“The biggest honour and challenge of my musical life”: Joe Bonamassa to play Rory Gallagher tribute concert in Ireland
Every iconic musician has their own hero. America blues legend Joe Bonamassa is no different – and he’s recently announced that he has the privilege of performing two tribute concerts in honour his idol, Rory Gallagher. Understandably, he’s rather nervous about it.
Bonamassa shared the news via Instagram, noting that living up to Gallagher will be a colossal tasks. “Here we go,” he writes. “The biggest honour and challenge of my musical life!”
READ MORE: “You can’t just hang the Strat up over your fireplace”: Rory Gallagher’s family are selling his iconic Strat because of the “difficulties” in keeping it safe and secure
The performances will mark the 30th anniversary of the Irish rock legend’s death, allowing fans to relive the magic of Gallagher’s Irish Tour ‘74. Bonamassa will perform the exact ‘74 set in its entirety for two consecutive nights in Cork, Gallagher’s hometown. The Live at the Marquee shows will take place on the 1st & 2nd July 2025.
Gallagher’s ‘74 tour saw the rocker performing on both sides of Ireland, despite fears it wouldn’t be safe to perform on the Northern side of the Irish border. Gallagher’s official website notes that his insistence on performing in Belfast “galvanised a joyful communal riposte to the tension, fear and divisions that tore the city apart.”
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As a result, the tour has gone down in history. It even became subject of a 2011 documentary directed by Tony Palmer, which explored its impact on Ireland.
The Irish Times note that Bonamassa’s love for Gallagher stems back to his childhood. Bonamassa reveals that his father showed him Gallagher’s 1972 Live in Europe album. But the Irish Tour ‘74 live album really made an impact on him.
“We have some Rory Gallagher in the US we didn’t get a whole lot of it, there’s a much more extensive catalogue available in Europe,” Bonamassa says. “But the one that really stuck out to me and that I wore out and listened to death was Irish Tour ‘74 which I think, it really is him in essence.”
“He’s such a blue collar guy and you can just hear it on that record,” he expands. “It’s just a gutsy performance, it’s just brilliant from the word go… He’s one of my heroes. He’s not as well known in the States as he is here, but he’s truly an icon to me.”
The pair of special gigs are being promoted with the help of Peter Aiken – whose father, Jim Aiken, helped promote the original tour back in ‘74.
“Those gigs with Rory in the Ulster Hall were legendary,” Peter Aiken enthuses to The Irish Times. “Nobody was playing Belfast at the time, but Rory was, and you had 2,000 fans packed in there, people left their politics and their religion at the door, fans from both communities just came together to enjoy his music.”
In July, Gallagher’s family announced that they would be selling the guitarist’s iconic 1961 Fender Strat. Coincidentally, the guitar was played by Bonamassa during a Hammersmith Apollo gig back in October 2011.
Tickets for Joe Bonamassa plays Rory Gallagher go on sale this Friday at 10am via Ticketmaster Ireland.
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