Sunburnt but satisfied, a sell-out crowd helped to kickstart Robbie Williams European tour at Croke Park last night.
Temperatures had cooled by the time he came on stage - much to the relief of those nursing peeling skin. Williams opened with Radio, swiftly followed by Tripping and Rock DJ.
So many turned out for Robbie Williams and for Guns 'n' Roses in the RDS, that AA Roadwatch reported lengthy traffic tailbacks on the M1 motorway yesterday as far back as the Malahide Estuary, as concert-goers converged with rush-hour Friday traffic. The Smithfield area and North King Street were also badly affected for almost three hours.
While people of all ages and nationalities were at the gig, the ratio of women to men was slightly lopsided.
Linda Jones (39) and Debbie Anderson (43) came from Abergavenny and Newport in south Wales, having booked their trip in February.
Lisa McGill (28) from Ballybofey took the day off from primary school teaching and made the four-hour drive to Dublin yesterday. Ms McGill, who is 18 weeks pregnant, was seeing Robbie for the first time. She was there with her husband.
"I heard he is a good performer and a great entertainer," she said. When asked what made him special, she said it was his "cheeky grin". "You know when you see that, the Robster's in the house."