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.
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The Weeknd reschedules long-awaited Oz tour
The Weeknd will finally bring his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour to Australia after initially postponing and then cancelling the 2023 dates.
The Australia and New Zealand leg, promoted by Live Nation, was originally planned as one of the final stretches of his world tour before those dates were shelved.
The Canadian R&B superstar, born Abel Tesfaye, will kick off the 2024 leg on 5 October at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, with a second show on 6 October, before heading to Sydney for back-to-back performances at Accor Stadium on 22 and 23 October.
These will be The Weeknd’s first stadium shows in Australia and his first visit since 2017. He will be joined by special guests Mike Dean and Chxrry22, along with Australian DJ and vocalist Anna Lunoe on all 2024 dates Down Under.
“I feel a strong pull to perform in Australia before moving on to the next chapter”
Brisbane and New Zealand, which were included in the cancelled 2023 tour, are not part of the 2024 itinerary “due to schedule and logistical constraints… and there will be no further cities,” according to the tour announcement.
In a statement about the upcoming shows in Australia, The Weeknd said: “I feel a strong pull to perform in Australia before moving on to the next chapter and want to make sure you all know I hadn’t forgotten about you.”
“When I return now, it will be the right time, and I promise it will be such a special experience. I can’t wait to see you all!”
The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour has been a global success, with over 60 sold-out stadium dates and more than three million attendees across North America, Europe, the UK, and Latin America.
The tour has also broken attendance records, including a two-night run at London Stadium that drew 160,000 fans.
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TEG Live names Tim McGregor global head of touring
TEG Live’s managing director Tim McGregor has been appointed global head of touring, overseeing the firm’s concert and festival portfolio.
With effect from today, McGregor is responsible for overseeing the continued growth of the global touring businesses across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, UK, Europe, and North America.
This portfolio includes TEG Live, TEG Dainty, TEG Van Egmond, TEG MJR, Handsome Tours, Laneway Festival, TEG Asia, TEG Live Europe and TEG North America.
McGregor has been the MD of TEG Live since joining the business in 2016.
“I am delighted to appoint Tim to the role of global head of touring,” says TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones. “Tim’s outstanding track record in the live entertainment industry draws on more than three decades of experience. His in-depth industry knowledge and excellent business acumen makes him the ideal choice to lead the overall concert and festival touring strategy for TEG across the globe.”
“”Tim’s outstanding track record in the live entertainment industry draws on more than three decades of experience”
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Tim in his new role to drive growth and success for the TEG business.”
McGregor adds: “I am excited to be furthering my remit with TEG to build its touring operations both locally and globally. I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved to date, but this is only the beginning.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Geoff for this opportunity and for his ongoing support. We’ve been on a long journey together, and I look forward to embarking on the next phase of TEG with Geoff and the senior leadership team.”
Based in Sydney, TEG is a specialist in live entertainment, ticketing, digital and data.
Earlier this year it was reported that the owner Silver Lake had secured a A$1.1 billion (€663.8 million) dividend recapitalisation for the Australian live entertainment giant after attempts to sell the company stalled.
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New Zealand festival expands to two days
New Zealand’s biggest one-day festival Electric Avenue is expanding to two days for its 10th anniversary edition next year.
Staged by local production company Team Event, the festival will take place in Hagley Park, Christchurch, from 21-22 February 2025.
First held in 2015, the event has grown to attract 35,000 attendees, with this year’s lineup headlined by The Chemical Brothers, Six60 and Spaceshifter. With the expanded format, organisers hope to draw in excess of 60,000 punters over two days.
“By comparison, next year’s festival will be the equivalent of this year’s one on steroids,” festival director Callam Mitchell tells The Press. “This year, the entire city sold out weeks in advance and because next year’s line-up is so strong the problem is going to be worse.
“Also, as our profile has grown internationally, interest has grown among the artists who now really want to perform here – hence the reason for wanting to celebrate our 10th birthday with a bang.”
“Electric Avenue also doubles as an opportunity to showcase our local talent alongside international acts”
Economic development agency ChristchurchNZ contributed NZ$200,000 (€109,000) towards the costs of the 2024 event, which generated $6.3 million in visitor spend, according to the group.
“When we invest in events it’s to develop them to become internationally significant, so this is a prime example,” says Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger. “Electric Avenue also doubles as an opportunity to showcase our local talent alongside international acts. It’s such a bonus the event itself is homegrown too.”
The 2025 line-up will be revealed next month and is expected to star around 20 international acts and 40 local artists across four stages.
Tickets to this year’s festival cost $199, and organisers have vowed to keep the costs of 2025 tickets down at “around 30% higher than the average price of a one-day ticket sold for this year’s event”.
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Travis Scott tour stretches to LatAm & Australasia
Travis Scott’s record-setting Circus Maximus Tour is heading to Latin America and Australasia this autumn.
The rapper has announced stadium shows in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand for September and October.
Additionally, he will return to North America for a special one-night-only date at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 9 October. More than one million tickets have already been sold for the global run so far.
Scott is currently on the European leg of the tour, which concludes with three nights in Portugal at Lisbon’s MEO Arena from 2-4 August. The European dates have grossed nearly $27 million (€25m) with over 270,000 attendees across the first 11 dates.
In London, he drew in excess of 48,500 fans to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 July – his largest headline show to date – grossing more than $6.6m. He 33-year-old Houston native also broke the venue’s merchandise sales record and is also the first US hip-hop artist to sell 200,000 tickets in a year across three shows in Italy.
His sold-out 44-date North American trek in 2023 and 2024 generated $95.7m at the box office with an attendance of 686,000, breaking multiple merchandise sale records across states, and is officially the highest-grossing rap tour of 2024. Scott also made history as the first rapper to headline a sold-out show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The full list of additional Circus Maximus dates is as follows:
7 September – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Bicentenario La Florida
9 September – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena
11 September – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque Stadium
13 September – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Rock N Rio
15 September – Bogota, Colombia – Coliseo Medplus
18 September – San Juan, Puerto Rico – Coliseo de Puerto Rico
21 September – Mexico City, México – Esplanade Estadio Azteca
9 October – East Rutherford, New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
17 October – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium
22 October – Melbourne, Australia – Marvel Stadium
26 October – Brisbane, Australia – Suncorp Stadium
31 October – Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park
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Tenacious D tour cancelled after Trump comment
Jack Black has cancelled the remainder of Tenacious D’s world tour following a controversial onstage joke by bandmate Kyle Gass relating to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Presenting Gass with a cake to mark his 64th birthday during the comedy duo’s performance at the ICC Sydney Theatre, Australia, on Sunday (14 July), Black told him to “make a wish”, in footage shared online, to which Gass replied: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
The remark, which came hours after Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania, US, was mostly met with laughter in the venue, but has since sparked an outcry, with Australian senator Ralph Babet calling for the band to be deported.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” says Black on Instagram. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.
“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
“What happened was a tragedy and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement”
A concert scheduled for Newcastle Entertainment Centre today (16 July), promoted by Frontier Touring, had already been called off shortly before doors were due to open.
Other postponed Spicy Meatball Tour shows in Australia and New Zealand include sold out July dates in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington and Auckland. The pair were also due to short run of US gigs in October.
Prior to Black’s statement, Gass issued a statement on social media, apologising for his actions.
“The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” he said. “I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologise to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”
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Capacity increase for New Zealand’s Spark Arena
New Zealand’s Spark Arena is upping its capacity after celebrating its biggest year since opening in 2007.
More than 655,000 fans attended the Auckland arena and its neighbouring club venue, The Tuning Fork, in 2023 – breaking the previous record of 619,000 set in 2018.
The achievement equates to 41% of Auckland’s population, or 13% of the national population, attending an event at Spark Arena, which has officially increased its capacity from 12,000 to 13,280.
“This will mean more tickets will be available to fans that otherwise might miss out and it will also be beneficial for Spark Arena and promoters to attract even more world-class talent and the globe’s biggest acts to Aotearoa, New Zealand,” says Spark Arena general manager Mark Gosling.
Last year, the Live Nation-operated venue welcomed artists including 50 Cent, Lizzo, and Paramore, as well as hosting the largest country shows ever in New Zealand with sold-out shows by Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Record audiences also turned out for the first major performances by K-Pop group P1Harmony, Taiwanese musician Jonathan Lee and Indian singer/songwriter Diljit Dosanjh.
“We are proud our venue brings significant social and economic value to communities as the gateway of entertainment for the country”
“2023 was a big year for our dedicated and skilled team who have worked around the clock to deliver a wide range of events for Kiwis at the highest level,” adds Gosling. “It is fantastic to see New Zealanders really get behind events and we are proud our venue brings significant social and economic value to communities as the gateway of entertainment for the country.”
Over the past couple of months, Spark Arena has hosted Jonas Brothers, Queens of the Stone Age, three sold-out shows with SZA and smashed all-time nightly attendance records with both Blink 182 and Fred Again.. Upcoming acts include Macklemore, Brooke Fraser, Tate McRae, Jerry Seinfeld and Iron Maiden.
Spark Arena will also play host to the World Choir Games this July featuring around 250 choirs from more than 30 countries.
Across Australia and New Zealand, the Live Nation Venue Nation division also oversees the Tuning Fork in Auckland, San Fran in Wellington as well as the Palais Theatre and Festival Hall in Melbourne, and Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul, New South Wales, along with the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane and Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide.
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Viagogo loses lengthy legal battle, plans appeal
Viagogo has lost a years-long legal battle against New Zealand’s consumer watchdog over claims the site repeatedly misled customers.
The NZ Commerce Commission (CC) began investigating Viagogo, which has appealed the judgement, in 2017 and started civil proceedings in the High Court in August 2018.
It successfully argued the Swiss-headquartered secondary ticketing company had breached New Zealand’s Fair Trading Act by posting misleading information on its website about its authenticity as an official ticket seller, as well as its status as a resale platform and the price, scarcity, and validity of tickets.
The High Court has now ordered Viagogo to correct the misleading information and update its terms and conditions to allow for customer disputes to be dealt with through the New Zealand courts.
“The Commission is aware of a large number of reports from consumers who had purchased event tickets from Viagogo, booked flights and travel to attend the event, only to be turned away at the entrance when they found out for the first time that their tickets weren’t authentic,” says CC fair trading general manager Vanessa Horne. “This resulted in significant distress and financial impacts for consumers.”
“We now have a ruling that will require Viagogo to be upfront with Kiwi consumers about what they’re buying and ensure a fairer resolution system”
Horne says Viagogo challenged efforts to subject it to New Zealand jurisdiction, going so far as to require in its terms and conditions that any customer disputes had to be dealt with through the Swiss courts. However, the High Court deemed that to be an “unfair contract term” under the Fair Trading Act.
“We took this case on behalf of every one of those Kiwi consumers and pursued this large global entity over more than eight years – and we now have a ruling that will require Viagogo to be upfront with Kiwi consumers about what they’re buying and ensure a fairer resolution system for settling disputes against Viagogo in the future,” adds Horne.
“This case was about holding a global business to account for the harm they were causing in New Zealand and paving the way for individuals to have the ability to stand up for their consumer rights against international companies. The New Zealand Fair Trading Act requires businesses to make accurate claims and consider the overall impression a consumer would have based on their representations.”
A spokesperson for Viagogo says: “In 2018, the New Zealand Commerce Commission commenced civil proceedings against Viagogo. Following a trial that concluded in March 2023, a decision has now been issued. The findings relate to a combination of historic and more recent conduct. Viagogo has made amendments to its platform and remains fully committed to fulfilling all legal obligations and ensuring full compliance – as it does in all markets in which it operates.
“Viagogo is appealing against several aspects of the decision but is taking steps to comply with the decision pending the appeal being heard. Given the matter remains before the courts, Viagogo will make no further comment.”
The watchdog adds that Viagogo’s appeal against the ruling will be “strongly defended” by the Commission.
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The Weeknd’s delayed Oz/NZ tour officially axed
The Weeknd’s highly anticipated return to Australia and New Zealand has officially been cancelled.
The stadium outing was first postponed in November 2023, just three weeks before it was due to kick off due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Australian event ticketing company Ticketek informed ticketholders on Tuesday (23 April) that the Canadian singer, real name Abel Tesfaye, would not be making the trip Down Under.
“The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ for Australia & New Zealand is still in process of being rescheduled,” Ticketek revealed.
“Whilst we continue to work through the rescheduling process with the artist, tickets for the existing 2023 tour will be cancelled. All purchased tickets will receive a full refund,” they continued.
“The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ for Australia & New Zealand is still in process of being rescheduled”
Ticketek is encouraging ticket holders to join the waitlist for a forthcoming announcement to gain access to a priority pre-sale.
Originally, The Weeknd was due to perform 11 dates in the region including at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, Sydney’s Accor Stadium, Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and Eden Park in Auckland.
The Weeknd launched his After Hours til Dawn stadium tour in summer 2022 and grossed US$130 million from 19 shows that year.
He returned to the road in June 2023 and completed 42 shows in Europe and Latin America, earning $220,985,529 at the box office from a ticket total of 2.2 million.
During the European leg, the star smashed Wembley Stadium’s record for sales with a traditional concert set up with 87,000 tickets sold. The artist also set a new attendance record for London Stadium after drawing 160,000 fans over two nights in July 2023.
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New Zealand festival to ‘take a break’ in 2025
Organisers of New Zealand’s Splore Festival have warned it is set to be a “really tough year” for promoters after cancelling its 2025 edition.
Held on the shores of Tāpapakanga Regional Park, the long-running boutique music and arts festival was launched in 1998 and has been staged annually since 2015. It most recently took place in February, when it featured acts such as Sampha, Greentea Peng, The Pharcyde and James Murphy.
“We found this last Splore in 2024 a fantastic event, really great energy, but we didn’t sell as many tickets as we would’ve liked, so we were affected economically there,” festival producer Fryderyk Kublikowski tells RNZ.
“It looks like it’s going to be a really tough year for festival promoters and, rather than jump in and compete for attention and our community’s hard-earned dollars, we can see that everyone’s going to be doing it tough probably in the next 12 to 18 months, so it feels sort of like the socially responsible thing to do.”
The 8,000-cap event is pencilled in to return the following year, from 20-22 February 2026.
“A lot of event and festival promoters are struggling”
“We suffered a financial loss, but we paid all our performers and suppliers, and we were able to pay our bills in full,” says Kublikowski. “Splore’s been going for 25 years, so we’re a real touchstone event. Splore will be stronger for taking a fallow year.
“A lot of event and festival promoters are struggling, there’s a lot of festivals who take a financial hit and will go on sale almost immediately for the following year. They’re sort of covering their previous year’s losses with the following year’s ticket sales, which isn’t a very responsible thing to do.”
New Zealand’s festival season is yet to be impacted as severely as neighbouring Australia, which has witnessed a flood of cancellations including Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays.
“Seeing festivals like Splendour in the Grass in Australia cancelling for undisclosed reasons only three weeks after going to sale, and… Groovin the Moo pulling out after being on sale for a few weeks… it’s very tough,” adds Kublikowski.
More than one-third of festivals in Australia lost money in the 2022-2023 financial year, according to a recent report from Creative Australia, which listed rising operational costs (47%), lack of funding and grants (39%), insurance (31%) and extreme weather events (22%) as the most significant barriers to running music festivals in Australia.
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