“I DIDN’T REALISE how much I needed this until it gets taken away…” James Vincent McMorrow could have been speaking for the whole country tonight during his headline set at the much-anticipated pilot live music event.
Gig opener Sorcha Richardson picked up on the ‘fingers crossed’ vibe during her set, saying: “This is like a sign of hope that we’re getting there.” As the evening sun slowly dipped down over Dublin city, soundtracked to the music of Richardson and McMorrow, the leafy Iveagh Gardens felt like a hopeful place indeed.The gig was the first of a number of pilot gigs announced by Arts Minister Catherine Murphy to help usher back in live performances in Ireland.
A one-way system was in place throughout. That meant that although when you entered the Gardens the food area was a hop, skip and jump away to the right, you needed to walk around the entire site to get to it. “I think the last few weeks with the weather and things were reopening, there’s been a lot more positivity. It’s a nice first step back to normality,” he said.
“I just refreshed [the website] at the right time I think. I absolutely couldn’t believe it, I was thrilled,” she said. The demand for tickets was so high that Richardson congratulated the audience on “winning the Hunger Games ticket”. Both of them could surely feel the pressure of such a big event, but overall it was clear they wanted to please the audience. It must have felt like a homecoming of sorts for them, a moment to breathe. The audience was there to feed that energy back to them.Was this pilot gig an indication of how live music will be in the months to come? It’s hard to say.
The pod system used tonight is clever and easy to abide by. But social distancing does cut hugely down on the potential audience numbers, meaning that the return on events might be too small for some promoters. There needs to be some clever solutions here – for example, Martin’s department could offer financial support to those putting on gigs with reduced numbers, to help balance out any potential losses and ensure promoters and musicians are not at risk.
Looked like a sheep pen. Rock n Roll
jamesvmcmorrow SorchaRichardsn Hope they were giving out free Prozac.
jamesvmcmorrow SorchaRichardsn Never heard of the twat!
jamesvmcmorrow SorchaRichardsn It was an embarrassment. Plain and simple.