Bruce just one who bossed it at St James’
THE 1980s was the decade when rock music in the UK went stadium-sized. On the other side of the Atlantic during the ‘60s and 70s, initially The Beatles, then other major acts including Elton John, The Who and Led Zeppelin, had discovered they could sell out huge, American stadium shows, raking in plenty of dollars in the process.
Over here, certainly in the provinces, even the biggest artists would normally play at modest, theatre-sized venues when they went out on tour.
In Newcastle, it was a time when the City Hall, Mayfair Ballroom, and occasionally even the Odeon cinema, would host some of the most stellar names in rock and pop.
Things upsized in the ’80s. If the huge Live Aid show at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1985 was the landmark live music event of the decade, our region was also getting in on the act. The outdoor Rock On The Tyne events at Gateshead Stadium in 1981 and 1982 were graced by the likes of The Police and U2. Meanwhile, across the River Tyne, thousands of fans flocked to see a quartet of legendary acts who, during the decade, took to the stage at the home of Newcastle United, St James’ Park.
THE ROLLING STONES: Wednesday, June 23, 1982
When the Stones rolled into Newcastle to perform at St James’ Park 42 years ago, it was the biggest rock concert the city had ever hosted. The band, touring Europe in support of their Tattoo You album, would employ a 100,000-watt PA system, while the performance was illuminated by 400,000 watts of lighting, with the equipment transported from venue to venue by a fleet of 26 articulated lorries. For Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and co, it was a far cry from The Rolling Stones’ first visits to the city in the early 1960s when they’d played in the small, sweaty confines of the Club a’gogo on Percy Street.
On a drizzly evening in front of 38,000 fans, the 25-song 1982 show kicked off with Under My Thumb. Songs new and old followed, including classics such as You Can’t Always Get What You Want and Jumping Jack Flash. The Chronicle reported: “The Stones’ sell-out concert at St James’ Park was a mesmerising spectacle, a non-stop musical party – an unqualified success.” The band would return to perform at the home of the Toon in 1990.
BOB DYLAN: Thursday, July 5, 1984
Following the success of The Rolling Stones’ show, and after plans for David Bowie to perform there in 1983 were scrapped, American folk legend Bob Dylan, in the middle of a 25-date European tour, became the second major act to grace St James’ Park.
Dylan was supported by Santana and Geordie favourites Lindisfarne. Tickets for the show were £11. On a pleasant evening, as the sun began to set, the 43-year-old singer took to the stage.
Our reviewer wrote: “He came, he sang, he conquered. Bob Dylan won the hearts of Northern fans – all 26,000 of them – at St James’ Park last night. The audience was calmed by his strange nasal tones echoing round the terraces, but surged with applause at every pause. The times they have been a-changing for Dylan fans. For many, marijuana has given way to middle-aged spreads and beads to balding heads. But ageing hippies made up just part of the crowd, which proved Dylan now has universal appeal.”
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND: Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday June 5, 1985
In the midst of his mammoth Born In The USA world tour, 35-year-old Springsteen played two concerts at St James’ Park, both of them 35,000 sell-outs. Tickets were £14.50. ‘The Boss’ hadn’t performed in Newcastle since his celebrated 1981 gig at the City Hall.
The shows were a triumph. Our reviewer noted: “When Springsteen and his seven-piece E Street Band burst on stage, it was like a shock to the system.” Born In The USA, Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark, Hungry Heart, The River and Born To Run were all aired in an electrifying set consisting of 26 numbers. Back at the Gosforth Park Hotel after the performance, the star tucked into fish, chips, and mushy peas, while it was also revealed he had donated £16,000 to striking miners in the wake of the 1984-85 national dispute.
QUEEN:
Wednesday, July 9, 1986
As relative unknowns, the band had made their North East debut at Newcastle’s Mayfair Ballroom in
August 1973 but this was to be Queen in full-on stadium rock mode. One year after they had stolen the show in the Live Aid, the classic line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon would perform in Newcastle one final time. With the St James’ Park gates opening at 3pm on a sun-drenched afternoon, £13 tickets were being briskly re-sold by touts for £25.
With support provided by Status Quo (Aussie band INXS failed to make the show after getting stuck in traffic on the A1), Queen entered the fray in front of a 38,000-strong crowd with the powerful One Vision, followed by classic such as Tie Your Mother Down, In The Lap Of The Gods, Seven Seas Of Rhye and Friends Will Be Friends.
Our reviewer noted: “Along the way there was romance and drama aplenty, from the opening number, through to the likes of Under Pressure, I Want To Break Free, Love Of My Life, Radio Ga Ga and We Will Rock You, to the inevitable We Are The Champions. They even took time out for a series of renditions of old rock’n’roll favourites, before taking up the operatic strains of Bohemian Rhapsody.”