Fresh from his unforgettable Glastonbury debut and the success of incredible new album Are We There Yet?, Rick Astley today confirms two new live shows in Yorkshire.
Rick will headline Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday July 5 and The Piece Hall, Halifax, two days later on Sunday July 7.
He will be joined at both shows by special guests Lightning Seeds.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday December 8 via ticketmaster.co.uk
It has been 36 years since Rick first shot to fame, yet he is now a more prominent force in popular culture than he ever was.
The endearingly boyish 57-year-old is still winning over new fans, performing with Foo Fighters, Take That, Blossoms, becoming an unlikely social media sensation and simply embracing the unending love that greets his era-defining smash Never Gonna Give You Up.
Indeed, since returning to #1 in 2016 with his album 50, Rick – who this year took his first ever bow on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage and headlined two nights at the Royal Albert Hall – has enjoyed the strongest run of album chart success of his career to date.
His long-awaited ninth studio album Are We There Yet? was released to much acclaim in October, debuting at #2 on the UK Album charts. The chart topper has now sold 40 million records worldwide.
Are We There Yet? is the sound of Rick reflecting and building upon the experiences he’s gone through since the release of 2018’s Beautiful Life. Some of the new songs were started during lockdown in 2020, but he decided to leave them deliberately unfinished until it was feasible to play them live again.
As well as the sound of his unmistakable voice, Rick performed almost all instruments on the record. As a result, Are We There Yet? shows that Rick is still pushing to reach even greater musical heights.
Rick’s live shows are incredibly joyous affairs as he beautifully mixes songs old and new, such as Together Forever, Keep Singing to Angels On My Side as well as incredible covers including the likes of Harry Styles’ As It Was and AC/DC’s barnstorming Highway To Hell.
It is 35 years since special guests Lightning Seeds first hit the charts. The 6,000-strong audience can expect to singalong to a string of hits including Life of Riley, Lucky You and football anthem Three Lions.
Julian Murray, Cuffe and Taylor’s Scarborough OAT programmer, said: “For almost 40 years Rick Astley has been part of the nation’s soundtrack.
“Rick is an incredible vocalist and songwriter and a born performer. Anyone who saw his incredible set at Glastonbury will know we are in for a brilliant night at this wonderful venue.”
The Halifax show is co-promoted by The Piece Hall Trust and Cuffe and Taylor.
Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL, CEO of The Piece Hall Trust, said: “This gig is going to be a huge amount of fun. Rick is a true British pop legend, and we still can’t get enough of him more than 35 years after he burst onto the scene.
“His recent performances with stars like Foo Fighters and at Glastonbury this year have won him legions of new, younger fans and we all know we’re going to see the courtyard full of the biggest smiles on the night.”
For tickets and more information about Live at The Piece Hall 2024 please visit thepiecehall.co.uk and for Scarborough OAT go to scarboroughopenairtheatre.com
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