Who was the first band to play the new Wembley Stadium?
In April 1923, Wembley Stadium opened as a sporting venue.
Holding other events there, like music concerts, wasn’t really a thought, much less something they considered as a long-term strategy. People likely thought about it in passing, especially when looking at the possibilities, should it remain a successful choice for major sporting events. But even fewer probably predicted the fact that it would eventually turn into one of the biggest and most coveted music venues in the world.
Today, Wembley Stadium has hosted some of the biggest names in the business, from Harry Styles to Bruce Springsteen. However, one of the initial major turning points for the venue was the aftermath of counterculture and rock transformation that occurred in the 1960s, with many communities of music vying for bigger and better spaces to celebrate the unity of music.
Naturally, Wembley became the perfect destination for such large-scale occasions, and in 1972, the first-ever gig was scheduled at the stadium, boasting names like Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Bill Haley.
Many artists overseas had wanted to join in too, but weren’t able due to permit issues, leaving the special night up to a majority of British artists to set the stage – literally – for a night that would go down in history.
However, in 2007, Wembley opened with a significantly new development with a 90,000 capacity, becoming a coveted spot for events across all industries. In music, George Michael became the first-ever artist to perform at the new stadium, stepping in for Bon Jovi, who had initially been slated to take on the milestone, having been the last to perform at the old stadium, though scheduling conflicts got in the way.
Who was the first band to play the new Wembley Stadium?
Funnily enough, it was the same night that a security guard refused Michael entry to the stadium because he didn’t recognise him, but that wasn’t the only thing that made it a memorable night for the late star. He’d learned later on about the list of names they had in mind to play the first-ever gig, and hoped and wished that they would choose him instead.
After Michael, the stadium went on to host countless major names, the first band being Muse, who performed a few days after Michael in June 2007, following a long period of anticipation about who it would be to be the one to open the new stadium. Muse had been a name that came up several times across different communities and radio stations before it was revealed that Michael would be the first artist on the bill.
Nevertheless, the Muse gig still drummed up a significant amount of hype, especially as many rallied for a solid British band to be the first to play, with Muse becoming the name on most people’s lips when thinking of a suitable band that was both explosive, current, and a good embodiment of nostalgic rock ‘n’ roll.
Even better was the fact that there was still an air of mystery on the night they were set to take to the stage. Before, it had been said they’d perform around 25 songs, with many speculating about how long the set would actually be. On the night, they played 22 songs, finishing at just under two hours with a set filled with many of their best-ever songs.
