PREVIEW: Gary Barlow to sing at pal Eliot Kennedy’s star-studded birthday charity gig at Sheffield City Hall
Musical theatre sensation Alfie Boe, pop legends S Club, The X Factor’s Andy Abraham, chart star Kenny Thomas, popular city singer songwriter John Reilly and Hidden Wounds star Jo Heselden-Edwards are all on board.Other celebrity friends and hotly tipped new talent are still to be announced to celebrate the golden landmark and career of Sheffield’s Grammy and Ivor Novello award winning songwriter and record producer.And today fans were invited to join the party as tickets went on sale for the Eliot Kennedy 50th Birthday Celebration at Sheffield City Hall on Friday, March 29.
BUY TICKETS: Tickets - expected to sell fast - are £67.20 VIP, including after show party and £44.80, available in person from the City Hall box office, call 0114 2789 789 or visit www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.
The concert, on his actual birthday, will raise money for #ChallengeDerbyshire supporting local end of life care charities.
Music legend Bryan Adams, comedy icon Peter Kay, soul diva Mica Paris, St Elmo’s Fire rocker John Parr and X Factor stars have all made appearances at his previous One Song Foundation charity concerts, in the past raising cash for the homeless and cancer research, in and around the city.Gary Barlow performed at Eliot’s fundraiser two years ago for Help For Heroes charity Hidden Wounds, which raised more than £65,000 and launched Jo Heselden-Edwards debut album at the former Vulcan hanger at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.Eliot said: “I’m touched that many celebrity friends I’ve worked with over the years, not least of all my best pal Gary, Alfie Boe, S Club, Andy Abraham, Kenny Thomas and John Reilly are already on board to perform with me on the night.“it's my 50th birthday on the night itself. So this is going to be a party I’ll never forget and I’m hoping it will also be an unforgettable night for music fans while we raise funds for another great cause.”There will be performances of his many global hits which include Boyzone’s Picture Of You, The Spice Girls’ Say You’ll Be There, Bryan Adams and Melanie C duet, When You’re Gone and Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige smash Never Gonna Break My Faith.His first number one - which topped the charts on his 25th birthday - was Take That’s Everything Changes, which he wrote with Gary.The friends, who performed the song on the City Hall stage during one of Gary’s recent solo shows, toured the Commonwealth to record and produce the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee song, Sing.They worked together on The X-Factor, when Eliot coached Little Mix who went on to become the first group to win the TV talent show.More recently they teamed up to co-write the score for Broadway hit musical Finding Neverland, about Peter Pan author James Barrie.Eliot’s world famous Steelworks Studio in Sheffield has been a hits factory for some of music’s other biggest names - he has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Donny Osmond, Celine Dion, Lulu, Five, Delta Goodrem, Blue, The Wanted. and many more.