Former Thin Lizzy member Darren Wharton has told The Ray D'Arcy Show that "there will definitely be tears" when the life and music of his friend and bandmate Phil Lynott are celebrated at Dublin's 3Arena next January.
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The Dedication Live at 3Arena will take place on Sunday 4 January 2026, the 40th anniversary of the Irish music legend's death, and will see Wharton and his band Renegade joined on the bill by former Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and more.
Why Phil Lynott was Irish rock's coolest cat
Phil Lynott died of pneumonia and heart failure due to septicaemia on 4 January 1986 at the Salisbury Infirmary in Wiltshire. He was 36.
"There will definitely be tears, and definitely watered (sic) eyes," said singer and keyboard player Wharton as he looked ahead to the tribute concert.
"At the time I met Phil, he just seemed like a big sort of gigantic rock god that no one could even touch," recalled Wharton, who joined Thin Lizzy in 1980 at the age of 18.
"But obviously, when you look back now in our later years, he was still, well, not a baby, but he was a very young man.
"He had a lot on his shoulders from what he'd achieved and what he'd become. And so did the rest of the guys - so did Scott (Gorham, guitars) and Brian (Downey, drums). They were an amazing team."
Wharton agreed with the host that music stars of today are "minded better" than they were in Phil Lynott's time.
"I also think the music business was a different sort of beast then as well," said Wharton.
"It was more sort of as people imagine. I mean, the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll was real. That was the way of life then. The whole sort of scene, it wasn't just Lizzy; it was many bands into that situation."
Wharton promised fans a "wonderful night" of celebration next January.
"It's all dedicated to Phil and the music of Thin Lizzy and the memory of his music and his legacy. To celebrate Thin Lizzy - it's going to be brilliant.
"Your very own Dave Fanning's going to be there. We've got Grand Slam. We've got some friends that we played with in the past. We've got Laurence Archer who's one of the former members of Grand Slam that Phil formed after Thin Lizzy. And we've got Ricky (Warwick), my old friend from The Almighty. We've got Richard Fortus from Guns N' Roses. It's going to be a fun-packed house."
Tickets for The Dedication Live at 3Arena are on sale now.
The Ray D'Arcy Show, RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays, 3pm
