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music · Saturday 11 July 2026 · 8:00pm 
Thunder Rolls - The Garth Brooks Tribute Show
At Set Theatre Kilkenny · Set Theatre, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
At Set Theatre Kilkenny · Set Theatre, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
If you grew up with Garth Brooks on the radio - or simply know every word to Friends in Low Places - Thunder Rolls will give you a proper night out. This touring tribute brings the big country sound to one of Kilkenny’s best live venues, and it suits anyone who wants to sing along loudly and raise a glass without apology. It is a standing show with limited upstairs seating, so expect the floor to fill up and the atmosphere to follow.
Thunder Rolls has toured Ireland and Northern Ireland for years, and a 2025 date at the Set Theatre drew a full house. The 2026 show is a return visit on the strength of that night. Fronted by Stephen Butler - an Ireland-based performer who has been doing the Garth Brooks catalogue since the mid-1990s - the show runs around two hours with a full live band. The setlist covers the span: The Dance, Unanswered Prayers, Beaches of Cheyenne, Thunder Rolls itself, and Friends in Low Places near the end, when the room tends to get very loud indeed.
The Set Theatre sits inside Langtons Hotel on John Street - an intimate 380-capacity room with good sightlines throughout and acoustics that suit a live band well. It is the kind of venue where you are close to the stage wherever you stand.
Kilkenny is well served by road and rail. From Dublin, the M7/M9 motorway takes under 90 minutes; Irish Rail from Heuston runs in about 1 hour 45 minutes. The station is a 10-minute walk from John Street. City-centre parking fills quickly on Saturday evenings - Bateman Quay and the Ormond Street multi-storey are both within easy walking distance of Langtons.
Kilkenny on a July Saturday has plenty going on before the 8pm start - the medieval streets around the castle are worth an hour, and John Street has no shortage of places to eat. There is more to see in Kilkenny and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to Set Theatre Kilkenny in Kilkenny? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Kilkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.