Audio
Ne-Yo and Akon announce huge joint arena show at Leeds’ First Direct Arena
Nostalgia overload.
Daisy Jackson -
28th January 2026 
Two R&B greats are heading out on a joint headline tour for the very first time, as Ne-Yo and Akon announced the Nights Like This global tour.
Both artists are Grammy Award winners, and each has a formidable back catalogue of chart-topping hits.
For Ne-Yo, that includes songs like Miss Independent, So Sick, and Closer; while for Akon, he's responsible for huge tracks like Smack That, Lonelty, and Right Now (Na Na Na).
Between them, they've shaped and defined radio, nightlife, and pop culture for decades.
This newly-announced tour will see the pair performing on the same stage - for Leeds, that's the First Direct Bank Arena.
They'll perform in a unique back-and-forth set throughout the show, visiting venues right across the UK and Europe, as well as heading across to the USA and Canada.
The nostalgic gigs will feature everything from slow jams to club anthems, with a party atmosphere throughout.
Ne-Yo and Akon will perform at the First Direct Bank Arena on Thursday 30 April 2026, with tickets on sale this Friday 30 January at 10am.
There will be an artist pre-sale on Wednesday 28 January at 10am.
Nights Like This EU/UK 2026 tour dates
- Fri 24 Apr – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
- Mon 27 Apr – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena Newcastle
- Tue 28 Apr – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
- Thu 30 Apr – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
- Fri 1 May – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
- Mon 4 May – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham
- Fri 8 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
- Tue 12 May – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
- Fri 15 May – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
- Sun 17 May – Antwerp, BE – AFAS Dome
- Tue 19 May – Zurich, CH – Hallenstadion
- Wed 20 May – Cologne, DE – LANXESS arena
- Fri 22 May – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena
- Sat 23 May – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
- Sun 24 May – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
- Tue 26 May – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
- Wed 27 May – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
- Thu 28 May – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
- Sat 30 May – Vienna, AT – Wiener Stadthalle
- Sun 31 May – Lodz, PL – Atlas Arena
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Featured image: Publicity picture
