Bon Jovi for Slane

Details of Slane 2013 were revealed today, as Hot Press and a few busloads of jounos headed down to the historic Meath venue to meet Lord Henry Mountcharles and his mate Jon.

As had been predicted over the weekend, Bon Jovi will headline the event, which takes place on Saturday June 15. Tickets go on sale November 8, priced at €79.50. Support acts are yet to be confirmed.

Bon Jovi have been on Mountcharles' wishlist since the ‘80s, but it’s only now that respective venue/band schedules have synced.

At 10.30am, the pair arrived in style, their helicopter touching down inside the gounds of Slane Castle. Even the veteran New Jersey rocker was impressed by the surroundings, saying that he "took pictures from my phone" whilst in the air.

Then it was inside for a press conference in the library (as you do).
Lord Henry began by saying how great it was to "have a glocal icon in this room", calling the singer an "honorary Irish man with many Irish connections... an all-round good guy" and praising his groups "extraordinary hits".

Lord Henry noted Bon Jovi's RDS display several years ago as one of the main reasons why he wanted to make the booking. "I have seen Bon Jovi live and was deeply impressed. The are one of the most successful touring acts in rock and roll history."

Bon Jovi himself responded by talking up his love of Ireland and the Irish (naturally) for "the spiritual connection, the accent, just... the ladies!".

He went on to promise a gig that was anything but by-the-book next June: "Setlists go out the window, I play till I fall down".

There was talk of why his band have lasted nearly three decades ("independence"), how he's still the boss and their crossover success into country music, before Bon Jovi presented Lord Henry with an acoustic guitar and they headed down the pub. Literally. Boyles on Slane's main street, was soon swamped with photographs and it all got a little presidential as Jon Bon Jovi posed with a small baby. He'll be hoping his band get crowds similar in size to Barack Obama's College Green appearance when he returns next summer.