Gina and The Champions to close Comeraghs Wild Festival on a high note

Showband Gina & The Champions are back in Waterford for this year’s Comeraghs Wild Festival and for a landmark concert on their 50th Anniversary Tour which will include a special tribute to the late, Waterford-born Dale Haze.

The long-awaited live concert takes place in the newly-refurbished, tiered Dungarvan Town Hall on the closing night of the Festival, Sunday, July 9.

The curtain is up at 8.30pm and Gina and the band will perform all their old hits like ‘The Greatest Lover’, ‘Do you wanna do it’, ‘Real Good Feeling’ and many more old favourites as well as some new songs. 

The Town Hall Theatre, Dungarvan has undergone refurbishment in recent months and ongoing investment in the facility makes this venue an attractive addition to Dungarvan and the region’s arts and cultural landscape.

Tickets are limited, cost €25 and are on sale on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/gina-champions-50th- anniversary-concert-dungarvan- tickets-641196304407

Gina, Dale Haze and The Champions formed in 1973 and Gina’s first ever gig with The Champions was in the Rainbow Ballroom in Kilmacthomas.

The Cork-based band took the dancing scene by storm after that in the late 1970s and early 80s with 12 chart hit singles and several best-selling albums. The Band quickly became Ireland’s top attraction with record breaking attendances at dances and concerts.

Amazingly, 50 years on the original Band members, Gina, Pat, Mossey, Eddie & Tony still perform together at sell out shows. Sadly, Dale Haze passed away suddenly in 2020 and his fellow band members continue to remember him in a special way on stage.

“Our Dungarvan concert will be a very special night,” Gina said as July 9 concert nears. “Our Waterford fans have been among our most loyal over the years. The late Dale Haze was a very special man, a fantastic performer and a great friend. It is only fitting that our concert, which closes the four day Comeraghs Wild Festival, will include a special tribute to him.

“We’ve performed to audiences all over the world. But there is nothing like an Irish audience and our Waterford, Cork and Tipperary fans in particular really know how to enjoy a night out. None of us knows what is ahead, how long more we have on this earth and what lies ahead. This 50th Anniversary tour is very special to us and we have put everything into making it special for our fans.

“We’re really looking forward to performing in the newly-refurbished Dungarvan Town Hall. The acoustics are amazing and the tiered seating ensures it will be an intimate, enjoyable experience. We’re really looking forward to it and hope we have a full house,” Gina concluded.

Matching their live success with industry recognition over the years,  Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions received countless awards and accolades over the years,1979 proved to be a monumental year for the band, firstly with the release of one of their biggest hits ‘The Greatest Lover’ and then to be decorated with two major awards; Gina being voted ‘Irelands Number 1 Pop Singer’ and the band being voted ‘Irelands Top band’, a ‘feat’ they repeated many times over the following years.

Along with a consistently active touring schedule, ‘Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions’ made innumerable television appearances both in Ireland and Britain over the course of their lengthy career.  Appearances on Gay Byrne’s ‘Late Late Show’ were a regular occurrence, performing many of their hits such as, ‘The Greatest Lover’, ‘Give Me back my Love’, ‘Dreams are Good Friends’, ‘Drunken Sailor’, ‘A Real Good Feeling’ and many more.