THE next 12 months will see some of the biggest names in music visiting our shores. Everyone from Justin Bieber and Black Sabbath to Coldplay and Bob Dylan have already confirmed Irish dates for 2017, which will see the return of festival favourites like Electric Picnic and Belsonic alongside some brand new events making their debut.
Here's our handy guide to some of the biggest gigs everyone will be talking about this year.
:: January – March
THE first big gig of the year is also one of its loudest as Brummy rock gods Black Sabbath visit Dublin's 3Arena on January 20 for a long sold-out show on their farewell The End tour.
Fatboy Slim returns to the north to headline Lush! in Portrush on January 28, Canadian rapper Drake has a sold-out two night stand at 3Arena on February 19 and 20 and the re-vamped Busted are back in Belfast on at The Waterfront Hall on February 28 before playing Dublin's Olympia Theatre on March 1 –1980s popster Rick Astley plays the same venues on March 20 and March 21 respectively, while country pop sensation Nathan Carter brings the month to a close with a show at Belfast's SSE Arena on March 31.
:: April – June
NATHAN Carter heads south to Dublin's 3Arena on April 1, re-booted Glasgow noise gods The Jesus & Mary Chain will seek shelter from April Skies at The Academy in Dublin (7) and The Limelight in Belfast (8), comeback kid Craig David is at 3Arena on April 7 and Bruno Mars brings his 24K Magic there on April 29 and 30 – both dates are already sold-out.
Metal gods Iron Maiden will invite 3Arena to scream for them on May 6, just prior to a visit by Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan's Never-ending World Tour on May 11.
Pop legend Billy Ocean has a pair of Irish dates at Vicar Street in Dublin (12) and Belfast's Waterfront Hall (13) before manband favourites Take That bring the reformed All Saints to 3Arena for some 1990s nostalgia on May 15 and 16.
The Beach Boys' endless summer continues at the SSE Arena Belfast on May 20 and Dublin's Bord Gais Energy Theatre on May 21, with Guns N' Roses rocking a sold-out Slane Castle on May 27.
June brings synth-powered German music legends Kraftwerk and their 3D show to Ireland for three sold-out shows at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre (2 & 3) and The Waterfront Hall (4).
There's also a three-day feast of indie/folk including Bon Iver, The Staves and Lisa Hannigan from June 3 to 5 at Dublin's Forbidden Fruit festival at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
Manchester indie icons The Stone Roses play the SSE Arena in Belfast on June 13, creaky rock veterans Areosmith take their farewell tour to Dublin's 3Arena on June 14 and 'British Elvis' Cliff Richard gets the 2017 edition of Cork's Live At The Marquee off to a squeaky clean start on June 15.
Radiohead bring their hugely popular songs of gloom to a sold-out 3Arena on June 20, the very night that soon-to-retire Elton John will his bid Irish fans goodbye Live At The Marquee.
Justin Bieber greets Irish 'Beliebers' at The RDS in Dublin on June 21, Jess Glynne is the first artist to play Belsonic 2017 on June 22 at Belfast's Ormeau Park, the Sea Sessions festival returns to Bundoran Beach from June 23 to 25 with a line-up featuring Primal Scream and The Coronas, while Phil Collins comes out of retirement for a show at The Aviva Stadium in Dublin on June 25.
June ends with a bang as Ormeau Park becomes a playground for punks of all ages over 16 on June 28 as Green Day and Rancid come to town before heading south for an already sold-out visit to Royal Hospital Kilmainham the following night, whereupon the south Belfast greenspot will host a teen rave apocalypse courtesy of former Swedish Dance Mafia duo Axwell & Ingrosso who headline the second Belsonic show of 2017.
:: July – December
COLDPLAY hit Croke Park in Dublin on July 8 with their Head Full of Dreams tour, with Texan beer drinkers and hellraisers ZZ Top making their long-overdue Dublin debut at 3Arena on July 28.
Ireland gets a brand new country music festival in August as Harvest brings Nathan Carter, Miranda Lambert and more to Enniskillen Airport (26) and Westport House in Co Mayo (27), while 'boutique' indie festival Electric Picnic returns to Stradbally Hall in Co Laois from September 1 to 3 – tickets are already almost sold-out despite an as-yet totally unconfirmed line-up.
Those irrepressible funk-rocking Red Hot Chili Peppers have a re-scheduled two night stand at 3Arena on September 20 and 21, the hugely popular dance tour Lush Classical brings beats 'n' string section fun to Belfast's SSE Arena on October 7, chart-making songstress Emeli Sande is at 3Arena on October 27 and girlband of the moment Little Mix will sing and cavort in their trademark style at SSE Arena on November 7 & 8.
:: Full ticket and programme details for all events available from relevant venues or Ticketmaster.ie
