After being forced to stay home over much of the past two years, it's no surprise that music stars can't wait to get out and about touring and performing again in 2022.
Just as music fans have missed out during the pandemic on their usual fix of live shows - first cancelled by lockdown then hampered by Covid restrictions - singers and musicians have suffered too, finding their creativity stifled.
So, with normality now returning, they are keen not to waste any more time and there has been a rush from singers and musicians to get new gig dates in the diary - and that goes for big stars too.
Read more: music festivals around the North East in 2022
The knock-on effect is that fans will be spoiled for choice when it comes to on-stage entertainment this year and the North East is preparing to welcome a huge range of performers, including some top names and others which are real blasts from the past.
Here we've rounded up just a few of the biggies heading north to play in and around Newcastle. Some are dates which have been rescheduled, more than once in some cases, so patient fans will be more than ready to party.
Among them are some real surprises - such as 81-year-old legend Dionne Warwick stopping off at the City Hall on her She's Back One More Time Tour - while others, like Tony Hadley and Gary Numan, are celebrating big anniversaries (40 years in their case) and some are almost-forgotten rock classics who are once again taking to the the road. Uriah Heep 50 years on anyone?
30 diary dates in a year of music greats
Simply Red - Utilita Arena, February 8, www.utilitaarena.co.uk
Adam Ant - 02 City Hall, February 22, academymusicgroup
Status Quo - Globe Theatre, Stockton, March 3, stocktonglobe
Randy Newman - Sage Gateshead, March 18, sagegateshead
Van Morrison - Sage Gateshead, March 24, sagegateshead
Barbara Dixon - Sage Gateshead, April 13, sagegateshead
10cc - Sage Gateshead, April 9, sagegateshead
Simple Minds - Utilita Arena, April 10, utilitaarena
Paul Weller - O2 City Hall, April 17, academymusicgroup
Marti Pellow - Sage Gateshead, April 21, sagegateshead
Craig David - 02 City Hall, April 29, academymusicgroup
Gary Numan - 02 City Hall, May 11, academymusicgroup
Go West and Paul Young - Sage Gateshead, May 14, sagegateshead
Whitesnake, Foreigner and Europe - Utilita Arena, May 14, utilitaarena
Bryan Adams - Utilita Arena, May 20, utilitaarena
Tony Hadley - 02 City Hall, May 25 - 40th anniversary tour, academymusicgroup
Elvis Costello - 02 City Hall, June 8, academymusicgroup
Dionne Warwick - 02 City Hall, June 14, academymusicgroup
Elton John - Stadium of Light, June 19, ticketmaster
Barry Manilow - Utilita Arena, June 22, utilitaarena
Diana Ross - Durham Cricket Ground, June 29, ticketline
Tears for Fears - Utilita Arena, July 7, utilitaarena
David Essex - 02 City Hall, September 8, academymusicgroup
Kim Wilde - Sage Gateshead, September 10, sagegateshead
Don McLean - Sage Gateshead, September 24 - 40-year anniversary of American Pie, sagegateshead
Leo Sayer - The Playhouse, Whitley Bay, October 6 - 50 year anniversary tour, whitleybayplayhouse
Uriah Heep - Sage Gateshead, October 8 - 50-year anniversary tour, sagegateshead
Howard Jones - Tyne Theatre, October 26, tynetheatre
Martin Kemp - The Boiler Shop, November 18 - 80s DJ set, ticketweb
Rod Stewart - Utilita Arena, December 17, utilitaarena
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