Point Theatre
| |
Address | East Point Office Park Dublin, Leinster Ireland |
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Location | Point Village |
Coordinates | 53°20′51″N 6°13′42″W / 53.3475°N 6.2284°W |
Capacity | 8,500 |
Construction | |
Opened | 1988 |
Closed | 25 August 2007 |
Demolished | Late 2007 |
Years active | 1988–2007 |
The Point Theatre (sometimes referred to as the Point Depot or simply as the Point) was a concert and events venue in Dublin, Ireland, that operated from 1988 to 2007, visited by in excess of 2 million people.[1] It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands. The Point was closed in the middle of 2007 for a major redevelopment and underwent a rebranding as The O2 in July 2008.[2][3]
Prior to the redevelopment, the seated capacity was 6,300; the rebranded O2 has a fully seated only capacity of 9,000.[4] Following the acquisition of O2 Ireland by 3 Ireland,[5] it was renamed in September 2014 as the 3Arena.[6]
The Point was noted for its flexible seating configurations – over the years it served not only as a music venue, but had also been turned into an ice rink, a boxing arena, a conference hall, an exhibition centre, a wrestling ring, a theatre, an opera house and a three ring circus. It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards.
History
The building was constructed in 1878 as a
" from the building appear in the accompanying Rattle and Hum movie.The Point opened in 1988. Melissa Etheridge being the support act for Huey Lewis and the News was the first to play there. U2 played four nights at the venue near the end of their Lovetown Tour from 26 to 31 December 1989.[8][9][10] Their 31 December concert was broadcast live on radio stations around the world and would later receive an official online release via iTunes.[11]
In the 1990s, the Point was seen by millions of European television viewers, as it was the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest on three separate occasions over four years, in 1994,[12] 1995,[13] and 1997,[14] becoming the only venue to have hosted the final three times. Riverdance was first performed in the Point Depot, as the interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994.[15] It also hosted the Irish Eurovision national final, Eurosong, in 1993 and 1996.
Tragedy struck the Point on 11 May 1996, when a 17-year-old fan, Bernadette O'Brien was crushed to death during a
The
The final event to take place before closure and rebranding was a
Notable events
Irish band
In April 1992,
On 19 June 1992, Def Leppard began their Seven Day Weekend Tour of Europe in the Point Depot. The show was the first time Def Leppard had brought their "in the round" stage show outside the United States and Canada. The stage was set in the middle of the arena and featured a revolving drum kit which could move to any point around the stage and a lighting rig which would move out over the audience during "Rocket".[27] It was the first time any band had brought an "in the round" stage show on an international concert tour and was also the first full show the band played with their new guitarist, Vivian Campbell (who had joined following the death of Steve Clark).[28]
Nirvana began their summer 1992 European tour in support of Nevermind, at The Point on 21 June 1992 playing to a sell out crowd.
On 30 November 1992,
The Point was the venue that introduced Riverdance to the world at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.
On 27 June 1996 Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" premiered at The Point Theatre.
The Spice Girls performed two shows on the 24 and 25 February 1998 as part of their Spiceworld Tour.
Neil Diamond played 6 shows at The Point Depot in February 1999.
The Point was the host of the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA's) in 1999, with Ronan Keating presenting.
In 2003 Rapper Akon played the SCREAM Event to over 8,000 people at the Point with back up from M.V.P and DJ Rankin.
50 Cent's 2003 performance at the Point is briefly shown on the special features of his own film, Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
The Rolling Stones performed two shows at this venue in September 2003 as part of their European Tour.
On 8 May 2004 Cher began the European leg of her marathon Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.
In late 2004, American pop/rock star Pink began her Try This Tour in the Point.
Also in 2004, on 16 December the punk rock trio Blink-182 played their last show, before going on a four-year hiatus.
Planxty performed there on 28, 29 and 30 December 2004 and again on 3, 4 and 5 January 2005 as part of their series of reunion concerts.[29]: 322–326
On the night of 20 August 2005, Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy guitarist 1974, 1977, 1978–1979) staged a concert at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. It featured Brian Downey and ex-Thin Lizzy guitarists Brian Robertson and Eric Bell as well as ongoing Lizzy member Scott Gorham.The concert was simply called "The Boy Is Back in Town", with the "One Night in Dublin" title a change made for the DVD. On 21 April 2009 it was also released on Blu-ray format. This gig was held in honour of Phil Lynott's birthday and statue unveiling on that day.
On 23 August 2006,
Celtic Woman performed their debut concert in Ireland at the Point Theatre in February 2006, following a lengthy and enormously successful North American tour. While their first performance in Ireland was technically at The Helix in Dublin (which was filmed for PBS), the Point performance marked the group's first unveiling of the theatrical show that had taken America by storm. Jay-Z played here in 2006 also.
Tool made their third ever Irish appearance there in 2006 during their 10,000 Days tour with support from Mastodon, after previously appearing at the SFX centre in 2001 and inadvertently headlining the Ozzfest in 2002 at Punchestown Racecourse, when Ozzy Osbourne cancelled, due to illness.
Live recordings
The Theatre has been the venue for numerous live recordings subsequently released as
Sports events
The Point has hosted many boxing fights featuring local fighter
The Point has hosted a number of
Criticism
The Point was often criticised for its poor quality of sound control and sightlines. There were also notably lengthy queues for the building's bars and restrooms, particularly for female attendees.[36]
References
- ^ "The Point Theatre". DublinTourist.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Meet the new venue on the block – The O2". The Irish Times. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Point Theatre to re-open under new name". RTÉ. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
- ^ "O2 wins naming rights for 'stunning' new Point". Irish Independent. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Three Ireland formally completes O2 takeover". www.rte.ie. RTÉ. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "O2 Arena to be renamed 3Arena following Three takeover of O2". siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ "U2 – Rattle And Hum". Discogs. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "1989-12-26: Point Depot – Dublin, Ireland". U2 – Lovetown Tour. 26 December 1989. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "1989-12-27: Point Depot – Dublin, Ireland". U2 – Lovetown Tour. 27 December 1989. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "1989-12-30: Point Depot – Dublin, Ireland". U2 – Lovetown Tour. 30 December 1989. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "1989-12-31: Point Depot – Dublin, Ireland". U2 – Lovetown Tour. 31 December 1989. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Nul Points – Eurovision 1994". Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
- ^ "Nul Points – Eurovision 1995". Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
- ^ "Nul Points – Eurovision 1997". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
- ^ "Video Clips". Riverdance. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Fan Crushed at Smashing Pumpkin's Show". MTV.com. 1996. Retrieved 23 June 2006.
- ^ "MTV Unveils the Nominations for the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards". BNET. 4 October 1999. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- Yahoo! TV. Archived from the originalon 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ^ "Go Britney Spears Pics >Britney Spears Award Shows > 1999 > Europe Music Awards 1999". GoBritney.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2004. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- IMDb. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ^ "The 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards (1999)". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ^ "MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS CEREMONY IN DUBLIN, EIRE – 1999". REX. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- All Business. 12 November 1999. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ^ "Time to prioritize: How much does Dunne want it?". ESPN. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ Bunce, Steve (27 August 2007). "Boxing: Martinez cashes in with rapid win". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Mark Feehily & Shane Filan's speeches at Croke Park 23/06/12 (Sub. English)". YouTube.
- ^ www.deflepparduk.com – Information on the Def Leppard Dublin Show
- ^ Interview: Hot Metal Magazine Issue 11 April 1992
- ISBN 03-4083-796-9.
- ^ "PEARL JAM – THE POINT, DUBLIN – AUGUST 23RD 2006". Chimpomatic. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- Warner Music Australasia. Archived from the originalon 25 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "David Bowie – The Reality Tour". CLUAS. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "R.E.M. – Live (Point Depot, Dublin 26–27 Feb 2005/+DVD) [Digipak] (CD 2007)". eBay. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Bruce Springsteen: Live in Dublin (Just Released 2-CDs)". BuzzFlash. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ "Bell X1 – Tour de Flock: Live at the Point". RTÉ. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ JOHN MEAGHER (5 December 2008). "The O2: Welcome to the future". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013.