Rick Astley At Newmarket Racecourse Review

We were incredibly privileged to be offered tickets to the Rick Astley Newmarket Nights Event on Friday 13th August 2021 – it was the perfect summer evening and a fabulous night out – a real treat!

The experience consisted of a six race card meet followed by what really felt like a celebratory concert, after such an unfamiliar time for all, headlining Rick Astley – such a great combination and a real treat for all generations.

With well organised, efficient parking, the Newmarket venue is a slick and professional venue to attend. We found we could park with ease and many were enjoying picnics by their cars before the event – which was a great idea!

Inside, there is an extremely good range of food and drink outlets and although busy, the enclosure did not feel at all crowded, with many places to sit and take time out to study race cards to hopefully pick winners – all part of the fun and our luck was in! There was a great atmosphere of anticipation and excitement.

When the races finished, all spectators were allowed entry to the Premier enclosure for the start of the concert. This was efficiently and safely managed by the security staff. With great design, whether you choose to go near the stage, stand at the back or sit in the stands, everyone at a Newmarket concert is assured an excellent view of the stage.

With complete commitment to giving his audience an amazing night to remember, Rick Astley immediately had the crowd on their feet and dancing from the beginning. although he may have joked ‘Taxi for 500’ after giving us a taster of the hit we were all waiting for, no one was leaving – Rick surpassed all expectations and more.

Reminding us with a twist on the words of his song that ‘We’ve known each other…since 1987’, Astley had us reliving our younger days with his 1980’s hits. He looked and sounded truly amazing, with impeccable vocals, shifting gears seamlessly between older hits and newer tracks which equally all went down a storm.

Complete respect to Rick and his great band and amazing backup singers for transcending musical boundaries with crowd pleasing new and old mashups, including Rhianna’s ‘We Found Love’. We loved the cover of Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s ‘Giant’ – which was a truly giant performance and who could have guessed Rick would have AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ in his repertoire as a drummer – great versatility and talent!

On stage, Astley is extremely likeable and charismatic, humble, yet confident as a musician and performer. He knows how to work a crowd, not taking himself too seriously, full of energy and great humour. There is a timeless, positive quality to Astley, it is hard to believe we have known him for as long as we have!

As the evening came to a close, there was only one way to finish, Rick’s most iconic song ‘Never Going to Give You Up’ went down a storm. Rick, there is no doubt you have won over those who had been ‘dragged along’ by their partners! Congratulations all round, a fantastic evening, with the crowd leaving full of smiles and singing the hits!

Rating: 5/5

Rick Astley was performing at Newmarket Races on 13th August, Here is the link to the event page for more information and also about other artists that will be performing.