For our 50th Banter outing,\u00a0Anyone buying or selling a ticket?<\/strong>, we\u2019ve decided to take a look at the hot button issue of the summer: the Irish festival and outdoor live music scene. There has never been so many festivals and big outdoor shows on the agenda. Even the aul\u2019 lads who know everything about everything are saying they can\u2019t recall a time of such plenty when it comes to live music \u2013 and they remember Lisdoonvarna, Feile and the first Witnness. You could literally spend every weekend between now and September going to shows in the open air or in tents. You would have a whale of a time, but you\u2019d also be broke.<\/p>\n Bon Jovi at Slane, summer 2013<\/em><\/p>\n Before the season gets underway in earnest, we\u2019ve gathered some of the people behind our favourite events to get their read on how things are going out there and punters\u2019 reaction to their events. Are there enough punters to go around? Who will be the winners and losers this summer? And is there anything missing from the schedule (aside from a big heavy metal festival for the agri-metal fans from Sligo)?<\/p>\n The panel: Declan Forde (Forbidden Fruit & POD Concerts), Avril Stanley (Body & Soul) & Leagues O\u2019Toole (Aiken Promotions & Harmonic). The guest list blagger: Jim Carroll.<\/p>\n The details: Banter 50 will take place at our spiritual home in the main room of the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Monday May 20. Doors open 7.30pm and the Bantering gets underway at 8pm sharp. As always, there will be a discussion followed by an audience Q&A. Tickets are available\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0(price does not include Ticketmaster fees, rebates or advances).<\/p>\n Banter on the road: details to come of Banter events over the summer at theKilkenny Arts Festival<\/a>,\u00a0Kinsale Arts Festival<\/a>,\u00a0CultureTECH<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Electric Picnic<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It all started in a small upstairs room in Dublin\u2019s Twisted Pepper in July 2009 with a feisty discussion on radio. It has featured a galaxy of guests from Nile Rodgers, Joe Duffy, Paul Morley, Miriam O\u2019Callaghan and Lenny Abrahamson to Bill O\u2019Herlihy, Rosanna Davison, Brian Kerr, Paul Muldoon, Guillem Balagae and dozens (nay, hundreds) … <\/p>\n![\"Screen-Shot-2013-02-22-at-11.30.27-AM\"](\"http:\/\/thisisbanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/screen-shot-2013-02-22-at-11-30-27-am.png\")
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