Roger O'DonnellRory Gallagher Festival commemorates Rory’s life and legacy accross a four day event hosted in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. Ireland’s oldest town is also the birth place of rock and blues legend Rory Gallagher.
The festival began in 2003, created by Barry O’Neil, a local councillor and his team of volunteers. Back then it had only a handful of artists performing in a small section of the town, but over the years it has grown to numerous artists from all over the world performing out on the streets, FOR FREE.
In 2014 the festival introduced its first major stage called “The Big Top” which reminds me of a circus tent but within is a large open space and a decently large stage, It has been host to some of the worlds top artists like Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Gales, Billy F Gibbons.
Whilst the festival was host to numerous bands this year accross the town, below is who performed each night of the main stage.
Friday:
- Heavy Duty
- Pat McManus ft Horslips (Jim Lockhart & Barry Devlin)
- Band Of Friends
Saturday:
- MOONCHILD & DEUCE
- JOHNNY GALLAGHER & BOXTY
- BILLY F. GIBBONS AND THE BFG BAND
Sunday:
- NINE BELOW ZERO
- THE ZAC SCHULZE GANG
- RORY GALLAGHER ALL-STAR BAND
Friday Night:
Friday was an incredible buzz in the tent with Heavy Duty kicking us off. The band played heavy music of course and some Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy hits.
Following them was Pat McManus, a founding artist of the Rory Gallagher Festival. He was electric beyond imagination, it felt like being truly back in the height of 70s rock and roll. Pat played with a seemingly everlasting tank of energy, flawless guitar and even a bit of gentle acoustics and trad. He played many of his own songs as well as some Rory tributes and a wonderfully mastered tribute to Gary Moore by way of “Parisienne Walkways” .
Leading towards the end of his set Pat suprised the crowd by bringing out two members of a well renowned band within Ireland, Horslips, Jim Lockhart and Barry Devlin. Both members had not played live in a long period of time and whilst nerves could be felt Pat brought out that old feeling in them. They played two of their hit songs “Trouble With A Captial T” and “Dearg Doom”.
Closing out Friday’s show was Band Of Friends, a tribute band to Rory containing two of his original band members, Gerry McAvoy on the bass and Brendan O’Neill on the drums. As well a long supporter of Rory, Davey Knowles on lead vocals and guitar. They played numerous tracks of Rory’s in as close to the olden style as possible. Davey was rocking out with such authenticity to the notes just as Rory would have back in the day. They are a must see for any Rory fan who might have seen him previoulsy or never got the chance.
Saturday Night:
Saturday night, was the main event of the weekend with ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons set to take stage as the headliner. First though we have a Rory tribute band Deuce with their first trip to the big top tent after performing for many years on the streets of Ballyshannon. They are a great tribute band in a good direction to rivial the Band Of Friends. Their lead guitarist and vocalist, David Hawkins, pays great attention to Rory’s style and mannerisms which reflects back in his playing and authenticity to the original songs.
Following Deuce was the long awaited return of another original band from the festivals early days: Moonchild. They had rocked out to a great number of Rory’s songs and even mixed in some Cliffs Of Dover. Both of these bands were incredibly electric and a must see for future years to come.
Before we reach the main man of the night we had a performance from Bundoran/Ballyshannons treasured artist, Johnny Gallagher And The Boxty Band.
Johnny plays an incredible show each year, with this year being no exception. He covered some of his own releases, “Mr George“, “The Cow Boy Of The Deep Blue Sea“, “Mystery Mind“ and an incredible, hair raising rendition of “House Of The Rising Sun.” Johnny has an incredibly powerful voice which filled the tent and miles beyond. He plays alongside his brothers in an almost all family band with exception to the drummer. He and his brothers are a staple piece to the festival and I would not recommend missing out.
The Main Man – Billy F Gibbons And The BFG’S
Billy is most known for being one of the main two members in ZZ Top, headined the big top alongside his bassist, Mike Flannigan and drummer, Chris “Whipper” Layton. The band was well dressed all in matching suits and instruments. They covered a whopping twenty songs over the course of the night, majority being ZZ Top’s greatest hits, like “La Grange”, “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Cheap Sunglasses”.
We also got one of the first performances of Billy’s new song “Brown Paper Bag”. Whilst I will say the performance was rehearsed entierly from start to finish unlike the other bands who had a more loose and off the cuff feel to them, this was still an incredible show. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to have seen such a legend perform on stage.
Billy whilst not being the worlds fastest player on the guitar, had such an emotive and controlled style that took me from the very first song. It was evident that his years of practice and performance tricks had not been lost with age.
Sunday Night:
Unfortunatley for Sunday’s performance I was not present, however from previous years I can promise all three bands were a stellar lineup. Opening was Nine Below Zero, a well established english rock and blues band who began their journey in 1977. The Zac Schulze Band is an up and coming rock and blues band, blowing the roof off every venue they’ve played within the last two years. They are a band who has also grown and got their start from the Rory Gallagher Festival.
Then finally closing out the festival, The Rory Gallagher All Star Band. This band aims to capture the spirit of Rory from those who knew him closest, to the younger generation keeping his legacy alive. Members being Gery McAvoy, Pat McManus, Mark Feltham and many more of the festivals top performers. I should also mention that since the Bonhams Auction of Rory’s Items. The festival has managed to acquire some of Rory’s instruments for the band to play and cherish for years to come.
Other standouts:
Some other notable mentions of players around the town and in pubs, Peter Price (The Blues Man). Peter is an incredible inspiration, he has mastered the elements of the blues over years . His aresenal includes songs using slide guitar to fingerstyle variations of the blues top songs. As well as some unknowns which he brings to the surface for you to discover. If you’d like to see some of his performances I would recommend his versions of “Beeswing” and “Drink My Blues Away”.
Another standout band for me, I had not seen previously was “Cold Shot Blues” , fronted by an artist I’ve previoulsy covered “Stephen Brennan”. They blasted the PA around the Rory Gallagher statue with “Follow Me” and “Souped Up Ford”. All members were incredibly powerful, I specifically enjoyed the Harmonica played throughout by Volkman. Its incredible how rich a sound he could pull from those harmonicas.
Conclusion:
I would absolutley recommend anyone who hasnt gone yet, to visit this festival and immerse yourself in its atmosphere. Most importantly you’ll get the best music in blues and rock around.
