The reasons Summer Sessions gigs didn’t return to Dundee has been revealed by promoter Geoff Ellis.
The only Dundee shows came in 2022, when Oasis legend Noel Gallagher and Welsh band Stereophonics topped the bill of a two-day event.
Last year Stirling hosted Canadian country music megastar Shania Twain at a hugely successful Summer Sessions concert at the castle.
And a number of other Summer Sessions gigs are scheduled across Scotland this year with the likes of Sting and Sam Fender playing in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Geoff Ellis is the boss of Scotland’s largest music promoter, DF Concerts, which also runs TRNSMT festival and was responsible for T in the Park.
He told The Courier his company would be keen to use venues in the city like Slessor Gardens again, hailing the site’s accessibility and central city location as a major draw.
But he said he was left feeling “frustrated” by Dundee City Council stipulations, which made the 2022 shows difficult and costly to organise.
DF Concerts wanted to put on another event, with three shows over one weekend.
But council chiefs wanted instead for the company to put on four shows over two weekends, which Mr Ellis said would not have worked.
Dundee Summer Sessions difficulty
Mr Ellis is the keynote speaker at the upcoming Courier Business Conference, which takes place next week at The Big Real at Water’s Edge.
When asked how Dundee can attract more big name acts and events like Summer Sessions, he said: “A lot of it is down to the support that can be around it — accommodation, public transport.
“We found when we were doing Dundee Summer Sessions, to make that work we needed to do three shows on one weekend.
“The council wasn’t able to commit to that and they said we could do four shows over two weekends.
“But that was stretching it a bit, both from a cost point of view and it meant we had to programme two different weekends.
“If we could have had one weekend with three artists we would have had a better shot at making it work.
“The costs of doing an outdoor event are significant now, even when it’s only 10,000 capacity. Artists are also looking at how they can play to the most amounts of people, so it is a challenge.
“It’s hard for us to think how do we get 20,000 people to Dundee, when you can do a show in Glasgow or Edinburgh and be assured of getting those sort of numbers.
“Because we couldn’t get the three days in a row — which I notice now they have let somebody else do — we went to Stirling instead.”
Slessor Gardens potential
DF Concerts also organised the 3D Festival in 2018.
The event to mark the opening of V&A Dundee featured Lewis Capaldi, Dundee singer Be Charlotte and Primal Scream at Slessor Gardens.
Mr Ellis added: “That was an incredible event. I stayed at the Malmaison after and the bar was rocking with everyone who had been to the concert.
“We would like to do more in the city and that space is a great because it is literally five minutes from the train station.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “We continue to work with promoters to deliver events at Slessor Gardens and other city venues for people to enjoy.
“The council is always willing to discuss any proposals or issues directly with promoters.
“Well-run events enliven the city and we are keen to help these take place.”
The Courier Business Conference, held in partnership with Henderson Loggie, runs on Tuesday, June 24, with the theme of Powering Scotland’s Creative Economy.
Tickets are available from www.thecourierbusinessconference.com.
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