When they come to write the book of great Irish rock 'n' roll stories, lets hope there are a few lines in it about Michael Lowry. Of course, when they come to write other great books of exceptional Irish exploits, the TD and former minister can expect more than a few lines. But we talk today of Lowry in the context of the Feile extravaganzas which he brought to Semple Stadium in Thurles in the early 1990s.
As head of the stadium management committee, Lowry got in touch with Denis Desmond at MCD Concerts and proposed the idea of putting on a three-day festival in Thurles. Not two days, mind, but three days. Young people were madder and hardier back then. The idea was a no- brainer: Lowry had the stadium, MCD had the acts, one plus one equals, well, two.
Everyone won. The festivals became the new Lisdoonvarna. The promoters made a few bob. The punters had a whale of a time (especially the acid casualties). Some of the good people of Thurles made a fortune. And, as hoped, the festivals raked in thousands of pounds to pay off the debts incurred from building the stadium.
For all concerned, however, much has changed in the 10 years since Feile last rattled the rafters of the stadium. Thurles no longer needs to rock. Michael Lowry's name is now usually shadowed by the words "tribunal" or "tax". MCD Concerts has become one of the biggest players in both the Irish and UK live music markets, its British operation now including 25 per cent of Vince Power's Mean Fiddler Organisation, which gives the Dublin-based company a stake in the Reading, Glastonbury and Fleadh festivals.
But it's the festivals themselves which have undergone the greatest changes. Whatever about treating rock fests of the past as bastions of an alternative, hippie happy-clappy ethos, today's festivals have leapt merrily into the mainstream with their eyes wide open. Music festivals now are the favourite target of brand managers, marketeers and alcohol companies looking for credible fixes and matches for their products.
Maybe the rumored existence of a pot of gold at the end of the festival rainbow explains the eagerness of tax inspectors to hit the road this summer. Revenue spot-checkers are said to be visiting festivals to ensure that every burger-flipper, security man and roadie on site is tax- compliant. The only taxmen you found at Feile were there to get loaded and have a good time. Maybe those at Punchestown can establish if Charlie McCreevy got a good deal for the €14.9 million invested in the events centre at the racecourse.
Irish punters have also changed their outlook - they've become more selective in what they will pay money to see and hear. Ireland may now be a guaranteed stop-off point on the international touring circuit, but this doesn't mean that every show sells out every time.
The fact that there are still tickets available for the Madonna concert at Slane is telling in this regard. The rash of concert cancellations or postponements in the last few months tell their own story. Surely any artist who cites "recording commitments" as a reason to get out of a gig must have realised he or she would still be in studio when they first booked the tour?
It's not just Ireland where the punters are getting picky. In the US, this summer's Lollapalooza touring festival was cancelled, the organisers citing poor ticket sales for a bill which included Sonic Youth, Morrissey, PJ Harvey, the Flaming Lips and other alternative kingpins. While promoters were scratching their head about why that one didn't work, they also have to contend with poor, sluggish sales for tours by Fleetwood Mac (what's left of them), The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, Ozzfest, Aerosmith, Van Halen and Kiss.
Yet a festival like Oxegen will pull the punters to Punchestown this weekend because it delivers both value for money and acts you won't be able to see any- where else. If you want to see The Cure or Wilco or The Strokes or Franz Ferdinand or Orbital or Massive Attack in Ireland this summer, there is only one place to go. They won't be playing in a venue near you - unless you live in Co Kildare.
