Boyband singing to the same tune

Those who tend to look down their noses at the boyband phenomenon would be laughing all the way to the bank if only they had the talent to fill Croke Park — not once, not twice, but three times.

When tickets came on the market a year ago for three gigs by the five young members of One Direction, they were snapped up so fast it set a new Irish ticket sales record. Not an achievement to be sneered at.

With most of the 80,000 screaming fans aged between 5 and 18, Croker last night became a giant playground, more like a baby-sitting venue than the kind of rock concerts that normally annoy local residents. The oldest ‘fan’? Probably Gaybo, entrusted with the job of minding his granddaughter Kate from the County Clare.