American rock band The Kings of Leon have been confirmed as the headline act for the Slane Castle concert next summer.
The band will play the historic Co Meath venue on May 28th next, some 30 years after Thin Lizzy headlined the first concert at the venue in 1981.
That the band would play at the venue was “inevitable”, venue owner Lord Henry Mountcharles said today.
“Slane is very personal to me. Sometimes it’s a really tough call but this was kind of an inevitable journey," said of the decision about which band to approach.
The Kings of Leon felt playing the 30th anniversary concert was also a “really good fit”, he said.
“Their musical journey is special. They have openly admitted that Thin Lizzy was one of their primary influences and they opened the first Slane in 1981."
“Thirty years later that had a poignancy to me,” Lord Henry said. He added that the concert will take place five days after his 60th birthday.
Lord Mountcharles said he has walked though the venue while listening to the band’s latest album to try and imagine how the concert might sound. He said their latest album has “all the stuff that works in the venue”.
He added that significant changes will be in place for the concert, following a review after the last concert in 2008, when disgruntled fans flooded internet message boards and radio shows complaining about transport delays, long queues and alleged overcrowding.
Among the changes for next year will be bus turnaround facilities, a widened Dublin entrance, a new emergency exit, larger bar facilities and a wider perimeter.
“We have a proud tradition and want to get it right,” he said.
Tennessee band The Kings of Leon are touring with their fifth album Come Around Sundown. Details of the four support acts have not yet been released by promoter MCD.
Tickets for the 80,000 capacity venue will go on sale on Friday week, November 5th, priced at €79.
