There were emotional scenes last night at The Libertines’ Dublin show, in what – for many in attendance at 3Arena – was one of the gigs of the year so far.
The show opened with the voice of Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners singing 'Molly Malone’, a touch that was appreciated by the expectant fans.
Most poignantly, two thirds of the way through the gig, Shane MacGowan joined the band onstage to the roars of the crowd. The legendary Pogues singer shuffled from the wings at the invitation of Pete Doherty and took briefly to the mike before exiting to sustained applause.
If it touched the audience deeply to see one of Ireland’s greatest ever songwriters being honoured by one of this century's most influential rock bands, there were times when the crowd must have held their breath – and been simultaneously hugely impressed – at the simple fact that here, before their eyes, were Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, shaping up at the mic together and looking like they really were fully back in business, not to mention the rude good health which that implies.
After the implosions, and the falling-outs between band members, and everything that Pete Doherty in particular has been through, there was a sense in which it was a miracle just to see them there. That they turned in a powerful set, embracing all of the big Libertines songs and a sprinkling of hugely promising cuts from their upcoming new album was more than a bonus.
The evening didn’t run entirely like clockwork. The band arrived onstage late, well after 9.15pm. Any fears that they might be about to play a short set proved to be misplaced, however. The result was that they came to a moment when they had to make a call: do one more number or risk the wrath of the venue for breaking the curfew.
There were consultations between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat and for a moment it looked as if the latter was calling it a night, with Pete defiantly strapping on his cohort's guitar. But, having left the stage, Barat thought better of it and returned to the mic, and reclaimed his instrument, enabling the band to power into their encore phase, during which they played the deliciously ironic – in the circumstances – ‘What Became Of The Likely Lads?'.
At the end, the exhilaration was obvious. Taking his rock 'n' roll frontman duties to their logical extreme, Pete Doherty flung his guitar across the stage. Carl Barat followed suit. The two sometimes antagonistic frontmen embraced and exchanged kisses, before soaking up the adulation of the crowd.
If the crowd were loving it, so too clearly were The Libertines.