Saturday 18th June 2016 – The Stone Roses, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
It is 6 years ago to the day since I saw The Stone Roses at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
This was one of those ‘special’ gigs that will live long in the memory. One thing that makes this one special is that I got to see a legendary band playing on their home turf to their adoring local fan base (forget the fact that three members of the band are actually Manchester United fans – music is one thing that pulls the city of Manchester together – ‘One Love’, man!)
It’s no secret that the Mancs love their music and the region has produced some fine artists over the years. The Stone Roses emerged in the late 80’s when the ‘Madchester’ scene was becoming a UK phenomena. This band was one of those leading the charge and despite only ever releasing two studio albums, and splitting up in the mid-1990s there is no disputing their legendary status.
Unfortunately I missed their first ‘resurrection’ in 2012 as I was away on holiday but when tickets went on sale for this short series of gigs in 2016 I was desperate to go. Thankfully my mate Paul came up with the goods and we managed to get pitch standing tickets for the Saturday night show.
The city centre was absolutely buzzing on the Saturday – as it would have been since Wednesday night when their run of 4 sold out shows at the Etihad started. Every pub, bar, restaurant and hotel seemed to be blasting out the Stone Roses, the Inspiral Carpets, Oasis and other great Manchester music from era. There was such a positive vibe about the place. If the city centre was buzzing then the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric!
This video, which I shot at the start of this gig has now had over 400,000 ‘likes’ on YouTube and counting. For me it truly captures the ‘homecoming’ feeling in the stadium that night…
My 20 years at Glastonbury
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