It was a night of mixed emotions: a joyful celebration shackled by the heavy-hearted grief that accompanies the knowledge of a forthcoming loss.
Master of ceremonies Aidan Gillen did a wonderful job weaving together the innumerable magical moments of this exquisite tribute show: Johnny Duhan’s spine-tingling rendition of ‘The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs’, Damien Dempsey’s rousing ‘Rainy Night In Soho’ and Duke Special’s spirited rendering of Kurt Weill’s ‘Apple Jack’ were amongst the many, many highlights.
Philip being so passionate about all areas of the arts, it seemed fitting that the night had a robust literary element in the form of superb readings by Roddy Doyle, Joseph O’Connor and Pat McCabe. The Butcher Boy author chose John McGahern’s ‘My Love, My Umbrellas’ which he felt best reflected the Dublin of the 1970’s that shaped Philip.
The Radiators (joined at intervals by Brush Shiels and Gavin Friday) blasted through a high-octane set that featured blistering versions of ‘Prison Bars’ and ‘Sunday World’.
A rare appearance by Blades frontman Paul Cleary brought a particularly effusive response from the audience: he paid homage with a stirring take on Radiators gem ‘Enemies’ before delighting with an anthemic ‘Downmarket’. Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan received a comparably noisy welcome, then honoured his former bandmate with a fine version of ‘Thousands Are Sailing’.
‘Dearg Doom’ was the pinnacle of a stellar performance by Horslips, which also included an excellent re-working of ‘Kitty Rickets’ and the mandatory ‘Trouble’.
A Radiators/Horslips grand finale brought proceedings to an end with a roof-raising ‘Television Screen’ and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates’ ‘Shakin’ All Over’, on which Johnny Fean’s mesmerising guitar skills took centre-stage.
On an evening of many memorable moments, the most poignant was when Philip himself took to the Olympia stage to thank the artists for taking part – and the audience for attending.
A unique tribute to an utterly unique man.