Bruce Springsteen General Discussion Thread

Leinsterview

Very enjoyable concert. Being both a Bruce and a Rolling Stones fan I spotted two riffs where the former reminded me of the latter.

Darlington County's opening was definitely reminiscent of Honky Tonk Woman.

I have 'reason to believe' that the beginning of the Bruce tune of that name resonates with the Stones' Shake Your Hips:

REASON TO BELIEVE Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Dublin 19th May 2024 (youtube.com)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVJUJxCQp0I

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122163556#Comment_122163556

yes, 20 buses would have probably made a big difference.

Thats 1000 people at a time, 5 minutes up and back, thats 6k per hour, would help the elderly and incapacitated.

Instead they closed the park and ride, had no shuttle buses, and for some bizarre reason one of the bridges was closed for road works.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164933#Comment_122164933

20 buses stuck in traffic behind themselves, getting people on and off would be another 10 minutes.
Not as simple as you make out.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164721#Comment_122164721

Was more La Grange. Or most John Lee Hooker tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg9cNGHl-bg

Mollyb60

There's always extensive planning between promoters and statutory bodies before a big concert like this (well there is in Belfast anyway) but things can and usually do change on the day or once the performer and their team show up on site. Apparently Bruce's team had an issue with security at the Boucher Rd gig (didn't like the 0.0001% chance of a terrorist attack) and asked for additional security barriers to be put up at the entry and exiting gates. This caused issues on the night but nothing major thankfully.

You can also get problems being caused by inexperienced staff on the ground. All you need is a few eventsec staff who don't know/care about the agreed queuing measures or ones who can't use the scanners properly and you very quickly have chaos.

And then the wisdom of crowds can throw spanners into works too when they do things no one ever anticipates like finding a previously little known shortcut and causing a bottleneck.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164026#Comment_122164026

Very similar issues arose at the Leinster rugby match in Croke Park a few weeks back - players ready to play, warmed up, kitted out etc. . The teams were not in the back monitoring the queues, but yet a sensible decision was made delay the start time so that people wouldn't panic and create a crush or stampede.

Looking back on it, it was fortunate that there were no incidents. I was in the queue going in and people were annoyed, but subdued annoyance. It would have just taken a couple groups of drunken people to rock up and go pushing their way in, to cause serious trouble. I was at a gig many years ago where a young girl died at a smashing pumpkins gig. It doesn't take a lot to create panic, and all rationale thinking goes out the window.

I didn't say anything about Bruce being concerned about selling shlte beer.

PTH2009

Aiken must of promoted a big number of concerts in Croke Park the last number of years thus the organisation of it should be running like clockwork. Why didn't that happen this time ?

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165210#Comment_122165210

Well….

https://www.galwaybeo.ie/news/galway-news/garth-brooks-croke-park-queues-7570433

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165210#Comment_122165210

Dublin council changed egress, ballbough into foster terrace no longer allowed as was previously for Ed sheeran etc.

also major factor is Bruce Springsteen has no support acts, this means you have tens of thousands showing up in a very short timeframe. Whereas for normal croke park shows it’s more gradual and not a situation where you have 30,000 rocking up at 6:30 for 7pm show.

FazyLucker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165363#Comment_122165363

Yes but Aiken did those people a favour in that instance 😁

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165363#Comment_122165363

I couldn't see any other reference on the internet about delays to Garth Brooks gigs. That was the only reference I saw - from GalwayBeo. And I never heard anything about delays at the time. I was at one of his gigs that time. I picked up a ticket about 5 mins after his show started. And I was into Croke Park in no time at all. There was nobody in front of me at the turnstiles.

Sounds like GalwayBeo trying to make a headline for itself.

JKerova1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164933#Comment_122164933

Closing the park and ride was inexcusable. It's truly a terrible location for a stadium, why didn't Cork GAA build it somewhere else, apparently there were other locations in the works back when redevelopment was muted. Ah well, at least we have the events centre.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165831#Comment_122165831

Yeah possibly. I just googled it.

I'd no issues on Sunday. Got to the queue at 1.15pm, only a few 100 there, left for lunch and a pint and came back at about 3.15pm where the queue was just past Daybreak on Cloniffe Rd and I was in with a pit band at 4.45pm.

There was a lot of people turning up at about 4pm though and having to walk a fair bit back behind us.

Goldengirl

All Irelands, no problem. Ever .

Too much convergence all together at the Jones' Road side and a massive backlog visible up at the other end trying to get into the Cusack / pitch when we arrived thinking we had plenty of time as we had seats .

We missed 20 mins of the start of the show queuing outside. Some people were starting to get annoyed and many were piling up on the road with no directions from stewards at all . One garda was shouting directions but nobody could hear him once the music started . Unreal . A bit dangerous with the crowd trying to get through barriers but thankfully people were sensible and didn't push .

The price of booze doesn't bother me but it was pretty steep to be missing out on part of the show because the promoter couldn't sort the scanners / ticket checks/ stewarding , I think .

Loved the gig ...in great form all round on the Hogan stand . And everywhere else .

Only empty seats were those in badly restricted view areas on either side of the stage and Davin behind the wheelchair raised accessibility stand .

Dublin got a good set list I think , Born to Run , Thunder Road , My Hometown and The River along with Rainy Night in Soho, made my night . Loved Because the Night too . And of course Dancing in the Dark ! Loved it all really :) Glory Days would have been the icing on the cake for me .

Could have done without the schmaltzy attention to fans who put their small children right up at the front and others who got up on shoulders right next to the stage to grab and claw at the man . Don't think that is the sort of fan that should be encouraged tbh .

But other than that he didn't put a foot wrong

And Brad watching Bruce from the box above in Premier added to the good vibes !

... a Lovely Night in Croker 🎵

🙈

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165369#Comment_122165369

When did DCC change the route?

FazyLucker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165174#Comment_122165174

I'm sorry but that doesn't wash. You mention "agreed queuing measures" - there was NONE. Literally none! There was a few barriers approaching the ticket check - but what about the mile in approach to that check?

I am not a promoter but I knew full well at 5pm there was going to be a huge amount of people queuing to get on to the pitch. So I was there for 5pm, in the hope of getting into the pit.

But somehow the promoters didn't know this and the absolute lack of a crowd control plan and a queuing system left people angry, but in true Irish manner it was under their breath anger so it didn't spill over. All it would have taken was somebody to do something stupid for chaos to ensue.

There should have been a line of barriers the whole length of Clonliffe Road for the Red Zone and stewards manning it the whole way. Then back the other side of the road if the queue gets too long. This seems so basic to me.

I'm less sympathetic to those turning up at 6.55pm expecting to waltz in. It happens at every event, and they had their seat and if they couldn't get their a few minutes early, well tough - but again, as an organiser you have to plan for it. And a promoter should know if the turnstiles open at 5pm for the pitch and then the crowd in the stands would start to file in for 6-6.30 while most of those on the pitch will be in by then. To me, this seems so basic.

But the part I really don't get is how they can't get people through the stiles quicker. More bodies, more scanners, more bodies, more scanners. Those things should take a second to scan and if it doesn't work then the system is not fit for purpose. I do like the mobile passes etc but if they slow down access to the ground it just isn't good enough.

Mollyb60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165982#Comment_122165982

Not sure if you meant to quote me there? You seem to be talking about the Dublin gig. My post is referring to the Belfast gig where I know for a fact that there's agreed entry and exiting strategies put in place. I can't comment on what DCC do or don't do. I was giving examples of how things agreed before a gig with the best of intentions can easily go awry on the day.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165953#Comment_122165953

only for recent shows. Garth in 2022 for example had access from ballbough to Forster.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165210#Comment_122165210

The reason why a lot of things don't work as they should in the country - lack of follow through or implementation of the traffic/crowd management plans that were submitted with the initial planning/license application. This coupled with greed and the fact that Irish consumers seem to have no issues in tolerating this type of thing consistently and keep paying some of the highest gig prices in the world to tolerate it probably means it will never change.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166133#Comment_122166133

Our prices for big gigs are roughly similar to other European cities. And much cheaper than the US.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165180#Comment_122165180

The Leinster game wasn't anywhere near the shïtshow Sunday was, ime. Yes, it took longer to get everyone in than the Aviva (understandably, given we're talking an extra 30k-odd people) but the stewards actually seemed to know what they were doing. I've never seen anything like the utter lack of organisation and crowd management that was on display at Bruce.

This is it

Presume there's little point in making a complaint to Aiken?

McGrath5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166133#Comment_122166133

I paid €50 more than Croke Park (for standing) to see Bruce in the Netherlands next month, our ticket prices for live music in Ireland are well in line with the rest of Europe or in fact even lower sometimes.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166179#Comment_122166179

Aiken taking customer complaint calls

FazyLucker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166197#Comment_122166197

Jesus, he's doing well to squeeze that money out of the Dutch!

I still think no matter what, Bruce is good value for the €140 because he plays for a solid 3 hours and there is about 20 of them in the band - and they all contribute immensely to what is a brilliant concert going experience. They were let down by Aiken and their poor organisation on Sunday.

John arse

Between Aitken's/ Croke park and the crowd ripping people off with the €7.50 330 can of that absolute piss rockshore(yeah I know you don't have to buy any- that's not the point!),I feel like i’ve been mugged- absolute greedy cowboy affair. We actually missed the start of the concert (yeah leave earlier - I know) but that's not the point either.Bruce put on a great show anyway but might be the last time for me when it's being organised by a shower of greedy clowns!!!

Strumms

was at one of the Stones shows in Croker. Thought it was quite well done…

Same promotor. No real issues accessing or leaving although ok I did get there very early… so wonder what happened here..

Price of those TShirts though…. Not exactly nurturing Bruce’s nice guy man of the people schtick when he, his team or record label are overseeing looking for 50 quid a lousy band Tshirt…. Same price on his website incidentally.

musicmania

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166179#Comment_122166179

I sent them an email about the fiasco after the Cork concert. Friday morning. Still waiting a reply.....

FazyLucker

I used to always buy the t-shirt to a concert but the last 2 Bruce gigs I haven't bothered. Something they create in China for a few cents flogged for 50 euro? Keep it!

John arse

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122166429#Comment_122166429

Yeah it was a bit of a 'How much can we fleece you for' gig???