Sam Fender says getting to play in his hometown is the “pinnacle of everything.”
The 28-year-old pop star – who hails from North Shields near Newcastle-upon-Tyne in North East England – is due to play a gig at St James’ Park in June 2023 and admitted the chance to play at his hometown’s football stadium is “beyond his wildest dreams.”
He said: “When me and my band started five years ago, we used to dream about playing St James. We used to say to each other ‘Imagine if our music got to the place where we could play St James. That was the pinnacle of everything and we didn’t know where we would go from there. That stadium is a church for us, so this show is beyond our wildest dreams! Being the first Geordie to headline there too, it’sjust like ‘Holy sh***!'”
The ‘Seventeen Going Under’ hitmaker went on to tease that a couple of local celebrities may be joining him for the gig but is hesitant to give too much away at this stage.
He told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “I don’t want to confirm anything that then doesn’t happen, but I’m sure there will be a couple of celebrity guests. We will have loads of treats for everyone!”
Sam also wants to incorporate his local pub Low Lights Tavern in North Shields into the show but admitted there is usually about “a hundred” fans waiting for him outside and struggles to go anywhere these days without being asked for a selfie.
He said: “It’s tough going to Low Lights after a show in Newcastle. Everyone assumes that’s where I’ll go after a show so there tends to be a hundred people waiting outside. Potentially, it’d be great to have Low Lights involved, but it always ends up being like a festival after our shows.
“I can’t really go anywhere without there being a shower of selfies.”
Tickets for the gig go on sale on September 9 via samfender.com.