Against all odds Professor Green took to the Stage in The Academy Dublin on Saturday to play his first official Dublin gig. And judging by the hysteria of the crowd it was long overdue. It was a miracle that the gig went ahead at all. Earlier in the day just outside Dublin his trailer full of equipment was stolen. It contained everything that was needed for the show to go head and uncertainty over whether the gig would happen or not was rife for a few hours. Professor Green, other celebrities and his fans pleaded with the thieves via twitter and other media sources for the return of the gear, and somehow managed to get everything returned. The doors were a few minutes late in opening but other than that everything was back on track.
I have been to a lot of concerts in The Academy in my time, and I can honestly say I have never heard fans scream so loud or go so crazy, it was absolute chaos. The cynic in me would like to think it was because the gig was for 14s and over. But in reality he is a born performer and it was impossible not to enjoy his performance.
He had a real chemistry with his band and his songs work really well live. The bulk of his set consisted of material from his new album “At your inconvenience” which was to be released two days later, but he did also play a few songs from his first album “Alive til I’m dead”. It was hard to hear him over the crowd at the best of times but when he broke into his first single “I need you tonight” It was near impossible. The crowd were able to sing along word for word, myself included. Without giving the audience a chance to recover he went straight into “Just be good to green”, his backing singer taking over Lily Allens part. He seemed genuinely shocked throughout the gig at the response he was receiving which was endearing, and he also gave a shout out to the thieves who had almost made the night impossible.
Overall I really enjoyed the gig. I think that his music translates really well to a live performance and has none of the gloss that his songs can sometimes have on record. His trip was long overdue and I hope he decides to come back to Dublin again soon. With the response he received I don’t think he will be away too long!