City is buzzing for the return of Queen Bey
Next week sees the return of global superstar Beyoncé to the home of the Black Cats – and it looks set to be a shimmering spectacular.
Queen Bey has opened her Renaissance World Tour in style in Stockholm and her first solo tour in seven years didn’t disappoint with critics praising it for being “a dizzying three-hour spectacular”, which fuses sci-fi, disco, decadence, sex and Black pride.
There are 56 stadium dates globally, with Sunderland’ s Stadium of Light, which she plays on Tuesday, May 23, chosen as just one of four UK venues for the tour, alongside Cardiff ’s Principality Stadium, Murray field in Edinburgh and Tottenham Hot spur Stadium.
Sunderland can expect a 36-strong set list from the 2022 album of the same name, as well as hits from her vast archiveincluding Dangerously in Love, Run the World( Girls ), No Angel, Formation, Partition, Yonce, Crazy in Love, Drunk in Love and many more.
It’s been seven years since the star last performed in Sunderland, when she proved a sell-out success with the Wearside leg of her Formation World Tour in, putting on an energetic show for more than 50,000 fans.
Sunderland is already buzzing about Queen Bey’s return.
Each gig ploughs millions into the economy and this time around the city is more geared up to support visitors with a wave of new bars, restaurants and hotels.
The new 120-bed Holiday Inn in Keel Square has been fully booked for next Tuesday since the gig was announced and general manager Rob Dixon says they could have filled it 10 times over.
"All eyes will be on Sunderland,” he said. “And it’s when events like this happen that hotels really see the benefit of what it can bring, not just in terms of accommodation, but the focus internationally.”
The hotel is also fully booked for Pink’s two dates in the city which was announced last October, before the hotel opened. Such was the demand, they had to create a manual waiting list because their booking system wasn’t yet live.
Rob says the new addition to the city centre is performing well and, across the hotel group, it’s one of the best performing in Europe for guest satisfaction.
The hotel will soon be joined by new neighbours down stairs in the form of The Botanist and The Keel Tavern. Although the new bars won’ t be open in time for the gigs, the fit-out is due to begin in the coming weeks to open later in the summer.
Barry Hyde is the publican of The Peacock in Keel Square, which has proved a popular pre-gig spot for previous shows, such as last summer’s Ed Sheeran dates.
He said: “It's fabulous for the city to be having musical superstars like Beyoncé, Pink and Ed Sheeran performing at the Stadium of Light.
“This occasional music venue is capable of hosting world class concerts and it was so rely missed during the years that the gigs stopped.
Sharon Appleby, chief executive of Sunderland BID, said: “Having someone of the international standing of Beyoncé performing in Sunderland gives an incredible boost to the city, which goes beyond the day of the concert itself."
It’s set to be a summer of performances with Pink to perform two dates in Sunderland on June 10 and 11, 2023, as part of her Summer Carnival tour.