Utilita Arena, Newcastle 19 October 2025
Riverdance first entered our conciousness as the interval act when Ireland was hosting the Eurovision Song Contest back in.1994 It ended up being more memorable than any of the Song Contest entries. A whole show evolved from this and toured the world, telling the story of the Irish diaspora through music and dance. It turned principal dancers Michael Flatley and Jean Butler into international stars and made Irish dance sexy.
Daughter is a huge Irish dance fan and has wanted to see the show for years. She’s been learning Irish dance too – it’s ironic that she can ski and ride horses, both pretty dangerous sports but sustained her worst ever injury doing Irish dance! I bought the tickets as part of her birthday present over 2 years ago – probably the longest time I’ve ever held on to tickets! I’m not sure what made me book for the matinee show, but I did come to regret it.
Newcastle’s Utilita Arena is getting tired and tatty. A replacement arena is due to be built in Gateshead, though work has not yet commenced and the whole project has been put in jeopardy by spiralling costs. Will the current arena last long enough to see the new one open? I hope so. It would be tragic if the North East missed out on major tours through the lack of a suitable venue. The region already struggles to complete with larger Wembley and Manchester, and with the trend towards “residencies” at one or two sites instead of the traditional tour we desperately need an upgrade.
This arena may not be pretty, but they know what they are doing. The venue is always well organised with professional stewards, good security and is fully accessible, with designated viewing platforms for disabled customers.
Sadly, it was barely half full. This was the thirtieth anniversary tour and I did wonder if Riverdance may have run its course. Maybe there is no longer the demand to see the show, and fill an arena-sized venue for multiple performances in each city. That is probably why the show was scheduled so far in advance: to get a run of dates in each venue. I also wondered if the arena was the most appropriate place. Certainly it does require plenty of space to accommodate a huge cast of dancers and musicians, both on the stage and backstage for costume changes etc. Maybe the stage has to be of a particularly robust specification to withstand the powerful taps of the hard shoe dance steps! There also seemed to be fewer stewards than Ive seen previously.
Soon it was showtime, preceded by a notice prohibiting photography and video until the finale. Fair enough.
This was the thirtieth anniversary show. In parts, film of the original was projected on to the backdrop.
It remains a masterpiece, showcasing the best of Irish dance, from the lightest of soft shoe routines, where the dancers appear to float, to the most powerful of hard shoe, tapping out deafening rhythms, perfectly timed and synchronised.
There were a lot of children around for the matinee – didn’t have a problem with them, in fact it was quite sweet to see them all practicing their dance moves during the interval. Some of them were rather good!
Unfortunately it seemed that much of the audience was only there for the dance. It was quite hard to hear some of the musical sections over the talking and rustling of sweet wrappers….from adults, not children! Rude! There was even a screaming baby at one point (why take your baby to something like that? At least take them outside if they are crying)) . It was disappointing that people couldn’t appreciate the entire show and were quite disrespectful to those amazing musicians (and those of us who wanted to listen to them)- the music is part of the narrative, not just a filler to allow time for costume changes.
And it’s not just Irish dance – the show also includes other forms – some Eastern European folk dance, flamenco and tap, all stunning.
Before long it’s time for the finale and the dancers line up across the stage for the final number. I was sorry to see it end. I loved every minute….of what was going on on stage that is.
These days it’s impossible to do anything without being asked to review it, so I did, voicing my concerns about the lifespan of the arena with no sign of a replacement yet and also the lack of respect from the audience…I was actually surprised to get a response.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts following the Riverdance performance. We really appreciate you offering such detailed feedback about your experience — it’s always helpful to hear from guests who are passionate about live events.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the incredible talent of the cast and musicians. Your comments regarding the audience behaviour, stewarding, and the overall venue experience have been noted and will be shared with the relevant teams for review as we continue to enhance the experience for all our visitors.
It’s great to know you continue to support live performances here in the North East, and your feedback contributes to helping us maintain and improve that standard.
Best regards,
It’s nice to know someone actually reads what you write!
Stitches by the Sea 