Stadium is out to make Edinburgh rock 'n' roll

The venue is playing host to a massive gig this summer for the first time in more than a decade, when American rockers the Pixies roll into Edinburgh for a one-off concert.

Scottish band Simple Minds first played the venue in 1989 and rock star Prince staged a gig at Meadowbank in July 1993, but no acts have played at the venue since.

But now council chiefs want to promote the stadium for rock and pop concerts, despite it being earmarked for closure.

The stadium has not been used as a concert venue since 1993 due to a lack of interest from promoters, but the council is now keen to encourage top-drawer acts to Meadowbank in a bid to stop the city losing out to Glasgow for major gigs.

Council chiefs say they want to highlight the stadium as an alternative to Murrayfield, where several major bands including U2, REM and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have played.

Steve Cardownie, Deputy Lord Provost and festivals and events champion, said: "Meadowbank has hosted groups before and we are keen to utilise facilities.

"We want to make bands aware that this venue is an alternative to Murrayfield Stadium. I saw Prince there and it was a great atmosphere, everyone was able to get down on the pitch.

"The future of Meadowbank Stadium is under consideration, it may be sold off. If it is sold off we will be marketing any new stadium as a concert venue.

"We are aware that we lose out on concerts to Glasgow. A lot of bands would love to play in Edinburgh. The council are now trying to utilise private and public venues, so we can host these gigs in the future."

Just last year, the council said the stadium was to close because the "size of the site and other technical constraints didn’t allow for the required upgrading and extension of facilities".

City sport leader Ricky Henderson said: "The council wants to build a new stadium, but no date has been set for the closure of Meadowbank Stadium.

"If we do open up a new facility, we will promote the new stadium as a concert venue as well.

"It’s not up to the council to put on concerts, it’s up to the promoters to secure bands at quality venues like Meadowbank.

"Hosting concerts is a great thing for Edinburgh, it puts the city on the map. As well as attracting new visitors, it gives local residents more scope for what to do with their time and money."

A spokesman for DF Concerts, the company promoting the Pixies concert as part of the T on the Fringe event, said: "We knew the Pixies were available and looking for a suitable space.

"Talk of closure at Meadowbank Stadium is several years down the line. In the meantime, it’s a great place to hold a concert.

"The location is perfect, it has a 15,000 capacity and it’s not too far out of town. Meadowbank Stadium is something we are most definitely going to use in the future and we will be promoting it as a venue to artists in the future. I’m sure the Pixies concert will start the ball rolling."

The Pixies concert will take place on August 28. Tickets are available from www.gigsinscotland.com.

THE FACTS

MEADOWBANK Stadium, located on London Road, in the east of the city, was opened in 1969 and was once the biggest sports centre in Edinburgh.

Built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and used again as the principal venue when the Games returned to Edinburgh in 1986, it regularly hosted sporting events at international level and was home to Meadowbank Thistle.

Owned and run by Edinburgh City Council, more than 80 sports can be catered for at Meadowbank throughout the year.

Now seen as needing a facelift, the stadium once contributed significantly to Scotland’s sporting excellence as well as being an asset for the local community.

The sports complex is now home to Edinburgh City Football Club.

The stadium is set to be turned into an operational base for police officers in the lead-up to July’s G8 summit.