Chris Rea Experience by former Chris Rea band members

A concert. A personal story. A legacy. The Chris Rea Experience is a unique musical tribute by former band members. Paul Casey, a long-time band member of Chris Rea, brings, together with top musicians, a sincere, powerful, and authentic tribute to the oeuvre of Chris Rea. Not as an imitation, but as someone who knows this music from the inside out, has co-written its history, and brings it to life with heart and soul. The De All Star band further consists of Eoghan O’Neill, who played on most of Chris Rea's major hits and went on tour with Chris in the 80s, Liam Bradley (Van Morrison, Ronan Keating, The Blue Nile), and John McCullough (Van Morrison, The Waterboys, Sinéad O’Connor) on guitar. The musical story of Paul Casey is inextricably linked to that of Chris Rea. As a young boy, Paul discovered the music of Rea in his father's record collection – a discovery that would change his life forever. In 1993, Paul met his great role model backstage in Belfast. Chris encouraged him: “Go for it.” Five years later, Chris received a demo from Paul via drummer Martin Ditcham. A few days later, an invitation followed. Chris immediately recognized a young version of himself and decided to write and produce an entire album for Paul. From that moment on, their paths crossed more and more often. Paul accompanied Chris during international promotional tours, played as the opening act for all Chris Rea concerts for years, and grew into a permanent fixture in his live band as a rhythm guitarist. At the same time, he became Chris’s confidant in the studio and head engineer for major projects such as The Santo Spirito Blues. Even when Chris stopped touring due to health problems, their creative collaboration continued. In 2024, Chris even wrote the moving song “Peace Bridge”, dedicated to Paul and his hometown of Derry. Paul knew like no other that the music of Chris Rea only truly comes to life on stage. With his blessing, he put together a All Star band at the end of 2024 to present an exclusive evening featuring the repertoire of Chris Rea during the Derry Jazz Festival. The reactions were overwhelming. Een Britse promoter picked up the concept and brought the show to Sunderland, where the concert also resulted in a sold-out venue and standing ovations. Until a few weeks before his passing, Paul and Chris continued to make plans, with the idea of creating new material together based on old demos. The unexpected farewell hit Paul deeply: his hero, mentor, and friend was gone. But the music lives on. Chris Rea once said about Paul Casey: “His first demos were absolutely incredible.” “It was almost scary how close it was to my own playing.” “He is like a younger brother — and a huge inspiration.”