The legendary Going Home (Local Hero) song by Mark Knopfler will be reissued by Newcastle United and make its international premiere at St. James’ Park the following month.
Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes have re-recorded Local Hero, which now features many more legendary musicians in addition to fellow Geordies Sting and Sam Fender. The new version of the song, which will benefit Teen Cancer America and the Teenage Cancer Trust, also features Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Pete Townshend, and Ronnie Wood. It will be heard for the first time when Newcastle takes to the field before of their Premier League match at St. James’ Park on Saturday, March 2, at 3 p.m. against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Knopfler and visitors will talk about the well-known song in the stadium.
In reference to the updated rendition of the song, Knopfler stated on the club website: “My main goal is to express my gratitude to everyone for their outstanding response.
“To be honest, I had no idea it would be this way. Guy [Fletcher] and I realized very quickly that this piece needed to be extended in some way to accommodate the large number of participants.
“Pete Townshend had entered my studio carrying a guitar and an amplifier before I did.” And that first power chord that Pete played—man, I tell you. It was simply amazing to be in that territory. And that was the end of it. Eric Clapton performed admirably, hitting one amazing lick after another.
“Then came Jeff Beck’s piece, which was captivating. Really, I believe that what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches. It was a high point all around.”
“Local has been a song that I’ve listened to all my life and means so much to me on so many levels, whether as a fan or a player,” said Dan Burn, a former season ticket holder and Newcastle defender.
“My dad used to play Local Hero at breakfast and it instantly made me think of St. James’ Park and the excitement of going to games.”
After the new song’s global premiere, fans will be able to buy it, with all net sales going to support adolescent cancer charities.
Leave a Reply