Fontaines DC
Saturday, July 2nd, and Sunday, July 3rd; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie
The Dubliners play these two shows as they celebrate the success of their third album, Skinty Fia, which once again deftly blends punk and poetry, with a large dash of panache and pugilism. The band is based in London, but this will be a nice homecoming for the famous five, who have already been feted in the UK, the US and beyond, and nominated for Grammy and Brit awards. And with three cracking albums packed with compelling tunes and lyrics to stop you in your tracks, the band will have an embarrassment of musical riches to choose from when they hit the Iveagh Gardens stage. Not to be missed.
Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer
Monday, June 27th; Marlay Park, Dublin; €79.50; ticketmaster.ie
Remember when you were a dorky teenager hooked on Beavis and Butt-head and Sonic the Hedgehog? Now you’re all grown up, and possibly a hedge-fund manager, but you’re not gonna miss this Marlay Park moshfest featuring three of your favourite bands from the 1990s and early noughties. Headliners Green Day will deliver classic LA punk-metal from such albums as Dookie and American Idiot, Fall Out Boy will reanimate hits such as Sugar, We’re Going Down, Dance, Dance and This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race. Weezer, meanwhile, will have trouble squeezing in all their great tunes, including Buddy Holly, Undone (The Sweater Song), Island in the Sun and Hash Pipe, not to mention their awesome cover of Toto’s Africa.
Live at the Marquee
Monday, June 27th, to Wednesday, June 29th; Marquee, Cork; aikenpromotions.com
Just three more gigs to go in Live at the Marquee 2022, and, let’s face it, we could just keep on doing this right through the summer, because we never again want to have to go two years without the joy of live music. Crowded House will hopefully bring the weather with them on Monday, while Nile Rodgers will bring the good times via his disco-funk collective Chic on Tuesday, and the pop phenomenon Olivia Rodrigo will perform her breakout hit Drivers Licence and its megaselling follow-up, Good 4 U, among others, on Wednesday.
Trinity Summer Series
Monday, June 27th, to Sunday, July 3rd; Trinity College Dublin; ticketmaster.ie
The musical evenings on the Trinity campus return after a two-year interlude, and there’s a nice array of artists on the bill, starting with the Brit-African soul man Michael Kiwanuka (Monday), and continuing on Tuesday with the accomplished LA sister act Haim, working at the intersection between Sunset Boulevard and Laurel Canyon (Tuesday). Crowded House reconvene here two days after their Live at the Marquee gig (Wednesday), Keane will be back with some songs that only everyone knows (Thursday), The Coronas will fly the flag for Terenure (Friday) and The Specials will unfurl the two-tone banner one more time (Saturday). The run finishes with a show by the brilliant Beck, with support from our own country-indie star CMAT (Sunday).
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Cara Connors
Tuesday, June 28th; Whelan’s, Dublin; whelanslive.com
The queer LA-based comedian had a tough upbringing, being made to say the rosary and do Irish dancing by their parents, who hail from Cahirciveen. But they survived and went on to perform their stand-up routines on Hulu and Apple TV and on such shows as Just for Laughs Montreal and Dating No Filter. The “multifaceted homosexual with an ass that won’t quit” is going on their first international tour, which includes a stop-off on the auld sod, with their new stand-up show, Straight for Pay, a high-energy, self-effacing and unapologetically feminist and queer comedy show that will have you reaching for the rosary beads.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wednesday, June 29th; Marlay Park, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie
Like the California surf, the funkadelic LA foursome ebb and flow, and this year they’re back in full flow with the return of their prodigal guitarist John Frusciante, and a well-received new album, Unlimited Love, featuring the standout track Black Summer. Frusciante rejoins singer Anthony Keidis, bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith to restore the band’s definitive line-up, and they’ll be blasting out the classic Chili Peppers tunes for the fans, including Under the Bridge, Scar Tissue, Can’t Stop, By the Way and Californication.
Elton John
Friday, July 1st; Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork; €96; ticketmaster.ie
It’s got to be one of the longest goodbyes ever. Ol’ Reg started his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour back in 2018, with 300 dates pencilled in worldwide. Then coronavirus interrupted this valedictory victory march, but now he’s back on the boards and still giving it socks at 75, with a date at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He has more than 50 years of hits to get through, including his latest hit, Cold Heart, with Dua Lipa and PNAU. After he was spotted in a wheelchair at Leipzig airport earlier this month, Elton reassured fans that the wheelchair was so he could rest his poor aching hip after a show. “I’m in top health, loving my shows and playing and singing at my very best. I give 100 per cent every night and never want to disappoint, especially after everyone has waited so long to get back to seeing shows.”
Longitude
Friday, July 1st, to Sunday, July 3rd; Marlay Park, Dublin; longitude.ie
The three-day festival of rap, hip hop, R & , dance and DJ vibes is back, and packing so much raw talent you’ll have to take it home and cook it yourself. Among the acts set to burn up the stage over the weekend are Tyler, The Creator, Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, A$AP Rocky, The Kid Laroi, Polo G, Jack Harlow, Mabel, Denise Chaila, Rejjie Snow, Jax Jones, Slowthai and Kojaque.
Diana Ross
Sunday, July 3rd; 3Arena, Dublin; ticketmaster.ie
The Motown diva is now 78 years old, but if reports from her recent shows are anything to go by, she’s still got the moves and the grooves. Her Thank You tour was delayed by lockdown, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be on a stage again, so she’s making the most of it, performing Supremes hits including Stop! in the Name of Love and Baby Love along with solo hits such as Chain Reaction, Love Hangover and I’m Coming Out. Granted, there will be lots of pauses, interludes and costume changes, just so she can conserve her energy, but, hey, she’s a diva, and with a hit rate like that we’ll forgive her.
