Sam Fender hits the stage in style for Local Hero during an intimate gig at the O2 City Hall

Sam Fender lifted the roof off Newcastle’s O2 Town Hall tonight as he took the stage to the sound of Geordie’s iconic anthem, Local Hero.
The tune, which springs from St James’ Park on matchdays, is quickly becoming synonymous with the hardcore Newcastle United fan who delights his fellow Geordies by kicking off his hometown gigs with the instrumental track.
And tonight was no exception, with Sam Fender saxophonist Johnny “Blue Hat” Davis opening the show with a rendition of the Mark Knopfler classic, originally written for the 1983 film Local Hero.
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Only 875 lucky ticket holders were able to attend the intimate hometown concert tonight. But that didn’t dampen the incredible atmosphere throughout the show, which helped raise money for the local homeless charity, North East Homeless.
The North Shields-born singer-songwriter recently became a patron of the charity and all proceeds from the show will go directly to support their work.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Sam’s already had a hell of a year and 2022 isn’t even six months old. As well as wins at the Brits, the NME Awards and the recent Ivor Novellos, Sam has performed to crowds all over the UK and Europe, one of those crowds of course being in Newcastle.
Tickets to see the British twice award-winning musician perform at tonight’s ‘private event’ were available through a ballot, which cost at least £5 to enter. Registration was only open to O2 and Virgin Media customers with access to the “Priority” ticketing service.
Ballot winners were notified by email on April 16, with the rest placed on a waiting list for a second chance to grab tickets on April 20.
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