Clapton in Dublin

Red Alert

Anyone up at Eric Clapton in Malahide Castle? Gig was class, pity the PA broke down during Layla though.

caff

Went out during the encore too, was ridiculous. Wasn't the PA coz the screens went aswell think it must have being a fuse that cut out them both. Writing email to aiken in the morning was silly they should be better than that. Going once maybe flucke but it went twice.

Gig was good though, nice when the clouds cleared the corwd really started going.

Rented Mule

I have seen Clapton two dozen times, and I have never been a situation where the monitors went dead .....twice.

It was a shame because people really didn't get a chance to see what Robert Randolph could do . His opening set appeared to have multiple technical issues as well.

I was also disappointed that Clapton never addresed he crowd after all of the trouble.

fguihen

this isnt claptons fault. Its Aiken Promotions. I was at the front for this, and all claptons gear on stage was working during the outages. the band doesnt own or have anything to do with the stage setup.

they cut short due the issues. also, Robert Randolphs opening set was only 3 songs. rediculous. the last time they were here randolph played a great opening set and clapton done all his cream tunes in the first encore.

i am going to complain to Aiken about this. sure things like this happen, but when your charging 80+ quid for a ticket, to 25000 people, they shouldnt happen. they souldnt be let away with this.

Red Alert

I'm going to send in an e-mail too, I hoped Clapton might have reprised Layla but alas no.

red_ice

Rented Mule wrote: »

I was also disappointed that Clapton never addresed he crowd after all of the trouble.

Yea, i thought his efforts with the crowed were a bit lacking myself. But in all fairness, when your up on stage you dont hear what the crowed hears at all. Its completely different. They had no clue that the sound went out at all, so they kept playing.

I enjoyed the gig anyways, It seemed that being beside the barrier is a magnet for complete arseholes.

"sorry, were a bit jammed up here, theres no more space"
"THERES A HUGE GAP THERE"
"yea, thats a barrier"
"MY ARSE, MOVE OVER"

Sigh.

Red Alert

Yeah there was a big group of arseholes near me too, I paid to go hear Eric Clapton not them!

Squirrel

I thought it was amazing, and I was about a metre off the barrier so when the PA went I was grand being able to hear the bands monitors and amps without the extra boost. I've never been to a gig before that there were calls of one more tune for the support act. I was looking forward to it ever since it was announced, having a countdown on my wall to it, and for me it at least lived up to my expectations, and exceeded them.

Bridger12

I was looking forward to the gig. My wife bought me tickets as a birthday present while she was unemployed- €180 is a lot of money at the best of times. According to Aiken Promotions, Eric Clapton was due on stage at 8.30pm. We arrived at 8.25pm to find he was already on stage- on at 8pm in fact. I was disappointed with his lack of crowd interaction. He didn't perform many of his popular numbers. During the concert there were 2 power failures. Eric and his band continued playing in all fairness, but didn't make any reference to the technical problems or offer to repeat an intererupted number. Aiken Promotions in my eyes are bloody disgrace and I'll e-mailing them along with RTE Radio tomorrow to complain. Rip off Republic how are you?

Furious-Red

its not really aiken promotions fault due to the fact this happens in the gig industry. Unfortuantely it happened last night. I know a lighting designer during a gig his lighting desk crashed and all the lighting rig went down(it was a pretty big gig).

joejoem

I was pretty dissapointed overall. I was expecting something a little more. The sound issues really annoyed me, I thought at least Clapton could have said to the crowd that teh sound was crap and he wasnt going to play on. Walking off stage without a thank you or addressing the sound problem just annoyed me.

Also, one bar for the venue? The queue's were massive! (and budweiser tastes like piss)

In summation, whinge.

Neo#

It was a good gig and I thought the sound was good. The sound of his guitar was beautiful and he is some guitarist. I didnt recognise a lot of the songs though. And the sound going during Layla was a disgrace.

BrokenSpiral

That was one of the worst gigs I have ever been at....
The power failures were the final straw but we were far from happy before that anyway! Getting the lyrics to some of the songs wrong is bad, playing improv instead of the actual tune is a disgrace.

I found his playing to be self-indulgent and I was bored. I paid to see Clapton play but he was completely outclassed by Doyle Bramhall on the other guitar!
I wanted to hear my favourite tunes played by one of the best guitarists in the world and instead I got someone who kinda played along with the tune and couldnt sing the proper notes either!

Coming on 30 mins early was pretty bad too, what about the ppl that arrived for the gig at 8.30 when it was supposed to start?

God I am so annoyed at how bad it was!!!

Oink

There is an engineer somewhere looking for a new job, I have no doubt about that. If he made it out of the Malahide alive that is....

I was well impressed with the other guitarist too.

sophie01

i have to say i was disappointed too. the main problems seemed to be in the planning/organising - I couldn't believe the queues for the bar, in a similar concert in marley there are usually 2 or 3 areas serving - the 1 bar in malahide was totally inadequate - we queued for 20 mins each time to get a beer. the sound failure was a huge disappointment, particularly in the middle of Layla. I did think it was a bit of a let down when at ten o clock on the dot they all just said goodbye and left the stage - no thank yous or encores or any sort of interaction with the crowd.
and as for trying to get home - bedlam at the dart station is an understatement.
typical ireland - 80 euro a ticket, mediocre service and experience but no explanation or apology. would love to hear if any of you get a response from Aikens, please keep us posted.

mumoffour

I bought my husband the tickets in March for Fathers day as he is a massive Clapton fan. It was our wedding anniversary so as my treat we booked in to a hotel in Malahide.
We arrived at 3 oclock to discover there was no power in the hotel!!! Got into our room before 7 and then headed to the gig.
Fully enjoyed it, despite the rain and not knowing the first 14 songs. Eventually sang 3 i knew for the power to go again. Could have cried but knew there was nothing i could do about it so just laughed. Hubby enjoyed it throughly so thats the main thing!!!!

NIBBS

BrokenSpiral wrote: »

That was one of the worst gigs I have ever been at....
The power failures were the final straw but we were far from happy before that anyway! Getting the lyrics to some of the songs wrong is bad, playing improv instead of the actual tune is a disgrace.

I found his playing to be self-indulgent and I was bored. I paid to see Clapton play but he was completely outclassed by Doyle Bramhall on the other guitar!
I wanted to hear my favourite tunes played by one of the best guitarists in the world and instead I got someone who kinda played along with the tune and couldnt sing the proper notes either!

Coming on 30 mins early was pretty bad too, what about the ppl that arrived for the gig at 8.30 when it was supposed to start?

God I am so annoyed at how bad it was!!!

you can't complain about a main act being on earlier than advertised, if you'd have shown up at the time the whole show started at you'd have missed nothing.
having said that it does seem to have been a bit of a shambolic show, I think it's shocking that he never said anything about the sound problems - irrelevant of wether or not he new there was no sound from where he was on the stage surely one of the crew/management team would have notifyed him......not good form at all...

brown-dog

Thats such a shame that this happened. I wasnt there but it would put a downer on anyones time at a festival. Surprised really as any Aiken Run concert I've ever been at has always been really good and well organised. Would of loved to of gone but was at another gig in town. Such a shame

D.S.

BrokenSpiral wrote: »

I found his playing to be self-indulgent and I was bored. I paid to see Clapton play but he was completely outclassed by Doyle Bramhall on the other guitar!
I wanted to hear my favourite tunes played by one of the best guitarists in the world and instead I got someone who kinda played along with the tune and couldnt sing the proper notes either!

Really disappointed to hear this. I was at his gig in the point a few years back and as a long-time fan of his work, I was hugely disappointed. He seemed content to just go through the motions. The sound at the time was also poor and he was outshone by his guitarist also. Was hoping it was just a once off but seems not!

Alatar

The Cork gig was awesome. I was at his gig in the Point a couple of years ago and he really looked tired and old. This time out he was fresh and invigorated. Personally, I'd be quite happy to listen to his blues material all night. Granted, he didn't play any Cream, but we did get 3 from Derek and The Dominos. "Tell the Truth" and "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad" were great and of course "Layla" was fantastic.

What struck me most was that it was more of a Jam session than a concert. These guys were just having fun playing off against each other. Can't speak for the Dublin gig, but in Cork it worked brilliantly. Robert Randolph was brilliant too. His Bass player was frighteningly good!

Different Strokes for different folks I guess. I'd rather listen to his blues than Lay Down Sally any day.

run_Forrest_run

pity to hear so many were disappointed with the Dublin gig.
In my opinion I hate outdoor gigs, due to the nature of them the sound tends to be poor (not necessarily the sound engineer's fault).

I think a gig in a tent/indoor is a safer option overall, for sound and weather!

OK, can't wait to listen to Joe today!

Wazdakka

I had a great time...

The gig was amazing..
I have no doubt that someone lost there job over the sound and video problems, But in fairness after the ammount of rain I'm not surprised that something blew.

The support act were amazing... I was completly blown away, I didnt expect it at all.

And the acts started early because of the mad weather. I was there from about 5.30 and in general there was a great vibe, even with the rain but it would have been a bit much to have everyone standing around in the downpour without any music.
Right decision IMO

Absolutly loved the gig.. no major complaints at all.

And Clapton is the GOD of the strat....

Latchy

Bad feedback about the concert on rte radio

MrPillowTalk

€80 quid for a short set of periodically interrupted sound is unnacceptable in my book. Fired off an email earlier no response as yet.

The going on early really pissed me off, and finishing at ten on the bot, radiohead were still on at 11

mumoffour

i e-mailed aiken promotions this morning to see what happened and they said it was a generator problem. They also gave me the set list of songs. Just to remind me that i didnt know the first 14 songs!!!

Hornswoggle

Thouroughly enjoyed the gig. Huge Robert Randolph fan so was a little pished that they only played a 25 min set rather than the schedueled 45mins :mad:

Personally i thought Clapton was on fire, particualarly enjoyed running on faith, motherless children and got my mojo working (excpept for the powercut). Have to agree with the fact that they did very little to react with the crowd. That said, the crowd were a very stale bunch too, mainly because they didnt know the words to any of his old-skool songs. I was talking to one guy and he said "Man i cant believe he didnt play 'love me tonight'" - musta meant "wonderful tonight".

Twas weird watching Claptons rythm guitarist playing, had his guitar strung the opposite way, and also went through about 50 guitars! Must be a tone freak! Was a damn good player though...

My gig rating: 7/10

afatbollix

it was a power distro problum that the PA went down... ( its the power from the geny and then sends it to everything) it cut power to the PA and the ob truck ( the camera truck) so once they found the problum it was stright back on...

the reason why he came on early was because there was forcasts of very high winds at 10 pm so in stead of having to come off stage early because of the weather he went on early to make sure he got his full set done..

Squirrel

Doyle Bramhall is an amazing guitarist, and it's pretty cool that he plays upside down too, gives a completely different sound on a left handed strat because of the angled pick up, like Hendrix. But even if you weren't looking you would be able to tellwhen Clapton was soloing rather than DB. Both amazing but Clapton in a different league I thought.

And personally I loved that he didn't just play the hits, because I love his blues stuff and his influences like Robert Johnson so hearing that made me delighted.

Latchy

Only saw clapton once in concert at the RDS and i remember that gig seemed to end pretty quick to ,crowd expecting more and no farewell encore , just goodnight .Not a man of many words Clapton ,least not on stage .

comac

Hi Guys.

I am heading to the Neil Young gig in Malahide Castle this weekend. I am driving from Galway and back after the gig and I am trying to figure out the best way to get in and out. I was thinking of parking at a DART station somewhere northside and using that to get in and out of malahide. But do they put extra services on or is it a complete Irish Rail joke? Or am I best to drive into malahide itself and try to park in a side steet someplace (or are there 'no parking' cones in every residental street?). Anyhow, any suggestions appreciated. I really do not want to be stuck for 2 hours trying to get out of Malahide and then have at face a 3 hour drive back to Galway after!

Thanks...
/C.

anna766

I really think how you enjoyed the concert depended a lot on where you were and what you'd come for. I was lucky enough to get pit tags, so when the sound went, I could still hear quite easily. I fully appreciate how irritating it must have been if you were left in silence and unable to see (due to the black video screens) if anything was being done. As for the music itself, I wouldn't be the biggest blues expert, but my boyfriend (who got us the tickets) is borderline obsessive and thanks to his constant badgering I knew quite a few of the songs and quite enjoyed the idea of a concert where the performers were talented and interested enough to jam rather than run through a greatest hits album note perfect. I already have the album; I prefer to hear something new that probably won't be repeated when I go to see a show. In my opinion, that's the point of a live show. My bf went to the last Clapton show where he said Clapton seemed tired and only went through the well-known songs. In his opinion the Malahide show was considerably better.

Because of proximity to the stage, I could see all the performers at once (as opposed to whichever the camera was on) and it was wonderful to see the interaction between them and almost humbling to realise the amount of talent on the stage - something that can be easy to miss if they just go through the motions and don't push themselves. I was particularly taken with the drummer! His enjoyment was infectious.

My main disappointment (beyond the obvious technical issues) was that Robert Randolph and the Family Band got such a short stint on stage. I was really excited to see them live and feel a tiny bit cheated that they only played for a bout 30 mins - I'd have happily listened to them for three times that!

One final point about the darts back into town. The dart we were on had to stop in Raheny for about 20 mins as someone was seriously ill (either stroke or heart attack I think?) and we'd to wait for an ambulance - this may have caused delays to later darts?

Sorry for leaving such a long post, but most of the post were negative reviews, and while I completely agree with a lot of the points made, I think it's only fair to give a positive account because I genuinely had a fantastic time and was delighted to have the chance to see Clapton play live.

storka

comac wrote: »

Hi Guys.

I am heading to the Neil Young gig in Malahide Castle this weekend. I am driving from Galway and back after the gig and I am trying to figure out the best way to get in and out. I was thinking of parking at a DART station somewhere northside and using that to get in and out of malahide. But do they put extra services on or is it a complete Irish Rail joke? Or am I best to drive into malahide itself and try to park in a side steet someplace (or are there 'no parking' cones in every residental street?). Anyhow, any suggestions appreciated. I really do not want to be stuck for 2 hours trying to get out of Malahide and then have at face a 3 hour drive back to Galway after!

Thanks...
/C.

Single best way of getting to Malahide is the DART. The station is 100m from the castle entrance and Irish Rail run 10 extra trains after the concert. In contrast the Car Park took 1h15 to clear the other night.

jusmeig

CRAP GIG!!!
Very very angry that after two power outages he did not even pla and Encore....could not believe that everyone just walked out.

Eric Clapton Complaints

Clare Bear

Let's just say I'm very glad I didn't have to pay for our tickets (Malahide residents get free tickets to the castle gigs), we came away bored. I'd be pretty annoyed to say the least if we paid and had to travel to see that show. I don't blame everyone for giving out about it.

caff

anna766 wrote: »

One final point about the darts back into town. The dart we were on had to stop in Raheny for about 20 mins as someone was seriously ill (either stroke or heart attack I think?) and we'd to wait for an ambulance - this may have caused delays to later darts?

My Dad and about 4 other doctors who were on the train checked him out, dude had a stroke.




On the gig, I thought Clapton was great was dissapointed aboutn the power cuts and short set for Randolph though. Got a reply from aiken... not too impressed with their explanation though.. If they were using generators, should they not have had them kitted out for the weather?

Hi Ros,

Aiken Promotions were delighted that Eric Clapton at Malahide Castle on
Sat 21st June could take place due to the exceptionally severe
un-seasonal weather conditions.

This presented major challenges for the producers of the show. Aiken
Promotions would like to apologise for the break in sound which was due
to the generator failing for short periods towards the end of the show.

Also for your reference please see a copy for the set-list for both the
Malahide and Cork shows;
TELL THE TRUTH
KEY TO THE HIGHWAY
HOOCHIE COOCHIE
ISN'T IT A PITY
OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES
DOUBLE TROUBLE
WHY DOES LOVE
BLUES
ROCKIN' CHAIR
MOTHERLESS CHILD
TRAVELLING RIVERSIDE
RUNNING ON FAITH
MOTHERLESS CHILDREN
QUEEN OF SPADES
BEFORE YOU ACCUSE ME
WONDERFUL TONIGHT
LAYLA
COCAINE

MOJO

Regards,

Aiken Promotions
24 Holles Street
Dublin 2

mumoffour

Must have been a standard reply because I got the exact same one

molloyjh

sophie01 wrote: »

i have to say i was disappointed too. the main problems seemed to be in the planning/organising - I couldn't believe the queues for the bar, in a similar concert in marley there are usually 2 or 3 areas serving - the 1 bar in malahide was totally inadequate - we queued for 20 mins each time to get a beer. the sound failure was a huge disappointment, particularly in the middle of Layla. I did think it was a bit of a let down when at ten o clock on the dot they all just said goodbye and left the stage - no thank yous or encores or any sort of interaction with the crowd.
and as for trying to get home - bedlam at the dart station is an understatement.
typical ireland - 80 euro a ticket, mediocre service and experience but no explanation or apology. would love to hear if any of you get a response from Aikens, please keep us posted.

They did play an encore.....Got my Mojo Working. There were a good few numbers in the middle that a lot of people wouldn't know, and a few variations of older numbers - Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad being one I wasn't too pushed on. The sound failures were a disgrace. Clapton did know about it, I saw him throwing his hands up at someone during Layla giving out. Some of the Robert Johnson stuff was great and he did a good solo version of Driftin'.

Loved the drummer though!!! Already know Doyle Bramhall from his solo stuff, great guitar player. Was disappointed Nathan East wasn't on bass....he's total class.

Squirrel

jusmeig wrote: »

CRAP GIG!!!
Very very angry that after two power outages he did not even pla and Encore....could not believe that everyone just walked out.

Eric Clapton Complaints

What a dodgy review, let me refer to the section about the power outage,

The gig itself started well, with Clapton wowing the masses with his effortless control of the guitar. The crowd were just getting warmed up when he began to bang out "Lalya", this is when things for Eirc, and Aiken Promotions, took a nose dive (from which they never recovered). About half way through the song the sound/power in the entire venue failed. It was obvious to us that the band were unawares as their monitors appeared to be fine. So as Eric hammered away....95% of the crowd stood in the rain going: "This is ****e", "This is crap", "This is a ****e gig"...etc...etc...

I want to know how it took 16 songs for the crowd to be "just getting warmed up"

I was delighted he played a lot of blues numbers because otherwise they'd just be an Eric Clapton tribute band playing all the hits.

molloyjh

And may I just add Squirrel that it rained for the first 3 songs and then stopped. It diodn't rain once during Layla. Makes you wonder if the reviewer was even there.....

niallon

Saw Clapton in The Point last time. Great gig, banged out all the classics etc. Only said one thing throughout the entire gig, Thank You after each song. Just didn't seem to care. Solely based on that gig I actually refused free tickets, glad to see I was right to do so. That's a crap setlist first off (and it's not that I'm in the neighbourhood of not knowing the tracks, I know them, just think they're crap [not all obviously]). Second of all, to not repeat the "lost tracks" is a disgrace. The fact that he was on early also gives me the sense of not really being arsed about the fans or even about being there.

grumpytrousers

molloyjh wrote: »

Loved the drummer though!!!

The drummer is a legend; he's the guy that was in paul mccartneys band in 2003 and he just whacks seven shades out of the kit. It's not that he's showing off, he's just putting everything he's got into playing. Of course, being built like a brick sh1thouse, that means the drums get hell!

lev

I thoroughly enjoyed the gig, he played for 2 hours with a single song encore, the exact same as his North American gigs! I'm sure he was advised to go on a little early due to technical and safety issues that could have presented themselves (and did) if it kept on raining for another 2 hours. The tickets clearly stated gates open at 5pm, so anyone turning up at 8:30pm and complaining about missing 30mins has very little sympathy from me.

When he took to the stage at 8pm he did say "I have the utmost respect for you all for sticking around", for a man of few words this was his way of saying thanks for coming out on such a bad night. For a two hour set the PA system went down for about 2mins at the end of Layla and for about 30seconds during MOJO. Although this was disappointing it was in no way enough to spoil a 2 hour set.

Also, for anyone who complained about the band improvising during some of the songs, can I ask what the hell you were doing at an Eric Clapton gig? This is the main reason people go to see legends like Clapton!

molloyjh

lev wrote: »

Also, for anyone who complained about the band improvising during some of the songs, can I ask what the hell you were doing at an Eric Clapton gig? This is the main reason people go to see legends like Clapton!

+1

Totally agree. Claptons is at his best when he's playing live and imporving. Anyone who has seen the version of Little Wing on the Live for Antigua DVD (with Sheryl Crow) has seen just how good he is on stage.

As for him not saying much, he's renowned for being quite a shy bloke on stage. He's never been one to say much at all, he lets his songs do that for him. It was a shame he didn't repeat Layla, but he had played most of the song before the power went and it was just the extended outro that we missed. I was one of the people that didn't show until almost 8.30, and while I was disappointed that I missed some of it, I'll readily admit it was my own doing. Was raging I missed Robert Randolph and the Family band too. Saw them last time in the Point and they were amazing.

jusmeig

"What a dodgy review, let me refer to the section about the power outage" -

I was indeed at this gig, although I wish I had stayed at home. Granted I did not want Eirc to play his A-Z of greatest hits....but I do recall a very loud cheer from the crowd when they heard Layla starting?

I would go as far as saying this cheer was only matched when the sound came back on for the second time!?!

My biggest point of contention to the Eirc Clapton fans was his failure to address the crowd. Its just not acceptable for the power to go out, and the performers to ignore it. Is this the first time it has rained at a gig? And the guy who said he was in the pit....well thats well and good for about 5% of the crowd who cause the monitors....but what about the rest of us!!

The icing on the cake would have been had he of walked out and said "Hello Dundee....erm Dublin".

Its a lot of money to pay to see anyone play, and we just felt a bit cheated by the whole thing.

grainne_ed

jusmeig wrote: »

"What a dodgy review, let me refer to the section about the power outage" -

I was indeed at this gig, although I wish I had stayed at home. Granted I did not want Eirc to play his A-Z of greatest hits....but I do recall a very loud cheer from the crowd when they heard Layla starting?

I would go as far as saying this cheer was only matched when the sound came back on for the second time!?!

My biggest point of contention to the Eirc Clapton fans was his failure to address the crowd. Its just not acceptable for the power to go out, and the performers to ignore it. Is this the first time it has rained at a gig? And the guy who said he was in the pit....well thats well and good for about 5% of the crowd who cause the monitors....but what about the rest of us!!

The icing on the cake would have been had he of walked out and said "Hello Dundee....erm Dublin".

Its a lot of money to pay to see anyone play, and we just felt a bit cheated by the whole thing.

Very arrogant of Clapton indeed.

Then again, how does a man whos been around the block so much get motivated to sing the same songs over & over.

recipio

I think the weather was a real downer and the gig needed some rockers like 'further on up the road' or some of the Cream stuff. Clapton played a very disjointed set and the acoustic numbers were too subtle for a large gig on a cold night.
I saw him at the point about two years ago and I think he's given up on addressing the audience which is a tad arrogant ( but did you ever see Van Morrison -he's no bag of laughs !)
He's still an exciting guitarist but I think he should get some fresh material.

Clare Bear

grainne_ed wrote: »

Very arrogant of Clapton indeed.

Then again, how does a man whos been around the block so much get motivated to sing the same songs over & over.

Maybe he should take a leaf out of Bruce Springstein's book then.

Red Alert

Actually just to point out, the on-stage monitors (and guitar amps) are themselves very loud, so it's understandble enough if he didn't notice, though a poster above has mentioned that he did throw his hands up.

I agree about the acoustic bit - it probably would have worked better indoors. But overall not bad at all.

Toast

Just to put things into context the sound at Neil Diamond on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury cut out for a good minute and a half. If an event of that size can have it happen I suppose its understandable it can happen to anyone. At least Diamond acknowledged it.