The Olympia was packed to its gilded rafters; everyone wanted to see the return of The Boomtown Rats and celebrate their 40th birthday. It doesn’t matter that they split up for a while, because their songs lived on – that’s the only thing that really matters. But back together in a sold-out Olympia, that’s where they are supposed to be, firing hits into the ether and sticking it to the man in that classic Geldof fashion.
‘Like Clockwork’ takes you all the way back to their glory days, and the fans love every bit of it. ‘(She’s Gonna) Do You In’, a classic rock song with a blues feel sees Sir Bob shining on mouth organ and prowling the stage like a mad man. He sometimes seems like a misunderstood genius, pacing about, lost in his own world. But Boomtown Bobby is a character all of his own, who's only complete in a 'fuck-off pretend snakeskin suit’ exclaiming to everyone who wants to listen that, yes indeed, the Rats are the greatest band in the world.
Or, in Bob's own words: "We are The Boomtown Rats, we are mega, we are the Mount Rushmore of rock ‘n’ roll. Look at these giants on stage. They do not give a fuck."
Their whole attitude is defined in that one line; they don’t give a fuck. "We can do fucking 18 nights in Croke Park," he says, with a grin, and no one would dare contradict him. With songs like ‘She’s So Modern’ and ‘Someone's Looking At You’, that's where they should be. Because it’s true, in so many ways nothing has changed, and we do live in a world where there’s always someone looking at you. Bob just had it figured out in ’79. On the surface, he might appear to be a man from a different time, but his ideas and what he does are still so relevant today – and nobody can deny that.
When the band was effectively banned from performing in their own country, they wrote ‘Banana Republic’, a witty, ska-reggae song, but a harsh portrait of Ireland in those days. "This is the alternative national anthem," he announces and for some it will be the only anthem they acknowledge.
‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ is a timeless song and unfortunately not only because it’s simply a great song. With everything happening in America, it’s the one that needs to be sung over and over again. The line, "The lesson today is how to die", delivers an especially poignant moment during an unforgettable night, as everyone starts chanting the lyrics.
With ‘Mary Of The Fourth Form’, ‘Lookin’ After No. 1’ and ‘Rat Trap’ they blast through a smashing end to their set, hit after hit taking you back to a long-lost time.
Self-proclaimed Strypes fan, Bob drags the Cavan boys on stage for the encore, the joy dripping off their faces, sharing the stage with The Rats. Their cover of Dr Feelgood’s ‘She Does It Right’, is a stand-out moment, bringing back glorious memories of the last time they joined forces, at Sweeney's 5th birthday bash last year.
But for their own 40th birthday, The Rats finish the night by themselves. ‘Drag Me Down’ is followed by on ode to themselves, ‘The Boomtown Rats’. It's a funky, upbeat, rock 'n' roll, Rats-loving anthem. And you have to conclude: only Bob Geldof could get away with something like this.
No one in the Olympia believed for one second that they were not the greatest band in the world – because last night, they simply were.