1980s
In 1983 Colston Hall joins the computer age! The first computerised booking system was installed in February of that year.
Thin Lizzy played at Colston Hall on their final British tour before they split. James Belsey from the Evening Post remarked,
‘The packed, heaving audience were spellbound by Thin Lizzy, carried along by the emotion of the evening’
Van Morrison played at the hall on 19th November 1986. His uncompromising attitude to music has established him as a cult figure with audiences with a career spanning over 20 years. The concert was recorded live and Celtic Soul Productions made a CD for fans.
The legendary Bob Dylan played on stage at the Hall in front of one of the smallest and most select audiences of his career. A thousand fans had been hired as extras to play the audience in concert sequences for Dylan’s movie ‘Hearts of Fire’. They were allowed into the hall at 8am and after a more than three hour wait were rewarded with Dylan appearing in front of a band made up of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and Dire Straights drummer Terry Williams. Music for the sequence was pre recorded so his voice wasn’t heard. Also taking part in the filming were Ian Dury and Richie Havens who had a cameo role.
