Some travelled from a few streets away, others came from interstate.
United in purpose, about 10,000 punters descended on the Cambridge Hotel over three days to give a fitting send off to one of Australia's finest live music venues.
For some it was the last opportunity to rekindle distant memories of sneaking in while underage to watch the Hoodoo Gurus and other 1980s Aussie rock gods.
At the other end of the age spectrum were those still buzzing from seeing Australia's hottest up and coming acts perform only a weeks ago.
"This place means so much to so many people. Every age group is here. There's people who have just started coming here all the way through to people who are in their 50s," Gyro Stream publicist Zana McKenna said.
"It's an emotional and nostalgic experience for most people, but it's also celebratory."
In a poignant moment amongst the pulse and throb of the Wood Street outdoor stage, three-year-old Caius Keighran clambered on stage to join his dad Wade, the bass player in Polish Club, for the band's last couple of numbers.
"He was just itching to get on stage. It was beautiful," his mother Amy, who has been supporting her husband's bands at the Cambridge for the past two decades, said.
"There's so much emotion here. We really need a good live venue in Newcastle."
It was a thought that was front of mind for punters both young and old.
Alex Sharkey from Rutherford said he first heard about the hotel's reputation from his parents who were regulars in the 1980s.
"It's the biggest and best live music venue in Newcastle. My parents said the same thing. Everyone is sad to see it go," he said.
Adam Flannery, whose favourite memory was seeing the Whitlams in the 1990s, agreed.
"I'm sad to see it go. I hope it gets replaced. They have bands here that you don't normally get to see anywhere else," he said.
Steve McDonald from Wallarobba, near Dungog, said the iconic venue had been a touchstone of his musical life since the 1980s.
"When I have lived in Newcastle the Cambridge has been a big part of my life," he said.
"Hoodoo Gurus, the Smith Street Band and local bands like Arcades and Lions. Cooks & Bakers are playing today and they played last time I was here so that's pretty cool."
"There's a lot of emotion; it feels like an icon is leaving Newcastle."
The generation gap vanished as the three-day farewell party entered its final hours on Sunday afternoon.
And as the sun went down, expectations rose about what the night's headline act, Grinspoon might deliver.
Many were also holding their breath that Newcastle rock royalty and two thirds of Silverchair, Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou would hit the stage, as part of the final tribute.
"It's going to get pretty ramped up but I think there will be lots of really good emotions at the end of the night," Ms McKenna said.
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