Bay fans of international rock legend Meat Loaf will have the chance to meet him in person at his October concert.
Frontier Touring Company publicist Maria Robinson expected the concert at Tect Arena at Baypark on October 28 to be a sell-out. Pre-sales, available to Visa card holders until 5pm tomorrow had been strong. A 24-hour sale on Tuesday and Wednesday this week was available to members registered to the Frontier Touring website.
Western Bay fans need not fear, however, with half the tickets reserved for the general public, which go on sale through Ticketek on July 13.
Diehard fans can spend $500 on a meet and greet experience with the star himself. The package includes: One gold reserved ticket on the central premium balcony; an exclusive meet and greet with Meat Loaf; a personal photograph with Meat Loaf; an autographed 8x10 photo; a concert shirt; and a collectible tour poster.
The concert is part of Meat Loaf's Guilty Pleasures Tour.
Meat Loaf burst on to the world music stage in 1977 with his landmark release Bat Out of Hell. The album sold more than 43 million copies worldwide and is the third-biggest selling record of all time.
He will also perform at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena on October 26 and Auckland's Vector Arena on October 29.
Miss Robinson said the new $41million arena, scheduled for completion next month, was the ideal place to sample a brand new venue while presenting a good opportunity for Frontier Touring to move into a new market.
"We'd like to get into a market we haven't been in previously. Judging by the pre-sales there's obviously a a good strength of fans and I would expect hopefully there will be a sell-out," she said.
There will also be a local supporting act at the concert which is yet to be announced.
Baypark business manager Karen Gemmell said it was amazing to secure an international superstar at the new arena.
"We're so thrilled to have secured Meat Loaf for Tauranga. As a venue we think it's excellent to launch us onto the concert circuit," Ms Gemmell said.
She said the arena had the infrastructure to cater for these kind of touring acts, with a maximum capacity for the concert of 4600.
The arena's air-conditioned auditorium boasts a recessed stage, retractable seating and layers of sound proofing on the roof, making it ideal for large shows.
"We believe there's a very strong interest in it [Meat Loaf]. Locally, from discussions we've had with people, they're very excited," she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Gemmell said a Facebook petition to bring rock legends INXS to Tect Arena had not resulted in the announcement of a New Zealand tour but had caught the attention of the band.
"We got so much support from everyone and it was definitely noticed by INXS. I've been speaking to them but at this stage they're not confirming a tour for New Zealand. Hopefully we're still on the radar if they come here. Last month they confirmed their US tour and they've just been to the UK," she said.
The Facebook page, titled Bring INXS to Baypark Arena, Tauranga, was created in response to a competition run by the band asking cities across the world to put together their own petitions for an INXS gig.
The site attracted nearly 1000 fans and according to Ms Gemmell spurred a host of other cities around the globe to create similar pages.
In April, Ms Gemmell told the Bay of Plenty Times she hoped to get 20,000 "likes" on the Facebook page to encourage the Australian rock band to help celebrate the opening of the arena.
Are you the Bay's biggest Meat Loaf fan? We want to hear from you. Email news@bayofplentytimes.co.nz or phone 577 3154.
Tauranga fans' chance to savour Meat Loaf
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