The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has described having only two concerts this year in the Principality Stadium as a “blip” – and promised an “exciting” pipeline of events over the next three years.
Take That fans will flock to the Cardiff landmark on Tuesday as the band returns to recreate their Circus Live tour, 17 years after they originally performed it in Wales in 2009.
The gig will be followed by the stadium’s second and last concert of the year later this month, with Metallica set to take to stage at the 70,000-seat venue on 28 June.
Gavin Marshall, WRU’s chief operating officer, said while this year had been “a bit disappointing”, it had focused on hosting other events including Hyrox.
Marshall said the lack of concerts in 2026 followed “bumper” years in 2024 and 2025.
In 2025 acts at the Principality included Oasis, Chris Brown, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, while 2024 saw the likes of Taylor Swift, Pink and Bruce Springsteen all take to the stage.
While speaking about the Principality’s 3,000 solar panels which have been installed on the stadium roof, Marshall admitted the stadium was “lighter” on concerts this year.
Describing the nature of concert dates as “cyclical”, Marshall said the WRU was “excited about the future”.
“We see it as a little bit of a blip this year but it’s always a little bit lumpy with concerts – there’s only so many artists that can sell 70,000 seats,” he said.
“But we know we’ve got two great concerts this month coming up with Take That and Metallica, and as I say we’ve got a lot in the pipeline for 2027.”