Last weekend is one that will go down in the history books and it's all down to one man, the local hero himself Sam Fender, who gave the city two nights that it will never, ever forget.
When Sam announced that he'd be playing the gigs of his live at the ground of his beloved NUFC, everyone who managed to get their hands on a ticket knew it would be special, but, never in anyone's wildest dreams, did they ever expect the gigs to be quite as incredble as they were.
Every time Sam plays a gig on home turf, you can be guaranteed of an amazing atmosphere, but the buzz around not just St James', but the whole of Newcastle on Friday and Saturday, truly was something else. Tyneside became a shrine to the North Shields lad who has not only done himself immensely proud over the last few years, but has made all of us incredibly proud of him.
ChronicleLive interviewed Sam at the start of 2019, right after he found out he'd won the Brits Critics' Choice award. We called into see him at a recording studio in Shields and, as well as letting us ask a few questions, gave us a sneaky listen of a song he was really excited about.
That track just happened to be Hypersonic Missiles and we all know what happened with that one! We took Sam to Tynemouth Priory for a bit of a photo shoot, wished him well and got back in the car to head back to the office, waxing lyrical about just how amazing Hypersonic was and how we couldn't wait to hear more.
That was four years ago now and a hell of a lot has happened since then. Sam's sold out Mouth of the Tyne gig that summer, before his debut album had even been released, strongly hinted that we were witnessing a local talent destined for greatness and, sell out arena gigs, an acclaimed slot at Glastonbury and the small matter of a support gig for idol Bruce Springsteen later, Sam's St James' park gigs were a chance for him and his band to bask in the glory of everything they've achieved so far.
As well as natives being beside themselves with excitement for the shows, people flocked from all over the world to be there, with Newcastle transformed into a sea of black and white as Mother Nature did her bit, by providing some scorching Geordie sunshine for the occasion.
Toon tops and bucket hats were the go-to fashion combo as it felt like every single bar in the city was rocking to the sounds of choice cuts from Sam's back catalogue, with fans pouring out onto the streets with their pints before making their way up to the stadium.. Greggs on Grainger Street underwent an epic transformation to become Fenders Unplugged and a bridal boutique even put a cardboard cut out of Sam in their window, as the whole of Newcastle became willing victims of Fender Fever.
As well as being an amazing accomplishment for Sam and the lads in the band, the St James' Park gigs were an example of Newcastle being able to put one on amazing show. This was the city at its finest, with the electric energy from the Bigg Market to the Gallowgate not only highly contagious, but also, if truth be told, verging on being rather breath-taking.
Inside the ground, the awe-inspiring euphoria echoing around the pitch and into the stands was like nothing anyone had ever witnessed before and more than likely, never will again, at least not at a gig anyway.
Music fans in the modern era are often maligned for having their phones out too much at gigs, but there was no way anyone at SJP across this weekend was not going to capture the immense buzz in the minutes that led up to Sam arriving on stage.
It was very apt, as well as very timely, that Sam made his entrance to the Champions League theme, as his shows were the shows of a champion. Sam's songs have quite rightly written themselves into Geordie culture, whether it be Seventeen Going Under - with the 'woah oh oh ohs' of the SJP crowd still ringing in the ears, or quintessentially North Tyneside anthem Howdon Aldi Death Queue, with its shouts of 'Get off the Metro nowwww' continue to live rent free in many heads.
Sam Fender at St James' Park is definitely one of those 'were you there?' occasions. The hottest ticket in town on the hottest weekend of the year so far was a match made in Geordie heaven. Never mind Carlsberg, this was the Newcastle Brown Ale of weekends.
It will definitely take some getting over and, let's be honest,. none of us actually want to. These weren't just gigs, this was a celebration of a lad who got to live out his dreams, in front of an audience of people, who were them to shower him with their love, respect and appreciation.
You could see how much being on the stage meant to Sam and his bandmates and, the wealth of posts on social media from those in attendance, show just how much of a privilege it felt to be part of it all.
Music has a habit of uniting everyone and Sam Fender at St James' Park did just that. What a guy and what a weekend. Get in there son!
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