Stevie G: 20 years of great Marquee moments

Live at the Marquee returns this week for a series of shows marking 20 years of Marquee shows in Cork by Aiken promotions. This year it’s a mix of music (D Block Europe, Block Rockin’ Beats, Joe Bonamassa, The Waterboys), Comedy (Tommy Tiernan, Michael McIntyre) and more podcast type events (an interview with Roy Keane). This reflects how the entertainment climate sits in 2025, and big arena events are about more than music gigs. For today’s column I’m gonna pick some of my own personal Live at the Marquee shows from the last 20 years. Obviously, I haven’t gone to everything, and obviously this is my personal taste, but here are some of my favourites. I’ve left out some great shows by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Faithless, Aitch, Slayer, Duran Duran, Justice and many more, but here’s a few of the best.

Kanye West

The stars aligned for Kanye West a few times in Cork, and his first two shows here in 2006 came at a time when he was still one of the best in the game. He had just blown up over the previous few years, and both nights were full of absolute anthems. 2009 was even more memorable really, because he was joined by Kid Cudi in a show that followed his brave 808s & Heartbreak album. A more stripped-down and minimal show was followed by his now legendary visit to my Jam night in the Pav, where both artists performed to a crowd of less than 300! Kanye may have fallen off lately, but back in 2006 and 2009 there was nobody more important musically, and these gigs were iconic.

Massive Attack

Massive Attack have visited Cork a few times over the years, and I remember a special day next door to the Marquee in 1995 where they brought their whole sound system to the dance tent for an epic long Friday afternoon. Their Marquee show in July 2008 was a typically incendiary show from the Bristol group, who used powerful visuals as a backdrop to another well received show. I’ve seen Massive Attack over 10 times live in Ireland and this was one of their best shows.

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson, who sadly passed away recently, was the first artist to play Live at the Marquee. This was a very special night, as those familiar with his story will know that there were times when we thought we would never see him again on the stage. There was a very special atmosphere in the arena that night, and the former Beach Boy was one of many of music’s all-time legends list to play here (also included Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Who, Elton John, Paul Simon and many more).

Diana Ross

This was another of the initial shows in 2005 and it demonstrated that Diana Ross is one of the very best pop music performers! The Motown legend has a catalogue of music that encompasses soul/disco and much more besides, and she was terrific.

Al Green

Yet another show from the first series, Al Green got the smaller than expected crowd on board in a very special show that made us feel like we were at an intimate gig in a church. Unbelievable gig. He later returned with Michael McDonald in 2010.

Lana Del Rey

It’s hard to book artists who are at the peak of their powers to an arena show. Lana Del Rey had already emerged as one of the most important voices of her generation and this was a memorable summer evening in Cork!

Jay Z

One of the greatest rappers of all time used this show as a dress rehearsal for his legendary Glastonbury show a few days later. Out of all the rap shows here, this was one of the best. Snoop and 50 Cent also played the Marquee, but I don’t think either matched the Jay Z or Kanye shows.

Chic/Kraftwerk

I’m gonna group these two shows together. These days many of the great artists have played in Ireland quite a lot, and both Chic and Kraftwerk are regulars here, but it should not deflect from the fact that they are two of the most influential groups of all time. Both helped influence nearly everything that followed in hip-hop/house and much more, and both still bring very entertaining shows to audiences largely made up of people who would have been too young to experience them live for the first time out.