New Zealand stadium seeks to double concert limit
Operators of New Zealand’s national stadium are bidding to double the number of concerts it is allowed to host per year.
The 60,000-cap Eden Park in Auckland is currently permitted to hold six gigs a year but has applied to increase the limit to 12, to be “performed by no more than six different artists”.
P!nk brought her Summer Carnival Tour to the venue for two nights in March, with shows by Travis Scott (31 October) and Coldplay (13 & 15-16 November) still to come before 2024 is out.
“Increasing the number of concert events will help Auckland and New Zealand continue to be an appealing destination for major international tours,” says Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner, as per Coliseum. “Concerts at Eden Park have become integral to our country’s cultural landscape, delivering significant socio-economic benefits to our local community and city.”
The move comes after acts such as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish elected to skip New Zealand on their latest tours. New Zealand was included on The Weeknd’s cancelled 2023 tour but is not part of the revised 2024 itinerary “due to schedule and logistical constraints”.
“The current limit of six concert events per year at Eden Park restricts the stadium’s ability to attract and accommodate top-tier international acts,” adds Sautner. “By increasing this limit, Eden Park can offer artists flexibility to perform multiple shows to meet fan demand, making Auckland a more attractive stop on their global tours.”
“We have proven we can deliver large-scale international concerts successfully”
Moreover, Sautner says the bid has the support of the overwhelming majority of the Auckland public and notes that 70% of the venue’s current revenue streams did not exist five years ago, highlighting the evolution of the business.
“Live events such as concerts provide escapism and entertainment for people,” he continues. “We have proven we can deliver large-scale international concerts successfully and with an overwhelming 95% of our local community in support of concerts, we want to have the option to bring more world-class entertainment to our city.”
Speaking in IQ‘s 2024 Global Arena Guide, Mark Gosling, general manager of Auckland’s Sparks Arena (cap. 13,280), offered an update on the state of play for live music in the country.
“We are confident that the pipeline of international acts is looking consistent for the remainder of 2024 and into early 2025,” he said. “The pandemic impact has largely subsided, and the touring cycle has returned back to its normal timing, with the southern hemisphere very busy from October through to April during the northern winter.”
A new 55,000-seat stadium was proposed for the Quay Park area of Auckland earlier this year.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Six60 to set new stadium record in New Zealand
–New Zealand band Six60 will set a new record for the most amount of NZ stadiums visited during one tour.
The tour will kick off in March 2022, visiting six stadiums including Rotorua International Stadium (cap. 34,000) in Rotorua, Forsyth Barr Stadium (30,700) in Dunedin, Orangetheory Stadium (18,000) in Christchurch and Sky Stadium (34,000) in Wellington.
The 2022 jaunt will also visit Napier’s Mclean Park (19,700), where the band will make history as the first act to play at the sports ground.
The 2022 jaunt will also visit Napier’s Mclean Park, where the band will make history as the first act to play at the ground
The tour will conclude with a concert at Auckland’s Eden Park (50,000), a year after Six60 became the first band to headline the stadium with their sold-out concert in April.
The Eden Park show was also the world’s largest concert since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ahead of next year’s tour, Six60 are encouraging fans to get their jabs to ensure they don’t miss out on next year’s dates, as vaccine passports will be mandatory for anyone in the country wanting to attend live music events.
The introduction of vaccine passports has divided the country’s live music industry, with some promoters insisting certification will be the key to summer festivals and others warning it’ll create a ‘two-tier’ society.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Six60 to play world’s largest concert since Covid
New Zealand band Six60 are set to play the world’s largest concert since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to 50,000 people next month.
The band will be the first act to play New Zealand’s largest stadium, Eden Park (50,000-capacity) in Auckland, on 24 April as part of their Six60 Saturdays tour.
In February this year, it was announced that the famous sporting stadium could host up to six concerts a year, following a five-day hearing in November in which residents’ concerns about potential noise and disruption were addressed.
Six60 were an active voice in the campaign to bring concerts to Eden Park and frontman Matiu Walters said in a statement: “It’s no secret that Six60 have wanted to play Eden Park for some time now. We always felt that it was important a kiwi band should play the first show at our national stadium.
“We always felt that it was important a kiwi band should play the first show at our national stadium”
“Because of the hard work that New Zealand has done as a community we’re in the privileged position to be able to perform to an audience of this size. It’s a great reward, we’re stoked that it’s become a reality and it’s a real honour to bring our show to the garden of Eden. We can’t wait.”
The Eden Park concert will be the seventh date of Six60 Saturdays, which is the only stadium tour in the world to go ahead during the pandemic so far.
In January, the band delivered the biggest headline show in New Zealand since the pandemic began to an estimated 20,000 people at Waitangi Sports Grounds in Paihia.
The tour has also made stops in Hastings, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Eden Park seeking new CEO as Ngata departs for Dubai
Guy Ngata, chief executive of New Zealand’s largest stadium, Eden Park (50,000-cap.), is to step down in November to become GM of the new Dubai Arena.
It marks a return to AEG Ogden for New Zealander Ngata (pictured), who joined Eden Park from AEG’s Allphones Arena (now Qudos Bank Arena) in Sydney in September 2015.
Brisbane-based AEG Ogden, which manages venues in the Asia-Pacific region, was appointed operator of the 20,000-capacity Dubai Arena last November. AEG says the new arena will become “go-to” venue for concerts, sports and other live entertainment in the Middle East when it opens next year.
“Guy has been an outstanding chief executive”
“Guy leaves on a high, hard on the heels of the hugely successful DHL New Zealand Lions Series, which highlighted the truly unique live sport experience that only Eden Park can offer,” says Doug McKay, chairman of Eden Park Trust, which manages the stadium.
“Eden Park has benefitted from Guy’s international venue management experience. He has been an outstanding chief executive.”
Eden Park is seeking a new CEO, and will “commence a global search for someone to take the helm and guide the stadium into the future”, adds McKay.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.