It's just not rock 'n' roll, is it? The High Court decision to ban the U2 concerts scheduled for this month is a triumph for the middle-of-the-road brigade. And another restriction on our freedom to rock. Residents of Lansdowne Road have invoked the planning laws to prevent the staging of a rock concert in their neighbourhood, utilising this legal means to close down PopMart.
The residents are, of course, fully entitled to assert their rights. But rock and roll fans are entitled to be a little cynical. Where were the Lansdowne residents when the softer, gentler, Celine Dion was preparing for her concert at the same venue in June?
Were they up in arms, or up in the High Court lodging complaints? No, they were probably sitting at home with their feet up, listening to some nice, soothing, Celine Dion songs. Perhaps they were working to try and stop that gig from going ahead, but it must have been a low-key effort because the public didn't hear a peep.
But U2 is a different Rattle And Hum altogether. The PopMart show is the biggest in the world right now. The noise could offend sensitive ears, while the dazzling light and colours might singe a few retinas.
Around 80,000 people have bought tickets for the two U2 concerts on August 30th and 31st. About three local residents lodged the objection which resulted in the High Court stopping the shows. They cited inconvenience, noise and general disruption as their reasons for opposing the gigs.
These residents are entitled to assert their rights. And to listen to whatever records they like. But the 80,000 people who want to see the biggest band in the world in concert have rights too. Dublin may like to fashion itself as the rock and roll capital of the world. But in the Irish scheme of things the right to rock 'n' roll takes second place to the good old-fashioned right to comfort and convenience.
The residents of Lansdowne Road will now have a peaceful August weekend and the status quo will be maintained. Prospects for the 80,000 fans who paid to see Ireland's biggest-ever pop phenomenon are less bright.
In the past few years, I've found myself writing more and more about concerts which are not happening, a strange situation for a rock journalist. It started when the Feile festival, due to be staged at Mondello Park in Co Kildare, was blocked by residents. They had every right to refuse the offer to have their flowers fertilised by Irish youth, and they discovered a unique way of nipping this practise in the bud. It was called planning permission.
It meant that if you wanted to use a venue for something other than its original intended use, you had to apply for planning permission. Suddenly, residents had a powerful weapon to prevent the staging of rock concerts.
Feile soon sank under the weight of the planning process, and Slane Castle fell next. Despite having staged outdoor concerts in his big back garden since 1981, Lord Mount Charles was told last year that if he wanted to put on any more shows, he would have to apply for planning permission.
Earlier this year, the proposed Big Day Out at Castlegar Sportsgrounds in Galway, part of the Galway Arts Festival, was abandoned because the organisers were told that planning permission must be obtained. Since the planning process takes anything up to nine months, this was effectively a notice of cancellation.
According to an industry source, Ireland's planning laws threaten the future of live music in this country. Because of the length and uncertainty of the planning process, international bands like Oasis and the Rolling Stones may drop Ireland from their tour itinerary, sticking instead with the British and European circuit where a sensible licensing system is in place.
U2 manager, Mr Paul McGuinness, has commented that it's easier for U2 to play a concert in Sarajevo than to play their own home town. It is to be hoped that the planned Supreme Court appeal will overturn the High Court decision; otherwise, we will have a ludicrous situation in which the Biggest Rock Band in The World will be unable to rock in their own backyard.
It could have all been so different. Perhaps it might still be.
The potential revenue from U2's Lansdowne Road appearances is around £10 million. There would have been employment at the shows for around 800 local people. It would all have been an audacious PR coup for Ireland plc, with visitors from all around the world to witness U2's big homecoming. It would also have been a great show. And it would have been all over by 11 p.m., well before bedtime.
It's apparent to me that the planning laws are being used by the anti-fun brigade to block any event which does not meet with their standards of good, old-fashioned entertainment.
It seems ludicrous that outdoor events like the U2 concerts are subject to planning laws when they weren't before, and it is clear that the need to apply for planning permission must be immediately replaced by a licence application system which would cut through the red tape.
The middle-of-the-road brigade have found the perfect mechanism, and they're using it to strangle rock music.