05 February 2023 - 0 Comments
The Summer Concert Tour has kicked off with a sell-out crowd making the most of some long overdue summer weather and a great line up of international artists that has again made the Taupo Summer Concert live up to its reputation of a must do favourite on peoples live music calendars.
Getting the day underway was local Taupo band, False Heights, who with the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd the scale of which they haven’t performed in front of before, got the crowd warmed up for what was to come - The Angels, Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo and ZZ Top.
Originally scheduled to perform at the 2021 Summer Concert Tour, The Angels took to the stage and got the afternoon of rocking underway. Laying claim to being one of Australia’s longest lasting bands, dating as far back as 1976, their set list didn’t disappoint, and included hits like Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, Take A Long Line and No Secrets.
Next up, Stone Temple Pilots brought a 90’s flavour to the day with their unique sound, a blending of alternative rock from the 80’s and 90’s, along with the hard rock of the 70’s. Lead singer since 2017, Jeff Gutt had the crowd going with hits including Interstate Love Song, Plush and Vaseline.
Back in New Zealand for the first time since they performed 10 years ago as part of the 2013 Summer Concert Tour, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo are certainly a crowd favourite. It’s no surprise this power couple of rock are Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees with the incredible depth of classic rock hits that continue to be huge crowd pleasers, just some of which being Heartbreaker, Love Is a Battlefield and We Belong that fans got to enjoy today in Taupo.
As the show rolled on into the late afternoon and early evening, in the words of a recent interview with Billy Gibbons - lead singer and founder of ZZ Top – the sell-out crowd were on their feet and ‘thrashed and bashed’ to a stable of instantly recognisable hits including Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Legs and La Grange.
Amanda Calvert, CEO of Greenstone Entertainment comments, “After a hiatus in 2022, today’s Taupo Summer Concert will be one we’ll remember for many years to come. Not only have the artists and their music been amazing, we’ve also been blown away by all the stories and fond memories that our fans have shared with us on why they come back year after year to celebrate this incredible day of live music entertainment. While we’re heartbroken that recent weather events have meant we won’t be putting on the Whitianga Summer Concert this year, we now look forward to heading to the South Island and to rocking Central Otago at the Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert – Queenstown next weekend”.
Tickets for next weekend’s Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert - Queenstown are still available and can be purchased at www.greenstoneentertainment.co.nz
ZZ TOP, PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and THE ANGELS
Taupo – Taupo Amphitheatre, Saturday 4 February 2023 (Waitangi Weekend) – Sold Out
Whitianga – Whitianga Waterways Arena, Sunday 5 February 2023 (Waitangi Weekend) - Cancelled
Queenstown – Gibbston Valley Winery, Saturday 11 February 2023
There are currently no comments for this article. Please log in to add new comments.