Something Happens creates a night to remember at Leopardstown

When the lineup was announced back in March, it was certain that the pop-rock legends would put together a fantastic set. After all, they’ve been known to put on performances that, “remind audiences just how good and how many brilliant songs Tom Dunne and company really wrote and performed,” as Hot Press’s Peter McGoran put it.

Brilliance is what they’re known for and brilliance is what they delivered to the sizeable crowd. Even the racegoers who just happened upon the show on their way out opted to stay for another drink and were bouncing along to the Irish band’s greatest hits.

With some evening sun still shining, families lounged in the grass and nodded along for the first few songs.

The show really got going when they played crowd-favourite, ‘What Now,’ the lead song off their sophomore album Stuck Together With God’s Glue with Virgin Records. Bassist Alan Byrne proved to the crowd that Something Happens still has what it takes with his infectious rock and roll spirit fuelling him to dance the night away on stage.

Up next, frontman Tom Dunne plugged Billy Bragg’s upcoming three-night stint at Whelan’s before diving into a cover of his song, ‘A New England.’

Something Happens took the night to a new level with their performance of ‘Kills the Roses’ as the final drop of sunlight faded away. It was at that point where the grass cleared out and everyone in attendance was on their feet, swaying along.

Even a group of teddy bears couldn’t help but dance, albeit with the help of their puppeteers, a group of kids enjoying the show just as much as their parents.

The show ended up being a sort of generational cultural exchange with many parents who knew the ‘90s band from their younger days donning their own kids on their shoulders.

The band closed the show with their biggest hit, ‘Parachute’, a “bona fide Irish classic,” as Hot Press previously described it. The performance drew cheers and a roaring singalong bit that left people wanting more.

Moments after leaving the stage, Something Happens was back for a lengthy encore featuring covers of Glen Campbell’s ‘Like a Rhinestone Cowboy’, Tom Jones’s ‘What’s New Pussycat’, and ‘Tonight You Belong to Me’ from the movie The Jerk.

For the last song, Dunne asked the crowd if they wanted to hear one last original or if they should continue with the covers and close it out with ABBA. The crowd was feeling the covers and overwhelmingly cheered in favour of ABBA.

They drew the night to a close with a stunning cover of ‘Does Your Mother Know’ from Mamma Mia and with that, another fabulous night at Bulmers Live at Leopardstown went down in the books.