Ireland, Dublin: RDS
- June 21, 1997
phew, boy oh boy what a week
i barely know where to start ... it was the biggest gig they had ever
done (according to thom's on stage announcement), it was outdoors and
it was wet! i thought that i had set off early, but the queues
were
already forming when i got there, and had started early that
morning... but thanks to the great irish system of wristband for
peolpe who want to stand at the front, i made it to the first row
with less agro than usual..and the buzz was something else.
the feeling was so good that even teenage fanclub sounded like a
fantastic band (they are alright, but i had a giant smile on my face
all the way through)... massive attack were great too and even though
it was tooo early for them (' we don't usually come out til its dark,
but we are going it for radiohead coz those guys are the best y'know
what i mean?') they were groovy as hell and hit the spot... inbetween
them and R there was a quick burst of rain, just so everyone would
be
soaked for the occassion..
when fitter happier came on at about quarter to nine, the crowd went
mad and then when phil lead the others onto the stage, it was almost
too much for them, a lot of people at the front were quite young and
i felt a bit over the hill but i guess i don't care and the naiveity
of some people is funny. anyhow they opened with lucky and i melted
(or maybe that was the rain), i am crap at remembering set lists in
the right order but they carried on with airbag, exitmusic, paranoid
android (oh my god! i GET IT now!) my iron lung, fake plastic trees,
'the kareoke song'(i couldn't sing along myself, as the spectacle of
creep, always knocks the wind out of me), nearly everything off the
bends and over half of OK C. Highlights for me were Karma Police
(contact! thanks thom) and Jonny's glockenspeil solo in No Surprises.
the only other Pablo..song that they played was You, in the encore.
one of my all time favourites and i doubt i've ever enjoyed it more,
its like being electricuted by every note, oh wonderful! there
was a
bit more rain, but it felt good not to be overheating for once.. in
a
crowd this big it was a minor miracle. the audience begged for
more
after the second return to the stage but as the taped music came up
it was clear that we had to come down now and try and take as much
of
this feeling away with us as possible. i was shaking. i found
muy
friend who had been in the throng near the back and she had had a bad
time of it and hardly been able to see, if only the authorities had
organised the rest of the stadium as well as the first few rows...and
if you read this thanks to the guys who looked after my mate, the
whiskey was much appreciated!
Lucy