Festival season is in full swing this weekend in Tayside as Radio 1’s Big Weekend hits Dundee.
But do you remember BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend in Perth?
It was a summer to remember in 2018 when a stellar line-up including Noel Gallagher and Simple Minds arrived in the Fair City.
The final choices for the Scone Palace event — which took place on May 25 and 26 — provided an eclectic and star-studded weekend of rock, pop and classical music.
Billed as no less than a means of uniting the home nations through live music, BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend was a one-off festival – minus the camping – designed to plug Auntie’s radio, TV and online output.
Simultaneous two-day extravaganzas were being staged Belfast, Coventry and Swansea, with big names aplenty at Scotland’s offering at Scone Palace.
While the majority of tickets — 60% — were reserved for those living in the Perth and Kinross Council area, 25% were available for people living in DD, FK and KY postcodes.
Nigel Kennedy was Friday’s headliner
Bob Shennan, director of BBC Radio and Music, said it was “the biggest single music event ever attempted” by the broadcaster.
Classical, opera, folk, jazz and musicals would collide at the historic site on May 25 with Nigel Kennedy, Eddi Reader and Jamie Cullum all on the Radio 3-friendly bill.
Saturday’s line-up was aimed at Radio 2 listeners and included Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Simple Minds, Emeli Sande, Squeeze, The Shires and Amy Macdonald.
It was a smart move.
Tickets for both days went on sale costing £18 each and for an additional £60 festival goers could also buy picnic hampers with local produce and drinks.
Who said rock and roll is dead?
Saturday tickets for Noel Gallagher’s headline appearance sold out and quickly appeared on reselling sites where they were being offered at £202 each.
Was the best performance before the festival started?
Jamie Cullum popped into North Muirton Primary School and took questions from pupils before sitting at the piano in the assembly room and playing a few of his songs.
The Radio 3 event was staged in glorious sunshine where headliner Nigel Kennedy wowed the crowds with a sumptuous on Bach concertos and Gershwin standards.
The mercurial bowman with trademark spiked hair was backed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the audience was won over by the feel-good performance.
Radio Two presenters Sara Cox and Ken Bruce hosted the festival on Saturday where 20,000 people were ready to party on what was one of the hottest weekends of the year.
New wave favourites Squeeze – somewhat surprisingly allocated the opening spot – got things off to a flying start with hits such as Cool For Cats and Up The Junction.
The Beat were major players in the 2-Tone explosion and put in one of the best performances of the day with songs like Tears Of A Clown and Mirror In The Bathroom.
Amy Macdonald was buoyed by the partisan support and Mr Rock & Roll, This Is The Life and Run were among the highlights of the emotive and dynamic performance.
Emeli Sande set the bar high before Simple Minds took to the stage and she had the crowd belting out every word to Read All About It and Next To Me.
Fans lapped up a sweltering Saturday
Simple Minds were given a rousing reception and the band gave the fans what they really wanted straight from the opening chords of new single The Signal and the Noise.
Jim Kerr was gracefully shimmying across the stage, engaging with the audience, inducing handclaps by the barrowload and making sure everyone had a great time.
The crowd danced the night away to their favourite tunes from the Minds’ 40-year back catalogue including Waterfront, Don’t You (Forget About Me) and Alive and Kicking.
Headline act Noel Gallagher couldn’t resist a cheeky quip with staff at Scone Palace when he signed the visitor book before .
The former Oasis star wrote: “A palace? My gaff’s bigger than this.”
He added his signature and two kisses to emphasise the joke.
So how did he do?
Gallagher and his High Flying Birds kicked off with the triple whammy of Fort Knox, Holy Mountain and It’s A Beautiful World from new record Who Built The Moon?
“Has Scotland ever been as hot as this?” quipped Gallagher during his set.
As Liverpool went down 3-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League Final, the Manchester City fan took great delight in revelling in their misfortune.
The Evening Telegraph review said: “About 20,000 sun-kissed Taysiders lapped up a sweltering Saturday in Perth for BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend.
“Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Emeli Sande, Simple Minds and Amy Macdonald were among the major acts who graced the stage at Scone Palace. And they certainly didn’t disappoint revellers at the Scottish leg of the UK-wide event.
“Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the crowd were there for Oasis icon Gallagher, who brought the thunder for his headline set.
“Although the recent hits were well-received, it was the songs from the band that shot him to fame which led to deafening singalongs, starting with a thumping rendition of Little By Little.
“Half The World Away, The Importance Of Being Idle, Wonderwall, Go Let It Out and Don’t Look Back In Anger soon followed – with the latter now considered a poignant anthem in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attacks last year.
“A sparkling day at Scone ended with smiles all round for Gallagher’s final song – a cover of The Beatles’ hit All You Need Is Love.”
It was the perfect end to the party.
Biggest Weekend £3m boost for Perth economy
A delighted Stephen Brannigan, head of house opening at Scone Palace, said: “I 100% want to see things like the Biggest Weekend happening more often in Perth.
“We had a debrief after the event last night and the response has been fantastic.
“Working in partnership with the BBC, the council and everyone else who was involved made it possible for us to hold such a fantastic event.
“We would like to work with them again for future events – that would be the dream scenario.
“We have shown we can accommodate an event of this scale so we will be looking to host more in future.”
BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend music festival in Perth cost taxpayers more than £140,000 but the two-day event helped pump about £3 million into the local economy.
Value for money?
Council leader Murray Lyle said: “It is extremely important that we do not underestimate the significance of Perth and Kinross being chosen to represent Scotland in the BBC’s biggest live music event of 2018.
“The area benefited from not only the weekend itself – with over 20,000 music fans enjoying the grounds of Scone Palace in perfect weather – but also from the extensive coverage on radio, television and social media in the months and weeks before and after the event.
“It also brought 8,000 people into Perth and Kinross from outside the area, visitors who had a fantastic time in a fabulous location and now have every reason to want to return time and time again.
“Importantly, we proved once again that Perth and Kinross is perfect for major events.”
Epic stuff.
Over to you R1 BW!
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