Sheffield may be known for a lot of things, but one area where it arguably stands out above all others is music. Sheffield’s contributions to global music culture are vast and known the world over. The city has spawned the Arctic Monkeys, Def Leppard, The Human League, Pulp, Reverend and the Makers, and Bring Me the Horizon, to name just a few legendary bands.
Therefore, it should probably come as no surprise that the city has hosted some of biggest names in music history from time to time. And, at the epicentre of Sheffield’s music scene is Sheffield City Hall, the legendary venue that has been graced by some of the biggest icons of the 20th century. Here are just a few of the music legends that have played Sheffield City Hall.
1. Pink Floyd
The psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd has repeatedly been ranked as the single most influential and culturally enduring band in the history of music. With hits such as Another Brick in the Wall, Shine on You Crazy Diamond, and Comfortably Numb, a Pink Floyd concert was always guaranteed to draw crowds of tens of thousands. Such was the case when Pink Floyd played the Sheffield City Hall on two consecutive nights in November 1967, before coming back in 1969 and 1970.
2. Jimi Hendrix
Despite a mainstream career that barely lasted four years, Jimi Hendrix is arguably one of the most iconic and reproduced artists of all time. Jimi Hendrix lives on in video games such as Guitar Hero, t-shirts, and an officially licensed graphic novel. In addition, fans of Hendrix can even re-live his iconic tracks via a real-money official online slot game at NetBet, a site which provides a number of music-themed online casino games to UK players. Like Pink Floyd, Hendrix also played Sheffield City Hall in November 1967, after which he described the crowd as “terribly enthusiastic about me”.
3. The Beatles
The Beatles truly need no introduction. Their most iconic tracks, such as Hey Jude, Yellow Submarine, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, live on to this day in countless movies, musicals, video games, and merchandise. The Beatles graced Sheffield City Hall with a number of shows during their heyday, including as part of their 1963 tour with Roy Orbison, during which they played songs such as Love Me Do, Misery, and Please Please Me. In fact, tickets from this tour are extremely sought-after collector’s items and regularly sell online for more than £100 a pop.
4. The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are considered icons of 1960s counterculture, and their enduring popularity over the course of over half a century has helped them sell more than 240 million records in total – more than almost any other band. It is clear that they, much like every other artist on this list, were big fans of Sheffield in the 1960s, given that they played a whopping five back-to-back shows at Sheffield City Hall in late-February of 1964. We don’t blame them for wanting to stick around.
These are just a few of the iconic artists that have played a show at our very own City Hall. If you know of any music legends that deserve to be included on this list, let us know in the comments below
