Festival boss Melvin Benn says the industry is back stronger and more in demand than ever after a ‘stressful and frustrating’ two years.
As concerts are back in full swing all over the country again, hundreds of thousands of revellers will descend on Dublin’s Marlay Park for a jam packed week of sold-out concerts next week, culminating with Longitude festival at the end of the month.
And after a forced three year hiatus due to the pandemic, leading event promoter, Melvin Benn, said absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder and more eager to get back to enjoying live music once again.
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Benn, who is Managing Director of Festival Republic, said:
“For me, just being back in Ireland is a joy, nevermind being back here to stage concerts and festivals again, for me it is fantastic.
“You don’t realise what you miss until you actually lose it, and gosh we really have missed concerts and festivals.
“And what that really means is you miss enjoying the music that you love in a community of people who also love that same music.”
The Electric Picnic boss went on: “It was frustrating and stressful and it was really hard..
“But we did have that joy of being able to put on some shows last year, and that was fantastic and genuinely my whole Irish team decanted to the UK for the summer of last year so they didn’t lose two summers. “
Kicking off with Green Day on June 27, followed by Guns N’ Roses on June 28 and Red Hot Chili Peppers on June 29, the gigs will come as a long awaited treat to many who have been holding their tickets for three years.
Benn said: “The rollover tickets have been fantastic, the Killers were on in Malahide last night, I think it was the third time that their dates had been rearranged so the joy of been able to redeem those tickets and go and see the concert was obviously there last night and people had a ball.
“I think the industry feels very strong at the moment. And the demand is really wonderful and why wouldn’t it be there.”
And asked how much the gigs could bring into the Irish economy, he added:
“Based on experiences elsewhere, I would be surprised if it was less than 20-30 million euro value.”
The UK based promoter was speaking at a press conference with Superintendent Ian Lackey of An Garda Síochána and Therese Langan of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to outline security, health and safety arrangements, An Garda Síochána policing, and the operational and traffic management plan for the gigs.
Here's everything you need to know:
Among the list of advice ahead of the gigs, they urged ticket holders to allow two hours either side of the concert to travel to and from the venue due to increased traffic and security measures.
They insisted that no overnight queueing would be allowed and told revellers to use public transport where possible and to arrange your transport in advance due to taxi shortages and traffic and parking delays.
To avoid delays at entry points, people are also advised to download, print or save their tickets before arriving at the concert.
Those attending Longitude, which will be an all digital event taking place from 1st – 3rd July 2022, have been urged to download their QR code before arrival, to avoid any issues at the gates.
Benn said: “We have for the first time in a big outdoor show like this gone completely digital. “And that will be a big change for the operation and for the fans but we do it in other environments very successfully and easily.”
“The key thing is to download it before you come, if you are arriving and trying to get on 3g and downloading it at the gate, it will certainly be a challenge, there will be 3g but there will also be 40,000 other people there at the same time.”
Superintendent Ian Lackey went on to warn the music goers to beware of duplicate tickets and touting, adding: “The last thing we want to do is disappoint people and turn them away. So make sure it is a proper ticket and not a duplicate that your phone is charged.”
He went on: “Ultimately the message is, come, enjoy yourselves, act responsibly and get home safely and we will all be happy.”
Benn echoed this sentiment, adding: “We can talk a lot about all logistics and this and that but we are also looking at a really remarkable line-up and we shouldn’t ignore that and it actually meets almost every age group of music fans’ desires over the six days of concerts effectively.”
“All in all we are looking forward to six nights of extraordinary music and six nights of very different audiences. And I would go as far as saying six nights of joy.”
Everyone will be subject to a search at the venue and there will be a strict no alcohol policy in place on all transport and private buses going to the venue.
An Garda Siochána reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone deemed to be under the influence of alcohol and or drugs.
Superintendent Lackey said this isn’t a huge concern, but added: “We would have undercover drugs offices here as well.
“But I've looked at the figures for this particular concert over the past few years and they are not significant.
“So it is nothing out of the ordinary.”
“It is something we monitor, and we are very careful of, but nothing we have a significant worry about.”
People can bring empty, reusable bottles into the venue with free drinking water points inside.
No backpacks, large handbags or bags over A4 size are permitted.
Other banned items include garden furniture, deckchairs, fold-up chairs, umbrellas, selfie-sticks, flares or laser pens.
All under 16s must be accompanied at all times by an adult.
Gates will open at 4pm and shows will start at 5pm for the first three gigs.
Entry will open at an earlier time for Longitude at 1.30pm.
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