Three nights of big outdoor concerts are coming to Ashton Court in July, screams the front page of today’s Evening Post.

Summer Nights at Ashton Court will see soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and tribute acts The Bootleg Beatles and Jive Talkin’ Bee Gees playing in the grounds of the mansion.

There will be picnics and gazebos galore, and for those who can afford it, £160 will get you a VIP hospitality package with dinner, champagne and a gold circle ticket.

Ticket prices are on the website here, which really does need someone checking it for spelling and grammar: ”Picnic dining in you won private gazebo with a Gold Circle seat of the concert. Bring your own picnic or order one or ours.” (sic)

Glittering, fabulous, an extravaganza. And that’s just what the newspaper report says.

This correspondent is more dubious. These concerts show no imagination.

The Dame will be a popular booking for classical fans, but I am no classical music buff so feel unable to comment further.

But The Bootleg Beatles and the Jive Talkin’ Bee Gees? Give me strength. Covers bands are an easy way to appeal to the masses, spoon-feeding them what they want in easy to digest chunks.

There is nothing in Summer Nights that is special enough to launch this new event with style, which is a shame and a big opportunity missed.

The former Ashton Court Festival (find its web tombstone here) featured local bands alongside national headliners that in its last few years included The Good, The Bad and The Queen; The Go! Team; and Super Furry Animals; alongside some of Bristol’s best: Portishead, Kosheen and Roni Size.

Watching four men pretending to be the Beatles from under a gazebo, while those who paid a bit more for their ticket sip champagne at the front of the stage, just cannot compare to what used to happen on summer nights at Ashton Court when the festival was still with us.