It was a night 15 years ago when two famous faces from the world of entertainment performed together at The Sage Gateshead in support of a very good cause - the Teenage Cancer Trust.
First up was Jimmy Nail, Geordie-born star of TV hits Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Spender, Crocodile Shoes and more - as well as chart-topping singer in his own right in the 1980s and '90s. Before making his name on the small screen, incidentally, Nail (real name Jimmy Bradford) was well-known on the Tyneside gig circuit as lead singer with a pub band called the King Crabs.
Joining him on stage in Gateshead was Roger Daltrey, lead singer with rock superstars The Who - a band who had played in the region many time since their inception in the mid 1960s. The Londoner also happened to be patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
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Reviewing the event back in September 2007, the Chronicle reported: "Hundreds of people descended upon one of the region’s foremost venues, raising thousands for sick teenagers across the North-East. Crowds flocked to see the stars grace the stage at The Sage Gateshead for the second annual 3 Mobile Bandstand for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
"And although the final figures have yet to be totted up, it is hoped last year’s fundraising total of more than £50,000 has been smashed. Stars including singer and actor Jimmy Nail, former EastEnder Jill Halfpenny, soul sensation Ruby Turner, Roland Gift of 1980s band The Fine Young Cannibals and TCT’s patron Roger Daltrey provided an eclectic mix of music.
"This was interspersed with stand-up comedy from Cold Feet’s John Thomson, local comic Gavin Webster and Vic Reeves. Also sharing the bill with the big names were many of those who have received treatment for cancer from the RVI’s cancer unit."
The surprise finale of the emotion-packed show, led by Daltrey and Nail, was a rendition of Fog on the Tyne, the Tyneside anthem made famous by local heroes Lindisfarne. A lavish after-show party was held at the Tuxedo Princess nightspot, famously moored at the time under the Tyne Bridge on the Gateshead side of the river.
In 2022, Roger Daltrey remains patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Find out more about the charity here: www.teenagecancertrust.org. The Teenage Cancer Unit at Newcastle's RVI was officially opened in 2010. Find out more about the unit here: www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/hospitals/great-north-childrens-hospital/wards/teenage-cancer-unit
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