More on KentOnline
It’s not the first time I have seen her perform and I am hoping it won’t be the last, because the 90s’ legend is still a dream to watch on stage.
The last time I saw Gabrielle was at a Rochester Castle gig in 2016, when she supported Will Young, but last night at Dreamland in Margate she was the headline act and she’s really reached out to fans who went along to see her belt out her hits.
But before she did, concert-goers inside the Back 2 Soul event at the iconic venue were also treated to performances from another 90s’ legend, this time in the form of house dance and R&B sensation, CeCe Peniston.
Of course, she got the party started with her 1992 hit track Finally and I can certainly say the crowd seemed delighted to see the American singer on stage.
Then it was the turn of Grammy Award-winning British musical collective, Soul II Soul.
The group, who won the Grammy in 1990 with their hit Back to Life, also recently performed in Kent at the Rochester Castle Concerts alongside Sugababes and of course performed their club classic Keep On Movin'.
But Jazzie B and his band also paid tribute to Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, who tragically died last month, by covering her smash hit track Nothing Compares 2 U, which was a very nice touch and of course was sung by each and every one of us inside the amusement park venue.
But the climax of the evening was the jazzy and soulful performance of Gabrielle, who hit all the right notes with her smash hits including Dreams, Give Me A Little More Time and Out of Reach.
The timeless singer, who is celebrating 30 years of number one single Dreams, happily chatted to the crowd between songs and also performed some of her newer stuff.
Her set was a smash with fans and she told them she was happy to be on tour and performing.
It was a top soul night for music fans who danced like no one was looking throughout her time on stage at what I would say is one of the prettiest, quaintest and most intimate gig venues I’ve ever been inside.
It’s truly wonderful as the sun sets over the iconic park with its rides and stage lit up as the darkness falls as everyone dances the night away enjoying themselves. The place has a sort of festival feel about it.
I was lucky enough to see Sir Tom Jones perform there a couple of weeks ago and the great news is it will be staging even more gigs at the site next year.
It really is a great place to watch live music and if you have enough cash, it’s 100% worth splashing out to see your favourite artist from the VIP area.
There is a great view, hardly any queues for the bar, food stalls and much nicer toilets to use which are just all yards away.
And the concert season is not over - next week Ocean Colour Scene will be on stage for a sell-out performance and later this month, recently married, all-round entertainer Olly Murs will be also performing there. To get tickets, click here.
All I can say as a live music lover is I will be returning next year and can’t wait to see what the line-up will be.