Meat Loaf, an inflatable bat, Power Rangers, Pearl Jam, Van the Man, and the Green Glens Arena, Millstreet
Meat Loaf - Born to Rock World Tour 1996 (image from the Born to Rock tour programme).
A few words on working in the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet inspired by RTÉ’s film Meat Loaf – From Hell and to Connaught.
On New Year’s Eve RTÉ broadcast Meat Loaf – From Hell and to Connaught, a Scratch Films documentary about the American rocker’s legendary tour of Ireland in January and February 1990. It’s a really lovely programme recounting how by the late 80s Meat Loaf’s commercial clout was diminished despite Bat Out of Hell selling millions. Promoter Tommy Swarbrigg convinced Meat Loaf and his band The Neverland Express, to come to Ireland and criss-cross the country playing 21 gigs in Showband ballrooms and hotels.
An American legend playing in such out of the way halls as The Golden Vale in Dundrum, Co. Tipperary made for colourful reminiscences. Three thousand punters squashed into The Golden Vale’s ballroom to witness the gig. “It shook Dundrum,” recalled Sammy Quinn, a barman in venue at the time.
He continued, “I’d say they heard it down in Anacarty, three miles away.”
Glorious stuff. If you missed the doc - I highly recommend catching it on the RTÉ Player.
Bat Out of Hell press advert (Record World - 27 January 1979).
Tommy Swarbrigg brought Meat Loaf back to Ireland in June 1990 for further dates in Tralee, Ennis, Shinrone (a small village in Co. Offaly) and an outdoor gig at Conna Castle in Northeast Cork that was attended by 6,000 people. Such was Meat Loaf’s popularity in Ireland that he was booked to headline the opening night of the inaugural Féile festival in Semple Stadium in August that year.
Irish Examiner (26 May, 1990).
Watching the documentary reminded me of the one and only time I saw Meat Loaf live. That was in Millstreet in 1996. I’ve pulled a few old Facebook comments and blogs together for this post recounting memories of working in the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet.
Evening Press (30 May, 1990).
‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1993 and stayed seven weeks at the top of the chart, giving the Texan the biggest hit of his career. The tune also reached No. 1 in the Irish Singles Chart. Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell followed in November and reached No. 1 in the Irish Albums Chart and No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart, climbing to the top of charts the world over and eventually selling over 15 million albums worldwide. On 19 December 1993 Meat Loaf was back in Ireland for a performance at the Point Depot, the recent chart success ensuring a return to the Showband halls of Ireland was off the cards.
Bat Out of Hell II press advert (Billboard - March 1994).
Welcome to the Neighbourhood, his seventh studio album followed in 1995 and the subsequent Born to Rock tour arrived in Ireland in April 1996. The tour came to Ireland for two dates: Millstreet’s Green Glens Arena on 10 April and another Point Depot gig the following night.
At the time I was getting a bit of work humping gear whenever there were big gigs in Cork. About 40 of us in the “local crew” would be hired to do the “load in” and “load out”. A few of us used to get kept on to do “stage”. I used to get the stage gig, I think the prerequisites were being tall and crucially not being a langer. As in we could be trusted not to go off and have a few pints between set-up and show time.
Meat Loaf’s gig in Millstreet wasn’t my first time working a show in Noel C. Duggan’s Green Glens Arena. In 1995 a gang of us were bussed down to Millstreet to crew a Power Rangers live extravaganza.
Evening Echo (18 September, 1995).
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a hugely popular kids TV show that ran for three seasons between 1993 and 1995. Such was its popularity that a live version of the show toured the world in 1995 and 1996. “It’s Pink Floyd For Children,” was the headline of a Chicago Tribune review. The article described the show as a, “complex, almost psychedelic production” and “a surprisingly epic, big-budget show for kids”.
The TV show was so popular that eight shows over four days between Thursday 14 and Sunday 17 of December were sold out in Millstreet. Excited kids were bussed in from all over Munster. This was live children’s entertainment geared towards flogging merch on a scale I had never previously witnessed.
It may have been a big-budget show, but it was a mess. Connecticut’s Hartford Courant labelled the show, “the worst concert of 1995.” The newspaper called it a “joyless, music-free event with costumed characters jumping around, an example of capitalizing on kids’ popularity without real substance.”
They were being too kind. It mattered not though, the kids lapped it up.
Power Rangers Live 1995.
Someone was making millions off the Power Rangers and I don’t think it was the spoilt American teen actors in garish Power Rangers’ costumes.
Before the first show thousands of kids were standing on plastic flip-up chairs, jumping up and down in anticipation of their heroes arrival on stage. Noel C. Duggan paced to and fro worried at the real possibility of a child falling off a chair. Bill O’Riordan, bass player with Cork band The Buzzards and a native of Millstreet, was working at these gigs too. Bill was manning the arena’s intercom making public service and traffic announcements when required: “Could the owner of a green Ford Escort make their way to the entrance.”
Duggan asked Bill to say something about the chairs.
“No problem Noel,” said Bill clearing his throat.
This was his moment, he pressed the intercom button and the inhouse PA system crackled into life.
“Boys and girls, please don’t stand on the chairs,” announced Bill.
Never one for subtly, Bill raised his voice to a shout.
“OR YOU’LL SLIP AND BREAK YOUR SHINS.”
Cue thousands of incredulous parents pulling their children off the chairs.
A few months after Meat Loaf I was back again in the Green Glens Arena for the Millstreet Music Fair. I’ve written about the Millstreet Music Fair previously (Van Morrison at 80).
Van Morrison headlined the outdoor stage. A few minutes before showtime Van’s blacked out people carrier arrived backstage and out jumped the man himself with his then wife Michelle Rocha. The boxer Stephen Collins and his wife were with them. Collins was no stranger to Millstreet, a year earlier he famously defeated Chris Eubank to win the WBO Super-Middleweight title in the Green Glens Arena.
Press advert for the Millstreet Music Fair 1996.
Van went straight on stage and launched into the first tune. Rocha and the others stayed backstage drinking champagne. For the duration of the gig I was crouched at the side of the stage. I could feel someone standing directly behind me.
I looked up. There was Emmylou Harris. She looked like a goddess. She watched every minute of the gig, sang along and when it was over walked past the event junkies still quaffing back the champers and made her way back to the indoor stage.
After the gig Jim Casey was asked to load the leftovers from Van’s rider into the car. Six bottles of champagne were among the leftovers. Only four were put in the car.
We celebrated Van’s great gig.
Later that year, in October 1996, I was heading to Millstreet again. This time I got to spent the best part of a week in the Green Glens Arena with Pearl Jam. They were starting their European tour in Cork so spent a few days rehearsing and sorting out the productions’ sound and lights.
Invariably these big gigs would involve unloading between five and ten 40-foot articulated trucks of rigging, PA and backline. A team of 40 humpers gelling together could get the job done in a few hours. A sleazy English trucker asked me where could he pick up a prostitute. I told him to drive into Killarney and ask a jarvey in the town triangle.
After “load in” a few of us were asked to stay on to help their road crew. Most of the week was spent hanging around watching the band rehearse. Every now and then we’d have to help a roadie bring a different amp on stage or store some guitars away in a flight case.
Irish Examiner (18 October, 1996).
Pearl Jam had their own caterers with them and we were invited to join the band and their crew for lunch each day. Sitting down with Vedder and co. eating mac and cheese while shooting the breeze. They were sound.
They played baseball in the empty showjumping arena. Some local kid grabbed a hurl and sliotar and showed them how to play hurling. It was a pretty cool week.
I’ve worked them all: Power Rangers, Pearl Jam and Van the Man.
None were as memorable as Meat Loaf though.
Meat Loaf (photograph taken from the Born to Rock tour programme).
After “load in” a few of us were asked to stay and do stage once more. We only had one job and were told to be ready and waiting behind the stage at the start of ‘Bat Out of Hell’.
During the song’s climax, there was loads of smoke and strobes and then a giant purple bat made from bouncy castle material was quickly inflated and plunged over the back of the stage above the drum and keyboard risers. We pulled ropes connected to the giant bat’s wings to mimic flight.
The crowd went absolutely crazy.
BATSHIT CRAZY.
When ‘Bat Out of Hell’ ended I was standing behind the bat holding a rope connected to a giant zip in the back of the inflatable. On the stage manager’s cue I quickly yanked the zip deflating the blowup prop. Then the four of us had to scamper onto the back of the stage and pull the flaccid bat off before the next tune started.
I was laughing throughout most of this task.
It’s without doubt one of the funniest things I’ve ever done!
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!
The rest of the gig was the bombastic, theatrical, over-the-top show you would expect from Meat Loaf.
It was absolutely fantastic.
Meat Loaf’s giant inflatable bat (photograph taken from the Born to Rock tour programme).
I worked lots of gigs with much cooler artists but Meat Loaf was the only star to stop backstage and thank each of the local crew individually.
Bat Out of Hell original cassette. Photograph by Paul McDermott.