Harry Styles wooed 80,000 fans and silenced his critics with a show-stopping set at Slane Castle last night.
The former One Directioner, 29, had the capacity crowd – young and old – in the palm of his hand as he owned the stage and belted out anthem after anthem.
Harry mania descended on the Meath village from dawn as mega fans started queuing as early as 5am, six hours before the gates opened.
READ MORE - Harry Styles greets fans by speaking Irish as thousands attend massive Slane gig
Gardai did their best to keep the traffic flowing as a sea of feather boas and cowboy hats steadily filled a sold out concert from mid-morning.
Amy, 19, from Coolock in North Dublin, gushed: "I can’t believe he’s here. There’s nobody like him. This is going to be epic."
Another super fan, Ciara Campbell, from Lucan in Co Dublin, made the trip by bus with her friends and predicted "the gig of a lifetime".
She added: "We are all so excited at this stage we just can’t wait for it. The atmosphere is unbelievable already and we haven’t even got near it." A third fan, Chloe, said she was hoping her music hero would spot her from the stage as she held a banner letting him know it was her 18th birthday.
The As It Was hitmaker was a surprise booking for the first Slane gig since the pandemic with Metallica the last to play the venue on the banks of the River Boyne in 2019.
Legendary acts including Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Queen, U2, The Rolling Stones and Madonna have graced the stage at Slane Castle for more than four decades. Thin Lizzy were first to headline in 1981, with support from U2, Hazel O’Connor and Sweet Savage and tickets costing the equivalent of €10.
Bono was in attendance to see his son Elijah Hewson provide support more than 40 years later with the band Inhaler.
Alex Conyngham, whose father Henry Mountcharles began the gig series, said: "Slane is not a stadium, it’s a beautiful, natural amphitheatre. You’re in this amazing, natural environment and there’s something almost spiritual about it."
And he gave his backing to the new direction paved by former One D singer Harry, adding he was excited to see a "new generation of fans" get their "rite of passage".
Not even the rain – or the long walk to the venue – could dampen the spirits of the eager crowd when the man himself finally took to the stage shortly after 8.30pm. "Hello Slane... and surrounding areas," was the charismatic singer’s opening greeting to a rapturous, deafening roar as he added as gaeilge: "Conas ata tu?".
He added: "When I came here this week every Irish person said to me how big a deal it is to play Slane. Now I know why."
Styles then reminisced about getting headbutted at a party in Tallaght on a wild night out with Niall Horan five years ago, asking the crowd: "Is anyone here from Tallaght?"
He didn’t disappoint with hits from Daydreaming to the One D anthem What Makes You Beautiful and Watermelon Sugar.
It will be remembered by many as one of the highlights... As It Was.
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