Garth Brooks finally played those five nights in Croke Park, Harry Styles mania hit Dublin and Bono went solo for his book tour. Here are our top music stories of 2022
He came, he saw, he blubbered - Garth Brooks slayed Croker
Eight years after Garth-gate, which saw the country superstar's planned five-night run in Croke Park come a very big cropper, Brooks finally played to 410,000 fans over five nights hot August nights at GAA HQ. his long overdue appearance was as a miracle for the many who have stood by their man and kept the flame alive for the long wait.
He didn’t disappoint the faithful with a set of epic shows of blood, sweat and tears. Halfway through the first night, he wrapped himself in the tricolour and declared, "You came back! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Blasting though The Thunder Rolls, Callin’ Baton Rouge, a duet with his wife Trish Yearwood on Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s Shallow from A Star is Born, If Tomorrow Never Comes, Unanswered Prayers, and I Got Friends in Low Places these were energetic jukebox shows for the Garth massive that turned Croker into a giant honky tonk for the evening.
Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters dies
April saw the shock news of the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at the age of 50. Hawkins had been on tour with the Foo Fighters at the time of his passing in Bogotá, Colombia where the band were due to play a festival.
Foo Fighters said it was "devastated by the untimely loss".
The drummer was in the world-famous band alongside singer-guitarist Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett and keyboardist Rami Jaffee.
Born Oliver Taylor Hawkins, he had previously been the drummer in Alanis Morissette's band as she toured her hit album Jagged Little Pill. Earlier in his career, he had been behind the kit for the singer Sass Jordan.
With his powerhouse drumming and talent as a vocalist, Hawkins was seen as a 'second frontman' in the Foo Fighters. He sang lead vocals on the band's tracks Cold Day in the Sun and Sunday Rain and on numerous cover versions. Away from the Foo Fighters, he had his own group, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, making three albums. Their most recent record, Get the Money, was released in 2019.
For those who have rocked, we salute you
Sadly, as music icons age, 2022 saw a lot of deaths in the world of music. Larger than life pomp rocker Meat Loaf died aged 74 in January, the same month, Kerry resident Mark Lanegan, the whiskey-voiced front man of Screaming Trees, The Gutter Twins, Queens of the Stone Age, died at 57. Also in January, Irish folk singer-songwriter Pete St John passed away aged 90, March was the cruellest month for Taylor Hawkins, drummer with Foo Fighters, Cork maverick Cathal Coughlan, singer-songwriter of Microdisney, The Fatima Mansions, and more recently Telefís died in May aged 61. Olivia Newton-John, 73, the much-loved Australian pop and country singer-songwriter, passed away at 73. Country music great Loretta Lynn went to the great Grand Ole Opry gig in the sky at 90. Rock `n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis died aged 87. Keith Levene, the brilliant guitarist with PiL passe away, and Jet Black, drummer with The Stranglers died aged 84, Martin Duffy, keyboardist with Felt, Primal Scream and The Charlatans died at 55, and the year ended with the passing of Terry Hall of The Specials at the young age of 63 and Maxi Jazz, singer-songwriter with Faithless at the age of 65.
Kate Bush has hit No 1 thanks to Stranger Things
Enigmatic British singer Kate Bush enjoyed her first No 1 hit in nearly forty years after her 1985 track Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was featured in hit Netflix series Stranger Things. The song topped the UK chart in July and now holds the record, according to the Official Charts Company, for taking the longest period to reach number one.
"I'm overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving and it's all happening really fast, as if it's being driven along by a kind of elemental force," she said. "I have to admit I feel really moved by it all."
Kanye West suffered a career meltdown
Kanye West's slow decline became a very fast plummet after the rapper, who now styles himself Ye, was slammed for his controversial statements and behaviour. In November, Adidas, who ended their partnership with West the previous month, said it had launched an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the falling star.
The investigation followed a report by Rolling Stone magazine that detailed alleged incidents of inappropriate behaviour by Ye toward staff and prospective employees. His Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted in 2022, with the social media platforms removing some of his posts that users condemned as anti-semitic.
A year of big album releases
It was a bumper year for big album releases, with Beyoncé bouncing back with Renaissance, The Weeknd delivering Dawn FM, Harry Styles sealing his world domination with third album Harry's House, Fontaines D.C. making their defining statement so far with their third album Skinty Fia, Taylor Swift smashing records with Midnights, and The 1975 continuing their upward trajectory with Being Funny In A Foreign Language.
RTÉ Entertainment's best albums of 2022
Harry’s here!
He released one of the year’s best albums with Harry’s House and shortly afterwards Harry Styles mania gripped Dublin in June in the run-up to his Aviva gig for his Love on Tour solo show. Arriving in town earlier in the week he took in the sights with his girlfriend, director and actress Olivia Wilde, including a dip in the Vico Baths in Killiney.
Harry out swimming in Dublin today! *June 21 #HarryStyles pic.twitter.com/xSzaC5YcVl
— Mila (@1Daily_Update) June 21, 2022
On the big night in the Aviva, he recalled the night he was headbutted on a visit to Tallaght in 2015, telling the 60,000-strong audience, "It was great, it was fantastic."
Harry was forced to call a halt to his Aviva show twice, including during Watermelon Sugar over minor crowd safety concerns and checked on audience members close to the stage.
Styles began his Aviva show with Music For a Sushi Restaurant. He also performed One Direction hit What Makes You Beautiful and sang a four-song encore of Sign of the Times, As It Was, and Kiwi. He also sang happy birthday to a fan in the audience. Watch him slay Slane next summer.
Taylor Swift does it again
Already the queen of all she surveys, Taylor Swift proved once again that profligacy is no barrier to quality with the release of her new album, Midnights, in October. American's sweetheart said she is "in shambles" after becoming the first artist to claim the top 10 slots on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. All the songs were from Midnights, with the first single from the album, Anti-Hero, becoming her ninth number one. Oh, and she’s also announced plans to direct her first feature film.
Bono goes solo for a moment of Surrender
Bono became even more ubiquitous in 2022 with the release of his intimate memoir Surrender and a widely acclaimed accompanying book tour, which saw him take of the stage of Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre in November.
President Michael D Higgins, Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar Charlie Bird, director Jim Sheridan, playwright Conor McPherson, musicians Tom Dunne, Glen Hansard and Liam Ó Maonlaí, and Dave Fanning, artist Guggi and Gavin Friday were among the crowd.
Bono solo on stage (well, along with musicians Kate Ellis, Gemma Doherty and Jacknife Lee) wasn’t simply a retelling of the book. Stories of Surrender was a fully developed stage show in its own right.
There were impersonations of stars who entered the U2 galaxy and fond memories of the snug in Finnegan's pub in Dalkey and chats with his late father. After this, it seems that sometimes you can make it on your own.
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
