He was one the biggest names to set foot inside St James’ Park in the 1980s – and he wasn’t even a footballer.
In the summer of 1985, American rock superstar Bruce Springsteen played two sold-out shows at the home of Newcastle United. Arriving on Tyneside in the midst of his sprawling Born In The USA world tour, with tickets priced at £14.50, these were 35-year-old Springsteen’s first concerts in Newcastle since his celebrated gig at the City Hall in 1981.
The St James’ Park shows – both attracting audiences of 35,000 – were a triumph, with The Boss playing many of his most popular songs, including Born In The USA, Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark, Hungry Heart, The River and Born To Run. As the Chronicle reported at the time: “When Springsteen and his seven-piece E Street Band burst on stage, it was like a shock to the system.”
Our photograph shows some of the fans lucky enough to get tickets for the electrifying performance on June 5. It’s one of 10 images we’ve pulled from the archive which recall scenes around Newcastle 40 years ago.
We see Newcastle United players heading off to an end-of-season tournament in far-off New Zealand. One of them, Paul Gascoigne, an 18-year-old midfield prodigy from Dunston, would go on to become one of the biggest names in world football. Elsewhere, shoppers on busy Northumberland Street were going about their business in the city centre, a full 13 years before the road was fully pedestrianised. And at Newcastle’s now-vanished Mayfair Ballroom, celebrations were underway marking the 40th anniversary of VE Day, the pivotal moment in the Allies’ defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
In the wider world, during 1985, pop music would make headline news. In July, the massive Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London saw fans from our region heading south to see the likes of Queen, David Bowie and U2 performing in the music event of the decade. In
the United States, another star-studded Live Aid concert took place at the John F Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, on the same day. Both shows were televised to a huge worldwide audience, raising substantial funds for the relief of famine in Ethiopia.
In other news, the bitter year-long national miners’ strike, which affected many North East communities, came to an end; football was rocked by disasters at Heysel Stadium in Belgium and Valley Parade, Bradford; and the first ever mobile phone call in the UK was made.
On television in 1985, there were debuts for EastEnders, Miami Vice, and The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole. At the cinema, Back To The Future, Out of Africa, and A View To A Kill were some of the year’s biggest films. And, in the higher reaches of the UK singles chart this week
40 years ago, there were hits for Madonna with Like A Virgin, Tears For Fears with Shout, and Ray Parker Jnr with Ghostbusters.
Our 10 photographs recall some of what was going on around Newcastle 40 years ago.