The UK has numerous concert venues frequented by big names in the music industry, though only a few can hold more than a 100,000 ticket holders. Here are arguably the top 7 largest UK concerts in history:
1
Isle of Wight Festival, 600,000
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was the biggest concert ever held in UK with 600,000 people in the audience. The Who, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Jethro Tull, The Doors, Joan Baez and Leonard Cohen were just some of the performing artists. Jimi Hendrix played his last performance at this event. All the tickets were sold out, but the area where it was held was overlooked by a hill, where those without a ticket had a terrific view of the show.
2
Oasis, 250,000
In 1996, Britpop’s Oasis were at the height of their success and the biggest band in the world. Their 1996 concert at Knebworth followed the release of their second album “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” and the huge global hit “Wonderwall”. The band played two shows with an audience of 125,000 per night. Over 2.6 million people applied for tickets for the shows, making it the largest ever demand for concert tickets in British history.
3
Robbie Williams, 375,000
In 2003 at Knebworth House, Robbie Williams headlined at the main stage over a three-day period, drawing crowds of over 375,000, and a further 3.5 million who watched live on television and online.
4
Led Zeppelin, 200,000
The 1979 Knebworth Festival headlined Led Zeppelin with The New Barbarians featuring Keith Richards & Ronnie Wood, Todd Rundgren and Utopia, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, The New Commander Cody Band, Chas & Dave, Fairport Convention. The audience was 200,000 over two Saturdays.
5
Queen, 180,000
“Queen live in Hyde Park 1976” was a famous concert by the band, as part of their brief summer tour that included Edinburgh and Cardiff. The Hyde Park gig was in fact a free concert, organised by Richard Branson. The concert took place on 18 September, during the hot summer of 1976.
6
Coldplay, 173,000
Coldplay’s World Tour 2012, supported their album “Mylo Xyloto,” the band’s fifth studio set released October 2011. A three-show run in London at the Emirates Stadium in June had sell-out crowds on each night totalling over 173,000 for the three dates.
7
Adele, 150,000
Saturday at Glastonbury 2016, Adele enchanted 150,000 fans on the Pyramid stage despite having remained absent from the festival circuit for years. A chat with the crowd, sing-alongs and a voice as crisp as on a record created an event not easily forgotten. There are few who dislike Adele’s humour or her vocal sound.