Kings of Leon rule Slane 2011

Slane Castle celebrated its 30th anniversary as a concert venue in spectacular fashion in 2011 as American rockers Kings of Leon produced their longest and arguably best set to date, leaving the 80,000 strong crowd in no doubt that Slane will be at the forefront of music festivals for many years to come. An overcast day threatened to dampen more than the spirits, but barring the occasional shower the weather was on its best behaviour, perhaps intimidated by Elbow's Guy Garvey's profanities, demanding the rain stayed away. It did and the Kings of Leon delivered the kind of performance worthy of such a stage. The day started with impressive early performances from The Whigs and Mona, which rewarded the fans who arrived early. Next up were London indie band White Lies, which gave the ever increasing crowd their first sing along moments of the day as they belted out the words to 'To Lose my Life' and 'Farewell to the Fairground', setting the stage nicely for Thin Lizzy. It wouldn't be a party without the guests of honour and Thin Lizzy certainly lived up to this billing. The first act to headline a Slane concert in 1981, sadly only two band members stepped on to the Slane stage for a second time. However, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey are keeping good company with their current bandmates even if the make up of the band is now more akin to a tribute act than the 'Real Mccoy'. "Let's hear it for Philo," declared Ricky Warwick, performing on guitar and lead vocals, and his reference to Thin Lizzy founding member and songwriter Phil Lynott was met with a roar of approval from the concert goers. A set littered with classic rock anthems as well as a thunderous drum solo from Downey included one of their most iconic songs 'The Boys Are Back in Town'. No doubt the missing 'boys' would have been proud that their songs remain just as relevant today. Elbow then took to the stage in somewhat subdued form, opening with 'The Birds'. The subtlety of some of Elbow's songs seemed lost on a crowd, who thanks to Thin Lizzy were in party mood. Frontman Guy Garvey was the most crowd friendly of the day and remarked "look what your national drink has done to my Olympian figure" before downing a pint of Guinness in impressive style. Higher tempo numbers such as 'Grounds for Divorce' and 'Neat Little Rows' regained the interest of the crowd and if Slane Castle was to provide a fitting backdrop for one song, Elbow's 'One Day Like This' is it. The closing number of their set, with its epic chorus 'Throw Those Curtains Wide, One Day Like This A Year Would See Me Right' meant that if they didn't quite live up to expectations, Elbow certainly bowed out on a high. Then came the moment the crowd had been waiting for as Kings of Leon hit the stage, launching straight in to the high energy 'Four Kicks', they the proceeded to play a crowd pleasing set including other hits such as 'Mcfearless' and 'Revelry' the 80,000 fans were in their element, then came the song that arguably launched the Tennessee foursome in to the musical stratosphere 'Sex on Fire', the opening bars of which generated the biggest cheer of the day. Caleb Followill isn't the most interactive of front men but he explained to the Slane crowd: "We've been looking forward to this for a long time." Their enthusiasm was easily matched by the crowd as their set list continued to prove popular, including old favourite 'Molly's Chambers' dedicated to Thin Lizzy, a band cited as one of their biggest influences. The title of the track is actually taken from 'Whiskey in the Jar', the traditional Irish song that Thin Lizzy elevated to prominence in pop music culture. The Kings of Leon consist of three brothers and a cousin from the Followill family, Caleb, Nathan, Jared and Matthew. In the build up to Slane they had to deal with the death of their uncle Cleo. Front man Caleb returned to the stage as part of the encore and performed a solo version of 'The Runner' in a moving tribute, proving to be the most poignant moment of the evening. As the backdrop of the stage displayed home videos, Caleb's voice was raw with emotion. The band finished the set with 'Use Somebody' and 'Black Thumbnail' closing their biggest gig to date in the kind of style that suggests they may play even bigger venues in the future. With five albums worth of material and a rapidly increasing legion of supporters, the Kings of Leon's performance at Slane may well go down as one of their career defining moments. As the band left the stage an impressive array of fireworks lit up the night sky and brought the curtain down on another memorable Slane concert. With the Castle bathed in green, standing proudly next to the stage, the sprawling grounds filled with thousands of people, it is hard to think of a more fitting venue for live music than this natural amphitheatre. There is every reason to suggest that Slane concerts will be a prominent feature of the Irish music calendar in another 30 years.