Tens of thousands of concert-goers flocked to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light last night, for what was one of the liveliest shows ever staged at the home of Sunderland AFC.
Almost 50,000 excited music fans saw the Spice Girls showcase their Spice World tour in Sunderland and Baby, Scary, Ginger and Sporty certainly didn’t disappoint their adoring fans. The two-hour extravaganza saw the girl band megastars showcase all of their greatest hits, kicking off with ‘Spice Up Your Life’ and closing with the song that started the girl power revolution, ‘Wannabe’.
Jess Glynne warmed up the crowd and the main act took to the stage at 8.30pm. The thousands of fans, many of whom were bedecked in Spice Girls themed outfits and bedecked in glitter, danced and sang from start to finish
After the show, Sunderland AFC’s managing director, Tony Davison said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has played their part in making this spectacular show happen.
“There is a huge amount of planning and preparation that goes into delivering a successful concert, both from club staff, who have worked tirelessly in the months and weeks leading up to last night’s show, and our external partners and agencies, including Sunderland City Council and MAKE it Sunderland, without whom we could not stage the shows.
“Last night showed that in terms of major music events, the Stadium of Light is well and truly back in the game.
Sunderland AFC’s head of safety and security, Steve Neill added: “A concert presents us with a completely different dynamic to a football match, so I am immensely proud of everyone involved in the delivery of last night’s event, from our brilliant staff to the external partners who support us.
“There is a huge amount of planning and preparation that goes in to making a concert of this magnitude happen and we have delivered a safe and successful event that the whole of Sunderland can be proud of.”
The Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller said: “It was fantastic to see so many visitors to our city, here to enjoy the Spice Girls at the Stadium of Light.
“I hope everyone had a wonderful time, and it’s great to welcome major international live music concerts back to the stadium which hosts them so well.
“Sunderland is an award-winning events city, and we want to build on that reputation to bring even more people here, to bring even more money into the local economy.”
The show was the 20th concert to be staged at the Stadium of Light. The home of Sunderland AFC hosted its first ever concert in 2009, when Take That graced the Wearside stage. Since then, international artists including Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Coldplay and Beyoncé have helped to boost the North East economy by an estimated £80 million through the live shows.
Bars, restaurants and hotels across the city and wider region have all benefited from the introduction of concerts to Sunderland, with over a million attendees enjoying the events over the last 10 years.
