Reebok rocks for the stars

Stadium bosses have announced a line-up that they hope will turn the home of Bolton Wanderers into the North-west's best outdoor music venue.

The shows will pack more than 32,500 fans into the stadium over six nights to see chart-topping acts that will include girl group Sugababes, blues veteran Jools Holland, West End star Michael Ball and T'pau who will top the bill at a celebration of 1980s pop legends.

The Reebok's South Stand will be used to accommodate around 5,500 music fans each night, with the stage positioned in the pitch's penalty area, facing the stand, to create an intimate ampitheatre.

The concerts start on Friday, July 9, with Sugababes being supported by Big Brovas. On Saturday, July 10, The Here and Now show will feature Eighties favourites T'pau, Toyah, Curiosity Killed The Cat, ABC Howard Jones and Five Star. Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra take to the stage on Sunday, July 11.

The following weekend sees Liberty X headline a night of chart acts including Phixx, James Fox, Hyrise, Susanna Dee, Haifa and Al!ve on Friday, July 16. On Saturday, July 17, Tony Hadley and a full orchestra will perform Shaken Not Stirred -- a show including songs from the James Bond films. Finishing off the event is West End star Michael Ball on Sunday, July 18.

The new venture is the result of 10 months of planning by stadium managers who hope to turn the football ground into one of the region's premier entertainment venues during the summer months.

This year's experiment could see next summer's calendar of shows extended to bring in top comedy acts and more music artists from across the globe.

Although the stadium has previously played host to music acts -- most notably Manchester band Oasis in 2000 -- bosses want to organise their own concerts to help bring cash to the club which could help provide Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce with a transfer war chest to secure the Whites' long-term Premiership status.

A team of live music experts have been drafted in to start planning for future events and bosses hope that the independent venture will help to give them more control over the events.

Commercial director Gareth Moores said the stadium was designed to become an entertainment venue.

"This has always been part of Burnden Leisure's strategy to become a broad-based sport and leisure business," he said.

"When the stadium was first built, it was always envisaged that it would play host to many other events -- primarily because we have a great venue and a fantastic location.

"As a venue, we have always been reliant on third parties bringing their events to the stadium and we have had to pitch ourselves against other venues such as Old Trafford cricket and football grounds and the City of Manchester Stadium which obviously have bigger capacities.

"For that reason we've decided to take control of our own events strategy."

It is hoped the new earning potential will give the club greater stability as well as providing a safety net if the team was to slip into the first division.

Mr Moores said: "What this will do is give the football club additional revenue. When added to the income from the football, it will allow us to compete at a higher level.

"The gulf between existence in the Premier League and being a first division side means it's important for a club like Bolton Wanderers to spread the burden by developing new business."

Mr Moores hoped the concerts would pull in crowds from across the North of England, as well as local music fans.

"This is the first time that the people of Bolton have had something like this right on their doorstep," he said. "We're no more than an hour away from anywhere in the North-west and places like Leeds, so we would anticipate that there will be interest from right across the country."

In the future, the team behind the Big Light On events hope to bring comedy and classical music to the big stage that will be erected on the Reebok pitch, but gigs will still be kept to a small size of between 5,000 and 6,000 seats.

"The South Stand is a ready-made theatre with 5,500 seats and it's covered for the most part," said Mr Moores. "We've got no cost in building or installing the seats and the venue is complemented by tremendous hotel facilities and a big screen which will be very much part of the programme."

Stadium stars and when to see them

Friday, July 9: Chart-topping British girl group Sugababes - Keisha, Mutya and Heidi - will be joined on stage by a live band to perform the hit singles that have made them one of the best selling acts of the last two years including Freak, Round Round and Hole In The Head.

Supporting the girls will be London urban rap stars Big Brovas.

Saturday, July 10: Eighties favourites T'pau, Curiosity Killed The Cat and Toyah will belt out classic hits in the three-hour Here and Now show.

Also turning back the clock will be ABC, Howard Jones and Five Star.

Sunday, July 11: Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra take to the stage to play the music that has seen them sell more than a million albums worldwide.

Together with his band, Jools now plays an average of 100 live shows a year to audiences of more than 500,000 touring Britain and the world.

Friday, July 16: Popstars "rejects" Liberty X make their debut in Bolton performing alongside a live band and six special guests.

After failing to make the cut for TV show-spawned Hear'Say, Liberty X have gone to produce five top ten hits including the number one seller Just A Little.

They will be joined by a second Popstars band - Phixx, Eurovision hopeful James Fox, boy band Hyrise, Susanna Dee, Haifa and rock newcomers Al!ve.

Saturday, July 17: The musical world of James Bond comes to Bolton with West End International's Bond - Shaken Not Stirred.

Former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley will be joined on stage by leading West End artists and a full orchestra to perform the best known songs from the films.

Sunday, July 18: Michael Ball, one of Britain's leading West End figures for nearly 20 years, returns from a sell-out tour of Australia to bring the curtain down on the Big Light On shows.

Tickets by phone or on-line

TICKETS for all events are available from See Tickets on 0870 060 0243 (24 hours) and Piccadilly Box Office on 0161 832 1111 between 8am and 11pm Monday to Friday, between and 9am and 10pm Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.biglighton.co.uk.

Tickets are priced between £18.50 and £36 and telephone bookings may incur a booking fee.

VIP and hospitality packages are also available from the Reebok Stadium booking line on 08704 448744.