NEWSFLASH!

It's official! Slane 2003 has sold out in under two and a half hours, making the Red Hot Chili Peppers the fastest selling international live act in Ireland ever, only mere minutes away from the record set by U2.

"It's a phenominal reaction!" says Justin Green, Publicity & Marketing Director for MCD. "The Red Hot Chili Peppers are enormous, their following in Ireland is huge, their live performances are legendary and together with the rest of the bill, it's going to be one of the best Slanes ever."

The bill also includes the Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, PJ Harvey and Feeder, as well as the newly announced addition of Morcheeba. However, despite the strong line up, many were shocked at the magnitude of demand for tickets since Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and RHCP have all played major Irish shows in the last twelve months.

"I think everyone is surprised," adds Green. "Everyone knew this line up would sell out, it was just a question of when. But nobody had expected it would sell out in two and a half hours! We were thinking around a week or two would have been more realistic. But this is unbelievable!"

When asked about the likelihood of a second date a la U2, Green was emphatic in his response: "No!"