Mike Hosking chats with British music icon Rod Stewart.
Video / Newstalk ZB
Sir Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper’s New Zealand concerts might have received rave reviews, but one concertgoer claims her night was “wrecked” due to one unexpected crowd member.
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Marcus Lush Nights show on Wednesday night, the woman – known only by Mel - revealed she was less than impressed with her April 9 concert experience after it was tainted by a couple who took their four month old baby along.
Explaining how she and her friends ended up having eight to 10 seats front row seats between four of them meaning they could dance around and spread out, she said their fun soon came to an end when the couple and their baby arrived and took their allocated seats in between the couples.
At first the baby was well behaved and had earmuffs on so the music wouldn’t harm her eardrums however, Mel claimed that soon changed.
“He [the baby’s father] went to move the earmuffs off the little girl’s ears, and she obviously heard the sound and screamed at the top of her lungs and they just sat there and didn’t do anything.”
Rod Stewart performs during his concert held at Spark Arena, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Mel added, “It was one of those moments where it’s like, seriously, do you really need to be here with your four-month-old baby?”
The woman noted the couple “eventually” got up and she assumed they had left the concert entirely, but she later saw them in the washroom before they returned to their seats again.
She said she and her friends were dancing around while the couple and baby were away from their seats but as soon as they were back, Mel – a mother of four herself - said her group of friends respectfully chose not to dance around or make as much noise once the couple were back as they didn’t want to upset the baby.
“We all just went ah and just went mute and sat down and kind of just did the shake with our arms and our legs and just sat there quietly for the rest of the concert.”
When asked how the mood of the couple was, Mel told Lush she felt based on their facial expressions that they were “blaming us for having a good time” and despite offering to swap seats with the couple so they wouldn’t be in the middle of a group of friends they allegedly refused.
“They refused to move. They were like, Nope, these are our seats.” She said.
Cyndi Lauper performs during her set before the Rod Stewart concert held at Spark Arena, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Mel continued on to claim the couple spoke to a security guard and allegedly complained because Mel and her friends were dancing and singing along to Stewart’s best hits, “they called the security guards over to try and get us kicked out and the security guard said, ‘look, mate, you’ve got your baby here. You have decided to be here. You either need to leave or put up with it’.”
Mel told Lush she did not confront the couple despite insisting it “wrecked” her concert experience.
“It was insane. Like, it was so surreal. It was like, is this actually happening? And it wrecked it.”
She went on to say, “Rod Stewart may never come back, and here you are sitting with a four-month-old baby who’s never going to remember this, and you are affecting everybody around you and you don’t care and you don’t wanna move. So we were all trying to make it a good experience for everybody, but they refused.”
A spokesperson for Live Nation told the Herald the concert was an “all-ages concert”,
Current Ticketmaster requirements state that age restriction policies vary for every event. Some events allow babies to attend for free however they must be with a parent or guardian. While other events require all patrons, regardless of age, to hold a ticket.
While there is no medical advice against taking babies or young children to concerts, it’s different for every child and is best to consult with your doctor first. Advice from other parents on social media forums also suggests making sure the concert is appropriate for young children, bringing snacks and drinks for your baby, and dressing them appropriately as well as purchasing a pair of noise-cancelling earmuffs specially made for babies and young children to protect their ears from the loud noises.
