When Johnny Borrell, the lead singer of British indie rockband Razorlight sang the praises of the P&J Live, it was a beautiful crescendo for the venue following an incredibly successful 2024.
In fact, the rockstar wasn’t the only performer who was blown away by the arena last year as One Direction’s Niall Horan was equally as impressed together with the comedian Paul Smith.
“The lead singer from Razorlight said he’s not played in a venue with better acoustics which was amazing to hear,” says Rob Wicks, the managing director of the P&J Live.
“Niall Horan also absolutely loved his experience here and Paul Smith signed a poster for us which we’ve got up backstage which says ‘I absolutely love this venue’.”
‘The P&J Live has turned a corner’
From west end musicals and comedy to sports shows and conferences, Rob says the diverse range of events proved to be their recipe for success last year.
“It has been a really interesting year,” says Rob.
“I do really feel that the venue has turned a bit of a corner in 2024.
“You look at the year and there’s certainly plenty of highlights.”
What were the highlights of 2024?
One of the biggest highlights was the Rogue Invitational fitness event which was so successful that it’s to return to the venue this year.
“That has blown us all out of the water completely,” says Rob.
“I think it took a lot of people by surprise as it was an event which had never been staged outside the United States before.
“We sold 15,000 tickets which left the promoter quite astonished as it was their fastest selling show ever.
“It also brought in about £3.9m to the local economy which we’re really pleased to see.
“It’s an absolutely enormous boost for the city.”
‘It was amazing to bring something of that scale to Aberdeen’
Also pulling in huge crowds were two different events for the venue: the Les Misérables World Arena Spectacular and also the Scottish Masters Football Tournament which was screened live on BBC Scotland.
“There were five sold out performances of Les Misérables,” says Rob.
“It was amazing to bring something of that scale to Aberdeen.
“It was also a real coup to host the Scottish Masters Football Tournament.
“This was different as we did it as a co-promote and as a venue we carried 50% of the risk.
“But we worked really hard as a venue and as a promoter and it was a fantastic success.
“So we’re looking at trying to make that a firm fixture and we’re just in the midst of those negotiations so it’s enormously exciting.”
So what’s in store for 2025?
On the back of such a stellar 2024, Rob and the tenacious P&J Live team have pulled out the stops to bring events for everyone to enjoy this year.
From R&B superstar Sean Paul and the legendary rock band Pixies to Canadian music icon Bryan Adams and Take That’s Gary Barlow, there’s no shortage of music gigs set to raise the roof of the Aberdeen venue.
“On the music front we’ve got some fantastic acts including Wet Wet Wet, Olly Murs, Bryan Adams and Gary Barlow,” says Rob.
“Tickets for Michael Ball and Alfie Boe have also sold incredibly well.”
Some of the biggest names in comedy coming to Aberdeen…
And for those who love a good laugh, there’s plenty of comedy shows planned too including Peter Kay, John Bishop and Jimmy Carr.
“We worked really hard to secure Peter Kay and we were fortunate enough to get two dates,” says Rob.
“Tickets have flown off the shelf so we’re delighted with that and on the back of the level of interest we’ve seen here, we’ve been able to secure a third date in 2026 so if anyone happens to miss him in 2025, he will be back next year.”
Beyond Van Gogh…
One of the most exciting events coming to the venue this year is the internationally-acclaimed Van Gogh ‘immersive experience’.
Produced by Annerin Productions and Paquin Entertainment Group, Beyond Van Gogh combines more than 300 of the post-Impressionist icon’s paintings with state-of-the-art technology and a specially curated musical soundtrack.
“Beyond Van Gogh is something really special for the venue and the timing of it is really good as well as it will be here at the same time as the Tall Ships,” says Rob.
“As part of the event there will be some Saturday morning yoga sessions in the space.
“We’re also looking at the potential of hosting a couple of dinners with a Dutch-themed menu and an expert telling you all about the art – I think that could be quite special.”
Sports fans will also be in their element…
Fans of Aberdeen Football Club are also in for a treat as the venue is hosting Dons Live where people can meet first team players from both the men’s and women’s squads plus enjoy a variety of interactive events and sessions.
And one of the most popular sporting events, the BetMGM Premier League dart competition, is returning to the venue this year.
Younger audiences are also well catered for with events such as Paw Patrol Live, Comic Con, the Grampian Truck Show and Dino Tales.
What about conferences and exhibitions?
It’s not only gigs and shows that the P&J Live hosts though as the venue also attracts people from all over the world for its conferences, exhibitions and charity balls including the P&J charity gala on February 21.
“A lot of people look at the venue and they see it as an entertainment venue,” says Rob.
“But when you look at where the revenue comes from about half of what we do comes from entertainment and the other half comes from our conferencing events and banqueting and exhibitions.”
For more information or to book tickets go to the website pandjlive.com
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