Revisit the isolated vocal of Dolores O’Riordan for The Cranberries song ‘Linger’
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The Cranberries concert that turned into a riot
Irish rock band The Cranberries formed in 1989, but their breakthrough to global stardom wouldn’t come until 1993 with the release of their first full-length album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, which featured the hit singles ‘Linger’ and ‘Dreams’. The following year saw the release of their second album, No Need To Argue, a project that brandished the group’s most successful single ‘Zombie’, a protest song written in memory of Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry who were killed in the 1993 Warrington Bombings.
By 1995, The Cranberries were world-renowned and had decided to play a free show in the US capital, Washington D.C. Following lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s untimely death in 2018, fans in Washington D.C. paid tribute by visiting the grounds of the Washington Monument where The Cranberries had played their famous lunchtime show on May 15th 1995. However, the concert that day wasn’t made famous for the performance, the day was tainted by a riot that ensued within the bustling crowd that showed up.
The show had been organised and sponsored by the local radio station WHFS. Promotions manager for the station at the time, Mary Kay LeMay described the occasion, “It was a [Monday] so we only expected 3,000 and 10,000 showed up,” said LeMay. “So, there weren’t enough police.”
The Cranberries had been major stars on MTV at the time, but Bill Glasser, the director of marketing and promotions at WHFS at the time, appeared to have underestimated the group’s popularity to a disastrous end. “I’m the guy who put the deal together, with the US Park Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department,” Glasser recalled.
“Little did we know, it seemed like everybody in the Washington area cut school, and showed up,” explained WHFS DJ Bob Waugh.
The crowd had begun gathering earlier than expected and had become an agitated ball of energy as they eagerly waited for O’Riordan to take the stage. But as LeMay recalled, O’Riordan hadn’t been in any rush. “There was an antsy crowd and she was literally filing her nails,” LeMay said. “They finally came out, and people were actually stage diving and moshing to ‘Linger,’” a largely acoustic and gentle ballad.
The group had only managed a song and a half before the organisers were told that the show had to be stopped immediately. By this point, the crowd were breaking through the barriers and were throwing bottles and cans onto the stage. “I had crap all over me from people throwing food and drinks at the stage,” LeMay described.
“Wes Johnson (then of WHFS, and also longtime P.A. announcer for the Washington Capitals) was on stage, trying to tell people to stop pushing and calm down, and that made it worse,” said LeMay. “Then all hell broke loose.”
The US Park Police had deemed the show dangerous and had ordered the band off the stage. They were subsequently replaced with police officers in riot gear. As the crowd surged forwards onto the stage, they were met with aggression from the riot control police.
The stage had been evacuated with much of the equipment left behind and amid the commotion, O’Riordan’s acoustic guitar was stolen. Meanwhile, the group were swiftly whisked away to safety. “I put the Cranberries in my black Izuzu Rodeo, and drove them to National Airport, ” said Waugh. “All along the way they seemed quite amused — it really struck them, for the first time perhaps, how popular they were in the United States.”
Listen to The Cranberries’ classic hit ‘Linger’ which was played in front of the 1995 Washington D.C. riot below.
