'My favourite Sheffield gigs - including Bruce Springsteen at Bramall Lane'

Mike Lawton from Grenoside looks back on memorable Sheffield gigs and falling in love...

While I was away on holiday, (For a change) on April 21, The Star published a set of photos from concerts in Sheffield, and asked: ‘’How many of these unforgettable shows did you get along to?’’

Well from the acts shown, I saw six shows in total, three by The Rolling Stones, two by Bruce Springsteen, and one by Tina Turner, the most memorable of those being by Bruce Springsteen, at Bramall Lane, for the Tunnel of Love Express Tour, on July 9 1988.

I had met a lady called Anne Dermody on April 28, at Barry Noble’s Roxy, and we started seeing each other, from which I learned we had some similar tastes in music, Bruce Springsteen being one of them.

On hearing about his forthcoming concert, I was in two minds whether to fork out for the tickets, as they were very expensive, and our relationship at that time could not be classed as ‘going steady’.

Eventually I took the plunge, and bought the tickets, without asking Anne about it, and thankfully, she was absolutely delighted.

The show turned out to be an amazing three-hour spectacular, the like of which I had never seen before, or since.

Not only that, it seemed to cement my relationship with Anne, that led to 28 years of marriage, before her untimely death in 2017, due to a little know hereditary disease called amyloidosis.

Incidentally, we saw Bruce Springsteen again, this time at Sheffield Arena, on November 14 2006, for his Seeger Sessions tour, and although we enjoyed the concert, no way could it live up to the magic of that unforgettable show at Bramall Lane.

I still have the tickets from those two concerts, along with many others, including two ticket stubs from seeing The Beatles, at the City Hall, in March, and May, 1963.