The following list of Newcastle City Hall concert dates was compiled from several sources including advertisements in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle and various band gig diaries.
1968
| Date | Performer(s): – | |
| Tue | 16/01/68 | Northern Sinfonia – George Malcolm, Joseph Morovitz, Layton King |
| Wed | 17/01/68 | Peter Paul & Mary |
| Sat | 27/01/68 | Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Sun | 28/01/68 | Julie Felix |
| Fri | 02/02/68 | Woody Herman and his Orchestra |
| Sun | 04/02/68 | The Spinners, High Level Ranters |
| Mon | 05/02/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Maurice Gendron, Gary Bertini |
| Sun | 11/02/68 | Folk Festival ’68 with the Watersons, Incredible String Bnad, Bert Jansch, Hedy West |
| Wed | 21/02/68 | Rockin’ Berries, Alex & Anne, Smith & Weston, Silver Dollars |
| Sun | 25/02/68 | Festival Folk Concert – John Renbourn, Alan Campbell, Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick |
| Mon | 26/02/68 | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
| Wed | 28/02/68 | Manitas De Plata |
| Wed | 06/03/68 | BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra |
| Fri | 08/03/68 | Dubliners |
| Mon | 18/03/68 | The Jacques Loussier Trio |
| Tue | 19/03/68 | Small Faces, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, P.P. Arnold, The Symbols, The Nerve CANCELLED |
| Sat | 23/03/68 | Glasgow Phoenix Choir |
| Mon | 25/03/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Harry Blech and the London Mozart Players |
| Sun | 31/03/68 | Esther and Abi Ofarim |
| Tue | 02/04/68 | Gosforth Girls Choir |
| Tue | 16/04/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Stanley Weiner |
| Sat | 20/04/68 | Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Gary Cox with the Peter Jacobson Trio, Joe Young Jazzmen |
| Fri | 26/04/68 | Folk Concert – Alex Campbell, Bob Davenport |
| Sat | 27/04/68 | The Kinks, The Tremeloes, The Herd, Gary Walker and the Rain |
| Sat | 04/05/68 | Gene Pitney, Don Partridge, Status Quo, Amen Corner, Simon Dupree & the Big Sound |
| Thu | 23/05/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Wolfgang Schneiderman |
| Fri | 24/05/68 | Halle Orchestra with Sir John Barbirolli |
| Sat | 25/05/68 | Halle Orchestra with Sir John Barbirolli |
| Sun | 26/05/68 | The Spinners |
| Thu | 06/06/68 | Malcuzynski |
| Sat | 08/06/68 | Small Faces, Gary Walker & the Rain, P.P.Arnold, The Nice, The Sect |
| Wed | 12/06/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Friedrich Gulda |
| Wed | 03/07/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Rostropovich |
| Wed | 17/07/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Henryk Szeryng |
| Sat | 14/09/68 | The Corries, Roy Harper, Eddie & Finbar Furie |
| Sun | 15/09/68 | Scottish National Orchestra |
| Thu | 26/09/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Buchbinder and Schwarz |
| Sat | 28/09/68 | TUC Centenary Concert with massed brass bands and choir |
| Sun | 06/10/68 | Northern Sinfonia – Sviatyoslav Richter |
| Mon | 07/10/68 | Jacques Loussier |
| Tue | 08/10/68 | Oscar Peterson Trio |
| Wed | 09/10/68 | Joyce Grenfell |
| Thu | 10/10/68 | Scott Walker, Tommy James & the Shondells, The Gunn, Love Affair, Paper Dolls |
| Fri | 11/10/68 | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra |
| Sun | 13/10/68 | The Spinners |
| Sun | 20/10/68 | The Dubliners |
| Fri | 01/11/68 | Rag Top Gear Show – Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Nice, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, Principle Edwards Magic Theatre |
| Sun | 03/11/68 | American Folk-Blues ’68 Festival – Jimmy Reid, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams, Curtis Jones |
| Fri | 08/11/68 | The Settlers, Don Paretridge, The Reivers, Tony and Jamie |
| Sun | 10/11/68 | John Mayall |
| Thu | 14/11/68 | Manitas de Plata |
| Fri | 15/11/68 | Brno State Philharmonic |
| Sat | 16/11/68 | Julian Bream |
| Sun | 17/11/68 | Alex Campbell |
| Mon | 18/11/68 | The Who, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Joe Cocker & the Grease Band, Mindbenders |
| Fri | 22/11/68 | Muddy Waters featuring Otis Spann |
| Sat | 23/11/68 | Robert Mayer Youth Orchestra |
| Sun | 24/11/68 | Contemporary Song Festival – Al Stewart, Fairport Convention., The Johnstons, Jackson C Frank |
| Thu | 28/11/68 | Carlos Montoya |
| Fri | 29/11/68 | Love Affair, Marmalade, Foundations, Puncture Outfit – CANCELLED |
| Sun | 01/12/68 | Pentangle, Bert Jansch, John Redbourn |
| Sun | 08/12/68 | Julie Felix, The Reivers |
| Wed | 11/12/68 | Newcastle & Gateshead Choral Union – Messiah |
| Sun | 15/12/68 | Pink Floyd, Pretty Things, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Deviants, Gordon Smith |
| Fri | 20/12/68 | Halle Orchestra |
| Sun | 22/12/68 | The Animals, Grapefruit, Happy Magazine, Long John Baldry, Kim Davis & the Beginning, Paul Williams Set |
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1969
| Date | Performer(s): – | |
| Sat | 04/01/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Viennese New Year Concert |
| Sun | 12/01/69 | Hedy West, Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick, the High Level Ranters |
| Fri | 17/01/69 | The Spinners |
| Tue | 28/01/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Maurice Gendron |
| Wed | 05/02/69 | Los Paraguayos |
| Thu | 06/02/69 | Underground 69 – Moby Grape, Group Therapy, Family, The Eclection, Junco Partners, The Nice |
| Thu | 13/02/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Margaret Price |
| Mon | 24/02/69 | Ten Years After, Champion Jack Dupree, Keef Hartley, John Lee Hooker and the Groundhogs |
| Thu | 27/02/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Ida Haendel |
| Fri | 28/02/69 | Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger Trinity, Mason, Capadi, Wood & Frog, Fairport Convention, John Hiseman’s Colosseum |
| Sat | 01/03/69 | Glasgow Phoenix Choir |
| Thu | 06/03/69 | Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra |
| Fri | 07/03/69 | Gene Pitney, Marmalade, The Iveys, Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, Lucas & the Mike Cotton Sound |
| Thu | 13/03/69 | Spooky Tooth, Chicken Shack, Deep Purple, Duster Bennett, Junco Partners |
| Sun | 16/03/69 | Incredible String Band |
| Wed | 26/03/69 | Newcastle & Gateshead Choral Union |
| Thu | 27/03/69 | Gosforth Girl’s Choir |
| Sun | 13/04/69 | Herman’s Hermits, Love Affair, Dave Berry & The Sponge, Parking Lot |
| Tue | 15/04/69 | British Youth Symphony Orchestra |
| Wed | 23/04/69 | B.B.King, Fleetwood Mac, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Duster Bennet |
| Sat | 26/04/69 | The Corries |
| Mon | 28/04/69 | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
| Sat | 03/05/69 | Andy Stewart Show with Dixie Ingram, Sydney Devine, Jennifer Shaw, Nancy Hays, Jimmy Blue band |
| Wed | 14/05/69 | Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, The Clouds |
| Fri | 16/05/69 | The Spinners |
| Sat | 17/05/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Claudio Arrau |
| Sun | 25/05/69 | The Buskers, Don Partridge |
| Sat | 31/05/69 | Mothers of Invention |
| Fri | 06/06/69 | Amen Corner, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich |
| Thu | 12/06/69 | The Kinks, The Move, Sect, Axtree Junction |
| Fri | 20/06/69 | Led Zeppelin, Blodwyn Pig, Liverpool Scene |
| Sun | 22/06/69 | Freddie King, Otis Span, Steve Miller Delivery Band, The Killing Floor |
| Thu | 18/09/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Jean Rodolphe Kars |
| Thu | 25/09/69 | Jethro Tull, Savoy Brown, Terry Reid |
| Fri | 03/10/69 | Ray Charles |
| Sun | 05/10/69 | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (am), John Williams (afternoon), The Dubliners (evening) |
| Mon | 06/10/69 | Tremeloes, Marmalade |
| Tue | 07/10/69 | Sulatoslav Richter |
| Wed | 08/10/69 | Blues & Jazz – Memphis Slim |
| Thu | 09/10/69 | The Corries, The Johnstons |
| Fri | 10/10/69 | Robert Mayer’s Childrens Concert (am), Gilbert & Sullivan with Jean Allister (7.30pm), The Nice (10.30pm) |
| Sat | 11/10/69 | Eric Robinson |
| Sun | 12/10/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Yehudi Menuhin (3.00pm), Cleo Lane with the Johnny Dankworth Big Band (7.30pm) |
| Mon | 13/10/69 | Ravi Shankar |
| Tue | 14/10/69 | John Hiseman’s Colosseum |
| Thu | 16/10/69 | Shiela Armstrong |
| Fri | 17/10/69 | Gary Burton Quartet, Chris McGregor Big Band |
| Sat | 18/10/69 | Ulster Orchestra – Cose Fan Tutte |
| Sun | 26/10/69 | Incredible String Band and friends |
| Fri | 31/10/69 | Hollies, Terry Reids Fantasia, Keef Hartley Band |
| Sat | 01/11/69 | Pentangle |
| Sun | 02/11/69 | El Sali and his Flamenco Company |
| Fri | 07/11/69 | Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Otis Span, Champion Jack Dupree |
| Sat | 08/11/69 | John Mayall |
| Sun | 09/11/69 | Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (3.00pm), The Spinners (evening) |
| Wed | 12/11/69 | Cliff Richard, The Shadows |
| Fri | 14/11/69 | Family, Yes, Blossom Toes |
| Wed | 19/11/69 | Wally Whyton, The Johnstones, Noel Murphy and Shaggis, Peter Stanley and Brian Colbey |
| Thu | 20/11/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Michael Roll |
| Fri | 21/11/69 | The Corries |
| Sat | 22/11/69 | Owen Brannigan, Harry Mortimer, Low Fell Ladies Choir, Prudhoe Gleemen, Hexham Male Voice Choir |
| Sun | 23/11/69 | Tyrannosaurus Rex |
| Tue | 25/11/69 | Halle Orchestra with Moshe Atzmon |
| Thu | 27/11/69 | Duke Ellington Orchestra with Cootie Williams |
| Sat | 29/11/69 | Jimmy Shand and his Band |
| Tue | 02/12/69 | Hank Locklin |
| Fri | 05/12/69 | Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, P.P.Arnold, Sue & Sunny, Ashton Gardner & Dyke |
| Tue | 09/12/69 | Ten Years After |
| Thu | 11/12/69 | Northern Sinfonia – Paul Tortelier |
| Sat | 13/12/69 | Graham Bond Initiation, Edgar Broughton, Doctor K, Ra |
| Fri | 19/12/69 | The Who (performing Tommy) |
| Sun | 21/12/69 | Chicago Transit Authority, Rumble |
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1970
| Date | Performer(s): – | |
| Fri | 09/01/70 | The Clancy Brothers |
| Sat | 10/01/70 | The Clancy Brothers |
| Wed | 14/01/70 | Madrid Flamenco – El Sali |
| Thu | 15/01/70 | Led Zeppelin |
| Fri | 16/01/70 | Sid Lawrence & his Orchestra |
| Wed | 21/01/70 | Canned Heat, The Renaissance |
| Sun | 01/02/70 | Handel’s Messiah performed by combine choir and orchestra |
| Tue | 03/02/70 | Memphis Slim CANCELLED |
| Thu | 05/02/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Peter Pears |
| Sat | 14/02/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Trevor Harvey (am), Julie Felix (evening) |
| Mon | 16/02/70 | Clive Sharrock Orchestra |
| Tue | 17/02/70 | Pink Floyd |
| Sat | 21/02/70 | The Spinners |
| Sun | 22/02/70 | The Dubliners |
| Mon | 23/02/70 | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
| Thu | 26/02/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Arthur Moreira-Lima |
| Sat | 28/02/70 | Nice |
| Sun | 01/03/70 | Pentangle |
| Wed | 04/03/70 | Birmingham Symphony Orchestra |
| Sat | 07/03/70 | Paco Pena |
| Wed | 11/03/70 | John Williams |
| Thu | 12/03/70 | Brno Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Fri | 13/03/70 | The Corries |
| Wed | 18/03/70 | Newcastle & Gateshead Choral Society |
| Thu | 19/03/70 | Deep Purple, Sleaz Band |
| Fri | 20/03/70 | Chicken Shack, the Sect |
| Sat | 21/03/70 | Julie Driscoll, Man CANCELLED |
| Thu | 26/03/70 | Gene Pitney, Bad Finger, Johnny Hackett Clodagh Rogers |
| Sat | 04/04/70 | Fleetwood Mac, Black Cat Bones |
| Fri | 10/04/70 | Keef Hartley Big Band |
| Fri | 17/04/70 | Viennese Evening – Marion Studholme CANCELLED |
| Sat | 25/04/70 | Glasgow Phoenix Choir |
| Sun | 26/04/70 | Glenn Miller Band |
| Thu | 30/04/70 | Ginger Baker’s Air Force |
| Sat | 02/05/70 | Segovia |
| Thu | 07/05/70 | Swingle Singers |
| Sat | 09/05/70 | Tom Paxton |
| Sun | 10/05/70 | John Mayall featuring Duster Bennett |
| Thu | 14/05/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Szymon Goldberg |
| Fri | 22/05/70 | Roy Harper, The Strawbs |
| Sat | 23/05/70 | Free, Bronco |
| Tue | 26/05/70 | Family, Emily Muff |
| Wed | 27/05/70 | Ten Years After, Matthews Southern Comfort |
| Thu | 28/05/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Jack Rothstein |
| Fri | 29/05/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Jack Rothstein |
| Sat | 30/05/70 | The Spinners |
| Mon | 01/06/70 | Fleetwood Mac |
| Wed | 03/06/70 | Taste, Wishbone Ash |
| Fri | 05/06/70 | The Move, Idle Race |
| Thu | 02/07/70 | Jackson Heights, Van Der Graaf Generator, Audience, Brethren |
| Fri | 10/07/70 | Prague Symphony Orchestra |
| Sat | 11/07/70 | Prague Symphony Orchestra |
| Sat | 25/07/70 | Northern Junior Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Thu | 17/09/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Ruggiero Ricci |
| Sat | 19/09/70 | Massed Brass Band and Choir Concert |
| Sun | 20/09/70 | Eric Burdon & War, Greasy Bear |
| Wed | 23/09/70 | Steamhammer, Barclay James Harvest, Gin House |
| Sun | 27/09/70 | Jethro Tull, Tir Na Nog, Procol Harum |
| Sun | 04/10/70 | Emerson, Lake & Palmer |
| Thu | 08/10/70 | The Dubliners |
| Sat | 10/10/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Festival Children’s Concert (AM), Gershwin Gala (7.30pm), Bread (10.30pm) |
| Sun | 11/10/70 | Victoria De Los Angeles |
| Wed | 14/10/70 | Narciso Yepes (guitar recital) (7.30pm), Ralph Mctell, Magna Carter (10.30pm) |
| Thu | 15/10/70 | Complete Brandenburgs |
| Fri | 16/10/70 | Yes Why Yes, Trees, Nucleus |
| Sat | 17/10/70 | Eric Robinson |
| Sun | 18/10/70 | Schubert Recital with Izhtak Perlman |
| Mon | 19/10/70 | Pentangle |
| Tue | 20/10/70 | Madrid Flamenco |
| Thu | 22/10/70 | Beethoven Concert |
| Fri | 23/10/70 | Senegal Ballet Company |
| Sat | 24/10/70 | Newcastle Festival Grand Final with Mass Brass Bands and Choir |
| Sun | 25/10/70 | Fairport Convention |
| Fri | 30/10/70 | Incredible String Band |
| Sat | 31/10/70 | Musical Gospel Outreach |
| Sun | 01/11/70 | The Corries |
| Wed | 04/11/70 | Syd Lawrence Orchestr |
| Fri | 06/11/70 | Lifetime, The Greatest Show On Earth |
| Wed | 11/11/70 | Ginger Baker’s Airforce |
| Fri | 13/11/70 | Buddy Rich and his Band |
| Sat | 14/11/70 | Fotheringay |
| Sun | 15/11/70 | Family |
| Fri | 27/11/70 | Woody Herman |
| Sun | 29/11/70 | Quintessence |
| Thu | 03/12/70 | Northern Sinfonia – Geza Anda |
| Mon | 07/12/70 | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra |
| Tue | 08/12/70 | Yes, Hardin-York, Red Dirt |
| Tue | 15/12/70 | Gosforth Girls Choir |
| Wed | 16/12/70 | Northern Sinfonia -David Haslam |
| Sat | 19/12/70 | Christmas Carol Concert |
| Wed | 23/12/70 | Christmas Carol Concert |
Many thanks to John Jobling for supplying most of the ticket stubs featured in the Newcastle City Hall pages.
I was at the Fri 01/11/68 Rag Top Gear Show (Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Nice, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, Principle Edwards Magic Theatre) and am 99% certain John Peel was compere (as would be expected from the ‘Top Gear’ part of the show title as that was the name of his Radio program).
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Did David Essex play at Newcastle city Hall in the 1980’s or 1990’s?
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