Nan's 'surreal' moment at Liverpool's Empire Theatre

A mum of two has recreated a special moment from her teens that was captured on camera 50 years ago. Through the decades, David Essex OBE has carved out an incredible career in music, theatre, film and television and last night, September 9, the chart-topping singer performed some of his much-loved hits to fans at The Liverpool Empire Theatre.

For many from the city, it won't have been the first time seeing David Essex at the venue, as many will remember he famously performed to excited fans in November 1974. Grandmother Heather Grant, now 64, remembers seeing Essex for the first time then and returned to the Empire Theatre last night to see him for the second time.

Heather, who now lives in Widnes, told the ECHO: "I've been a fan of him all my life really and when I was young he was my idol. I had posters of him all over my bedroom, I had all his LPs.

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"Then you kind of get married and have kids, that goes away - but I've always been a fan. I was only 15 the first time I saw him, I went with my friend.

"I think we had to go to the box office at The Empire to get the tickets because there wasn't anything online back then. When we got the tickets I was really excited.

"I think at that time he did two shows and we went to the earlier one and it was crowded. I had good seats, I was in the front, I think it was the second row and he was brilliant that night, I remember he had a white suit on."

That night, Daily Mirror photographs captured the atmosphere and fans dancing in the crowd. The images, courtesy of our archive, Mirrorpix, have been rediscovered in recent years and shared with ECHO readers.

And earlier this year, Heather, originally from Halewood, spotted herself in a photo she had not seen for years and while seeing David Essex at the same venue half a century on last night, she recreated it. She said: "I didn't know the photo was being taken at the time, I was just up clapping.

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"My uncle phoned my mum and said your Heather is in the paper and then I was in school the next day and all these kids were coming up to me saying I saw you in the paper. It was 50 years ago, I can't believe it - it's gone like a flash.

In October 1974, an advertisement in the Liverpool ECHO said two performances were held on November 11, one at 6pm and another at 8.30pm. Ticket prices at the time varied from 80p to £1.20, £1.60 and £2.

Ahead of the concert, the ECHO reported on why Essex chose Liverpool as one of 30-stops on his tour. He previously said: "I don't like picking out certain places on the tour.

"But, obviously Liverpool has a tremendous meaning for anyone in the music business and it would be silly to deny that the Empire will be special for me too." Many fans will remember seeing him live at the Liverpool Empire Theatre 50 years ago, with some returning to the venue last night to see him perform half a century on.

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Heather said: "I was just made up when I saw he was on so I thought I need to book that. I was talking to a girl while I was waiting in the foyer and she said 'I was here 50 years ago' and I said 'so was I' and we got talking.

"I said I'd had my picture in the paper and she said when she Googled it she saw the picture come up and she asked for a photo with me. We both said it was really strange going again because it was all our age group, we were all young girls the first time.

"He's 77 now and I thought maybe his voice might have gone a bit but he was absolutely brilliant., seeing him all these years on was great. It was surreal going back in time. The first time he was running all over the stage and dancing and last night he kind of shook his leg a little bit and made a joke about the choreography but he wasn't dancing so that was funny.

"People were dancing and clapping the same as I remember it last time. It makes you realise how fast the years go by, but it can still be the same when you recreate that excitement."