When they first played in Killarney some years ago, Picture This took to the stage in the intimate Acoustic Club at the INEC but, everybody there on the night knew they were destined for greatness. They returned to the newly rebranded Gleneagle INEC Arena last night to perform in the fastest ever selling gig in the town. Molly O’Mahony reports on a memorable performance
THEIR stated ambition is to be the biggest band in the world and the evidence provided at the power-packed Picture This performance at a revamped INEC Arena in Killarney, on Friday night, indicates that they are well on their way to achieving that goal.
After continuously selling out dates worldwide, and having famously launched their new album on the roof of the Empire State Building, the big Killarney gig more than lived up to enormous expectations and it sold out in a record 180 seconds – an astonishing statistic by any standard.
They rocked the exciting new-look Killarney venue in no uncertain terms with a familiar energetic, hell for leather performance that left the crowd breathless.
They opened with their smash hit You & I and they kept their thousands of fans enthralled with a soundtrack of their journey to the top including Addicted To You, Never Change, This Morning and Modern Love.
They raised the roof with their fabulous seasonal anthem This Christmas and raised it higher again when they concluded a stunning performance with their biggest hit Take My Hand.
Picture This drummer Jimmy Rainsford charted their remarkable rise to fame when he recalled that their first performance in Killarney was in the Acoustic Club at the INEC and they were proud to learn that their latest visit was the fastest ever selling gig in the INEC.
Front man Ryan Hennessy added: “I don’t know how many times we have played in Killarney but it’s always a great night. There is an absolute buzz”.
They released their self-titled full-length debut album in 2017, going triple-platinum in Ireland, holding the number one spot in the Irish album chart for four weeks and they also topped the streaming chart for seven weeks.
Picture This have sold over 400,000 tickets, including a mega stadium tour in Ireland last
summer and they became the first act ever to play and sell out five nights at the 3 Arena in Dublin.
Mark Egan, Director of Entertainment at the Gleneagle INEC Arena, recalled that when Picture This first played at the venue in 2015 as part of their Journey Starts Here tour, everyone knew they were destined for greatness and, fittingly, they became the first act to perform at the newly rebranded Gleneagle INEC Arena.
The Gleneagle INEC Arena rebrand has come about as a result of investing over half a million euro in production and technology, with new lighting, sound and audio-visual systems and an increased patron capacity to 4,142.
This means that the venue now has the infrastructure to cater for a wider variety of acts and artists.
“This was a very important project for us. The re-branding of the venue to the Gleneagle INEC Arena accurately reflects the product on offer,” Mark said.
”Our new arena capacity, coupled with our technological infrastructure, enables us to cater for bigger and better touring productions which, in turn, provides a better customer and artist experience,” he added.
“The feedback from the artists that play here is always really positive. There is a certain kind of energy here, not replicated anywhere else,” Mark added.
Pictures: Don MacMonagle. Click on individual images for details
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