Outside the Aisling Hotel on Dublin's Ormond Quay on Saturday afternoon a group of elderly American tourists alighted from a coach with bemused expressions on their faces.
"I knew the Irish liked to party," said one woman, "but this is ridiculous." "I hope these guys are not all staying in our hotel," quipped her companion.
Shuffling across the pavement, dodging throngs of hard-partying youths, the American coach tour looked as if they had been on their way to a Daniel O'Donnell concert but taken a wrong turn and ended up at the gates of rock 'n' roll hell.
More than 100,000 people were descending on the nearby Phoenix Park for the first major gig of the summer.
Everybody, it seemed, had a drink in their hand and a smile on their face. Not even the near two-mile journey on Shanks Mare from Parkgate Street up the main road of the park to the concert venue could dampen the crowd's spirits.
Ice-cream vans and hawkers selling everything a concert-goer could ever wish for - cowboy hats, whistles and T-shirts - were doing a roaring trade.
Inside the venue, warm-up acts like the Hot House Flowers, the Thrills and Pixies set the scene for the arrival of gig headliners, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, at 8.30 p.m. The dark clouds, hanging menacingly in the air for much of the day, gave way to a blue sky and a spectacular orange sunset as the Chilis strutted their stuff for an hour and a half.
They battled as best they could with a mediocre sound system, their set meeting with the approval of most of those gathered.
"It was a long day, but well worth the money," said Ms Bernadette O'Sullivan. who had driven with friends from Cork for the day.
"I've seen the Chilis in a few places now and this gig rated well. I just wish they'd have a few days out like this down in Cork rather than us having to travel up to Dublin all the time."
Mr Mark Walsh from Clonsilla in Dublin had been one of the first to the gig, and among the last few thousand to leave. "Absolutely brilliant stuff, well worth the money," he said.
"But I think charging €5 for a bag of soggy chips was a bit cheeky."
A Garda spokesman said the policing operation in and around the park had run smoothly. There were just nine arrests, for public order and minor drug offences.
