Glamorgan Chief Executive Hugh Morris has spoken of his pride and excitement to see The SSE SWALEC in Cardiff host its first ever music concerts, with Kaiser Chiefs, Dizzee Rascal and Simply Red among the bands to perform this weekend.
It's a watershed moment for Glamorgan Cricket and the stadium as it looks to establish itself as a respected music venue in South Wales.
Morris, a former Glamorgan and England cricketer, is keen for the club to flourish, with many other cricket grounds around the country hosting successful concerts in recent years.
For Morris, this weekend will bring a special thrill as the stadium makes its final preparations for a major weekend of music in the city centre.
He told Wales Online: "Watching the stage build has been a proud moment for all of the staff and suppliers who have spent months preparing to turn our cricket ground into a concert venue."
“Our vision was to secure a bill of top talent and to provide a festival feel for a summer crowd – we’re delighted to have secured such prestigious acts to play at The SSE SWALEC.
“We’re by no means the first cricket club to make this move but we do pride ourselves on the quality of our events and the welcome that we provide and in that sense, the operation will have a lot of similarities to an international match.”
The move into the world of concert promotion for a county cricket club whose stadium has grown into a major international cricket venue at Test, One Day and Twenty20 level comes as no surprise. The SSE SWALEC holds ambitions to compete with other major music venues in the city in the coming years.
“We’re learning lessons at every stage of proceedings and we’re certainly ready to work with promoters and music acts that want to include Cardiff in their tour programmes next year,” said Morris, a former chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Kaiser Chiefs will headline tomorrow's (Saturday's) show with the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Everything Everything supporting, while Simply Red play on the pitch on Sunday to complete what should be a memorable weekend in Cardiff.
There's still time to secure your place at either concert. Buy your tickets by clicking here.