Dylan delights fans in Thomond Park

THE ICONIC and evergreen Bob Dylan celebrated his country’s national holiday in style this Sunday, treating an expectant Thomond Park crowd to some of his greatest hits on American Independence Day.

Concert promoters Aiken Promotions and Thomond Park bosses claimed a crowd just shy of 15,000 people, all of whom appreciated the varied support acts on offer, but were in reality in the stadium to witness a piece of history, as Dylan played his first ever show in Limerick.

Watched by a hugely varied crowd that included Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, in town for the JP McManus pro-am this week, Dylan rewarded life-long fans and interested observers alike to a set that included songs such as Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Just Like A Woman, Lay Lady Lay, Like A Rolling Stone and Blowin’ in the Wind.

Stadium director John Cantwell revealed to the Limerick Leader after the show that not only did Dylan sign a Munster jersey for display in Thomond Park – as Elton John et al had done before him – but that the gruff-voiced Dylan had personally requested four Munster jerseys to bring back to America with him.

“He requested four jerseys specially and signed a jersey for us, he liked the look of it and we explained what it was about – hopefully he will spread the word wherever he goes,” explained a delighted John Cantwell after the concert.

“In terms of musical legends and cultural icons, they don’t come much bigger than Dylan. To have him at Thomond Park and in Limerick just goes to show exactly how the venue is becoming established now in terms in international terms,” added the Thomond Park boss.

Mr Cantwell also revealed that concert promoter Peter Aiken had “assured us that he is going to raise the bar even higher next year”.

Mr Aiken confirmed this to the Leader himself, saying with regard to next year that Aiken Promotions would “definitely” be back at the venue.

“We have a couple of things lined up, we just have to wait and see,” he said.

“I was just talking to John and trying to figure out a certain date for next year I’m trying to get, something I want to do,” he added.

The concert promoter admitted that he was slightly disappointed with the turnout, which was the lowest of the four concerts held in the venue thus far.

“It wasn’t bad, just a bit disappointing, I thought with the bill and all it might have been more, but that is what is at, that is what it did, and we are happy enough with it,” he said.

Mr Aiken paid tribute to local band Last Days of Death Country, who won a competition to open the show, which also included Alabama 3, Seasick Steve and David Gray, who all turned in superb performances.

“They were great. I couldn’t believe it, they were so confident. They really were a good band. They were really able – everybody was impressed, particularly the Bob Dylan crew and David Gray’s people, everybody was watching,” said Mr Aiken of the Limerick band.

Last Days lead singer Patrick O’Brien told the Leader that the opportunity afforded to them was “brilliant”.

“It was brilliant, it was great. There was a nice crowd and we went out there and played like we did last Friday and it was great. We are delighted,” he said.

Five Limerick bands go head to head for Bob Dylan support slot

AND THEN there were five.. After over a month inviting applications from the great and the good of the Limerick music scene, a whopping entry has been whittled down to five contenders, all vying for a prized spot on the same stage as Bob Dylan in Thomond Park.
This, as they say, is no time for nerves.
For most up and coming bands, regardless of genre or variety, the iconic Dylan is something of an awesome figure - an elusive character who overcame a perceived lack of vocal ability to become one of, if not the, best known and most distinctive performers in world music.
Five Limerick acts have been shortlisted to go head to head against one another for a spot on Dylan’s Thomond Park bill, which also features heavyweights David Gray, Seasick Steve and Alabama 3.
The acts are Windings, Last Days of Death Country, Brendan Markham, Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra and Animal Beats - all seeking to scoop the chance to open for Dylan on July 4, in front of a potential audience of 20,000 people.
Dolan’s Warehouse, in association with the Limerick Chronicle and Limerick’s Live 95FM, will host the event tonight, and with five bands playing for a mere five euro, you can’t get better value anywhere else this summer.
A panel of select media representatives - including On The Beat - will watch the bands perform this Friday and pick a winner from the bunch.
Concert promoter Peter Aiken, who was requested by Dylan personally to select a local act to open his only Irish show this year, told City Life recently that a support slot for an unknown band had, in the past, yielded huge results.
“One year we had an unheard of band to support Pink – the Coronas, and she took them on a world tour, she loved them. Dylan will be listening, so who knows? It will be good, and we are looking forward to it,” revealed the concert boss.
Mick Dolan said the volume and quality of entries received for the competition proved that Limerick’s music scene was “fantastic”.
“The standard is fantastic and the five that were picked will do us proud, whoever wins,” said Mick.

The bands selected represent the cream of the crop on the local music scene, and are wholly representative of the diversity ever-present in local music circles.

Windings is the solo project of Steve Ryan of Giveamanakick, which is, despite being around for several years, only really a band in its infancy, given that Ryan only put the band together last year after Giveamanakick went their separate ways. The group played their first Limerick gig earlier this year in support of the release of excellent new single Brain Fluid, with an album slated for release later this year.

Castletroy band Animal Beats represent the best of the young, up and coming bands in Limerick, formed in late 2007 and displaying a moody brand of rock and roll, reminiscent of The National. The band were overall winners of Limerick's Got Talent 2009, beating over 50 acts to secure first place.

Raheen native Nick Carswell has been hovering on the fringes of the national scene for the last couple of years, with Today FM’s Paul McLoone a dedicated fan of his melodic tunes, stuffed as they are with sweeping orchestration, thanks to Newcastle West sisters Deirdre and Kate Cussen on strings, while local music stalwarts Colin Bartley and Bart Kiely are also full time members, as is vocalist Sian Murray. This is one of the most eclectic ensembles on the local scene, in our opinion.

Post-rock four piece Last Days of Death Country are a band that have been championed on these pages for some time, sporting as they do one of our favourite monikers, plus an impressive set of songs that pack an aggressive rock and roll punch. Debut EP Mode and Effect, recorded with Fergal Lawler of The Cranberries, is one to check out.

Finally, last but certainly not least, is stalwart Brendan Markham, who has been around for many years, particularly as a founder member of the now defunct Limerick band The Driven, but who has only really found his niche with the release of his debut solo album False Witness, which he released earlier this year, and gathering a settled band around him.

The top five bands will battle it out for the Dylan support slot in Dolan’s Warehouse tonight.

Pink kicks off European tour in Cologne

AMERICAN superstar Pink, who is set to rock Thomond Park to its very foundations in less than three weeks, kicked off her brand new concert tour with a stunning performance in Cologne, Germany last Saturday night.
Pink – real name Alecia Beth Moore – kicked off her new ‘Funhouse Summer Carnival’ European tour in jaw-dropping fashion, employing a 70-foot crane, trapeze wires, and amazing special effects throughout the show.



The audacious star is set to bring this full-scale production to Thomond Park on Sunday, June 20, and we can reveal that Limerick is set for a show of epic proportions. 52,000 people crammed into the RheinEnergie Stadion in Cologne for the show, which the self-styled rock chick was performing for the first time in front of a live audience.
A complete sell-out, the audience were treated to a dazzling performance from the athletic star, who is a trained trapeze artist, and performed several stunts without any back-up wires, including flying over the audience’s head.
The Pennsylvania-born performer, who has sold a massive 30 million albums worldwide, revealed to the Limerick Leader backstage before the show that she is really looking forward to coming to Ireland, and particularly to Limerick, where she will perform for the first time.

“I’m glad you are all here, thank you for coming, the show is going to be fun, say lots of prayers,” laughed the singer.
Of the show, which she revealed had caused her to suffer several bumps and bruises in rehearsals, she said: “You’ve got to make it bigger and bolder and brasher or what’s the point?” The production features a massive set and over 100 people working behind the scenes. While conceived by Pink, the show is being directed by Irishman Baz Halpin, and tour coordinator Bill Comstock Buntain told the Chronicle that the star has a “special relationship” with Ireland.
“Pink did her first ever big arena show in Ireland, so she has a special relationship with the country,” he said. “We have never been to Limerick, so we are all looking forward to going,” he added.

Peter Aiken, of Aiken Promotions, said “people will not believe how good she is” when they see her in Thomond Park.
“Within five songs people will be convinced, it is a spectacular show, people won't believe it,” he added.
A limited number of tickets remain for the Thomond Park show on June 20, which the promoters believe will be a sell-out.

David Gray and Seasick Steve added to the Bill for Bob Dylan Thomond Park Gig

Aiken Promotions have added perennial Irish favourite David Gray and the superb Seasick Steve to the bill for the Bob Dylan concert on July 4 in Thomond Park.

As Peter Aiken told us this week, up to four additional acts are to be added to the bill, so we expect more acts to be announced in the coming weeks.

Shaping up to be a good day out in Thomond so far, keep it here for more updates.

Tickets go on sale this Monday at 9am from Ticketmaster and usual outlets.

Bob Dylan to play Thomond Park on July 4

THE LIMERICK Leader can exclusively reveal that the legendary Bob Dylan is to play in Thomond Park this July 4.
It will be the only date that Dylan will play in Ireland this summer and tickets are to go on sale this coming Monday.
Speaking exclusively to the Limerick Leader this Wednesday afternoon, promoter Peter Aiken said securing Dylan's services for a large outdoor summer show was "massive", but said the concert was going to be "all about the music".

"It is going to be big, but it is going to be about the music - people will come from all over to see him," said Peter.The promoter also confirmed that up to four other acts are going to share the bill with Dylan, with doors opening on the day at 2pm.

"We are going to have another four acts on the same day, it will be a really good day of good music - three of the acts will be very well-known, household names and people should be very impressed with what we are going to do," said Mr Aiken.

Dylan is the second act announced for Thomond Park this summer, with pop star Pink set to perform in June.

Tickets go on sale Monday morning and cost €81.25, €70.70 & €60.00 seated & €65.70 general admission.

For more of this interview with Peter Aiken see this weekend's Limerick Leader.

Pink to play in Thomond Park next June

THE LIMERICK Leader can exclusively reveal that American superstar singer Pink is to play in Thomond Park in June of next year.
Pink - real name Alecia Beth Moore - has sold in the region of 30 million albums worldwide and is the first act to be confirmed for next summer’s gigs in the €40m stadium.
The American singer will bring her theatrical ‘Funhouse Summer Carnival’ show to Limerick’s Thomond Park on Saturday, June 20 2010.
Aiken Promotions confirmed to the Limerick Leader that the self styled rock chick will perform a huge outdoor show in Thomond Park next June, and while a spokesperson denied that there were other acts already booked for next summer, the Limerick Leader understands that up to four dates have been provisionally booked in the stadium, which memorably played host to Elton John and Rod Stewart this year.
Pink will play three open air shows in Ireland next summer, with shows at Belfast’s King’s Hall Complex and Dublin’s RDS preceding the Thomond Park gigs. T
he news will come as a considerable boost to the local economy, as a recent survey conducted by BDO Simpson Xavier on behalf of Munster Rugby determined that the Elton John concert generated €9.9 million for the local economy, with 13 local hotels reporting 100 per cent occupancy. It is believed that the Rod Stewart concert had a similar impact.
While Aiken and Thomond Park undoubtedly played safe with the first series of gigs, they are aiming for a younger market with the selection of Pink, who has sold a massive number of tickets worldwide, including 58 sold out arena shows in Australia and several sold out shows in Ireland this year.
The Pennsylvania-born performer released her first album “Can't Take Me Home” in 2000, while 2002’s follow-up Missundaztood sold an estimated 13 million copies worldwide. Her present album “Funhouse” has also clocked up massive sales around the world, with lead single “So What” taking Pink to her first Billboard number one American chart success.
Tickets for the concert will go on sale from Ticketmaster outlets and Empire Music on O’Connell Street next Friday, October 23, at 9am.
General admission tickets will be priced at €58.30, while seated tickets will be available for €63.20.