The Rolling Stones started their No Filter European Tour 2018 in Dublin Ireland, at the Croke Park stadium, one of the largest stadiums in Europe. Some 70,000 fans enjoyed the Stones opening show on Thursday May 17. This is some memories and pictures from the Dublin days.
Some fans arrived early, as they knew The Rolling Stones might do some rehearsals at the Croke Park some days before tour start. I had been enjoying two weeks of The Rolling Stones rehearsals in London. After the final rehearsals in London on Friday May 11, I went home to Norway for the week-end. Then I went to Dublin Ireland, because that was the place to be for Stones fans.
I had booked an appartment just five minutes walk from Croke Park, to be near for both the rehearsals and for show day. I found out my apartment at 35 Fitzgibbon Street was sort of inside the barriers when the police would close out traffic on show day. For me it was great to see the stadium at all times. The only boring part was the breakfast arrangements. It was an apartment rented through “City Studios & Apartments” in Dublin. They are obviously a large operation in that business, but it was an apartment only. No breakfast service anywhere near. Breakfast is my main meal for the first half of the day, and I need to sit down in a relaxing environment with fresh brewed coffee, orange juice, bread and may be a croissant. So I was hunting for the idel breakfast place. I had to walk a distance of 1.1 km downtown, it took me 12 minutes each way, and I took this walk every morning. My breakfast place was at the Beresford Hotel. It would have taken me long to find a better place, so this was it. I just loved the place, and I could not have a better start of the day, with a walk, some fresh air, and a great breakfast.
For the rehearsals days in Dublin please see the comments and theads here:
The Rolling Stones rehearsals in Dublin Ireland May 2018
As fans were coming in from all over the world to the opening show, I got to meet friends whom I have been on tour with for ages. We met up in the Temple Bar area, and later on at a party arranged in the city center. I tried to see a bit of Dublin, even if I was working most days during my stay. Even on the Norwegian Constitution day, the biggest day of the year for us, which was show day May 17, I worked for most of the day, but if I want to be on tour, I must work to pay for my bills, and the tour…
The opening show was great. Unlike the opening show in Hamburg last year, this opening show seemed much more relaxed, not so many nervous moments, it felt like it was show number 15 in a series of 28, rather than the first of 14 new shows this year. Some pictures from the show are shown here on these pages. For reports and more pictures see the separat reports pages:
The Rolling Stones – Croke Park – Dublin, Ireland – Thursday May 17, 2018
One strange thing about the show, or rather the catering. In the home of the Guinnes brewery, and in the home of the city with all the bars and the great beers, all the beer they sold at the show was Carlsberg, a Danish beer. After the show there were empty Carlsberg plastic bottles all over the stadium, also outside. Even the day after, as I was on the move to the airport, there was these bottles stacked away in all directions from the stadium. Next time may be paper cups, and next time may be local beer?
Anyway, thanks Dublin, it was a cold experience, with just +6 degrees 6 at nights, and +13 C or so at days, but we did not get any rain on show day, and we got a great show. May be one day I will return as a tourist to Dublin, but first I go home, for the week-end, and next time it is time for London UK, and more shows with The Rolling Stones.
