114-544: The Slane Festival (often referred to as Slane ) is a recurring concert held most years since 1981 on the grounds of Slane Castle on the outskirts of Slane in County Meath , Ireland. The castle is owned by The 8th Marquess Conyngham , who was known by the courtesy title the Earl of Mount Charles from 1974 until 2009. Slane lies between Navan and Drogheda , about 45 km northwest of Dublin . Concerts typically occur on
228-399: A $ 75,000 ($ 208,470 in current dollar terms) advance. They had turned down an offer from Chrysalis Records that was nearly double Geffen's, due to Chrysalis wanting to change the band's image and sound and Geffen offering full artistic freedom. In December of that year, the group released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide , designed to keep interest in the band alive while
342-576: A Guns N' Roses album, but Axl didn't think it was good enough". In 1994, all of the then-current members of the band contributed to Gilby Clarke's debut album, Pawnshop Guitars . In December 1994, GN'R released a cover of the Rolling Stones ' " Sympathy for the Devil ". The song appeared in the films Interview with the Vampire and Fallen and was released as a single. Entertainment Weekly stated that
456-453: A Million ". Adler was fired due to his drug addiction in 1990 and was replaced by Matt Sorum . Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II , recorded and released simultaneously in 1991, debuted at number two and number one on the Billboard 200 respectively and have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide (including 14 million units in the U.S.). The Illusion albums included
570-492: A Rolling Stones cover. In 1993, Clarke broke his arm in a motorcycle accident during the tour and was replaced by Stradlin for several weeks. In 1992, the band performed three songs at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert . Because of the controversial song " One in a Million ", activist group ACT UP demanded that the band be dropped from the bill, urged other artists to shun GN'R, and the urged crowd to boo
684-750: A Saturday in August, from 12:00 to 22:00. The sloping grounds of Slane Castle form a natural amphitheatre which is ideal for concerts. As many as 70,000–110,000 people usually attend. One of the venue boundaries is the River Boyne . Two people died while trying to swim the river to gain free access to R.E.M. 's concert in 1995. The minimum age of admission to the Slane Festival was reduced in 2006 from 18 to 16 because of complaints. Aiken Promotions invited artists such as David Bowie , Bob Dylan , Queen , The Rolling Stones , and Bruce Springsteen to perform during
798-424: A bus into New York. Trying to put a scare into the young runaways, the man yelled at them, "You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby; you're gonna die!" The song was featured in the 1988 Dirty Harry film The Dead Pool , starring Clint Eastwood , and members of the band had a cameo appearance in the film. " Sweet Child o' Mine " was the album's second U.S. single, a love song co-written by Rose as
912-625: A combined 35 million copies worldwide, including 14 million in the United States. Guns N' Roses accompanied the Use Your Illusion albums with many videos, including " Don't Cry ", " November Rain " and " Estranged ", some of the most expensive music videos ever made . The ballad "November Rain" reached number 3 in the US and became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. At 8:57, it
1026-568: A concert, so it was held in the Phoenix Park Racecourse in Dublin on 14 August 1983, the only occasion it has been held outside Slane. U2 appeared at Slane in 1981 and 1983, whilst in 1984 Bono performed a duet with Bob Dylan during the latter's encore. This was the last appearance by a member of U2 on the Slane stage until their unique double-headliner in 2001. Thus, Bono has appeared at Slane on
1140-620: A duet with Elton John on " Bohemian Rhapsody ". Their personal set included "Paradise City" and " Knockin' on Heaven's Door ". When the band returned to the US for the second leg of the Use Your Illusion Tour, Rose had wanted the grunge band Nirvana as the support act, but lead singer Kurt Cobain declined. Later that year, Guns N' Roses embarked on the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour with heavy metal band Metallica , supported by Faith No More , Motörhead , and Body Count . During
1254-437: A fan was filming the show with a camera. After asking the venue's security to take away the camera, Rose jumped into the audience, had a heated confrontation with the fan, and assaulted him. After being pulled from the audience by members of the crew, Rose said, "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!", threw his microphone to the ground and stormed off the stage. The angry crowd rioted , injuring dozens. Footage
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#17328553464721368-457: A football match by one manager, Johnny McDonnell . The Irish Times selected "This is the big time, it's like Madonna coming to Slane" as one of its quotes of that year. The Irish Independent described The Rolling Stones playing to "a mostly middle-aged crowd who were content to stand back, shielded from the rain in their wax jackets, and let the concert wash over them". Oasis were joined by family members, including their mother Peggy, for
1482-467: A four-year hiatus. Harry Styles was announced as the headliner on 26 August 2022. Red Hot Chili Peppers member Chad Smith has stated that he "wouldn't mind doing Slane again" saying the band "had an awesome time last time". Green Day 's Billie Joe Armstrong has spoken to Hot Press magazine of his admiration for U2's shows at Slane and, in relation to his band performing there in 2010, commented: "It's something that's being looked at". However,
1596-488: A full album. Their fifth studio album, "The Spaghetti Incident?" , a collection of punk and glam rock covers, was released on November 23, 1993. The album features covers of songs of punk artists such as U.K. Subs , The Damned , New York Dolls , The Stooges , Dead Boys , Misfits , Johnny Thunders , The Professionals , FEAR , as well as T. Rex , Soundgarden and The Skyliners . The lead single, " Ain't It Fun " featured Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe as
1710-488: A good enough act. Lord Henry stated the reason for the break in 2014 was that "there really wasn't an act that grabbed my imagination for this year." He went on to say that Slane would be back in 2015. On 26 November 2014, it was announced that Foo Fighters, along with Kaiser Chiefs, Hozier and two other unannounced bands would play Slane on 30 May 2015. There was no concert at Slane in 2016. There were persistent rumours in 2015 and early 2016 of either AC/DC , Coldplay or
1824-526: A guest vocalist. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard charts, and sold 190,000 copies its first week. Many of the tracks were recorded during the same sessions as the Illusions albums, which were originally intended to produce three or four albums. Stradlin's guitar parts were reportedly re-recorded entirely by Gilby Clarke. Slash described the recording as "spontaneous and unpainted", and recording
1938-552: A huge passion for the longest time, and it turned out to be our hugest hit, so it goes to show what I know." The song was released in Japan as part of the EP Live from the Jungle , which also featured a selection of live recordings from the band's June 1987 dates at London's The Marquee , the group's first shows outside the United States. The song is the highest charting Guns N' Roses song, and
2052-570: A live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary Uzi Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies. Seeking to record their debut album, producer Spencer Proffer was hired to record " Nightrain " and " Sweet Child o' Mine " to test his chemistry with the band. The band eventually recorded 9 songs during these sessions, including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Cry", "Welcome to
2166-485: A natural amphitheatre. On the eastward side of the castle demesne , directly between the River Boyne and the village's Church of Ireland church in Slane, lay the ruins of St. Erc's Hermitage , a 15th-century multi-storey chapel, and with some 500 metres westward of St. Erc's Hermitage an ancient well can also be found. In one of the central texts of Irish mythology , the Cath Maige Tuireadh , this well
2280-568: A new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band." The band then took up residence at a house and rehearsal space dubbed "The Hell House". Through the band's increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene – playing famed bars such as The Troubadour and The Roxy – Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels. The group signed with Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving
2394-499: A permanent replacement was found. The position was filled by drummer Matt Sorum , who had played briefly with the Cult . Slash credited Sorum with preventing the band from breaking up at the time. In response to an interviewer's suggestion that replacing Adler with Sorum had turned Guns N' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band to a heavy metal band, Stradlin responded: "Yeah, a big musical difference. The first time I realized what Steve did for
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#17328553464722508-536: A poem for his then-girlfriend Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers . Due to the growing grassroots success of the band and the cross-gender appeal of the song, "Sweet Child o' Mine" and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, becoming a huge hit during the summer of 1988 and reaching the top of the charts in the U.S. Slash later commented, "I hated that song with
2622-539: A repeat of the St. Louis incident nearly unfolded during a concert in Germany. As reasons for his departure, Stradlin cited a combination of Rose's personal behavior, his mismanagement of the band, and difficulties being around Slash, Sorum, and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety and their continuing addictions. Stradlin later commented, "Once I quit drugs, I couldn't help looking around and asking myself, 'Is this all there is?' I
2736-404: A show in August 1992 at Montreal 's Olympic Stadium , Metallica's lead singer James Hetfield suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face after malfunctions with pyrotechnics . Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another performance. After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took
2850-514: A time. Parts of Madonna's documentary-film I'm Going to Tell You a Secret were filmed at Slane Castle in 2004. Bon Jovi performed at Slane Castle in June 2013. Guns N%27 Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles , California, in 1985, as the result of a merger between local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose . When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986,
2964-567: A total of five occasions, three of these being in the first four concerts. This year, the concert was held at the Phoenix Park Racecourse in Dublin. While Springsteen sang The River , footage of the nearby River Boyne was shown on video screens; the footage was retained for the rest of his tour. Elvis Costello and members of Spandau Ballet and U2 were the then Lord Mount Charles 's guests who enjoyed smoked salmon and champagne on
3078-640: Is considered the "longest tour in rock history". The Use Your Illusion World Tour program included a guitar solo from Slash based on The Godfather theme ; a piano-driven cover of "It's Alright" by Black Sabbath ; and an extended jam on the classic rock-inspired "Move to the City", where the group showcased the ensemble of musicians assembled for the tour. On July 2, 1991, at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri , Rose discovered that
3192-720: Is located in the village of Slane , within the Boyne Valley of County Meath , Ireland . The castle has been the family seat of the Conyngham family since it was built in the late 18th century, on land first purchased in 1703 by Brig.-Gen. Henry Conyngham . It holds the Slane Festival within its grounds, with the Irish Independent claiming in 2004 that "Slane today is the kind of internationally recognised venue that can claim even Madonna 's attention". Its sloping lawns form
3306-581: Is said to have been blessed by the God Dian Cecht so that the Tuatha Dé Danann could bathe in it and be healed, allegedly healing all mortal wounds except decapitation. However, with the arrival of Christianity in Ireland , and the policy of Christian reinterpretation for traditionally pagan sites, the well is now more commonly referred to as Our Lady's Well. Prior to the 1688 overthrow of
3420-508: Is the most expensive rock album in history. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with a generally positive critical reception. Slash and McKagan rejoined the band in 2016 for the quasi-reunion Not in This Lifetime... Tour , which became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time , grossing over $ 584 million by its conclusion in 2019. In their early years, the band's hedonism and rebelliousness drew comparisons to
3534-594: Is the band's only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . After the success of "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle" was re-issued as a single and reached No. 7 in the U.S. By the time " Paradise City " and its video reached the airwaves, peaking at No. 5 in the U.S., Appetite for Destruction had reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 . To date, the album has sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million units sold in
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3648-424: Is the band's worst selling studio album, having sold 1 million copies by 2018. Between 1994 and 1996, the band sporadically recorded new material. According to Matt Sorum, in 1996, the band had recorded seven songs, with seven more in the writing stages, and intended to release a single album with 10 or 12 songs in spring 1997. In May 1994, Gilby Clarke said work on the next Guns N' Roses album had ended. Rose said
3762-470: The Appetite for Destruction Tour . Their debut album Appetite for Destruction (1987) failed to gain traction, debuting at number 182 on the Billboard 200 , until a year after its release when a grassroots campaign for the " Welcome to the Jungle " music video brought the band mainstream popularity. "Welcome to the Jungle" and " Paradise City " both became top 10 singles, with " Sweet Child o' Mine " becoming
3876-737: The House of Stuart , Slane Castle had been in the possession of the Flemings , Hiberno-Normans who had aligned themselves with the Jacobites in the War of the Grand Alliance , and thus after the Williamite victory, their property was chosen for confiscation. Christopher, 17th Baron Slane (1669 – 14 July 1726; created The 1st Viscount Longford by Queen Anne in 1713), was the last Fleming Lord of Slane. Overlooking
3990-459: The River Boyne , just a few kilometres upstream from Newgrange and the site of the famous Battle of the Boyne , Slane Castle in its existing form was constructed under the direction of William Burton Conyngham , together with his nephew The 1st Marquess Conyngham . The reconstruction dates back to 1785 and is principally the work of James Gandon , James Wyatt and Francis Johnston. Francis Johnston
4104-453: The Soundgarden song ' Black Hole Sun ' as a tribute to Soundgarden's singer Chris Cornell , who died on 18 May. The Irish Independent positively reviewed the concert and commented that "Twenty-five years after they first played Ireland's biggest gig, Guns N' Roses came, saw and conquered Slane Castle all over again." The 8 June 2019 lineup was: The Slane Festival returned in 2023 after
4218-621: The 'note-for-note remake works up a decent lather but seems utterly bankrupt'. "Sympathy for the Devil" is the final GN'R track to feature Slash on lead guitar, McKagan on bass, and Sorum on drums. The song also featured Rose's childhood friend and Hollywood Rose collaborator Paul "Huge" Tobias on rhythm guitar. Tobias's presence in the band created tension; Slash had 'creative and personal differences' with Tobias. A 2001 interview revealed Slash told his bandmates in September 1996, "I'm going to confront it. Either Paul goes, or [I go]." The music
4332-430: The 1980s. 2001 and 2013 are the only years in which two concerts were held in the same year. In 2001, both concerts were headlined by U2 . In 2013, the first concert was headlined by Bon Jovi and the second by Eminem , who had controversially cancelled his 2005 Slane appearance after entering drug rehabilitation . The most recent Slane Festival took place on 10 June 2023, headlined by Harry Styles . Guns N' Roses ,
4446-584: The 2000s were headlined respectively by Bryan Adams , U2 (twice), Stereophonics , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Madonna , The Rolling Stones and Oasis . Unusually, two concerts were held during 2001 (the Taoiseach asked the Minister for the Environment to fast-track some new legislation to allow the second concert to happen), both headlined by U2 and both featuring an entirely different set of support acts that brought
4560-490: The 30th anniversary event at Slane Castle. Harry Styles performed on the 10th of June 2023. Celtic Woman filmed their second DVD at Slane Castle, called Celtic Woman: A New Journey in August 2006, and in 2001 U2 filmed the DVD U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle , which was released in 2003. They also recorded their 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire , there while taking up residence for
4674-452: The Jungle " was issued as the album's first single in October, with an accompanying music video. Initially, the album and single lingered for almost a year without performing well, but when Geffen founder David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged, personally convincing MTV executives to play "Welcome to the Jungle" during the network's after-hours rotation. Even though
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4788-468: The Jungle" and "Shadow of Your Love". The band then recorded demos with Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton . Paul Stanley of KISS was considered as producer, but he was rejected after he wanted to change Adler's drum set more than Adler wanted. Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Tom Werman were also considered, but the label did not want to spend the extra money on a famous producer. Ultimately, Mike Clink (who had produced several Triumph records)
4902-525: The Rolling Stones and U2 are the only bands to have headlined the event more than once, and U2 have played twice in one year. Thin Lizzy are the only band to headline and come back as a support act. Several other acts, listed below, have supported a headliner and returned as a headliner themselves. Some acts, listed below, have appeared more than once but never as a headline act: The first Slane Festival
5016-489: The Slane debuts of Coldplay , Nelly Furtado , Ash , Kelis , The Walls and JJ72 whilst offering returns to Moby and Dara. Red Hot Chili Peppers also appeared for the first time and would return to headline the 2003 event. The 2005 concert was intended to centre on rap instead of rock music, but Eminem cancelled his appearance (due on 17 September that year with support from 50 Cent, D-12, Obie Trice, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Olivia, Atlanta's Stat Quo and Flipsyde) after
5130-562: The Story) Morning Glory? would be released 3 months later and would return to headline the event in 2009. One fan threw a rock at the stage as Oasis prepared to play " Roll with It ". This provoked Liam Gallagher to say, "If you don't like it, go fucking hang yourself". In 2009, this performance was described as being by "a lairy mob with attitude and half a dozen memorable songs to their credit". The following performed at Slane Festival in 1995: 28 August 1999 The eight concerts of
5244-413: The United States, Australia and Japan, while serving as opening acts on North America shows by Iron Maiden and Aerosmith . Tim Collins , Aerosmith's then-manager, remarked, "By the end of the tour, Guns N' Roses were huge. They basically just exploded. We were all pissed that Rolling Stone magazine showed up to do a story on Aerosmith, but Guns N' Roses ended up on the cover of the magazine. Suddenly,
5358-499: The United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S, in addition to being the eleventh best-selling album in the United States . Guns N' Roses toured extensively in support of their debut album, embarking on the 16-month-long Appetite for Destruction Tour . In addition to headlining dates in Europe and the U.S., the band opened North American shows for The Cult , Mötley Crüe , and Alice Cooper throughout
5472-472: The United States, making them one of the best-selling bands in history . In 1984, Hollywood Rose member Izzy Stradlin was living with L.A. Guns member Tracii Guns . When L.A. Guns needed a new vocalist, Stradlin suggested Hollywood Rose singer Axl Rose . This led to Guns N' Roses being formed in March 1985 by Rose, rhythm guitarist Stradlin, along with L.A. Guns founders lead guitarist Guns, drummer Rob Gardner , and bassist Ole Beich . Guns recalled
5586-468: The West Coast, from Sacramento, California , to McKagan's hometown of Seattle , Washington. The band drove in a separate van and had to abandon their gear when both vans broke down on the way to Seattle, forcing them to hitch-hike up the coast and back home to LA with only their guitars. The so-called " Hell Tour " settled the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, "This trip had set
5700-419: The albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in the Billboard charts, making Guns N' Roses the only act to achieve this feat until hip hop artist Nelly in 2004 and the first to have the top two albums since Jim Croce in 1974. The albums sold 770,000 units ( Use Your Illusion II ) and 685,000 units ( Use Your Illusion I ) in their first week, and spent 108 weeks on the chart. They have sold
5814-566: The band was when he broke his hand in Michigan ;... So we had Fred Coury come in from Cinderella for the Houston show. Fred played technically good and steady, but the songs sounded just awful. They were written with Steve playing the drums and his sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel. When that was gone, it was just ... unbelievable, weird. Nothing worked." A few months prior, keyboardist Dizzy Reed became
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#17328553464725928-477: The band while Clarke and Sorum were fired. In 1998 Rose, Reed, guitarists Paul Tobias and Robin Finck , bassist Tommy Stinson , drummer Josh Freese and multi-instrumentalist Chris Pitman started writing and recording new songs. Guitarists Buckethead , Bumblefoot and Fortus, and drummers Brain and Ferrer all contributed as the band's lineup changed. Their upcoming sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy (2008),
6042-430: The band's "classic lineup" consisted of vocalist Axl Rose , lead guitarist Slash , rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin , bassist Duff McKagan , and drummer Steven Adler . The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, guitarist Richard Fortus , drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese . Guns N' Roses heavily toured the West Coast club circuit during their early years before embarking on
6156-469: The band's first radio interview, aired two days before their first ever show at the Troubadour on March 26, 1985. Around this time, the band planned to release an EP with the three aforementioned songs and a cover of " Heartbreak Hotel ". However, Guns left the band after an argument with Rose, and plans for the release fell through. Guns was replaced by a former Hollywood Rose member, Slash . Gardner,
6270-416: The band's only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The album has sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million units in the United States, making it the country's best-selling debut album and eleventh-best-selling album . With their stylistic mix of punk rock , blues rock and heavy metal , the band helped move mainstream rock away from the glam metal era of
6384-445: The best in their fields, with Rose considered one of the best vocalists, Slash as one of the best guitarists and McKagan as one of the best bassists by various publications. Guns N' Roses (Rose, Stradlin, McKagan, Slash, Adler, Sorum and Reed) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Guns N' Roses have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in
6498-408: The camera, that those requests were ignored, that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles launched from the audience, and that the security staff refused to enforce a drinking limit. Rose was eventually found guilty of property damage and assault. He was fined $ 50,000 and given two years probation. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin abruptly quit the band on November 7, 1991, after
6612-602: The castle to write and record their album The Unforgettable Fire . In 1991, a fire in the castle caused extensive damage to the building and completely gutted the eastern section facing the River Boyne. The castle reopened in 2001 after the completion of a ten-year restoration programme. In 2003, a cannon associated with the castle was found in the nearby River Boyne . Since 1981, the grounds of Slane Castle have been used to host rock concerts. The natural amphitheatre has an 80,000 person capacity. The concerts were launched by
6726-575: The castle. It was announced that a concert would take place in Summer 2017 once construction work on the Distillery is complete. In early December 2016, promotional posters for the rock band Guns N' Roses appeared in Dublin City. This fueled speculation of a forthcoming announcement that the band were going to play at Slane in Summer 2017. On 5 December 2016, after many months of rumours and speculation, it
6840-461: The concert with a roadie performing lead vocals. Riots nearly broke out during two August 1988 shows in New York. At England's Monsters of Rock festival, held that same month, two fans were crushed to death during the group's set by the slam-dancing crowd. During the first of four October 1989 dates opening for the Rolling Stones at the L.A. Coliseum , Rose announced that the shows would be
6954-690: The day of the concert, including two people who were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. MCD Productions asked fans to report any problems after complaints regarding transport facilities. Fiach Kelly, writing in The Irish Independent , reported on the "yoof element" where "you could be forgiven for thinking you had arrived at a rather large teenage disco". There was no concert in 2010. Henry Conyngham had written in an Evening Herald column in February that Slane 2010 would take place in August and that it would involve an "international artist" but that he
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#17328553464727068-425: The day. After a five-year absence, the longest since the event began in 1981, Slane Festival returned in 1992. The five concerts of the 1990s were headlined respectively by Guns N' Roses , Neil Young , R.E.M. , The Verve and Robbie Williams . The 1995 concert, headlined by R.E.M., was notable for the death of someone who attempted to swim the nearby River Boyne to reach the concert area. The same concert marked
7182-562: The debut of Oasis on the Slane stage; they returned in 2009 to headline the event. The 1998 event was headlined by The Verve, their last appearance in Ireland until Oxegen 2008 ; in 1998 the band appeared alongside special guests Manic Street Preachers and also Robbie Williams who would return the following year to headline. Stereophonics played support in 1999 and returned to headline in 2002. On 22 July 1995, R.E.M. played Slane on their first concert following Mike Mills 's appendectomy. They were supported by Oasis , whose album (What's
7296-417: The early Rolling Stones and earned them the nickname "the most dangerous band in the world". Significant controversy followed the band due to late show starts and riots (notably the 1991 Riverport riot ), lyrics perceived as problematic, Rose's outspoken persona, several other members' drug and alcohol abuse issues, lawsuits, and public feuds with other artists. Several members of the band are considered among
7410-504: The event sold out. The promoter, MCD Productions , sought damages in the High Court . The resultant two-year break in 2005 and 2006 was followed by a return to Slane by The Rolling Stones, only the second artist after U2 to headline the event in two different years, and marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of their first appearance in 1982. Henry Conyngham's delay in the picking of suitable acts led to no concert in 2008; however Oasis headlined
7524-504: The final concert of Slane's third decade in 2009 with support from The Prodigy , Kasabian , Glasvegas and The Blizzards . U2's headlining appearance sold out in 45 minutes. The first concert occurred the week after Bono 's father died. The second concert coincided with the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2 match between the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands , and
7638-581: The final show of the Use Your Illusion Tour , Rose told him "Hey, enjoy your last show". Clarke later sued the band over the use of his likeness in Guns N' Roses Pinball . In August 1995, Rose legally left the band and created a new partnership under the band's name. Rose later stated that he took this step "to salvage Guns not steal it". Rose reportedly purchased the full rights to the Guns N' Roses name in 1997. Slash claimed he and bandmates signed over
7752-450: The formation of the band in a 2019 interview, stating: "Axl got into an argument with our manager and our manager fired Axl but we all lived together so it was all really weird. So, that same night he got fired we started Guns N' Roses and I called Izzy the next day and said 'Hey, we are gonna start this new band called Guns N' Roses, do you want in?' It was as simple as that, no paint or cocaine involved." The band coined its name by combining
7866-416: The group withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio. The EP release was designed to sooth over the label, who felt the band did not have enough songs to record an album. The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo 's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith 's " Mama Kin ", along with two original compositions: the punk -influenced "Reckless Life" and the classic rock -inspired "Move to the City". Although billed as
7980-437: The group's last if certain members of the band did not stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone", a reference to the band's song of the same name about heroin. "That was serious", the singer remarked. "I'm not gonna be a part of watching them kill each other, just killing themselves off. Everybody was pissed at me, but afterwards Slash's mom came and shook my hand and so did his brothers." Events such as these helped earn Guns N' Roses
8094-408: The group. Members of Queen dismissed the activists, with lead guitarist Brian May stating: "People seem so blind. Don't they realize that the mere fact that Guns N' Roses are here is the biggest statement that you could get?" Slash later performed " Tie Your Mother Down " with the remaining members of Queen and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott , while Rose performed " We Will Rock You " and sang
8208-593: The headlines "Wife-beating has been around for 10,000 years" and "Ladies, welcome to the Dark Ages". The song " One in a Million " raised accusations of racism, xenophobia and homophobia . The song's lyrics include the following: "Police and niggers, that's right, get out of my way, don't need to buy none of your gold chains today" and "Immigrants and faggots, they make no sense to me, they come to our country and think they'll do as they please, like start some mini Iran or spread some fucking disease". Rose denied that he
8322-564: The incident. The Use Your Illusion tour ended in Buenos Aires , Argentina, on July 17, 1993. The tour set attendance records and lasted for 28 months, in which 192 shows were played in 27 countries. The show in Buenos Aires marked the last time that Sorum and Clarke played in the band, and the last time Slash performed with the band until 2016. Initially, the band planned to release an EP of covers in 1992 or 1993, but decided to record
8436-536: The last remaining L.A. Guns member to remain in the band, quit soon after. Steven Adler , another former Hollywood Rose member, filled Gardner's spot. We had a singer ( Mike Jagosz ) that our manager didn't like, so we fired him. So then I asked Axl to join L.A. Guns and he was in the band for about six, seven months. The same manager ended up hating Axl and he wanted to fire him. We're all living together at this point and Axl and I sat down and went 'What are we going to do?' So we both said 'Fuck that', and came up with
8550-498: The lead single " You Could Be Mine ", covers of " Live and Let Die " and " Knockin' on Heaven's Door ", and a trilogy of ballads (" Don't Cry ", " November Rain ", and " Estranged "), which featured notably high-budget music videos . The records were supported by the Use Your Illusion Tour , a world tour that lasted from 1991 to 1993. Stradlin abruptly left the band near the beginning of the tour in 1991, replaced by Gilby Clarke . The punk covers album "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993)
8664-458: The material was scrapped due to the lack of collaboration between band members: "We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped." The album was described by McKagan as consisting of "up-tempo rock songs" with "no ballads". Sorum said that It's Five O'Clock Somewhere , the debut album from Slash's band Slash's Snakepit , "could have been
8778-419: The mid-late 1980s. In addition, they are credited with revitalizing power ballads in rock. Their next studio album, G N' R Lies (1988) combined an early EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide (1986), with new acoustic songs and reached number two on the Billboard 200, sold ten million copies worldwide (including five million in the U.S.), and included the top 5 hit " Patience " and the controversial " One in
8892-427: The moniker "the most dangerous band in the world". In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio. Adler was briefly fired over his drug use, but was reinstated after signing a contract in which he vowed to stop taking drugs. During the recording session of " Civil War ", Adler was unable to perform well due to his struggles with cocaine and heroin addiction, and caused the band to do nearly 30 takes. Adler claimed at
9006-425: The morning. That sort of thing was going on for a couple of years. Gilby Clarke's contract was not renewed and he was gone from the band by 1995. Slash stated in his book that Rose fired Clarke without consulting anyone, claiming he was a "hired hand". Clarke was not involved in the recording of 'Sympathy for the Devil': "I knew that that was the ending because nobody told me about it". Clarke mentioned that before
9120-403: The name Guns N' Roses, which was going to be just a record label that we'd put singles out on. —Original guitarist Tracii Guns The band's "classic" lineup was finalized on June 4, 1985, when Adler and Slash officially joined. After two days of rehearsals, the band played their first show with the lineup on June 6, 1985. Two days later, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of
9234-522: The name under duress: "Axl refused to go onstage one night during the Use Your Illusion tour in 1992 unless the band signed away the name rights to the band. Unfortunately, we signed it. I didn't think he'd go on stage otherwise." Rose denied the claim, saying "(it) Never happened, all made up, fallacy and fantasy. Not one single solitary thread of truth to it. Had that been the case I would have been cremated years ago legally, could've cleaned me out for
9348-412: The names of both previous groups; initially it was the name of a label they were going to release music on. Rejected names for the band included "Heads of Amazon" and "AIDS". After the band's first two rehearsals, Beich was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan . The first rehearsal with McKagan was recorded and three songs from it (" Don't Cry ", "Think About You" and "Anything Goes") were played during
9462-495: The opening act was bigger than we were." Guns N' Roses' second album, G N' R Lies , was released in November 1988. It included the four recordings from the band's 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide as well as four new acoustic tracks. " Patience ", the only single, reached number 4 in the U.S., while the album reached number 2. The album cover, a parody of tabloid newspapers, was modified after initial pressings to remove
9576-471: The property was taken by the family following the Williamite Confiscations in 1701. Around that time, the family moved their main ancestral seat south from County Donegal in west Ulster to Slane. The present owner of the castle is Henry Conyngham, the 8th Marquess Conyngham - the eldest son of Lord Conyngham is Alex, Earl of Mount Charles. In 1984, Irish band U2 took up residence at
9690-461: The rumour, a recurring one in recent years, was dismissed for 2010 when the band opted to play a show in Marlay Park instead. Green Day played at the lower capacity Royal Hospital Kilmainham venue in Dublin on their Revolution Radio Tour in 2017. It is becoming increasingly unlikely that the band will ever play at Slane. Slane Castle Slane Castle ( Irish : Cáisleán Bhaile Shláine )
9804-518: The second half of 1987. During the 1987 tour, drummer Steven Adler broke his hand in a fight, and was replaced for 8 shows by Cinderella drummer Fred Coury . Bassist Duff McKagan missed several shows in May 1988 to attend his wedding; Kid "Haggis" Chaos from The Cult filled in. Don Henley of the Eagles played drums for the band during the 1989 AMA show while Adler was in rehab. The band proceeded to tour
9918-665: The show. They began their performance with " Rock 'N' Roll Star " and finished with " Live Forever " and then returned for an encore of " Don't Look Back in Anger ", " Falling Down ", " Champagne Supernova " and " I Am the Walrus ". Liam Gallagher shouted at the fans: "Slane Castle, you've been fucking biblical". Oasis split up two months later. Several Irish celebrities attended the concert, including footballers Gary Kelly , Stephen Ireland and John O'Shea and solicitor Gerald Kean . Ten people were detained on public order offences throughout
10032-514: The sixth member of the group when he joined as a full-time member. In May 1991, Guns N' Roses fired their manager, Alan Niven , replacing him with Doug Goldstein. According to a 1991 cover story by Rolling Stone , Rose forced the dismissal of Niven against the wishes of some of his bandmates by refusing to complete the albums until he was replaced. The band released the recordings as two albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II , on September 17, 1991. The tactic paid off when
10146-595: The song was "done with naive and innocent black humor on our part". Rose stated he would donate all performance royalties from the song to a nonprofit environmental organization. The band was going to remove the song before learning that royalties would be donated to the son of one of Manson's victims. Geffen Records stated their share of royalties would be donated to the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau. The band did not tour in support of "The Spaghetti Incident?" . Although well received critically; it
10260-418: The songs served as "a purpose to alleviate the pressure of making the Illusions records". The band wanted to increase the profile of some of their favorite bands and help them financially via royalties with the tracklist selection, and considered naming the album "Pension Fund". The album includes a hidden track , a cover of " Look at Your Game, Girl ", originally by cult leader Charles Manson . The track
10374-409: The stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors and the band members could not hear themselves. In addition, Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early. The cancellation led to another audience riot, in which 10 audience members and three police officers were injured. Police made at least a dozen arrests related to
10488-574: The then Earl of Mount Charles (popularly known for several decades as Henry Mount Charles or Henry Mountcharles; since March 2009, he has been known as The 8th Marquess Conyngham ), the owner of the castle. Performers who have headlined Slane concerts since 1981 include The Rolling Stones , U2 , Guns N' Roses , Metallica , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Queen , David Bowie , Neil Young , Bryan Adams , Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen , Robbie Williams , Madonna , R.E.M. , Foo Fighters , Celtic Woman and Oasis . On 28 May 2011, Kings Of Leon headlined
10602-683: The then head of the family, Charles Conyngham, renamed the village in his own honour as Mountcharles (pronounced locally in South Donegal as 'Mount-char-liss'). The family also controlled an extensive estate in West Donegal, especially in The Rosses district. The association between the Ulster-Scots Conynghams and the Slane Estate in County Meath dates back over 300 years, ever since
10716-476: The then newly reunited classic line up of Guns N' Roses featuring original members Axl Rose , guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan playing a concert at Slane during Summer 2016. However, on 15 February 2016, it was announced that no concert would take place at Slane Castle in 2016 due to difficulties in staging the concert as construction work on the Slane Castle Distillery was taking place at
10830-490: The time he was sick from taking opiate blockers to help with the addictions. He was fired on July 11, 1990 as a result, and later filed a lawsuit against the band. In 2005, he recalled: Doug Goldstein called me into the office about two weeks later. He wanted me to sign some contracts. I was told that every time I did heroin, the band would fine me $ 2,000. There was a whole stack of papers, with colored paper clips everywhere for my signatures. What these contracts actually said
10944-452: The video was initially only played once at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, heavy metal and hard rock fans took notice and soon began requesting the video and song en masse. The song, written in Seattle, was about Los Angeles. The music video took place in New York. According to Rose, the inspiration for the lyrics came from an encounter he and a friend had with a homeless man while they were coming out of
11058-457: The word as an insult towards black people who had tried to rob him, and because the word is a taboo . In response to the allegations of homophobia, Rose stated that he considered himself "pro-heterosexual" and blamed this attitude on "bad experiences" with gay men. During a November 1987 show in Atlanta , Rose assaulted multiple security guards and was held backstage by police. The band continued
11172-550: Was a racist and defended his use of the word " nigger ", claiming that "it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word nigger doesn't necessarily mean black." He cited the rap group N.W.A. and the John Lennon song " Woman Is the Nigger of the World " as other examples of musicians using the word. Several years later, Rose conceded that he had used
11286-594: Was also the architect responsible for the gothic gates on the Mill Hill, located to the east of the castle. The Conynghams are originally a Scottish Protestant family, who planted in Ireland in 1611, during the Plantation of Ulster in County Donegal . With that, the family asserted control over lands around the village of Tamhnach an tSalainn , near Donegal Town in the south of County Donegal . Concurrently,
11400-523: Was at the time also the longest song in US chart history to reach the top ten. During the awards show, the band performed the song with Elton John accompanying on piano. Before the release of the albums, Guns N' Roses embarked on the 28-month-long Use Your Illusion Tour . It became famous for both its financial success and for the many controversial incidents that occurred at the shows. The tour included 192 dates in 27 countries, with over seven million people attending concerts. The Use Your Illusion Tour
11514-406: Was captured by Robert John , who was documenting the tour. The police were unable to arrest Rose until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot. In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove
11628-513: Was chosen, and the group recorded " Shadow of Your Love " first with Clink as a test. After some weeks of rehearsal, the band entered Daryl Dragon 's Rumbo Recorders in January 1987 to record their debut album. Two weeks were spent recording basic tracks, with a month of overdubs. The drums were done in six days, but Rose's vocals took much longer as he insisted on doing them one line at a time. Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction
11742-520: Was done by Andy Engell, based on a design by tattoo artist Bill White Jr., who had designed the artwork for a tattoo Rose had acquired the previous year. The artwork featured each of the five band members' skulls layered on a cross. The band's first single was " It's So Easy ", released on June 15, 1987, in the UK only, where it reached number eighty-four on the UK Singles Chart . In the U.S., " Welcome to
11856-433: Was going in a direction that was completely indulgent to his friend [Huge] ... And another factor is this guy that Axl brought in and told us, 'This is our new guitar player' ... There was no democracy there. And that's when Slash really started going, 'Fuck this. What, this is his band now? or something?' ... It was ridiculous. I'd go down there to start rehearsal at 10, and Axl would show up at four or five in
11970-426: Was held on 16 August 1981 by the Earl of Mount Charles (as The 8th Marquess Conyngham was then known). Concerts followed each year until 1987. The seven concerts of the 1980s were headlined respectively by Thin Lizzy , The Rolling Stones , U2 , Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen , Queen and David Bowie . For the third concert in 1983, headlined for the first time by U2, Slane Castle was refused permission to hold
12084-459: Was just tired of it; I needed to get out". The band had three weeks to find a replacement or cancel several shows. Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction was considered, but according to Slash, "he couldn't get it together". Stradlin was eventually replaced by Los Angeles guitarist Gilby Clarke , whom Slash credited for saving the band. At many shows on the tour, Rose introduced Clarke to the audience, and Slash and Clarke would play " Wild Horses ",
12198-444: Was kept secret and left off advance tapes sent to reviewers. The inclusion of the song caused controversy, with law enforcement and victims rights groups expressing outrage. Rose stated "we wanted to downplay it. We don't give any credit to Charles Manson on the album". Label president David Geffen commented: "[If] Rose had realized how offensive people would find this, he would not have ever recorded this song". Slash mentioned that
12312-502: Was officially announced that Guns N' Roses would headline Slane 2017. The announcement was made by Lord Henry Mountcharles's son Alex and daughter Tamara during a press conference at Bruxelles pub in Dublin City Centre. It was the second time that Guns N' Roses played at Slane, having first played there 25 years previously, in 1992. On 4 April 2017 the full lineup for the 2017 concert was announced, it featured: Guns N' Roses played
12426-455: Was promoted with the expansive Chinese Democracy Tour (2001–2011). With Rose failing to deliver the album on schedule, Geffen released Greatest Hits (2004), which became the 8th longest-charting album in the history of the Billboard 200, reaching 631 weeks by July 2023. The long-awaited Chinese Democracy was released in November 2008, featuring the title track as the lead single. At an estimated $ 14 million in production costs, it
12540-442: Was released July 21, 1987. The album underwent an artwork change after the original cover design by Robert Williams , which depicted a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster vengefully attacks a robot rapist, was deemed too controversial. The band stated the original artwork was "a symbolic social statement, with the robot representing the industrial system that's raping and polluting our environment". The revised cover
12654-400: Was shown between Nelly Furtado and Ash at the request of fans. The second show was also filmed for the live video U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland . 25 August 2001 1 September 2001 Saturday 24 August 2002 Saturday 23 August 2003 The Red Hot Chili Peppers concert was filmed for the live video Live at Slane Castle . The Madonna concert at Slane was compared to
12768-735: Was still organising the event with Denis Desmond. However, he said during an interview in April on RTÉ Radio that there would not be a concert that year. Kings of Leon played what was announced by the band onstage as their longest set ever. In April 2012, Slane Castle's official Facebook page announced there would be no concert in 2012. The message read: "Good Morning guys, Lord Henry has announced this morning 'there will be no Slane this year, but 2013 will be busy'". 15 June 2013 17 August 2013 A capacity crowd of 80,000 watched Eminem . On 13 February 2014, Lord Henry Mountcharles announced that there would be no concert in 2014 as he could not find
12882-573: Was that the band were paying me $ 2,000 to leave. They were taking my royalties, all my writing credits. They didn't like me anymore and just wanted me gone. That's why I filed the lawsuit – to get all those things back. Martin Chambers of the Pretenders and Adam Maples of Sea Hags were considered as replacements. Jussi Tegelman, from the Finnish band Havana Black, assisted on drums in studio sessions before
12996-407: Was the last studio album to feature Stradlin and Sorum, the only to feature Clarke, and the last for Slash and McKagan before their initial departure. While mostly well received, it was the band's worst-selling studio album to date and was not supported by a tour. Work on a follow-up album stalled due to creative differences and personal conflicts between Rose and other members; Slash and McKagan left
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