Private Booking Reviews

Colin and Gillian McCormack 13th June 2015

Colin and Gillian McCormack 13th June 2015

Gordon Giltrap, Private Concert at Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club

One room, 34 people, one night of sheer magic!

This month, my wife Gillian and I have been married for 30 years and we wanted to mark the occasion with something a bit special. Having seen Gordon playing one of his ‘village hall’ gigs last October, we both walked out of the venue afterwards, looked at each other and said ‘That’s it’!

Eight months of intense anticipation later, last Saturday Gordon came to Preston to play a private gig for us, our closest family and best friends.

With an age range of between 19 and 83, the entire audience was spellbound as Gordon played two sets for us, each song interspersed with chat, anecdotes and jokes that created such a wonderful atmosphere. You see, the thing about Gordon is, not only is he an incredibly gifted guitarist, he’s such a completely bloody nice bloke - and that shone through throughout the evening.

His first set ended with the totally mesmerising ‘The Dodo’s Dream’, the second with an amazingly energetic ‘Heartsong’ with ‘Lucifer’s Cage’ coming as the Grand Finale.

As many of our guests said at the end of the evening, it was a night that we will never forget.

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I asked my eldest son, Jonathan, to add a comment, here’s what he said:

Having gone to the performance as a stranger to both the man and his music, I could not have left with a higher opinion of both the man and his talent.

Gordon is an unquestionable genius on the guitar, but also understands an audience. His gentle, witty manner and clear love for what he is doing shines through as much as his playing.

He spent the interval chatting to the audience, swapping stories and meeting and greeting and was happy to talk to everybody.

But ultimately, it is about the music and Gordon is a remarkable guitar player. With just a small selection of equipment, he can produce a lot of magic. You won't be disappointed.

I’ve seen Gordon play to larger audiences a number of times, but nothing compares to the excitement and intimacy of having him playing for you in a room with just a small group of people in it.

So, my advice to any of you out there is this: if you want a night of exceptional guitar music that you will always treasure, then do what we did. Getting married? Big Birthday? Special celebration? Just fancy a stormingly good evening’s entertainment? Then book a Gordon Giltrap private concert – I promise you that you will be glad that you did!

To Gordon, and your lovely wife Hilary, thank you for making our special occasion such an unforgettable experience!

Colin McCormack 18 June 2015


Gordon writes:

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Colin and Gillian McCormack are two of the nicest people one could wish to meet, and it gave Hilary and I great pleasure to share their 30th anniversary evening at a local Rugby club not far from Garstang in Lancashire on Saturday the 13th of June. The small but appreciative crowd were a joy to play for.

I took my usual small PA system (which is a rarity these days as I only use it for occasions such as this having made the decision that I'm too old to be lugging gear around at my age) which suited the room perfectly and to have on hand a host of roadies was a luxury!


As you can see by the photographs a fun time was had by all. Hilary and I wish them both many more happy years together.