Rock Festivals

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

RDS Arena, Dublin May 25th

At the tender age of 50, the Boss has de- cided to leave the slippers aside and continue kicking ass with the help of the reformed E Street Band. Springsteen's new album is a boxed set of unreleased archive material, but when he hits the RDS stage next Tuesday, he'll lead the band through some of his best- known numbers. Having seen the Boss in Barcelona, I can predict that the 30,000-plus RDS crowd will be shouting "ole!" until they're hoarse.

Boyzone

RDS Arena May 30th

With rumours rife of an imminent split, this might be the last chance for the girlies to catch the Boyz onstage before Ronan and Steve do the solo thing and the other three go into gainful employment elsewhere. Then again, it could all be just a rumour, and we'll see Boyzone carrying on right into middle age - who knows? The Boyz' biggest outdoor show should carry a health warning, because the screams of 30,000 teenage girls should comfortably shatter eardrums within a mile radius of Dublin 4.

REM and The Divine Comedy

Lansdowne Road, Dublin July 16th

"Your record's not selling - get out there and do a tour!" These words were definitely not spoken to Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck after their latest album, Up, failed to meet sales expectations which were raised by the band's $80 million-dollar deal with Warners. Despite their previous resolve not to tour this new album, though, REM seem to have had a change of heart, which is good news for fans of the Athens, Georgia combo. This show could well top their previous Irish appearance at Slane in 1995.

The Corrs and The Picture House

Lansdowne Rd, Dublin July 17th

IT's only a short taxi ride from Whelans to Lansdowne Road, but the Dundalk siblings took the longer, more rewarding route, signing a deal in Los Angeles, breaking big in Britain, and becoming the darlings of the Celtic rock set and the tabloids' favourite gossip fodder. With their two albums, Forgiven Not Forgotten and Talk On Corners, nestling in the UK Top 10 for most of the past year, the Corrs have cornered the hearts of the record-buying public, and their Lansdowne show will be a Celt-fest to beat the band.

Guinness Blues Festival

Temple Bar, Dublin July 23rd 25th

Headlined by the grand old lady of jazz, Nina Simone, at the Point Theatre, the Guinness Blues Festival promises another eclectic line-up of home-grown and international artists in various venues around the city centre.

Robbie Williams

Slane Castle, Dublin August 28th

The cheeky chappie of UK pop stole the show at last year's Slane, so this year he's going to give it back. With support by The Stereophonics, this year's Slane should provide a perfect end to the teenagers' summer hols, and a pop-tastic line-up of at least four other bands is promised. Slane is no longer just about the line-up, however: it's about having a big day out in the country, with Lord Mount Charles as the genial host, and Slane Castle the scenic backdrop. If the weather holds out, and Robbie puts on the Kiss make-up, then this year's Slane could be teenage heaven.

Southern Soul & Disco Festival

Metropole Hotel & Half Moon Theatre, Cork June 3rd 6th

The third Southern Soul & Disco Festival by the Lee is headlined by Manchester house duo, Rae & Christian. half of whom recently featured in the Heineken Green Energy Festival in Dublin. The swashbuckling line-up of funkateers includes Philadelphia producer King Britt, MTV's Trevor Nelson, and Lon- don soul legends Norman Jay and Dr Bob Jones. Visual stimulation is provided by Powderbubble and HomoElectric, and there's also a special appearance by Portishead DJ, Andy Smith.