How Anfield Became A Major Stadium For Events & Concerts

It would be untrue to suggest that Anfield has never previously hosted major concerts. In 2008, for example, the Liverpool Sound was held at the stadium in order to celebrate the fact that Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture for that year. Paul McCartney was the headline act, playing in the city of his birth for the first time in five years.

The first major concert hosted by Anfield was the Hillsborough Justice Concert in 1997. Back then, though, the stadium wasn’t really fit for such concerts, both in terms of its size but also the layout of the ground. Things have changed in recent years, making it one of the best venues in the country.

How Anfield Became Concert Ready

In terms of the history of concerts at Anfield, there was one in 1997 and one in 2008, both of which are mentioned in more detail in the intro to this piece. There were then no concerts held at the stadium until 2019, at which point the venue was used for four concerts during the summer.

The first saw Take That headline alongside Rick Astley, Lulu and Gerry Marsden, the lead singer of Gerry & the Pacemakers of You’ll Never Walk Alone fame. After that were two gigs from Bon Jovi, one of which was supported by the Manic Street Preachers. The summer was completed thanks to Pink, Vance Joy, KidCutUp and Bang Bang Romeo.

@official_katsummers #pink #viral #tiktoker #singing ♬ original sound – Kat Summers

The question is, what happened between 2008 and 2019 to mean that Anfield was suddenly able to be used as a music venue? One of the key factors was the arrival of Fenway Sports Group as the club’s new owners.

Whilst some Liverpool fans aren’t all that keen to admit it, believing that FSG should spend more money on the squad, the American hedge fund has been extremely good for the club’s long-term future. Whilst our neighbours in Blue have had all sorts of financial issues that have literally threatened their existence, FSG have made plenty of decisions to ensure that the Reds are well-placed to be able to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

One such example is the manner in which Anfield has been re-developed. Plans for the regeneration of the Anfield area were confirmed in 2012, with a legal agreement signed with the council two years later. The Main Stand was the first to be re-developed, with an additional 8,500 sears added in addition to the removal of support poles that made the view poor for some supporters.

Work began on the eighth of December 2014 and was completed on the ninth of September 2016. Further internal work was carried out up until the April of the following year. Including in the renovations were improvements to the areas around the stadium.

My Home❤️Anfield Expansion 26/4/23.
When complete the redevelopment of the Anfield Road stand will make Anfield one of the largest stadiums in the Premier League and would take the overall capacity to over 61,000. #LFC #anfieldstadium #anfieldroad #stanleypark #djımini3pro pic.twitter.com/ZviV3iTOLA

— Franny Griffiths 🕷 (@FrannyGriffiths) April 27, 2023

This meant that Anfield had a new capacity of over 54,000, which was much more acceptable in terms of being able to host concerts. It was at that point that the 2019 concerts were arranged, even whilst plans were being put in place to improve the stadium further. The Anfield Road End was the next part of the ground to be re-developed, allowing more than 61,000 to watch football matches there.

The facilities also ensured that major concerts could take place inside Anfield, with Taylor Swift being the biggest music star to play the venue since Paul McCartney had nearly two decades prior. Pink also returned to Anfield in the same summer of 2024.

The Problems with Anfield as a Venue

Whilst the improvements to Anfield from a structural point of view are unquestionable, there are certainly some problems with it as a music venue. Depending on how the stadium is set up for a concert, there might be some sightline issues. When Taylor Swift performed at Anfield, for example, only a limited number of seats could be sold in the Anfield Road End as that was the end where her band were located. Those in attendance in that stand could see very little of the concert itself. Similarly, large erections were put up to house speakers and pyrotechnics that stopped some seats in the Main Stand and Kenny Dalglish Stand from being sold.

By far the biggest problem, though, is access to the ground. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to make it Anfield on public transport. The main station in Liverpool is Lime Street Station, but that is about an hour’s walk from the ground and it isn’t a particularly easy one to do. There are buses you can catch, but it is still likely to take about 30 to 40 minutes to complete your journey.

Sandhills is a little closer, but it’s still around 40 minutes on foot via Walton Breck Road. As a result, many people choose to drive, but when you’re looking at a concert venue with room for about 60,000 people, lots of people driving causes a traffic nightmare.

The club also works with Merseyside police in order to ensure that there are road closures in place around the stadium itself. This means that you won’t be able to part particularly close to Anfield and will instead have to look for parking that is legal away from the ground, which you’ll need to take into account.

This might result in the need to leave the concert early in order to avoid getting caught up in the traffic leaving the area, which can add a long time to your concert-going experience. There is access to disabled parking for those registered as disabled, but this is limited and getting away from the ground is still difficult.

The Concerts Anfield has Hosted Over the Years

The table above is a look at the concerts that have been hosted by Anfield over the years.

Things to Bear in Mind

If you’re going to an event such as a concert at Anfield then there are certain things that you’ll need to bear in mind. For starters, there are strict rules in place regarding the size and form of the bags that you’re allowed to take in with you.

Bags can be no larger than A5 in size and will be subject to a search before entry. If you buy some official merchandise then you will be allowed to take the bag that it is in into the ground, but these bags are see-through in order to ensure that only officially sanctioned things can be taken into the stadium. In other words, you won’t be able to sneak anything else in in the merchandise bag.

@rachellord22 Things i would bring in my bag to the eras tour. #TSTheErasTour #ErasTour #UKErasTour #ErasTourTips #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #Swift @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation ♬ original sound – Rachel Lord

If you’re hoping to get some merchandise then you would do well to get it before you enter the stadium. During the Taylor Swift gig, for example, there were a number of merchandise stalls around the ground but nowhere to buy merchandise once you entered at the Kop end. Similarly, food isn’t easy to come by in the ground, with some areas selling out of food early on the days that Taylor Swift was performing.

If you need to eat then you would do well to do so before heading into Anfield, just in case. Whilst what happened with Taylor Swift might not happen with every gig, it isn’t something you want to be caught short over.

In terms of photography, you will be allowed to take photos with your mobile phone or a small camera, but professional grade equipment will only be available for registered members of the press to use. If you’re hoping to live stream the event or do some other form of transmission of it then you better hope that you don’t get spotted by the stewards.

Tickets for events inside Anfield are on your phone and use Near Field Communication technology. This means that you should ensure that you have a good amount of charge on your phone or else you might have issues getting through the turnstiles and enjoying your time in the ground.