from Allstar

U2 has been asked by the Irish government to pick up the tab for back-up services if they want to hold a second concert at Slane Castle (allstar, March 22), according to a story in the Cork Examiner on Thursday (April 12).

New government regulations means that the group and promoters of the open air show must pay for police, ambulance, and hospital services, as well as pay the local council for cleaning up the after the event. The cost of repairing any property damaged could also be incurred by U2 and promoters MCD.

The move follows a report in the Irish Medical Journal published last month which showed the Irish Tax payer had to foot a £36,693 ($41,254) bill for treatment of drunken, drugged, or injured fans when Robbie Williams headlined Slane Castle in 1999.

Environment Minister Noel Dempsey told government ministers that a substantial part of concert-related costs which previously might have been subsidised by the taxpayer will in future be paid out of the profits of holding events such as Slane.

But, U2 are unlikely to let the prospect of a costly bill put them off staging a second concert at Slane.

The government has rushed through new regulations which are due to go before the Dail, the Irish Parliament, before being signed into law later on Thursday. The new law would allow U2 to stage a second show on Sept. 1.

Lord Henry Mountcharles, owner of Slane Castle, is expected to officially apply to Meath County Council next week for planning permission to stage the show a week after U2's first concert.

When tickets for U2's original concert on Aug. 25 went on sale all 80,000 were snapped up within 45 minutes, the quickest ever for a concert of its size in Ireland.

MCD said they could have sold 250,000 tickets and Bono immediately appealed to the Irish government to introduce new legislation, which would allow the group to play a second show as under existing legislation planning permission could only be granted for one concert a year at Slane.

-- DJ Johnston