The craze is back with a party of live menu events for Irish music fans in 2022

After two long years As the pandemic threatens to destroy the ents industry and force thousands of people into the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) program, the sweet sound of live music is back again.

Music fans are truly spoiled for choice in 2022 as they pick up live gigs with over 800 live events taking place in Dublin alone over the next nine months.

On some summer days, there are dozens of different events to choose from in a variety of locations in just one night.

Kathryn Mason, who is handling a Massive Attack performance at Royal Kilmainham Hospital and Duran Duran’s rescheduling date in Dublin’s St Anne’s Park, says this will be the year when live music returns to cheers.

Last weekend, she was delighted to see the return of Country2Country at 3Arena. A three-city event, it was one of the first major concerts she had to announce was canceled following Leo Varadkar’s historic speech in Washington in March 2020.

“There will be a lot of gigs,” she said. “There is a lot of new music being released during Covid, especially in the last year. The public would love to be out there again. There’s nothing like watching music live, having it online is just not the same.

“For such a small country, we have a huge demand for live music and we’ve gone beyond our weight when it comes to change. Music is part of the Irish people, whatever the genre. ”

This year will see a lot of famous artists continue their world tours while new artists will be performing for a live audience for the first time.

Before the pandemic, the industry was worth almost half a billion euros annually to the economy and supported 11,500 jobs. But this year, this number may be exceeded, due to the explosion of events that will take place in the coming months.

In normal times, Ireland could have seen around half a dozen famous artists perform summer gigs here at major venues like Slane Castle or Croke Park.

Garth Brooks’ five sold-out nights in Croker will often be the biggest concert this summer. However, his stadium tour comes after a series of large-scale gigs planned in the coming months.

This June will see four global artists take to the stage in Dublin over the course of a week – Guns ‘N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon – who will perform on the same night as The Eagles, June 24.

There are also several new venues added to the concert schedule including Dublin’s Fairview Park, which will be welcoming a host of artists for the first time.

Upcoming shows penned by MCD for June include Phoebe Bridgers, Paul Mescal’s other half, along with Primal Scream and Inhaler, headed by Bono’s son Elijah Hewson.

All this is in addition to the resumption of all music festivals. “There has never been a greater appetite for live music,” said Lindsey Holmes, curator of the U2 Film Festival. She’s been taking care of the public for Electric Picnic since it started in 2004, and when tickets for the Stradbally event went on sale last Friday, it took just 30 minutes to sell out.

This year’s highlights include Snow Patrol, Dermot Kennedy, Arctic Monkeys and Picture This, and tickets to the September festival are now a dust of gold.

Mrs Holmes said: “It is amazing to see the demand still for the picnic.

“In previous years, people would buy their tickets even before they saw the line, like Glastonbury. They get them as Christmas presents for everyone. But I think the festival itself has had such an incredible reputation that combined with the lineup, it’s a big draw. There’s something there for everyone.

“People have been without live music for too long and the demand is across all age groups. It goes from teenagers to older people: they can’t wait to start again. “

She said the biggest challenge music promoters face can be trying to get all the concerts around an artist’s schedule, as they try to juggle scheduled dates. with new shows.

For Electric Picnic festival director Melvin Benn, the wait to return to Stradbally has been “huge” for both his team and fans, many of whom have kept their tickets for more than two years. five.

“The wait has been so long and you know we live in a world that’s so messed up but we have to remind ourselves that life has to go on, we have to have our diversity – we We must support those who are in need and need. our support,” he said.

“But we have to have the diversity and great cultural life that we have, and Electric Picnic is the pinnacle of that and so being at Stradbally in September is something I can’t wait to see. , to be honest. It is very special. ”

Journalist Sabrina Sheehan, who has also worked with EPIC, a group that represents industry workers during the pandemic, said “there’s nothing quite like the energy at a live concert or festival. “.

The head of Mission PR, she just announced the return of Sea Sessions in Bundoran, Co Donegal in June and she said she’s really excited to see the bands return to the stage again.

“It is incredible to see the return of live events and the joy it brings to both performers and audiences. A certain miracle happens when people come together to share a moment. For both the backstage team and the performers, this is what drives us,” said Ms. Sheehan.

“I am also very excited for Ireland’s rising artists. While they perform through this pandemic in whatever way they can – mostly or at reduced capacity – this is an exciting time for them as they finally get to take the stage, attract fans and continue to build his career.

“Irish artists have always held their ground on the world stage but to get to this point they need radio play, digital buzz and live performance – now the ‘live’ element. finally available to them.

“I plan to be very busy – I missed the live performances.”