Pop idol Chris was a star of Asda car park

It may sound unlikely, but Lady In Red singer Chris De Burgh once played a concert '“ in a cold and windy Doncaster supermarket car park.
Chris De Burgh plays to a Doncaster crowd in Asda, Bawtry Road's car park.Chris De Burgh plays to a Doncaster crowd in Asda, Bawtry Road's car park.
Chris De Burgh plays to a Doncaster crowd in Asda, Bawtry Road's car park.

It was 17 years ago this autumn that the Irish superstar chose the bizarre setting of Asda’s Bawtry Road store for the show, seen by more than 8,600 fans.

The star played a 40-minute set to help launch the supermarket chain’s millennium festivities in October 1999 and the show also featured warm-up act The Buskateers, fairground rides and a firework finale.

The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.
The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.
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All the fun was free with fund-raising on the night in aid of children’s charity the NSPCC.

Among the trolleys, music lovers of all ages scrambled for a glimpse of the singer who warmed the cockles with hits such as The Lady In Red, Missing You plus covers of The Eagles’ classic Hotel California and a rousing finale of The Beatles’ Hey Jude.

He said: “I’ve played in a car park before but that was in South Africa and the temperature was 30 degrees.

“It’s my first time in Doncaster and it is a great opportunity because I’m an ordinary guy and I love to meet people.

The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.
The crowd get into the swing of things as Chris De Burgh plays a concert in the car park of Asda, Bawtry Road, Doncaster.
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The singer was mobbed in the store’s foyer as scores of fans begged for his autograph.

The star, now 68, first emerged onto the UK music scene in 1974 and enjoyed some success with hits such as Don’t Pay The Ferryman and the song which has now become a traditional festive staple, A Spaceman Came Travelling.

But global success came in 1986 when The Lady In Red topped the charts all over the world.

The song was written in reference to his wife Diane.

On the British TV series This Is Your Life, de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of when he first saw Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met.