Madness brought their Ladykillers Tour to Dublin with very fragrant guest (as the tour posters says) Squeeze in support at the 3Arena, like many shows it was a rescheduled show and was eagerly awaited by many.
The Arena was pretty packed even before Squeeze took to the stage and the heat was a little uncomfortable but that didn’t stop the fun as the band went through hit after hit. Up The Junction made an early appearance in the set , being the second song, I thought this may have came later but maybe the band chose to play it early and get the crowd going as it did.
Glenn not having much to say the band played through their 13 song set (see below) finish up just short of an hour .
Take Me I’m Yours
Up The Junction
Hourglass
Slap & Tickle
Cradle To The Grave
Is That Love
Labelled With Love
Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
Annie Get Your Gun
Tempted Goodbye Girl
Another Nail In My Heart
Black Coffee In Bed
By 9pm the arena is now even more packed then earlier and hotter lol, black and white is the dress code for the night and many choosing to wear a Fez, the band walked out on stage with Suggs imitating a cat/tiger and open right off the bat with One Step Beyond and so the Skanking began.
3 songs in and Suggs is telling us that there has been a mistake with tickets and many are here to see Westlife, but sorry WE’RE MADNESS and better lol. Its a run through the history of Madness and the band giving the crowd a chance to have a shimmy (as Suggs suggested) when they played Return of the Lost Palmas 7 where Suggs left the stage and let the band do their thing only coming back on just before they finished.
Its was more trip down memory lane for all the ska fans and then came a count down 5,4,3,2,1 and it was House of Fun. wow! did the place come to life (not that it wasn’t already) but not a person was on a seat in the balcony and not an arse touch a seat after this, it was ska party time (see the set list and you’ll see why)
It was great also to see a good mix of ages in the crowd and a good number of a new generation, something Suggs even remarked about just before Baggy Trousers and tried speaking to one young guy at the front row.
It Must Be Love was dedicated to all the bands kids and family and the crowd and that was the end of the main set, 2 more songs came for the encore and for this I had moved down to the the standing area and this gave me a better view of the dancing that was happening, not a foot wasn’t moving. It brought back great memories to watch so many people dancing to one of the best Ska bands there’s ever been.
Set list.
One Step Beyond ( Prince Buster)
Embarrassment
The Prince
NW5
My Girl
The Sun and the Rain
Baby Burglar
Wings Of A Dove
Return of the Los Palmas 7
Lovestruck
If I Go Mad
Shut Up
Bed and Breakfast Man
Mr. Apples
House of Fun
Baggy Trousers
Our House
It Must Be Love (Labi Siffre)
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Madness (Prince Buster)
Night Boat to Cairo
