Star-studded line-up pays tribute to Tony Fenton

Ace HP sharpshooter Kathrin Baumbach packed her Kendal Mint Cake and caught every moment from a mammoth night of action; check out her photo gallery here.

Tom Dunne summed it up best: “While it’s lovely to be here, I wish none of us were here.”
It was a touching sentiment, and one of few occasions in the night where the sadness of the event was drawn into focus. Otherwise, All The Young Dudes was everything Tony would have wanted; a loud, rocking, and often hilarious celebration of the life and career of one of Irish broadcasting’s true greats.
It wasn’t all young dudes either, mind; some of the night’s high points arrived when Aslan – The ‘Lan, in Tony parlance – turned back the clock for roof-raising renditions of ‘This Is’ and ‘Crazy World’, or when Dunne himself and his Something Happens brethren popped up to say ‘Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello’.
The voices of youth held their own, though; HamsandwicH opened the evening, while perhaps the single most striking moment of the evening was provided by Delorentos’ Kieran McGuinness. The man who initiated the event broke down in tears while introducing ‘Petardu’, a song written about his search to find his birth parents which Fenton took to his own heart.
The setlist, unsurprisingly, leaned heavily on tunes that Tony loved; from former FRED man Joe O’Leary recalling the first time his ‘Running’ was played on the afternoon airwaves, to Mick Flannery performing ‘Rainy Night In Soho’.
For that performance – and for a great many throughout the night – Gavin Glass led Grand Parade as the house band. Through the evening, they variously teamed with Jack L, Paul Harrington, Jerry Fish and Mundy (“It’s a few months early, but fuck it, it’s for Tony,” he grinned before launching into ‘July’). Wallis Bird flew in from Germany to supply the soulful vocals for ‘I Say A Little Prayer’, ‘You’re So Vain’ and more of Tony’s favourites. The Delos and Gavin Glass each unleashed a track by The Boss, and The Minutes supplied a blistering version of Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Rocker’.
Tony’s Today FM colleagues provided the laughs. Dermot Whelan – a recent addition to the station – and Mario Rosenstock (as Tony’s favourite character, Tinker Flatley) entirely intentionally; Ian Dempsey’s karaoke efforts on Ben E King perhaps less so! His MC-ing of the evening, though, was spot on, including chats with some of Tony’s oldest friends, as well as Tony’s niece Maggie Fagan, who performed with her band Land Lovers.
The Wall brothers threatened to steal the show with their performances of ‘The Bright And Shining Sun’ and ‘Brewing Up A Storm’, while Bell X1 shone during their set towards the conclusion of affairs.
By the time everyone squeezed onto the hilariously crowded stage for a few ebullient closers – Jerry Fish leading ‘Celebrate’, Camille O’Sullivan conducting a fitting version of ‘All The Young Dudes’ and a free-for-all on David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ – the clock was edging towards 1am. Given the love for Tony in the room, and the remarkable amount of stories to be told, the evening was probably just beginning for some.
He’d want it no other way. The Dude Abides.
All proceeds from the event went to Today FM's Shave or Dye campaign in support of what the man himself might have called the ‘Irish Spanish Dancer Society’; it succeeded in raising more than €40,000 for the Irish Cancer Society. To donate €2, text SHAVE to 50300.