Celine Dion, Oasis and The Smiths are an example of the calibre of names that will be attracted to the city’s new £333 million gig venue, council leaders have claimed.
The finishing touches are now being put in place at The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA) in Dyce, designed to replace the ageing Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) in the Bridge of Don.
Yesterday, the city council’s co-leaders Douglas Lumsden and Jenny Laing toured the new facility, just days after it was announced rock legend Alice Cooper would be making his only Scottish appearance at the complex in October.
Tea bags, potato peelings and banana skins to power Aberdeen’s £333million conference centre
And the pair also gave their own wish list of the names they would like to see on the marquee in the future.
Mr Lumsden said: “Although I’m not the biggest Alice Cooper fan, I think the fact his only date in Scotland will be in Aberdeen is a really good sign of things to come.
“This is a venue that can rival the Hydro in Glasgow. We want to attract big acts from across the world, and visitors from all across Scotland to the city to boost the local economy.”
Mr Lumsden added: “I would love to see Oasis reform and come back to Aberdeen, but I’ll need to really cross my fingers for that one – but if they won’t reform for TECA, my second preference for a big comeback gig at TECA would be The Smiths.
“I really think that with the quality of the venue we’re building here, these are the kinds of big names we can expect to bring to north-east audiences.”
Last year, the first major music star to play at TECA was announced to be Sir Elton John, who will perform in Aberdeen over two nights in November as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
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Comedy heavyweight Jack Whitehall has also confirmed a stop on his biggest tour yet at Aberdeen’s new venue in November.
Mrs Laing, who said her dream TECA gig would be a performance from Celine Dion, added: “When TECA opens later this year it will represent another significant step in Aberdeen’s transformation.
“It will be a complex that is the envy of cities throughout the world.”
Around 900 workers from Henry Boot Developments and main contractor Robertson Group are currently working hard to ensure the new facility is open in time for Offshore Europe 2019, which starts on September 3.
The ambitious development, which comes with two hotels and a fuel cell energy centre, will have a capacity for 12,500 people.
