THE MetroRadio Arena is now officially in tenth place as one of the world’s busiest venues, ranked by paid attendance figures published by Pollstar magazine, with well over quarter of a million visitors to the venue for the first six months of 2010.

This puts Tyneside ahead of many world famous venues, moving up one place from 11th since June 2009. Indeed five of the top ten venues listed are based in the UK.

Tours by Peter Kay, Lord of the Dance, Paul Weller, Andre Rieu and Arena record holders Scissor Sisters lie ahead with a further show from Michael Buble.

Payl Tappenden, the arena’s marketing director, says: “Recent announcements including shows like Scissor Sisters with tickets costing £30, and the Pet Shop Boys tomorrow, also from £30, have driven healthy sales, proving that top class live entertainment is still accessible at reasonable prices.”