Have you got a ticket? The way things are looking, that's going to be the question of the year. U2 played Slane Castle as one of the support acts when Thin Lizzy topped the bill there in 1981. Since then they have gone on to become the biggest band in the world. They have played some of the most important and prestigious gigs in the history of rock'n'roll. They have packed stadia the length and breadth of the United States, Britain and Europe. Places as far apart as Brazil and Japan have fallen for their charms. The last time that they played Ireland, they sold Lansdowne Road out twice and followed that with another sell-out show in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, playing to 120,000 people in all.
And yet, these remarkable achievements notwithstanding, for anyone with a sense of history, there was one gig that they hadn't done, and without which their career would always seem somehow incomplete. There is no doubt that Slane Castle is the ultimate festival venue in Ireland, way ahead of any football stadium in its atmosphere and appeal. Some of the greatest names in contemporary music have graced the stage there, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Neil Young. U2 would have to do it sometime, you knew that. There was a sense of destiny about it, a feeling that this might indeed be not just the ultimate Slane gig, but the ultimate U2 gig. The only question was when.
There had been a nagging suspicion that they might just have left it too late. Great and impressive as the PopMart shows were, the evidence was incontrovertible that there had been an erosion of the U2 fanbase. The album Pop sold far less than their biggest-selling record, The Joshua Tree, which had been released ten years previously. Their live gigs on the PopMart tour sometimes struggled to fulfil expectations in terms of ticket sales. In part at least, the core U2 audience seemed confused by the masks and the artifice that the band were employing, and by the way in which they had embraced not just technology but elements of dance. There was an increasing sense that U2 were losing some of those fans that had grown up with them, while not picking up enough of the hip new kids to compensate.
That was the dilemma that faced the band as they embarked on the recording of their latest album. Any further significant slippage, and there was a real danger that they might sink into irreversible decline. And, if the prognosis was that U2 was indeed a brand in a state of ongoing devaluation, how long would the fab foursome continue to sing this song?
All of those uncertainties have been washed clean away, with the release of their latest record All That You Can't Leave Behind. From the release of the first single 'Beautiful Day' on, it has been clear that U2 are back on top. Conceived as an album of great songs, rather than an exercise in style of any kind, it has repatriated the U2 faithful, while also giving the band the hit singles that are necessary for a global smash in the current pop climate. It is their best-selling album in years, and at its current rate it could yet pass The Joshua Tree, when the tallies are finally being done at the end of the campaign. They are scooping industry awards, left, right and centre. The shows they have announced are selling out without exception and dates are being added to beat the band. Twenty-five years on, it seems U2 are bigger than ever.
Far from having left it too late, you could say that they have chosen the perfect time to play Slane Castle. Of all the shows on the upcoming tour, this will be the one to catch, and just about everyone who loves the band knows it. No wonder, then, that the 80,000 tickets for the gig were completely sold out within a matter of minutes.
Elsewhere in the world, the obvious decision would be taken automatically: another show would be added. But here? Predictably, things are never as simple when it comes to handling rock'n'roll events in Ireland. The last time U2 played here, they had to battle through the courts to be allowed to play two gigs in Lansdowne Road. At that time, the sheer craziness of subjecting events of this kind to the planning process was established - that requirement, it became clear during the court proceedings, amounted to a crank's charter, allowing any malcontent to effectively hold those attempting to mount events to ransom.
hotpress had consistently argued the case for new legislation which would introduce a system of licensing to replace the requirement for planning permission for outdoor rock events. When the Supreme Court decided in favour of letting the U2 shows go ahead in the home of Irish rugby, the debate seemed to have been won. But the wheels of government turn with indecent sloth. That was four years ago. In the interim, legislation to introduce a system of licensing for outdoor events has indeed been put before the Dáil, and has been passed. But this part of the Planning and Development Act has not been enacted. And as a consequence, right now, it is not possible for U2, or for the promoters MCD, to add another Slane show to meet the demand - or at least to get a little bit closer to meeting the demand - for tickets to see the band in their home country.
This is as crazy as it seems. What would be the response, for example, if the same principles were to apply to the activities of the GAA? The All-Ireland hurling final ends in a draw - but hang on a second, the GAA have to look for planning permission before the game can be re-played! It would be recognised as madness straight away. As we know, in recent years, there have been multiple replays of a series of epic encounters, and for the residents around Croke Park it's tough luck if they don't like it. And that's fine, and I believe correct, because events of genuine national importance certainly should over-ride the opposition of a small number of people at local level.
Well, there's no reason why fans of rock'n'roll should be treated any less favourably than fans of Gaelic football or hurling. If the U2 show in Slane needs a replay to satisfy the demand for tickets, why should artificial barriers be left in place to prevent that? The bottom line is that it doesn't make any sense. It is discriminatory. And it is wrong.
A second U2 show at Slane is a must - and it can happen. All that's required is for the government to frame the regulations required under the Act, and for the relevant authority to follow through by providing the appropriate licence for a second show to go ahead. The band have already expressed their desire to do it, and the potential concerns of local people have been taken into account in the proposal that any second gig would be scheduled for a week later. It's an eminently civilised solution to what is a genuine problem, which currently involves disappointing a huge number of fans of the band.
It's time for the politicians to get their collective finger out. It's up to the Taoiseach, and the Minister for The Environment, Noel Dempsey. The legislation is in place. Let's push it through, and make it possible for a second Slane show to happen. There'll still be people asking have you got a ticket? But a hell of a lot more Irish people will be treated to what will almost certainly be the gig of a lifetime.