Concert promoter John Reynolds, 52, dies suddenly
RENOWNED concert promoter John Reynolds died suddenly yesterday.
The founder of the Electric Picnic and nephew of former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds died in his home in Milltown, Dublin yesterday evening.
The 52-year-old from Co. Longford was once one of the country’s leading concert promoters. He set up the Electric Picnic festival and had owned the PoD nightclub on Harcourt Street in Dublin.
His family said in a statement: ‘It is with great sadness that the Reynolds family confirm the sudden death of John Reynolds of PoD this evening.
‘John, aged 52 years, who was one of Ireland’s leading independent festival and concert promoters, died suddenly at his home in Milltown, Dublin.’
Well-known in music circles Mr Reynolds set up the popular ‘boutique’ music festival Electric Picnic in 2004.
He offered festival-goers an alternative to the usual beersoaked mudfest with revellers being treated to a more relaxed festival in picturesque Stradbally Hall in Co. Laois.
The music-lover had owned the trendy PoD complex on Harcourt Street in Dublin 2 – which included the Crawdaddy, Tripod and Chocolate Bar venues – attracting a throng of models and socialites during the 1990s.
PoD, an abbreviation of Place Of Dance, was instrumental in the development of dance music in Ireland and hired the world’s top DJs to perform trance, drum ‘n’ bass and house music.
He also had stakes in the Market Bar on Fade Street, the Button Factory in Temple Bar and Bellinter House, a boutique hotel in Navan, Co. Meath.
His promotions company also staged the Midlands Music Festival at Belvedere House in Mullingar, and the Garden Party at Ballinlough Castle, Athboy, Co. Meath. Mr Reynolds’ family said the Metropolis festival will go ahead this Saturday and Sunday as scheduled in the RDS, Dublin.
As a young man Mr Reynolds became friends with Louis Walsh who had the plan to form an Irish answer to Take That.
Mr Reynold funded Mr Walsh’s idea with IR£10,000 and so began Boyzone, who went on to become a multi-million selling boy band, giving the budding music promoter a good return on his investment.
Mr Reynold’s father Jim and his uncle – future Taoiseach Albert Reynolds – ran a dance hall empire which included the Jetland ballroom in Limerick and the Roseland in Athy.
Mr Reynolds was also well known for his many high-profile court battles.
In May of last year, the Court of Appeal said Mr Reynolds was entitled to €684,000 in damages over the transfer of the lease of the PoD nightclub.
John Reynolds opened several bars in Dublin including the Market Bar and Idlewild Bar on Fade Street.
He lost a fortune during the economic collapse, like many of his business friends. His debts to AIB amounted to €10million, secured against the PoD.
In February of last year, he announced that he was to open an Irish gastro restaurant on Clarendon Market in Dublin that would serve ‘rustic’ Irish food.
news@dailymail.ie