We did this last year and it was for a Top Three, but most people had additional honourable mentions.
My own top three would probably be:
Wilco, Cork Opera House
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, RDS (night two)
Depeche Mode, Malahide Castle
Wilco were phenomenal in the Olympia, but somehow managed to surpass it in Cork.
Springsteen's three night stand was fantastic, but night two, in particular, seemed to be the night of choice for those who did more than one show.
Depeche Mode in Malahide was glorious. Apparently galvanised by the loss of Fletch, Dave and Martin delivered - in my opinion - their best album this century and were as great live as they've ever been.
The top two don't feature in my photo collage above, as I made the decision to just focus on the gig. Likewise, the PJ Harvey photo (from night two) was one of only a handful that I took.
Honourable mentions:
PJ Harvey, Olympia (night one) - worth the admission price for Man-Size and Dress alone.
Elton John, 3Arena (night one) - I saw five shows on the tour and this and Cork 2022 were probably the best two.
OMD in St. Anne’s Park were magnificent (as always). It should be a showbiz maxim: Don't work with children or animals and never follow OMD on a bill. Soft Cell, never likely to work in daylight in a park to begin with, sank like a stone. Arguably the dud of the year.
