Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park awaits the arrival of Rod Stewart for his Hits tour this Saturday night and with a few hours to go before the trucks roll in for the final fixtures and fittings of the gig, we were granted site access to get a feel for how the home of the All-Ireland senior hurling champions is being transformed once more into a concert venue.
Those who were at any of the Bruce Springsteen shows in the summer of 2013 or indeed the Source gigs in the years previous will recognise the setup with the staging in front of the Ted Carroll stand (O’Loughlin end) though the change for Rod Stewart introducing flat seating from the front of the stage back to the first barrier in what would have been the ‘pit’ area for the Wrecking Ball Weekender gigs.
A Carlsberg bar has been installed at the city end of Nowlan Park but work in general on the site is expected to continue up to curfew tonight before resuming in the morning. A dozen trucks are expected to the O’Loughlin Road by 4pm today to begin the final preparations for tomorrow’s show.
MORE: We’ve got more information on the Rod Stewart gig right here including route information and notes from the Gardai and organisers ahead of the show on Saturday evening.
An Garda Síochána report that gates for Nowlan Park will open at 4.45pm and patrons are being urged to arrive when gates open, though no early queuing on the streets will be allowed in the vicinity of Nowlan Park. Meanwhile, organisers are expecting 25,000 to descend on Kilkenny for the gig on Saturday.
Aiken Promotions’ Jim Clarke spoke to KCLR ahead of the gig and has this advice for gig goers (press play below).
Support on Saturday evening starts at 6.30pm with Mariachi San Patricio (below)
We’ve got more information on the Rod Stewart gig right here including route information and notes from the Gardai and organisers ahead of the show on Saturday evening.
