Arctic Monkeys Sheffield: Boys from High Green open Hillsborough Park homecoming gig with A Certain Romance

It was all very different to that night on June 13, 2003, when a teenage Alex Turner and his bandmates from High Green took to the stage upstairs at The Grapes pub before a handful of people. Thousands of fans gathered in Hillsborough Park this evening to see one of the world’s biggest bands at the top of their game, and the Arctic Monkeys kicked off the eagerly anticipated gig in style.

They opened what was their first show in their home city since they packed out Sheffield Arena in 2018 with A Certain Romance, from their 2006 album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which was a surprising choice but one that delighted many fans, judging by the reaction on social media. They followed it up with Brianstorm and Snap Out Of It, with the other songs in their set including Fluorescent Adolescent and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

Tonight’s concert, where support acts The Hives and The Mysterines warmed the crowd up with blistering sets, is the first of two consecutive nights the Arctic Monkeys are playing at Hillsborough Park. It may have brought traffic and public transport in the area to a virtual standstill, with road closures in place and buses having to divert. But there can be few people who would say it wasn’t worth it for the joy the quartet brought to ecstatic fans as they did their home city proud once again.

We’ll have lots of reaction from tonight’s show on The Star’s website tomorrow, including a full review and a photo gallery with the best images of a special night.