Joe Bonamassa to perform tribute concert in Cork to mark 30th anniversary of guitarist’s death – The Irish Times

Leading American blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa will play Rory Gallagher’s Irish Tour ’74 next summer in Gallagher’s hometown of Cork in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Irish rock legend’s death.

Bonamassa, arguably the leading exponent of the blues today with more than 10 million record sales, has long been a Gallagher fan since his father, Len, introduced him to the Cork musician via the album Live in Gallagher’s Europe in 1972 while he was growing up in Utica, New York. York in the 1980s.

And he has frequently spoken of his admiration for Ballyshannon-born Gallagher and fellow Irishman Gary Moore, as well as British players such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, citing Gallagher as a huge influence on his playing and citing the Gallagher’s Irish Tour ’74 among his favorite albums.

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“We have Rory Gallagher in the States, we haven’t had many, there is a much more complete catalog available in Europe… but the one that really stood out to me and that I exhausted and listened to to death it was the Irish Tour ’74 and I think it’s really him in essence.

“Because, you know, he’s blue collar and you can hear it on this record, it’s like a gutsy performance, it’s just awesome right off the bat, so I mean, it’s l ‘one of my heroes and he’s kind of famous. but he’s not as well known in the States as he is here, but he’s definitely an icon to me.

Bonamassa will come to Cork next July to specially honor Gallagher at a one-off concert promoted by Peter Aiken, whose father, Jim Aiken, promoted the ’74 Irish Tour with concerts in Cork, Belfast and Dublin, which made the subject of an acclaimed documentary. by British filmmaker Tony Palmer.

Aiken said he was excited to participate in the project, which has the approval of Gallagher’s manager and keeper of his legacy, his brother Donal, given his family’s long association with Gallagher, who died June 14, 1995 in the age of 47. .

“You’re a martyr, Gallagher, you know that,” Jim Aiken told Gallagher as he prepared to play Belfast’s Ulster Hall as part of that 1974 tour, at the height of the Troubles, when bombs exploded daily in the city and Gallagher. was pretty much the only big name artist to come play in town.

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“Those gigs with Rory at the Ulster Hall were legendary,” says Peter Aiken. “No one was playing in Belfast at the time, but Rory was, and there were 2,000 fans packed there, people were leaving their politics and religion at the door, fans from both communities just came together to enjoy his music.

Bonamassa’s tribute to Gallagher will take place on July 1, 2025, as part of the Aiken Promotions Live at the Marquee series.