The Stone Roses last night returned to an Irish stage for the first time in 17 years for the latest leg of their much hyped reunion tour. 45,000 people squelched their way through the Phoenix Park mud for the pleasure of seeing the indie legends in person and the majority of them (those who'll remember it at least) were left ecstatic by the experience.
The band took to the stage at 9.26pm and launched straight into one of their most iconic hits 'I Wanna Be Adored' as the crowd sang along with raised fists and spilled pints.
The set list was slightly top-heavy, with the likes of 'Fool's Gold', 'Waterfall', 'Love Spreads', 'She Bangs The Drums' and 'I Am The Resurrection' all making an appearance in the second half of the set, meaning that the first half of the set was a bit sparse for those who weren't among the diehard fans.
With this being the weekend that Oxegen traditionally takes place on, it was of course a given that the weather would have a hand in proceedings. While last night was blissfully rain-free, the same couldn't be said for earlier in the week. The grounds in the Phoenix Park are waterlogged and, thanks to the effects of another Irish summer (read: rainy season), it wasn't long before the site descended into a mud bath.
We witnessed countless people who insisted upon wearing frightfully inappropriate footwear (seriously, who wears suede shoes to an outdoor gig in Ireland?) and they won't be making the same mistake again, mainly because we assume the shoes are now in or around a bin somewhere near Hueston Station.
Amidst the frenzy of anticipation which surrounded the reformation of The Stone Roses, it was easy to forget that they never really had a reputation as a stellar live act. Far from it, actually, and after a few minutes of last night's show it was plain to see that those demons hadn't been exorcised over the course of the last decade and a half.
Ian Brown was grossly out of tune on several occasions throughout the gig. At one point, either Brown forgot a vocal or the band fell out of tempo of a song, or both, exposing a rustiness which hasn't quite been overcome yet.
But for many, last night's show wasn't about a pristine live performance, it was a nostalgia trip. It was about revisiting the soundtrack of youth and for one night forgetting about mortgages and white collar jobs and acting like it was 1994 again. Unfortunately, to many this ultimately meant getting absolutely shitfaced and falling over in the mud.
The Stone Roses were unlikely to claim any new fans on the back of their Phoenix Park show but, to borrow a phrase, they were preaching to a well-cultivated choir last night. Say what you will about the quality of their performance last night, for most it wasn't about how the songs sounded; it was more about what the songs represented to them. And that's one of the most powerful elements in music.
Review by John Balfe
Set list
I Wanna Be Adored
Mersey Paradise
(Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister
Sally Cinnamon
Where Angels Play
Bye Bye Badman
Shoot You Down
Ten Storey Love Song
Standing Here
Fools Gold
Something’s Burning
Waterfall
Don’t Stop
Love Spreads
Made Of Stone
This Is the One
She Bangs The Drums
Elizabeth My Dear
I Am The Resurrection
