Snow Patrol sellout: no chance of second date

TICKETS FOR Snow Patrol, who will play at the National Opera House for the first time on May 16, were in hot demand and, shortly after their release through Ticketmaster, were completely sold out.

The announcement of Snow Patrol at the National Opera House took many fans by surprise and the subsequent scramble for tickets saw the Wexford venue selling out in approximately one hour.

Operations Manager at the National Opera House, Aisling White spent months in talks and planning with MCD Promotions who, she said, were uncertain about the size of the venue. The main O’Reilly Hall will accommodate 855 people on May 16 and is the smallest venue on Snow Patrol’s tour which will also take in venues such as the Cork Opera House, the Olympia Theatre, the INEC in Killarney, Leisure Land in Galway, and Ulster Hall in Belfast.

Fans were encouraged to pre-order the new album ‘Wildness’ in order to gain access to an exclusive pre-sale of tickets. She said: ‘Snow Patrol are the biggest band we’ve ever had in the venue and we’re hoping that it will open us up to further big acts. There is another that I will be going after once this has finished and it would be another great one to get.’

She added that it had taken quite a while to convince promoters MCD to take a chance on the venue which is better known for its opera connections than its rock band ones: ‘I started talking to them about six months ago and it was about convincing them that a smaller venue was a worthy one. Bands love it when they come here and many big bands now like to play smaller, more intimate venues which gives us a great opportunity.’

While quick sell-outs for gigs usually prompt calls for second dates, Ms White said that this was never an option, though she had asked during negotiations, knowing that the concert would sell out in record time.