2,500 music fans in Britain flocked to the new Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Tuesday evening to attend the first major outdoor concert since the U.K.’s events industry shut down back in March. Sam Fender was the headlining act who the 2,500 attendees were able to watch safely from the 500 platforms spread throughout the viewing area, as spaced two meters apart from one another to abide by the strict social distancing guidelines.
Much of the response shared by fans on social media seemed positive for the unique concert viewing setup, which took place on the spacious real estate of the Newcastle Racecourse. Some attendees did express frustration about feeling penned in within each private viewing area, which allowed for five people max, but overall, fans must have been ecstatic just to be able to experience live music in a large-scale setting after months of isolation and despair throughout the spring.
A post shared by Sam Fender to Instagram prior to the concert read, “Super excited for our shows this week!! The first events of their kind, we hope everybody is ready to enjoy responsibly. There are a few rules to follow to keep everyone safe. No moving between platforms/areas and please keep a safe distance when moving around to go to the toilet (bring a mask too). You can pre-order booze on the venue website and there will be hand sanitizer on points of entry. You’ll all be sent arrival times so please check your emails and get down nice n early.”
Scroll down to check out some of the photos and videos shared by fans social media from last night’s concert.
Next up it’s @samfendermusic
🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/12Sl5R6Mi9— Virgin Money Unity Arena (@VMUnityArena) August 11, 2020
So this is a Sam Fender concert last night. Great that you can hear live music again. So why can’t non league football allow fans in. #LetFansIn pic.twitter.com/CSWVZYmReY
— ScottCassell (@ScottCassell12) August 12, 2020
Big up Newcastle, big up Sam Fender!!!! We have just got home, I’ve drove over 8 hours today and it was all worth it! I didn’t think I’d get to see the big man himself this year after my tickets for Birmingham were sold without me knowing and then Covid19 🤷♂️ Today was just epic!! pic.twitter.com/fK4ve5P5oo
— Jonathan Morgan (@jonathanamorgan) August 12, 2020
The UK’s first socially distanced gig is happening now in Newcastle with @samfendermusic headlining, and where attendees have their own private viewing area with 2m of space between them. Here’s what it looks like #samfender #unityarena pic.twitter.com/YBdxpAjYyi
— Kieron Donoghue (@kierondonoghue) August 11, 2020
First socially distant #event #concert in the world #VMUnityArena Sam Fender holding the first ever for the #NorthEast #NewcastleUponTyne @samfendermusic Wow!!! pic.twitter.com/dt9gm8LV5n
— Christian Taylor (@CTaylorSage) August 11, 2020
The first socially distanced concert was absolutely surreal but really well thought out. Sam Fender was amazing 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/RtUeNLZhtq
— alisha henry (@alishamhenry) August 11, 2020
Wow that was special! Thank you to everyone that came and made history tonight! #Goosebumps 🙏 pic.twitter.com/qHoRjWvbZ5
— Virgin Money Unity Arena (@VMUnityArena) August 11, 2020
The U.K. was one of the first major markets in the world to embrace the return of major concert events in both outdoor and indoor settings as fans head into August. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson and culture secretary Oliver Dowden originally announced last month that indoor concerts can resume in England beginning on August 1st, that plan has since been delayed until at least August 14th.
[H/T NME]