This month's "Boot of the Month" is Rory's performance at the Dominion Theatre on March 24, 1984. Promoted as a "Guitarists Night", Rory is joined on stage by acclaimed guitarists: Richard Thompson, Juan Martin, and David Lindley for a night of mostly acoustical songs.

The Dominion Theatre opened its doors on October 3, 1929. The venerable theatre was built by William Milburn for Moss Enterprises on the site of the old Meux's brewery on Tottenham Court Road in London, England. The Dominion had a seating capacity of almost 2200 and was hailed by the press as an acoustically flawless auditorium. But after several poorly received broadway shows, the theatre turned their attentions to the silver screen and negotiated with Universal Studios to screen the premiere of the revamped "Phantom of the Opera" and Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights". Although it continued to host a number of movie premieres, todays Dominion Theatre hosts mainly live shows and concerts; such as the long running tribute to Freddie Mercury, "We Will Rock You".

On March 24, 1984, Rory and a trio of acclaimed guitarists appeared on the stage of the Dominion, the venue for the last of the three "Guitarists Nights".

"We did three acoustic concerts, in London, Cambridge and Guilford. That was Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Juan Martin-a Spanish guitarist-and myself. It was good, it was under-publicized and unfortunately and it wasn't recorded. But we worked in twos and threes and on our own."-- Rory Gallagher in an interview with Anil Prasad, 1992

The Dominion Theatre concert received mixed reviews. In an article written for one of the English papers, John Garret gave high marks to David Lindley and Rory Gallagher for their fine performances but remarked that Richard Thompson's set was not up to his usual high standards due to a recent bout with the flu, and that Juan Martin's flamenco style "failed to catch the imagination of the restless pack." Nevertheless, Rory performance shone with an intensity that overshadowed any flaws in the proceedings.

"The yell that heralded Rory Gallagher confirmed that he was the man many had come to see. Changing between acoustic, National steel, and, for an all too brief two song spot, electric guitar, he put a show together that was head and shoulders above anything else that night. What a great player this man is! There was a fire about him that only David Lindley had got even close to matching. When the other three guests returned for an encore with Rory, the interplay between him and Lindley was a treat to the ears."-- John Garret

To read the John Garret review of the concert in its entirety go HERE.

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