - Bangles - Fountain Head
1987
David Bowie - Big Country - Aslan - The Grove
1992
Guns N' Roses - Faith No More - My Little Funhouse
1993
Neil Young - Pearl Jam - Van Morrison - Saw Doctors - James - 4 Non Blondes - The Blue Angels
1995
REM - Oasis - Spearhead - Sharon Shannon - Belly - Luka Bloom
1998
The Verve - Manic Street Preachers - Robbie Williams - Finley Quaye - The Sea Horses - James - Junkster
1999
Robbie Williams - Stereophonics - Placebo - Happy Mondays - Gomez - David Gray -
Simon Carmody
2000
Bryan Adams - Moby - Macy Gray - Melanie C - Muse - Eagle Eye Cherry - Dara - Screaming Orphans
2001 (1)
U2 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Coldplay - Kelis - JJ72 - Relish
2001 (2)
U2 - Moby - Ash - Nelly Furtado - The Walls - Dara
2002
The Stereophonice - The Charlatans - Nickelback - Counting Crows - Ocean Colour Scene - Doves - The Revs
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