Organisers hail Take That concert

The first of two concerts by Take That at Sunderland's Stadium of Light has been hailed a success by organisers.

More than 50,000 people attended the opening concert of the band's The Circus Live tour on Friday night.

It was the first concert staged at the home of Sunderland Football Club, with stadium officials hailing it as a "fantastic success."

Northumbria Police praised the behaviour of fans who were "well behaved and in good spirits."

The stadium's concert project manager, Gary Hutchinson, said: "It was great to see the months of planning and hard work culminate in such a fantastic event.

"This has shown that not only is there a demand for such large-scale events in the city but also that we are more than equipped to host them."

Extra buses

Ch Supt Neil MacKay added: "This was the first concert to be held at the Stadium of Light and a huge amount of planning on behalf of the club, police, city council, fire brigade and ambulance service went into it.

"The crowd was in good spirits, it was a successful event enjoyed by all and we're very pleased with the way it went."

Take That were due to play a second show at the stadium on Saturday night.

Oasis are due to play at the stadium on Wednesday.

Extra buses and Metro trains have being laid on and all city centre car parks are being kept open for 24 hours.

Police have urged visitors to use public transport and a park a ride service.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version