CANADIAN rock star Bryan Adams has announced he is to play a gig at Murrayfield later this year.
Details of the concert appeared on the singer's website, effectively letting the cat out of the bag sooner than the stadium's managers had expected.
The July 21 concert will be the closing show in Adams' European and UK tour, which also includes a sell-out concert at the SECC in Glasgow next month.
And tickets for the Murrayfield gig are expected to be equally popular, with venue bosses certain it will be a sell-out.
Tickets are not yet on sale however, as the concert details were not due to be officially announced until later this month.
But after the dates appeared on the singer's official website, management at Murrayfield Sports and Leisure, which has exclusive rights to stage events and concerts at the stadium over the next five years, admitted the singer would be performing there.
The concert is part of a move to attract more high profile names to Murrayfield, with organisers still in talks with a number of big rock acts, including The Who and Aerosmith, over staging concerts this summer.
Murrayfield is already set to host two of the biggest names in classical music next month, when Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson perform there as part of the Capital Inspirations Series of classical concerts.
Adams last played the Capital in 2001, when he performed to sell-out crowds at the Playhouse.
While Murrayfield can hold 67,000 people, the capacity for the concert is likely to be closer to 27,000, with a stage built in front of the West Stand.
Around 15,000 seats will be put on the pitch and there will be more than 12,00 seats available in the stands. Dean Lewis, managing director of Murrayfield Sports and Leisure, said: "Obviously we are delighted that Bryan Adams will be playing at Murrayfield, and we are confident it will be a sell out, particularly as he has chosen to finish his European and UK tour here.
"It is a big show and I'm sure the tickets will sell extremely quickly.
"It will be a great night, and it is just part of our plans for the summer.
"We have the Capital Inspirations Series of concerts, we have the Party on the Pitch, and this is something else, so we are trying to appeal to as many people as possible.
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Adams is probably still best known for the song (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which spent a record-breaking 16 weeks at number one on UK Singles Chart and went to number one around the globe. A spectacular rendition of the hit song is expected to be one of the highlights at this year's Tattoo.
The singer/songwriter, who has been performing since 1977, has also had hits with songs such as Run to You, Summer of '69 and Heaven.
He has been awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for his contribution to music and his philanthropic work, and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998. He has also been nominated for three Academy Awards for songwriting, and was recently nominated for his fifth Golden Globe for his songwriting in the film Bobby.
Tickets for the Murrayfield Concert on July 21 are expected to go on sale in the coming weeks.
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