Gigging Festivities

Typically Saturdays for both my sister and myself don't exactly involve much more than spending our hours than portraying the creatures from 'Monsters, Inc', interpretive dancing past the waves/wrath of our father's farting or gulping cranberry juice from a wine glass whilst impersonating classy adults (please, no judging). However last Saturday July 13 it was a different agenda as we were off to the one and only Phoenix Park for some chorusing, shimmying and outdoor sweltering. Now typically a day that ends up involving buckets of sweat, multiple bruises and partial deafness is a good day and this my readers was no exception. Here's some musings from the day that made The Killers headlining event one killer day.

No sooner than the day dawned did we realise the importance of the idiom 'don't count your chickens before they hatch'. We assumed the day would have no hiccups after concurring slumber vile and securing the required bus on time (tardiness it a inheritable trait of our family). But no, once entering the bus we were greeted by this loud Scottish woman who made it her business to introduce herself to the entire commuters on the bus (this greeting was later extended to the woman parked in the toll booth on the motorway). The woman took it upon herself to play 'teacher/tour guide' for the entire day as her own three daughters were going to the concert and she was clearly going through some form of identity crisis. Therefore for the bus journey segment of the day each member of the twenty-one seated bus were subject to a lecture on the dangers of alcohol consumption and the finger pointing did extend as far back as the thirty-four year old couple stationed behind us.

The security when we reached the venue were exceptionally strict and sexist. Girls were treated to a jubilant high-five, a mild handbag search and complementary knife-sharpening kit. Whereas all thee boys were vigorously searched by the security guards, wallets ransacked (he took particular interest to my local Chinese loyalty card) and plenty of not so welcoming glaring.

The concert was basically a dustland fairytale.

We barged our way to the front of the venue and throughout the concert there was this bizarre couple or brother/sister Spanish combo planked beside us and 'human-giraffing' the view for the fan-girls behind them. Throughout the night they mounted at the real front with their arms crossed and took it upon themselves to put their hands to their ears in disbelief whenever an act exceeded their accustomed noise level, even when the crowd cheered. Other apparitions included a group of cornflake munchers (they activated a cereal picnic in the midst of the concert), the downbeat teeth-less women settled outside the portaloos and the camera men who managed to support the crowd's high spirits almost as much as the epic weather.

Sister-occupied folk/R&B group Haim (pronounced Hime) opened the show. They were fantastically perky, energetic performers ~all the aspects the sister and myself admire about them. Danielle's face pulling and pouting was a highlight and the recent hype neighbouring them is warranted. Expect huge success for this multi-talented band.

Two Door Cinema Club were next to grace the stage and there was a lot of hard-core fans there, so there was little apprehension that they would fail to electrify the crowd. Throughout the set-list they had everyone animated and cheerful. Their classics went down sensationally and my sister's voice was gone at this stage but she soldiered on. I was a fan of them before the gig but now you may successfully upgrade me to obsessive devotee.

Third in line was Frank Ocean, he was always a risky addition to the line-up and I'm still unclear whether or not his inclusion was a hit. His performance was more suited to a smaller, more intimate venue and his musical direction differed to that of the other three bands. The man can undoubtedly sing but his slot was all focussed on being very slick, cool and it hindered the momentum of the concert down slightly but nonetheless it was no biggie his latest album is a cracker. 'Thinking About You' and 'Lost' remain firm favourites.

The killers were last to enrich the spotlight after what seemed like a week to brace and equip the stage. They were utterly unbelievable. The set-list couldn't be faulted, it was hit after hit. The entire crowd chanted every word of every song effortlessly back to them and the buzz and build-up for those ninety minutes was epic. The lightening, Brandon's presence, the venue were all incredible and I feel in this instance less is more as I'd only leave vital memories out. All I can say is that I would gladly sell my sister if the opportunity materialized to experience them live again.