Journeyman musician Richie Kotzen makes his way to Ireland for his first ever shows on our fair isle this summer and the acclaimed axe-man promises the gigs at the Limelight, Belfast (July 10) and Opium, Dublin (July 11) will be worth the wait.

First leaping to fame with the likes of Poison and Mr Big, the Pennsylvania born riff wrangler has shared stages with the likes of the Rolling Stones in the past and has earned a reputation for being a guitarist’s guitarist over a 30 plus year career. We should add, he’s no slouch in the vocals department either and his honeyed croon calls to mind the late, great Chris Cornell.

In addition to his successful solo career, Richie also fronts the hard rock supergroup The Winery Dogs and most recently teamed up with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith for the blues rock fuelled project Smith/Kotzen. The dynamic duo have a self titled debut album, plus an EP (dubbed ‘Better Days’) under their belts and they’re something of a love letter to our own Rory Gallagher to these ears.

Expect a feast of face melting rock songs from Kotzen’s glittering back catalogue plus some surprises when he makes his way to us this July. Support is from Castlederg’s kings of blues rock The Davy K Project.

Dates for your diary are:

The Limelight, Belfast July 10
Opium, Dublin July 11

For more details visit SDEntertainment.co.uk and richiekotzen.com

2024 is another busy one for the ever expanding SD Entertainment and they’ve got shows from Bullet Boys, Craig Charles, FM, Geoff Tate and more at various venues across Ireland. Visit their website for further information.