From Springsteen to Kylie: The biggest names to head to Tyneside over the decades
Stroll down memory lane to revisit some of the biggest and best concerts that our alumni have enjoyed over the past 60 years
1 June 2025
Festival season is upon us, and we’re looking forward to a summer of music here on Tyneside with Take That star Robbie Williams and local lad Sam Fender performing in the next few months!
This has inspired us to look back at some of the biggest and best concerts enjoyed by our alumni community over the decades. Perhaps you were lucky enough to catch Bruce Springsteen at St. James’ Park in the 1980s, or catch Muse in the Students’ Union before they found global fame? Read on to discover the history of music events in Newcastle from the 1960s to the present.
1960s
In the 1960s, the hot spots for concerts in the city centre were the 1,500-capacity Mayfair Ballroom on Newgate Street and the City Hall, just a stone’s throw away from campus.
Led Zeppelin performed their first ever UK show at the Mayfair Ballroom in 1968, albeit billed as ‘The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page’. By the time they returned to Tyneside in 1971, for their second and final appearance at the Mayfair, Led Zeppelin were the biggest band on the planet.
The Yardbirds also featured on the bill with the Rolling Stones and Ike and Tina Turner at the City Hall in 1966, with the Stones gaining such a following that by 1982 they were headlining St. James’ Park.
Other notable gigs at the City Hall in the 1960s include the ‘First Lady of Song’, Ella Fitzgerald in 1961, 1963 and 1964, Bob Dylan in 1965 (like the Rolling Stones, Dylan returned to Tyneside to headline at the stadium in the 1980s) and Stevie Wonder in 1967. In March 2023, Wonder was given the freedom of Newcastle in recognition of his campaign to establish Martin Luther King Day in the USA.
The Beatles supported Chris Montez and Tommy Roe at City Hall in 1963, performing just a six-song set which included ‘Please, Please Me’ and ‘Love Me Do’, but they quickly became the act audiences desperately wanted to see headline. The Liverpool band returned to City Hall three more times over the next few years, with their final date in December 1965 being marred by heavy snowfall. The next year, The Beatles stopped performing live altogether and became a studio-only band, so any alumni who caught their gigs at the City Hall were very lucky indeed!
Image credit: Newcastle Chronicle
1970s
While The Beatles stopped performing live in the mid-1960s, lucky students residing at Havelock Hall, Castle Leazes, in February 1972 were treated to an impromptu gig by Wings with Paul McCartney (see picture below). The band had headed North from Scarborough, planning on performing in Durham, but when a venue couldn’t be found, they continued to Tyneside (and Newcastle University’s entertainment committee was happy to help!)
Image credit: The Courier and Mirrorpix
City Hall and Mayfair Ballroom continued to dominate the gig scene in the 70s, welcoming Queen, ELO, Iggy Pop and David Bowie throughout the decade (fans queuing for David Bowie's show in 1973 can be seen in the picture above). Roxy Music, led by Newcastle alumnus Bryan Ferry (who studied Fine Art on campus from 1964-68), performed at City Hall in 1973 as part of their Stranded tour. This tour marked a shift in Roxy Music’s sound, as it was their first time performing without founding member Brian Eno, and with violinist Eddie Jobson and bass player Sal Maida joining the lineup. The night was recorded live alongside other performances during the tour for the live album ‘Viva!’, with some songs from the City Hall making the track list.
In this decade, we also welcomed some big names to campus to perform at the Students’ Union. In 1972, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac performed (graduating to perform at City Hall the next year), and in November 1976 AC/DC delighted students in the University Ballroom, above the Refectory. Admission was just £1.25!
1980s
In the 1980s and 90s, big music acts would venture to the coast to perform to Newcastle fans, with Whitley Bay Ice Rink having 3,200 seats for audiences. The venue attracted acts like Wham!, who performed there in 1984, and Iron Maiden in 1988. The ice rink continued to be the premier venue for music performances in the region until Newcastle Arena opened in 1995.
Students in the 1980s also had the opportunity to see Ozzy Osbourne (pre-biting the bat!), The Smiths and Metallica at the Mayfair Ballroom, and Tears for Fears at the City Hall.
The biggest concerts of the decade, though, happened on the pitch at St. James’ Park, with ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen (pictured below), the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Queen headlining sell-out shows at the stadium in the 1980s.
With a ticket for Springsteen costing £14.50 (a hefty price tag at the time), many entrepreneurial students at Newcastle University flocked to Castle Leazes and Leazes Terrace for their opportunity to hear the setlist from the comfort of a student accommodation kitchen. Staying at Gosforth Park Hotel for his two-night run in Tyneside, Springsteen reportedly donated £16,000 to local miners in the wake of the 1984-5 strike.
Queen’s night at St. James’ (pictured below) marked their last performance in Newcastle, but it was the first of their British leg of the European ‘Magic’ tour, and their popularity was sky-high following their performance at Live Aid a year earlier. The 38,000 tickets were snapped up immediately for the gig in July 1986, with Newcastle fans desperate to see the band who had not played in the city since their City Hall appearance in 1979. The audience was warmed up by Status Quo after their fellow support acts INXS got stuck in traffic on the A1 and failed to make the show.
Image credit: Newcastle Chronicle
1990s
The 11,000-capacity Newcastle Arena opened in 1995 and was championed by local musician Chas Chandler from The Animals. The first concert at the arena is commonly assumed to have been by David Bowie shortly after opening, on 7 December 1995, although the actual first performers at the venue were local duo The Proud Ones, who filled in for Morrissey after he cancelled his appearance. Since 1995, the Arena has been known as the Telewest Arena, Metro Radio Arena and now as the Utilita Arena.
It wouldn’t be the 90s music scene if we didn’t mention the Britpop rivalry between Oasis and Blur, with both bands performing on Tyneside in the decade. Blur came to campus to perform at the Students’ Union in both 1990 and 1991, with Oasis visiting Whitley Bay Ice Rink in their worldwide ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory’ tour of 1996. In the years that followed, Oasis would perform at the larger Newcastle Arena and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, with Blur also performing at the then-known Telewest Arena in 1997.
Students of the 1990s also enjoyed sets from big hitters of the decade including The Prodigy, Take That, Fat Boy Slim, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, Kylie Minogue, and even legendary diva Tina Turner, who rocked out in front of 35,000 fans at Gateshead International Stadium in 1996 (having previously performed in the same venue in 1990). Turner’s gig amassed so much interest that temporary car parks and extra Metro services had to be put on, and it took her 80-strong crew five days to construct the massive stage production.
At the end of the 90s, the beloved Mayfair Ballroom was demolished to make way for retail and entertainment venue The Gate. The last gig to be performed at the Mayfair was Reef in May 1999 before demolition began in September.
Image credit: SMG Europe and Mirrorpix
2000s
In the early Noughties, the Ouseburn Valley and Quayside area of Newcastle was home to a growing music scene, with gigs at The Cluny on most nights and the Evolution Festival (pictured below) running from 2002 – 2013. The festival was usually held on the May Bank Holiday on the Quayside, with headliners over the years including Dizzee Rascal, Paolo Nutini and Maximo Park, fronted by Newcastle alumnus Paul Smith. Alumni lucky enough to be a student during the Evolution days also had the chance to catch Florence and the Machine, Amy Winehouse and Ellie Goulding before the height of their fame.
And at The Cluny, a 300-capacity live music venue, pub and café on Lime Street, guests were treated to early performances from powerhouses such as Arctic Monkeys, Editors, Mumford and Sons and The xx in the 2000s.
On campus, Muse fans could catch the Devon rock band perform a 14-song set for just £8 at our Students’ Union. Other notable gigs at the SU in this decade include Keane in 2004, Lily Allen in 2006 and Bombay Bicycle Club in 2009. All three of these shows coincided with the acts’ debut albums, offering a real treat to music fans in the student community.
In 2005, the Carling Academy opened to music fans, taking over the bingo hall on Clayton Street and providing two rooms for music events that could host up to 2,000 people for a show. In its first few years of being open, the Academy welcomed The Killers, Happy Mondays and Amy Winehouse to name a few. Alongside gigs, the venue was also popular for club nights with our student community, being home to nights including Dirty Pop, Ikon Live and Alpha. The Academy was renamed the o2 Academy in 2008 due to a sponsorship changeover (pictured below) and remained known as such until the venue closed for refurbishment in 2022. Today, the venue is known as NX Newcastle.
Image credit: Newcastle Chronicle
2010s
Nightclub Digital, located in Times Square near the Centre for Life and Newcastle Central Station, hosted DJ sets and performances from EDM legends Pete Tong, Eric Prydz and David Guetta in the 2010s, as well as welcoming Grime star Stormzy in 2016 ahead of the release of his debut album.
Big names from across the Pond headed to the region this decade, including Beyonce who played the Stadium of Light in Sunderland as part of her Formation tour. The last time she had been to the North East was in 2009, when she played the Metro Radio Arena. Lady Gaga also headed to the Arena for her sell-out Monsters Ball in March 2010 - which at the time held the record as the biggest production to ever hit the venue – just a year after performing there as a support act for Pussycat Dolls.
Fans of 1980s music were delighted to see Pet Shop Boys and Elton John head to the region in the 2010s. Pop duo Pet Shop Boys played Sage Gateshead (now known as The Glasshouse) in 2017 for a two-night run during their Super Tour, and Sir Elton wowed audiences at the Metro Radio Arena on his Greatest Hits Tour. Over the decades, John has performed in Newcastle over 20 times, from the very first show at City Hall as part of a three-piece in 1971 to a 13-piece band extravaganza in 1986 and his first gig at the Arena in 1997 (pictured).
In 2018, the world’s best-selling recording artist at the time – Ed Sheeran – treated hundreds of thousands of fans to an 18-song setlist at St. James’ Park during a three-night run. Sheeran’s appearance in Tyneside came off the back of his closing performance at Glastonbury in 2017, and featured hits from his Divide album with standing tickets setting fans back £75.
Image credit: Newcastle Chronicle
2020s
With events on pause at the start of the 2020s due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t until 2022 that venues began properly welcoming music fans back through their doors. That year, students and alumni living locally had the opportunity to catch Kaiser Chiefs at St. James’ Park, Adam Ant, Florence and the Machine and Sugababes all at the City Hall, and indie rock group Wet Leg at the Students’ Union in 2022, following their debut single ‘Chaise Longue’ the year before.
Students on campus could also catch Dublin-based pop artist CMAT at the Students’ Union in 2023 off the back of her second studio album. CMAT will return to Newcastle in June 2025 supporting Sam Fender in his sell-out run at St. James’ Park. Last time Fender performed at the stadium, he welcomed local legend Brian Johnson on stage!
Blur reunited after eight years and returned to City Hall in 2023, setting the trend for Britpop reunions with Oasis following suit later this year (sadly not in Tyneside!)
Other notable gigs that have been enjoyed by Newcastle fans this decade so far include The Last Dinner Party at The Cluny in 2023 and Rick Astley at Mouth of the Tyne Festival in 2024. Coming soon, Take That star Robbie Williams will be headlining the Come Together Festival on the Town Moor, alongside Kings of Leon and local Little Mix singer Perrie.
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