But as soon as the singer, who is best known for being the lead in 70s soft rock band Dr Hook, came onto the stage it was obvious that he could more than fill the empty space for the allotted two hours –– not only with his amazing voice and musical expertise, but also with his witty banter and lively personality.

I inherited my love of the legendary lyricist and his former band from my mother, and still enjoy listening to the string of memorable hits they created all the way through to the 1990s.

And on Friday night at Mansfield Palace Theatre, the performer treated the audience –– some of whom had travelled around 70 miles to see him –– to some of these old favourites intermingled with his new solo pieces.

Songs ranged from the comical This Guitar, Jungle To The Zoo and I'm Impressed With Myself to ballads like If Not You, The Things I Didn't Say, Underneath the Moon and Shine Son.

Then there was The Right To Walk Away, which included a bit of Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, and the ever-popular When Your In Love With A Beautiful Woman with some audience participation thrown in for good measure.

The breadth of musical material was incredible, but what really impressed me was the quality of his performance and how amazing his voice still sounded after all these years.

I can quite easily say that this was one of the best live concerts I have ever been to and I now have a new-found love of Dennis Locorriere –– who proved himself to be whole lot more than just the voice behind Dr Hook.

Did you go to the gig? Let us know what you thought below