How Bryan Adams rocked out in Gateshead 30 years ago thrilling 38,000 fans

Some of the world’s biggest rock acts stopped off to perform at Gateshead International Stadium during the 1980s and ‘90s.

The Police, U2, Dire Straits, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Simply Red, Tina Turner, Guns 'N Roses and Simple Minds were among the A-list names who played to huge crowds at the venue which had made its name hosting high-profile athletics meetings. Thirty years ago, it was the turn of Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, with support from The Pretenders, Gun and Jimmy Barnes, to rock out in the Tyneside open air.

Fast forward to 2024 and the Ontario-born singer-songwriter-guitarist is a household name having sold an estimated 75 million to 100 million records worldwide during his stellar four-decade career. Here in the UK, he has scored 11 top-10 singles, including two number ones - and 11 top-10 albums, with three of them topping the chart.

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When Adams stepped out at Gateshead, on July 17, 1994, the then 34-year-old was on the crest of a wave, basking in the success of a recent number one album, So Far So Good, not to mention a run of big early-’90s hit singles, including the anthemic Everything I Do (I Do It For You), a song which topped the charts for 16 weeks - even though it felt like an eternity at the time.

Reporting on the show, the Evening Chronicle noted that the star was in the middle of a mammoth two-year world tour, but that “denim-clad Adams showed no sign of fatigue as he delighted the 38,000 crowd with a string of his classic hits”.

Among the tracks aired on the night were Kids Wanna Rock, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Cuts Like A Knife, It’s Only Love, Please Forgive Me, Run To You, and Summer Of ‘69, while there was also time for a handful of classic cover versions, including Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody and Sam Cooke’s Shake.

The show happened to be taking place at the very same time as the 1994 World Cup final in Pasadena, California, which saw Brazil beat Italy 3-2 on penalties. In an era before the arrival of iPhones and social media, Adams dutifully gave a running commentary on the scores for those who’d dragged themselves away from the football.

Meanwhile, folk across Tyneside couldn’t avoid getting an earful from Bryan on the night. The music could be heard as far away as Jesmond and Byker, and Gateshead Council received 50 complaints. A spokesman said: “It was a very still night and there was no cloud to restrict the noise. Because of these conditions, the concert could be heard quite a way away.”