Tracy and I land in Dublin at about 11 am or so on Saturday. We take a quick taxi to our hotel, drop our stuff off and then go wander the town a bit until we can check in at 3.
The city is overrun with American Notre Dame fans. Yeah, there’s some Navy fans too but it’s like 9 out of 10 are Notre Dame. Our taxi driver says that the last time there were this many Americans in Europe it was D-Day. All told over 40,000 Americans are in Dublin for this college football game.
I start dragging Tracy about the town. First to the Temple Bar and then over to St Stephen’s Green passing by Phil Lynott’s statue to say hey. On our way back to the hotel I hear someone yelling to me from across the street. I look over and see Andrew from the band Wolfmother yelling at me. He and his family are here before heading to the U.S. on tour. The world is so fucking small sometimes it’s beyond crazy. We make vague plans to get together tomorrow for a drink.
Tracy gives me shit. “We’ve been in a foreign country for less than 3 hours and we bump into someone you know?”
Downtown Dublin is jam packed with Notre Dame jerseys everywhere. It’s overwhelming.
Back at the hotel we shower, change clothes, I fall asleep for half an hour and then we go out to see the play “Mother of all the Behans”. A bit of a surprise that I planned for Tracy. It’s a one woman play put on by Imelda May, an Irish singer and it was amazing. The play was packed and there were moments of song where the audience all sang along. I’ve never experienced anything like this. The play was incredible as well as a bit of an Irish history lesson at the same time. Kathleen Behan had 7 children, a couple of them were famous songwriters, writers, playwrights, revolutionaries…
Sunday we start at the Irish Rock and Roll Museum and it’s an amazing take. Tracy and I are the only two for the tour guide Alan and we get a very personalized tour. Alan was friends with Sinead for the past 24 years and he gets choked up talking talking about her. She used to rehearse in this building. Dublin is small. Alan takes us into one of the rehearsal rooms where U2 used to rehearse, he’s turned on a guitar amp and bass amp and puts a Les Paul in my hands and a Pbass in Tracy’s hands. I immediately play the riff from “Jailbreak” because ya haveto! He asks us to play a song so we do. A Les Paul feels good in my hands… There’s a lot here on Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy and U2 and Hothouse Flowers, and Sinead, and Van Morrison, and Something Happens, and The Boomtown Rats and The Undertones, The Waterboys, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher…
It is so good.
Then we did an Vintage Tea tour where we road in a double decker bus with Barrys tea, fresh scones with clotted cheese and a nice tour guide to the city.
Then we walked to a free music festival near the hotel and the Jamesons distillery. We tried following along with the Irish step dancing instructions but couldn’t keep up and then found our way to the tent that was honoring Pecker Dunne- who was a traditional Irish performer that brought to light the ways of the Irish traveling folks and I think they said he was in Good, Bad and the Ugly. Amazing songs in the trad tradition. We stood next to a woman that knew all the songs. At one point Pecker Dunne’s son was performing one of his songs on banjo, a tall lad with a booming voice, he hit a bad note on the banjo and the woman next to me says “that’s a wrong note.” The part came around again and he played the wrong note again and I look over at her and she says “It doesn’t go like that.” Ha! I loved her. She was 70 if a day and sang along to all the songs.
I messaged Andrew if he wanted to meet up here and he messaged back asking if we wanted to go see Noel Gallagher play tonight. Yes, of course we are up for that.
A taxi into town to meet with Andrew and Jude for a drink before heading to the show. As we’re standing there chatting, Noel Gallagher calls Andrew to confirm our tickets and all.
There’s nowhere to sit in this bar so we take a taxi to the show. Primal Scream have just started. We climb the stairs to the side of the stage and watch the show from the wings. Primal Scream are fantastic, what a show. Bobby is wearing a teal green suit while performing and is just a total rock star front man.* I forget how much I love a great rock show. I’ve been living in acoustic world for quite a while now but when the B3 roars and the Les Pauls growl, it’s some serious magic. Simone on bass is incredible too. Tracy turns to me and says “I want to steal her whole look.” Simone is so badass, she waits until after the gig to put on her leather pants.
We split up for a bit after Primal Scream. Tracy and I make our way back to the backstage catering area. “Would you like dinner?” “Sure.” “Do you have the chip for a meal?” “No, sorry.” “Ah, don’t worry about it, I’ll make you a plate.” And we are served pork shoulder, parsnips, potatoes, squash and Yorkshire pudding.
We meet back up with Andrew and Jude at the side of the stage as Noel starts his set.
Noel Gallagher is a proper star. At one point in the show a woman is badgering him from the front row for an autograph. Mind you there’s like 15,000 people here if not more. He looks down and says “I’m kind of busy here love.” But she won’t take no. “Look, I’m playing a gig, I’m working ya know? This isn’t an autograph signing.” And he gets a couple of “Boos” and he just stops. “Yeah? Get it out of your system.” He snarls at them and the audience full on boos him for about 30 seconds. “Ya done? Can I play a song now?” It’s impressive to watch someone so confident just take the abuse head on - say, alright then, and then continue. That is a different kind of confidence, if you could bottle it you’d make a fortune.
But the songs. Jesus he writes some great songs. When he sings “You know we can’t go back” it feels euphoric. It’s so good. And all the guitar changes! In the midst of this I realize that that’s what I’ve been missing - a Les Paul. Yeah, of course I’ve owned a few but I haven’t really had one since mine got stolen a bunch of years ago. Tracy agrees with me here and puts the challenge in “You need songs you can play with a Les Paul.” Damn straight. “And a green suit?” I counter. “Maybe SeaGreen.” She smiles.
We say goodnight to Andrew and June and make plans to see them in SoCal then end of September.
Has been a good 2 days so far.
Tomorrow we sleep in.
*I tell him later on that I liked his suit and wished I could pull off a suit like that. He puts his hand on my shoulder and says “you totally could.”