At the start of a new year it takes time and obliging PR strategy to elicit information about forthcoming gigs, although by now most of the contracts have been signed and sealed. As the major promoters of this year's open air and major indoor gigs aren't releasing any specific details for at least another couple of weeks, it's a guessing game as to who will be headlining Slane and other event-led venues such as Landsdowne Road, RDS, Croke Park, etc.
A spokesperson for Aiken Promotions told The Irish Times that two major openair gigs in Dublin will be announced before the end of January, while the Mean Fiddler confirmed that the Homelands dance event will once again be taking place at Mosney, Co Meath (in either May or June "depending on statistics from the Met Office"). Also, Lisdoonvarna is making its comeback with Festival 2000 during the summer. A two-day, multi-staged, open-air event with camping facilities - the horror, the horror! - the Mean Fiddler organisation hopes to recreate as much as possible the atmosphere of the "Great Grandson of Woodstock" (Melody Maker, 1979). And that's not forgetting the Guinness thises, the Heineken thats, the Carlsberg whatevers, the ESB whatchamacallits, and the Budweiser thingymebobs that crop up throughout the year without so much as by-your-leave.
Getting the biggest one out of the way first, the rumour mill has already started for Slane. As U2 won't be releasing their new album until September, it's unlikely to be them (2001 seems a far better bet, seeing as it constitutes the 20th anniversary of their first appearance there). So who will it be? Well, Madonna postponed her world tour last year, and she's planning to release a new album before the summer, so you never know. Another contender could be Paul McCartney, who has a new album and a new attitude to life to promote.
Other unconfirmed visitors to these shores next summer ("not totally outside the realms of possibility" an industry insider notes cryptically) include Ricky Martin, Radiohead, Robbie Williams (again!) and Neil Young.
The acts so far confirmed to appear in Ireland are a mixture of the terrific, tried, tested, tired and barely tolerable (venues are in Dublin, unless otherwise stated). Here are the highlights:
January
Celtic Flame is a two-week celebration of Irish music, running at HQ Hall of Fame until January 16th and hosting a wide range of acts, most of which are well worth seeing if you like that kind of thing. (Even if you think you don't, you might just be surprised.)
Boyzone rake in the dosh with a recordbreaking run at The Point. Continuing tonight and then from Monday until Wednesday, the northsiders look set to pierce the hearts and eardrums of young girls nationwide. While the music lacks virtually everything I want to hear from a pop group, there's no denying Boyzone live is a slick, stylish package.
John Prine and Iris DeMent make a welcome return to Ireland, playing a double header at the Olympia theatre on January 17th. It's a must-see gig for lovers of decent songs about heartache, humour and pathos.
Former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler sees out this month at HQ Hall of Fame on January 30th. His singer/songwriter status is fast superseding his reputation as one of the best rock guitarists of the 1990s, and he is well worth investigating.
February
A highlight for some, but hell for others, Yes play the NCH on February 6th. Fans of the stereotypical dinosaur progressive rock band are undoubtedly in for a treat, and you can bet your bottom euro excerpts from Fragile, Close To The Edge and Tales Of The Topographic Ocean will be unleashed. Like, wow. Moby plays the Red Box on February 12th, and it could well turn out to be one of the best gigs of the year. The follically-challenged small man from America released one of 1999's best albums in Play, a serene but compelling mixture of trance, dance and old blues.
Counting Crows not only play Dublin in February (SFX tonight, Olympia on the 14th) but also Galway's Leisureland on the 10th and Cork's Opera House on the 11th. Potential visiting acts, please take note of such a fan-friendly thing to do.
Stop press: Macy Gray visits Dublin, venue not yet confirmed. (Thanks to Muse for this one. We'd hate not to credit you and we know you'd slag us off if we didn't.)
March
It gets busy from here on in. Major acts appearing at The Point include Simply Red (10th), Puff Daddy (14th), Five (17th/18th), and Sting (19th). This is creditcard pop funded by parents and expense accounts, and is best avoided by sane people. Randy Newman (Vicar Street, March 1st), meanwhile, is the Guvnor of Bittersweet and should on no account be missed.
Shirley Bassey plays Belfast's Waterfront on May 9th/10th and The Point on May 13th. The concerts are bound to attract fans of diva-derived pop and James Bond devotees. Cross-dressers nationwide will doubtless be on hand (and foot) to check out Bassey's sequinned style, stiletto chic, and how-does-she-look-like-that-at-her-age demeanour.
June
Steps return to The Point on June 5th. The potency of cheap music takes a nosedive.
Tina Turner plays the RDS Arena on June 11th. Simply the best? Of course not, but she's a bona fide star now over 60 years of age, and her stubbornness and instinct for survival is difficult not to admire.
July
The biggest gig of the year (so far) sees Oasis play Lansdowne Road on July 8th. The reaction to the reportedly psychedeliaflavoured Standing On the Shoulder Of Giants notwithstanding, it's virtually impossible not to preview this as the more-than-likely Anthemic Gig Of The Year.
And that's it (at least according to the information now available, until . . .
. . . November
When Tom Jones slinks into The Point on November 21st, you can bet the sale of lingerie nationwide will rise proportionately. Is that common, I hear you ask? It's not unusual.
Fantasy 2000: Wouldn't it be great if . . .
The Undertones started having hit singles again . . . concert promoters gave reviewers tickets for seats instead of standing-room-only - we're not getting any younger, you know . . . record companies would stop the worrying trend of roundtable interviews - eight people trying to talk at the same time to a famous pop/rock star might seem like a good idea to someone in the International Press Department, but it's downright shameful and it's always a poor interview (then again, it was fantastic meeting David Bowie) . . . people who play music on the radio actually knew what they were talking about . . Van Morrison began to actually mean something to people again . . . people in record company press departments didn't say to me, "but of course we sent it out to you - we mail everything to you". No you don't, admit it . . . The Chieftains made an album with no guests on it . . . U2 played a month-long residency in Vicar Street . . . Liss Ard was a free festival . . . I interviewed Madonna anywhere, but preferably in Bali.