‘Ball already rolling’ for more Slessor Gardens concerts

Preliminary discussions about staging more concerts in Slessor Gardens next year have already been held with promoters the Liz Hobbs Group.

The company staged three concerts at the venue this summer, bringing more than 25,000 music fans into the centre of Dundee over the three trouble-free nights.

Dundee city centre manager Sarah Craig said the success of the events had shown the viability of Slessor Gardens as a music venue during summer months.

She said: “They really could not have gone any better. All three concerts have received really tremendous feedback.

“There were 6,700 people at UB40, 11,000 at Little Mix and 7,500 on Thursday night, so we’ve had 25,000 concert-goers getting great entertainment and a brilliant night out in Dundee, which is great for the city.

“These concerts were the first of their kind for Dundee and we will be looking to continue that next year and the years after that.”

Ms Craig said organisers would continue to look at ways to minimise issues such as disruption to traffic, with motorists experiencing some frustrating delays.

“When we first announced the concerts there was a great deal of speculation and a great deal of scrutiny but I think we have proved Slessor Gardens has been fantastic and we can do these concerts,” she said.

“We are continuing discussions with The Liz Hobbs Group about next year, so the ball is already rolling.”

The company, which represents all of this year’s headlining acts as well as performers including Rod Stewart, Tom Jones and Blondie, has already said it wants to put on four concerts in Slessor Gardens next year.

Ms Craig added other promoters may also be looking to stage concerts there but acts would have to be the “right fit”.