Great year of music for fans to enjoy in the Toon
WHAT’S ON EDITOR GORDON BARR TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OUTDOOR GIGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2018
YOUR choice of gig of the year to look forward to most for 2018 depends, of course, on your personal taste in music.
But few could argue that the most talked about concert in the pipeline for this year is Ed Sheeran at St James’ Park.
And he’s not just playing the stadium once, but three nights on the trot – a first for hallowed turf which is the home of Newcastle United.
Ed is at the stadium on June 8, 9 and 10 when more than 100,000 fans will watch him deliver all the hits and more. He was last in Newcastle in April to play two sell-out shows at the Metro Radio Arena.
Another outdoor concert that should be of interest is the pairing of Simple Minds and The Pretenders who will come together on the same stage for the first time since Live Aid to present a unique opportunity to see both bands as they tour throughout the UK in 2018, including a concert at the Emirates Riverside, in Chester-le-Street, on August 19, as part of Grandslam 2018.
Of course Jim Kerr, frontman of Simple Minds, and Chrissie Hynde, frontwoman of The Pretenders, were once married to each other, giving the gig an added edge. They will be joined for the concert by KT Tunstall for what promises to be an amazing night.
Staying with the outdoors theme, a huge new Quayside musical festival is set for Newcastle in the spring.
Catfish And The Bottlemen have been revealed as the headliner of the festival, This is Tomorrow, set to take place next to Spillers on Newcastle’s Quayside in May 2018.
Brit Award Winners Catfish And The Bottlemen will play on Friday, May 25,