How David Bowie was the first act to appear when Newcastle Arena opened 30 years ago

David Bowie performing at Newcastle Arena, December 7, 1995 (Image: NCJ Archive)

It’s 30 years since Newcastle Arena, the North East’s premier indoor entertainment venue, opened its doors. Built at a cost of £10.6 million, the arena was the vision of Chas Chandler - former bass player with The Animals and manager of Jimi Hendrix - working alongside architect Nigel Stanger.

The pair sought to plug a gap in the touring map which increasingly saw headline rock and pop acts bypass our region for other cities. Wet Wet Wet’s Marti Pellow, for example, had moaned about the facilities at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in 1993, despite playing a well-received, sold-out show. The band’s lead singer complained: “We won’t be coming back until there’s a decent venue to play.”

Chandler, who’d slogged aro