NEWCASTLE lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes predicts Sir Paul McCartney's historic McDonald Jones Stadium concert will generate $9 million for the local economy.
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Cr Nelmes and McDonald Jones Stadium venue manager Dean Mantle were at the Turton Road venue on Tuesday to talk up what is undoubtedly the biggest concert in Newcastle history.
The Beatles legend is bringing his Got Back Tour to Newcastle on October 24, in what will be the 81-year-old's first concert outside of a capital city in Australia.
The concert is expected to deliver an economic windfall for Newcastle's tourism and hospitality industries.
According to Cr Nelmes, more than 75 per cent of ticket-holders at Sir Elton John's two Farewell Goodbye Yellow Brick Road shows in January came from outside the Newcastle local government area.
The figures are similar for Pink's sold-out concert scheduled for the Broadmeadow stadium on February 13 next year.
"The two Elton John concerts' economic value to the city was around $14 million," Cr Nelmes told the Newcastle Herald.
"The prediction for Pink next year is around $9m for the one concert, so our estimation for Paul McCartney is around $9m.
"So when you add that up that's more than $30m for three artists coming to the city in just over a 12-month period."
Mr Mantle said the success of the Elton John's concerts "100 per cent" helped secure the McCartney show.
"There was definitely a link to proof of concept, basically to suggest that we got it right and that it proves there is a market here for big concerts," Mr Mantle said.
"The experience we provided for that promoter was excellent and they've commented directly as such. As part of the discussions we've had, it's been referenced back to Elton John and some of those elements really drove a positive decision for this."
Under its current arrangement, McDonald Jones Stadium has council approval for five non-sporting events per year.
The two Elton John shows, the McCartney gig and the Australian Supercross Championship on November 11, leave the potential for another event this calendar year.
Mr Mantle said he's in discussions with council to increase the number of non-sporting events allowed per year.
He also pointed out that following the McCartney coup, there was no artist out of reach for McDonald Jones Stadium.
"There's no one that we couldn't get," he said. "The limitation we do have is probably the capacity we can have per event.
"We've had discussions, and are having discussions, with a number of acts.
"There are some pencilled in dates for some very well-known acts that certainly have entertained coming to Newcastle. They see us as a viable option for their tour."
Cr Nelmes joked that she has asked Events NSW to secure Taylor Swift and Beyonce concerts for Newcastle and that Novocastrians should expect plenty more musical superstars.
"Newcastle is the best place in this country to live and work and I think that message is spreading out beyond Newcastle and that's our intention," she said.
"I think the world is our oyster here in the city. People want to come and visit. People want to play here."
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
