London has been hailed the “best place on the planet” for live music after five-star gigs by superstars including Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce and Harry Styles.
A million people attended 22 concerts in the capital in the last week, including two sell-out shows by The Boss at Hyde Park, two nights at Wembley stadium by Blur and acclaimed festival appearances by US legends Billy Joel and Lana Del Ray.
Research by the Music Venues Trust and City Hall estimated the gigs “supercharged” the city’s economy with £320m of ticket sales and additional spending on hotel rooms, eating out and Tube and train travel.
Further highlights to come next month include Stormzy, The Strokes and Haim headlining the All Points East festival in Victoria Park and The Weeknd, who played to more than 100,000 people at the London Stadium last Friday and Saturday, returning to the capital with a gig at Wembley stadium.
It comes as the global frenzy ramps up for Taylor Swift tickets – she is due to play six nights at Wembley stadium next summer as part of her Eras tour.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, who attended the Springsteen gig on Saturday night with his wife Saadiya, said: “London is the undisputed world leader in live music, and there’s a lot more still to come over this summer.”
Earlier this week, Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s night-time economy adviser, claimed the recovery of Manchester’s hospitality sector was leaving London “in the dust”. He said: “While the South has all the money, the North has all the fun.”
But Mr Khan hit back, saying: “London’s music scene is the best in the world.”
He added: “London has been abuzz with excitement over the last week, and given everything that happened during the pandemic, it’s genuinely fantastic that over million people were able to see brilliant live music last week.”
Latest figures from Transport for London reveal that a post-pandemic record of 3.45m journeys on the Underground was set on Saturday July 1, when the capital also held its annual Pride parade.
Over the same weekend, the British Summer Time series of concerts at Hyde Park featured Blackpink and Take That. Pulp and The 1975 played Finsbury Park, and Wembley stadium hosted Def Leppard and Motley Crue. Crystal Palace park hosted the Dog Day Afternoon concerts featuring Iggy Pop and Blondie.
London’s summer spectacular began in incredible style when Beyonce played five nights at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in May – described by the Standard’s critic, in a five-star review, as “an enthralling, dizzying display”.
“Queen Bey” was followed last month by another superstar, Harry Styles, who played four nights at Wembley stadium.
Burna Boy became the first African artist to headline a UK stadium when he performed at the London stadium.
Arctic Monkeys played three nights at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium ahead of a headlining appearance at Glastonbury.
The Who are due to play the O2 arena tonight. Iron Maiden played there last Friday and Saturday. Kiss were there last Wednesday and Maroon 5 last Monday. Van Morrison played the Royal Albert Hall last month.
Bands playing London in the coming weeks include Busted, Bebe Rexha and Blink-182. Red Hot Chili Peppers will play the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on July 21.
Somerset House marked the 20th anniversary of its open-air concerts with sold-out performances from Gabriels, Interpol and Alison Goldfrapp.
City Hall said the mayor was also keen to protect grassroots venues and was providing support through the London Plan planning blueprint and a culture at risk business support fund Jon Collins, chief executive of music industry group Live, said: “These figures confirm London’s place as one of the best places on the planet to enjoy live music. The truly exciting news is, with the right support, we could be doing even more - supporting the grassroots venues and events that help develop the next generation of talent.”
Beverley Whitrick, chief operating officer of the Music Venue Trust, said: “Music is the glue that binds London together. It’s fantastic to see how artists like Wolf Alice, Dua Lipa, Blur, The 1975, Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Charlie XCX and Coldplay have progressed out of the smallest London venues to headline our biggest arenas and stadiums.”
However, some concerts have sparked complaints from residents. The Friends of Finsbury Park said the Wireless series of gigs – which attract crowds of up to 50,000 – resulted in damage to the park and it being off limits for parts of the summer.
Bethany Anderson, of the Friends of Finsbury Park, told BBC London: “We need to really question where we hold big events nowadays in public parks. The damage they do to our environment and our ecology – I think it’s something we really need to think about.
“We have got some of the best purpose-built venues in London. They protect sound, they make it easier to keep [fans] safe. Why do we not use those venues?”
