The owner of Slane Castle, Lord Henry Mountcharles, has responded after the venue received some criticised over the decision to host Harry Styles on the Irish leg of his European tour, Love on Tour.
Slane organisers faced backlash after the announcement was made on Friday that Harry would perform at the iconic venue on June 10, 2023, with Irish band Inhaler, fronted by Bono's son Elijah Hewson, and indie rock duo Wet Leg to serve as opening acts.
After hearing the news, some branded it "an insult", saying the singer should not be playing at the world-renowned rock venue.
They said: "Harry Styles is playing at the world-renowned rock venue, Slane Castle. Well, I guess I won't be making the pilgrimage next year so. Rumour mill had me believe that AC/DC or Pearl Jam were going to play which would be a more fitting act for the iconic venue."
While another complained: "Harry styles playing Slane Castle! Is personally an insult to the big acts that have played there such as The Stones, Oasis, Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen etc! He's fine for Aviva etc but Slane Castle!"
However, despite the criticism, Lord Mountcharles has said he's excited to see the star bring his tour to Meath, adding that the gig is "a show we have to do".
Speaking on The Brendan O'Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1 he said: "He's a man for his times.
"I think he is the only man to have graced the front page of Vogue, and at the same time he is a very serious artist. What I do admire is he takes his craft very seriously."
He added: "Everything fell together, and the level of excitement has actually even taken me aback. Calls from all over the place, people coming out from the woodwork, which as far as I'm concerned is always a very good sign."
Others agreed with Lord Moutcharles, saying: "People bitching about the Slane announcement clearly forgetting the Robbie Williams absolutely slayed it and isn't Harry Styles just this generations Robbie, just a wee bit… fruitier".
Another said: "Pssst; most of the lads my age giving out about Harry styles doing Slane went to see Robbie Williams headline there back in the day. Use that to shut them up".
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