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SLANE 2009 Oasis - All Discussion - No ticket sales.

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,964 ✭✭✭Sitec


    NickNolte wrote: »
    Yeah, well done. Contradicting yourself in the one sentence isn't an easy feat without a serious amount of mental retardation.

    Anyway, I'm glad you were happy to get ass-raped by MCD. Like most thick suckers in this country, you'd probably happily pay to be pissed on. Countries get the customer service they deserve and with so many people like you on this island, I suppose I shouldn't have been suprised about the organisation of the event.
    night night.;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    Sitec wrote: »
    night night.;)

    Sleep tight.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29 Penny1624


    cooperguy wrote: »
    Arrived at Slane at 3 and had very little problem getting into the place. Queued for about 10 mins for 2 pints and sat on the hill and drank them and got 2 more :) Prodigy and Oasis were brilliant.

    I had no problem with the walk from the barrier to the castle and back again. However after that it was a nightmare trying to get a bus. Everywhere was packed no bus was moving anywhere. It took hours to get a bus and even then it was because a bus driver with an already full bus told us we could get on aswell.

    Great gig. Terrible organisation

    This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say. Gig was epic but the buses afterwards were an absolute nightmare. We left a few minutes early and were planning to walk to the top of the bus queue but one of the group was exhausted so we ended up getting on the first bus with space. Was a big mistake because it didn't move for about 2 hours and then for the next hour and a half it moved about a 4 miles until the guards eventually came and cleared it. I'm very confused about the guards letting about 10 empty buses go before they let the buses which were full of people move.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Rougies


    Itsdacraic wrote: »
    So you spent roughly 4 hours yesterday queueing for drinks. Nice. Considering the gates opened around 2 and the bars closed at 10 you spent roughly half the day queueing for drink. Nice. Kudos on the drink driving too.

    When I was in school 35 x 5 was 175. Assuming there are 60 minutes in an hour, 175 minutes is under 3 hours. And he said 35 mins was the longest amount of time spent queuing so probably about 2 hours in total.

    Also it's perfectly feasible to have 5 drinks over the course of 8 hours and not be over the limit for drink driving.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 Naturetrailer


    "Down the hill folks, can we keep moving down the hill, theres plenty of drink and food available down the hill. Toilet facilities available down the hill now no stopping on the hill folks can we keep moving down the hill". This was the extent of the crowd control and directions that were in place for patrons throughout the whole day - a shambles. Its a miracle there were no fatalities at Slane this year


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,270 ✭✭✭singingstranger


    If the experience at Slane was this bad, Metallica at Marlay Park should be a barrel of laughs.

    Sorry if someone else has already taken up this point with you but at Marlay Park they (sensibly) have huge areas fenced off and signposted as being bus areas. There's hundreds of empty Dublin Buses lined up, so you buy a ticket, you get on the nearest bus, it fills up and drives off. Likewise anyone who asked about Oxegen, that's how it works. It might take a while but they at least minimise the number of vehicles on the roads at any one time.

    I've written a blog about this elsewhere - check the link in my sig if you're interested - but just addressing a couple of things brought up.

    I can't complain that I missed the Prodigy's entire set by queueing up for drink, that was my own choice, as Xavi6 (and others) said earlier. I still think the organisers made things stupidly complex for themselves by having a two-per-person limit (making the queues twice as deep as it needed to be) and that contributed to whatever crowd problems there may have been, which admittedly I didn't see, but that's another matter. It just seems like making the queue artifically long while restricting the amount you can take off any individual punter per visit is a lose-lose situation.

    It was my first Slane, and while I can accept it takes a long time to walk into the venue, and I've no problem with that, the fact that they couldn't operate a simple scheme where the buses were all left to one side so that they could only hit the road (literally) when they were full, instead of being parked alongside the road being held up by empty buses ahead of them, is just idiocy. Our busdriver (on a Bus Eireann service, not a Dublin Bus one) turned on his enging at 11.45am and we arrived back on Bachelor's Walk at 4.05am. I'm lucky I live in the city centre and was able to walk home (got in at 4.55am) cos if I'd needed a taxi I'd have been totally screwed.

    I don't particularly care if it's par for the course; since Slane got going we've gotten used to better treatment at outdoor gigs in Ireland and if Slane can't keep up with the standard set by other venues then I'm going to vote with my feet and my wallet by choosing to go to other gigs.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,082 ✭✭✭✭Random


    "Down the hill folks, can we keep moving down the hill, theres plenty of drink and food available down the hill. Toilet facilities available down the hill now no stopping on the hill folks can we keep moving down the hill". This was the extent of the crowd control and directions that were in place for patrons throughout the whole day - a shambles. Its a miracle there were no fatalities at Slane this year
    Don't remind me. I was going to murder that chap but I couldn't see him lol


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 Gilli Babes


    I was at the gig yesterday, having attended many concerts at Slane over the last 12 years or so.

    Yesterdays crowd was the scummiest crowd by far that I have ever seen.

    My friends and I were there for the gates opening and had a good spot at the top of the hill. The majority of the crowd seemed to arrive between 4pm and 6pm. From around 4pm onwards the bars got badly hit. Loads of people were saying there should be more bars, but if you took a look around - where could you have put them - it was a really busy gig. I queued a few times at the bar at the top of the hill but queued for no more than @40 mins when the bar was being hardest hit - not too bad considering the amount of people who were there and I got served straight away for the first few hours. There was a two pint rule per person, but I vaguely remember from a previous gig that this rule is laid down by the Guardi -so no point shouting at the bar staff, they are just doing what they are told. People in the bar queue were pushing. The security (of which I saw plenty) did their best under the circumstances, the pleas from them to stop pushing just seemed to increase the surge from a lot of guys who just wanted to walk over everyone in their path to get to the top of the queue.

    The choice of food was typical of any gig, but again as the venue got busier the food queues just seemed to be never ending. With the size of the crowd (@80K I think) and the limitations of space at Slane I didn't expect any less.

    I was there in 2001 when U2 played to the same size of crowd and Robbie Williams in 1999 (I think!) also to a sell out crowd, but the behaviour of yesterdays crowd was something I have never seen before- even at Oxegen (which I have also been to a few times).

    I will agree that my ticket also wasn't checked when I came in and neither was my bag, first time ever!

    Getting home was as expected - a long and drawn out process, but no different to any other Slane gig I have attended.

    What do people expect at a gig like Oasis - a seat and unlimited table service?!?

    Thank God I didn't have high expectations about the overall concert experience. Just be thankful it was a dry day!

    By the way, Oasis were brilliant!


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 wayno78


    Same story here as everyone else. Fckn nightmare getting in to the place and then home. 3 and half hours to get back to Dublin.
    Just to say I've emailed MCD and Dublin Bus. Am not expecting any reply to be honest but have to let them know how pissed off everyone was and what a shambols it was.
    Really ruined the day


  • Posts: 17,381 Joanna Nutritious Baton


    Crankyf"ck wrote: »
    up from Dublin but had 2 nights in Drogheda booked as I could see Dublin Bus making a mess,got a few jars in Petermathews bar which was quality playin Oasis and Kasabian so me and my mate were in crackin form when we hopped on a bus at 4.15 and got off it in 20 mins.
    This is when the sh"tstorm began.

    A 2 and a half hour f"ckin nature ramble with a load of degenerate skangers was the last thing i expected.No ticket check,i may as well had a Barbara Streisand stub.

    By the time we are there, Kasabian,who were my priority to see, were finished and the effect of the early gargles was long gone.I would think arriving at 4.15 would give anyone plenty of time to see them. On inspection of the beer tent carnage,large quantities of snarling, rabid scumbags and the huge disappointment of missing Kasabian, we left to go back to Drogheda/ a spontaneous yet worthy decision. Oasis were not worth listening to an hour of prodigy to see.

    a Special word also goes out to the balloon head on the megaphone repeatedly telling everyone to " go down the hill" and not to stop, great job man, im sure plenty of ribs were crushed.

    you are a fool. it's uour fault you got on a bus that late, no one elses.. i was on a bus at 8am, had no problem getting in to kasabian and i actually liked the other bands playing.

    seriously, you're own fault that you messed up the day. kasabian were class by the way, i was right down at the front for then


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,185 ✭✭✭Tchaikovsky


    I got in at 1, got the drinks in early when there were absolutely no queues, left before Oasis' encore and got into Dublin at 12.30 :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,703 ✭✭✭MyPeopleDrankTheSoup


    Penny1624 wrote: »
    one of the group was exhausted so we ended up getting on the first bus with space. Was a big mistake because it didn't move for about 2 hours and then for the next hour and a half it moved about a 4 miles until the guards eventually came and cleared it.

    I'm hoping that friend got abuse


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    It strikes me that if you got down early, things weren't so bad getting into the venue despite the long walk. At the end of the day though, Slane can't handle 80,000 people unless organised properly. It wasn't the fact that there were 80,000 people there yesterday, it was how the whole event was managed. People expect queues at concerts but this was absolutely shambolic... and very, very dangerous.

    Sending the Dublin buses into a dead end with no through way was a ridiculous error of judgement. The management of the bars and facilities was laughable - the merchants missing out as much as the customers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,270 ✭✭✭singingstranger


    Just to pre-empt anyone who says "you're all just going to call Joe Duffy and nothing will be done", or whatever, by the way, I for one am going to appeal their planning permission next time, to make sure their shambles of a bus system never happens again.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4 bemused@itall


    Sitec wrote: »
    if you dont like it, dont go. simple as. give Joe a call in the morning and have a heart to heart with him.
    ........................................................................................
    I wonder will the mother or father of the person I seen getting RAMMED DOWN call Joe Duffy? Or the parents of the 17 yr old girl left stranded, lost ,without money, & phone coverage on that endless dark road?? I ended up loosing her in the crowd- I was worried sick about her getting home to the other side of the city. THE WHOLE SETUP WAS A DISASTER -& YES I have made my complaints & will continue to do so- & so what even if it is through J.D. :( - it doesnt matter what the forum is, as long as the people responsible are brought to account for it- so lets see how much 'slane castle muck' they throw back into our faces-
    ................................................................................
    there's a petition people can sign to the event organisers- somewhere in one of these threads- do it people if your that pi**ed off-


  • Posts: 17,381 Joanna Nutritious Baton


    how about all the people who missed bands for a pint think 'was the pint worth it'.

    i didn't queue for food or drink in there cause when i think back, will i remember being hungry during oasis? no.

    if you're not prepared to get up early, be expose to a rough crowd and walk very far, don't buy a ticket. wait to see your bands in the o2.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 Gilli Babes


    From what I could see yesterday the organisation appeared to be no different to any other year, but there did appear to be a very large unruly element to the crowd that had no care and consideration for other concert goers. I was at the Oasis gig in Marley Park a year or two back and witnessed exactly the same things - didn't put me off going to the gig yesterday.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 492 ✭✭one2one


    Hi Guys,

    I'll shed some light as to what happened with Dublin Bus last night.

    Over 200 bus loads went out in the day, so obviously more buses would be needed for the return.

    Dublin Bus arranged this, and extra buses left Dublin after 1800. After about 1950, all buses were refused entry to get up to Slane and forced to go to Navan and await instructions. Over 50 buses headed to Navan and waited.

    About 2200 the first return buses began heading back to Dublin. All was fine, then people just went everywhere, trying to get on any bus. Due to AGS not allowing buses through, meant that DB reps, who were on these buses, were over in Navan! This was all explained at the Garda checkpoint but they refused to budge.

    At about 12am 1 garda bike arrived at Navan to escort buses back. How is one bike supposed to escourt 50+ buses through thousands of people.

    AGS really messed up, which in return left Dublin Bus in a sh1t position and there was nothing they could do about it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,958 ✭✭✭✭Gavin "shels"


    how about all the people who missed bands for a pint think 'was the pint worth it'.

    i didn't queue for food or drink in there cause when i think back, will i remember being hungry during oasis? no.

    Get there by 1pm and just drink, that's what I done. Didn't eat since midday yesterday till 5pm today, that's life.:cool:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    if you're not prepared to get up early, be expose to a rough crowd and walk very far, don't buy a ticket. wait to see your bands in the o2.

    It's good advice. However, I wasn't informed that this is what it would be like. I would never pay to put myself through that nonsense again and, as far as I'm concerned, I was ripped off. If the gig was sold to me as it ended up turning out, I'd never have gone. And I certainly won't be going to anymore gigs at Slane due to yesterday's experience.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭Catmologen


    Well said ABG, its a rock concert sh1t like this happens. A cakewalk compared to slane in the 70's and 80's. Theres always been and there's always gonna be an excruciatingly long walk to Slane folks, get over it ffs!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Rougies


    I got in at 1, got the drinks in early when there were absolutely no queues, left before Oasis' encore and got into Dublin at 12.30 :D

    It's all well and good taking the easy way out, you obviously value your comfort more than enjoying the live music you payed to see. Which is fine, and completely understandable.

    Is it too much to ask to have the option of arriving on time for the two bands you want to see, being able to buy a few beers, some food, enjoy the performance and be able to make it home in less than four hours?

    Obviously gigs like these aren't meant to be luxurious, the mayem is half the fun! I enjoyed myself and had a great day, but I realise the organisation was a complete and utter joke. Maybe that made it a bit better somehow..?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    Catmologen wrote: »
    get over it ffs!

    No. I don't think people should get over it. It should be out there in the open and people should be able to make an informed decision before deciding to pay for and attend such an event.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,981 ✭✭✭✭L'prof


    Catmologen wrote: »
    Well said ABG, its a rock concert sh1t like this happens. A cakewalk compared to slane in the 70's and 80's. Theres always been and there's always gonna be an excruciatingly long walk to Slane folks, get over it ffs!

    Nobody cares about the walk into Slane, some people were walking until 3 in the morning (the gig finished at 10:30-11ish) because the guards said it was the best thing to do!


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭BTE72


    I was at the gig yesterday, having attended many concerts at Slane over the last 12 years or so.

    Yesterdays crowd was the scummiest crowd by far that I have ever seen.

    !

    Sorry i have to disagree about the crowd!

    Were you hassled? was a ' scummer ' giving you grief? Personally all i saw was a mixed crowd young/old, drunk/sober, all walks of life but mostly in good form and a good laugh. Interesting though Gilli babes ya, What is a scummer? Did ya check out the Kasabian, Prodigy & Oasis... Workin class bands also mad party heads in their time whom i'm sure if you found them spectating at a festival would have blended right in with the scumbags you refer to. I'd say you would have been better suited to a meeker affair.. possibly keane or something a tad safer ya.

    Anyways i was posting here as it was my first chance to comment about yesterday.

    By 10.30 last night i was wearing ear to ear grin over what was a great concert, really smashing. Prodigy amazing, kasabian as usual great and Oasis brought it all back with the hits et all.

    By 2.30 am and an 8 km walk to almost Kentstown i was worn out and in disbelief.

    What a f##kin disgrace by all the organisers... Seriously.

    These guys i.e Lord Fanny Adams of slane himself should be publicly apologising to everyone who endured their trip home.

    His management + MCD + Bus Eireann + An Garda didn't take people into consideration at all...

    Get em in .... Get em out and make sure they don't fall in the river! That was all that mattered.

    Bus Eireann were selling tickets that night on the road for buses that weren't available. There were no inspectors relaying information or providing information to punters. We bought tickets and every bus we passed was full. We actually walked all the way to beyond the static traffic past the garage on the left were people were so desperate they started mobbing the bus.

    Nobody ..... should be treated to a 4 and a half hour walk then have to wake a family member up and get them to pick you up from nearly 10 km out.


    My blisters are still burning !


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,650 ✭✭✭cooperguy


    one2one wrote: »
    About 2200 the first return buses began heading back to Dublin. All was fine, then people just went everywhere, trying to get on any bus.

    People went everywhere because absolutely nobody was there to say where people should go. We had to ask the bus drivers of the full busses where to go and they just said to keep walking up the road.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,185 ✭✭✭Tchaikovsky


    Rougies wrote: »
    It's all well and good taking the easy way out, you obviously value your comfort more than enjoying the live music you payed to see. Which is fine, and completely understandable.
    Yes but I got there early so I got to see all the bands and didn't miss anything queueing for pints. Missing 3 sounds at the end isn't that big of a deal. I got to see more music than the people who only got to Slane at 4 or 5 and missed the majority of the music, so I could point the same thing at you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭Catmologen


    NickNolte wrote: »
    It should be out there in the open and people should be able to make an informed decision before deciding to pay for and attend such an event.
    :confused:
    Eh? If you has asked anyone who's ever been to Slane before what it was like then they would have been more than happy to tell you.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    Catmologen wrote: »
    :confused:
    Eh? If you has asked anyone who's ever been to Slane before what it was like then they would have been more than happy to tell you.

    I assumed that there would be at least some level of organisational competency. Nobody warned me that what happened might happen. Suffice to say, I'd be warning anyone and everyone that I hear are planning to go to Slane again about what a complete and utter shambles it is.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭BTE72


    Catmologen wrote: »
    :confused:
    Eh? If you has asked anyone who's ever been to Slane before what it was like then they would have been more than happy to tell you.

    Hold on there, Is it wrong to assume that the organisers might have done a decent job this year?


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