THE Hydro has beaten New York's Madison Square Garden and London's Wembley Arena to be named one of the world's top entertainment venues.

Despite having been opened for just seven months, the Clyde-side venue was ranked fourth in Pollstar's top 100 worldwide arena venues.

The O2 in London topped the list, with the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester and Lanxess Arena in Germany securing second and third spots.

John Langford, director of concerts and events at the SECC, said he and his team were delighted by the news.

Mr Langford said: "To have reached the position of number four on the Pollstar ranking so soon after opening is great news for the SECC and Glasgow.

"But we could never have done it without the legendary Glasgow audiences."

Pollstar's list is based on the arena's ticket sales.

The news is a significant achievement for Scotland's newest arena, which was marked against a host of other major venues to claim its place as one of the top in the world.

Since opening its doors in September 2013, the Hydro has hosted 61 shows, including gigs by Justin Timberlake, Rod Stewart and Beyonce.

It has hosted more than 600,000 music fans who flocked to the 12,000-seater venue.

Madison Square Garden was ranked 12th, while Wembley Arena came 30th.

The Hydro has become a must-visit for major arena tours and later this year will host shows by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

Rod Stewart was the first person to perform at the Hydro when it opened in September last year.

Fleetwood Mac, Calvin Harris, Michael Buble and The Proclaimers are just a few of the big names that have already played at the venue.

The list is compiled quarterly by the leading entertainment industry publication Pollstar, based on arena attendance for concerts and special events.

More than eight years in the making, the Hydro has been described as Scotland's biggest feat of engineering for 2013.

And it is thought it could help generate £131 million for the local economy.

Designed by Foster & Partners architects, The Hydro features more than 145 digital screens, along with two high-def projectors to illuminate the exterior in the evenings.

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