Sam Fender’s Newcastle gigs brought in £15million to local economy

nme.com:

Sam Fender’s recent headline shows in Newcastle are said to have brought in £15million to the local economy.The slots took place at St James’ Park Stadium last weekend (June 9 and June 10), and were the biggest headline slots to date in the singer-songwriter’s career.Both sold-out dates saw more than 100,000 fans flock to the Newcastle Stadium on Friday and Saturday, for what would become an iconic moment for the city, and a new milestone for the musician.Supported by Hector Gannet, Holly Humberstone and Inhaler at the first night of the two-day residency, a highlight of the show included the North Shields singer performing a Bruce Springsteen cover at the opening show.

An even more monumental surprise occurred on the second night, when Fender was joined on stage by rock icon and AC/DC legend, Brian Johnson.

Here, the two performed covers of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ and ‘Back In Black’.Now, less than a week since the homecoming shows took place, business chief Stephen Patterson has hailed the gigs as a “huge celebration of Newcastle, the city, its people and its musical and sporting history”, and estimates suggest that they contributed at least £15million to the North East Economy.“Hats off to Sam, his team and NUFC for putting on such a fantastic show,” he said (via The Northern Echo), adding that Newcastle city centre businesses reported takings being “significantly up” because of the concerts. “It is massively important for the city to host events of this scale and calibre and we need more of them.”Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp also spoke of the impact that the shows have had on the city, adding: “With Sam Fender selling out St James’ Park on consecutive nights and the annual Blaydon Races on Friday,.