Dave Grohl performs at Mt Smart Stadium with the Foo Fighters in 2015. They'll be back next year. Photo/Nick Reed
Foo Fighters and Weezer are ready to rock
Summer just got supersized with confirmation that the Foo Fighters will return for one stadium show in Auckland in February.
That's not all: they're bringing fellow rockers Weezer with them.
The show, scheduled for Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, February 3, is likely to be a star attraction in an already jammed summer schedule for Kiwi music lovers.
Before Christmas, Lorde, Cat Stevens, The Weeknd, Khalid, The Chainsmokers, Sir Paul McCartney, Human League, Migos, J Cole, Stevie Nicks, Jack Johnson, Harry Styles and Future are all scheduled to visit.
After Christmas, we'll have shows by Bruno Mars, Roger Waters, Queen with Adam Lambert, The National, Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, Lionel Richie, Robbie Williams and Katy Perry to look forward to.
It'll be the third stadium visit in New Zealand for the Foo Fighters after shows at Western Springs in 2011 and Mt Smart Stadium in 2015.
Around both those shows, they also scheduled smaller charity performances at Auckland's Town Hall, although the 2015 show was called off after a truck crash delayed the arrival of their gear.
Dave Grohl and co will be playing on the back of their ninth studio album Concrete and Gold, due for release next Friday.
Weezer will be backing up their last show here at Spark Arena in 2013 and will be playing after the release of Pacific Daydream, their 11th album, due out next month.
Tickets go on sale on September 22. Pre-sales begin on September 19.
Keep an eye out in next week's issue for TimeOut's full interview with Dave Grohl.
Bay Dreams gets bigger
New Zealand's biggest summer music festival just got a little bigger with confirmation that Machine Gun Kelly has joined the Bay Dreams line-up.
Other acts included in today's second announcement for the Tauranga festival at Baypark Arena on January 2 include The Upbeats, Maribou State, Deadbeat, Written By Wolves, Trei, Flowidus, Spectrum and Jason Davis.
They join a line-up that already includes DJ Snake, Foster the People, Pendulum, Flatbush Zombies, $uicideBoy$, Sons of Zio and Homebrew.
It will be Machine Gun Kelly's first New Zealand show, and he'll be playing on the back of his megahit, Bad Things, from his third album, Bloom.
Promoters promise a third line-up is yet to come, as well as a full line-up for a warm-up event on January 1.
They also warned that tickets to the event, expected to be attended by more than 22,000, were likely to sell out by the end of September.
Womad confirms first headliner
Womad's new headliners are looking forward to returning to a familiar spot next summer.
Dragon is today confirmed as one of the key acts performing at New Plymouth's Pukekura Park as part of the Womad Festival, being held from March 16-18.
The band is known for songs such as April Sun in Cuba and Are You Old Enough? and founding member and bassist Todd Hunter says it's always been the band's ambition to perform at Womad.
"I'm thrilled to say that it is finally happening ... Both [frontman] Mark Williams and I have been to Womad as punters and completely loved it."
He's also happy to have an excuse to return to his home town and one of his favourite holiday spots.
"This is a double hit of joy for me as I was born in Waitara and spent most summer holidays in New Plymouth."
Hunter said fans should prepare to "sing your hearts out with a bunch of happy human beings. You will know every song. See you there".
The full line-up for Womad will be confirmed at a later date.
That's not all
Jack Johnson has announced his first New Zealand show since 2013 at Villa Maria Estate in Auckland on December 10, on the back of his new album, All The Light Above It Too.
Elsewhere, Robbie Williams has confirmed he'll play Auckland's Spark Arena on February 14 and Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 17 as part of his The Heavy Entertainment Show World Tour.
James Blunt will also perform Auckland's Spark Arena on March 6, and Christchurch's Horncastle Arena on March 8 in support of his new album, The Afterlove.
And Bic Runga is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album Drive by performing three shows: Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal on October 20, Auckland's Civic Theatre on November 2 and Wellington's Opera House on November 3.
She'll play all of Drive as well as hits from across the rest of her catalogue, and she's also promising special guests.
Meanwhile, fellow Kiwi Nadia Reid has announced a New Zealand tour in celebration of her new video for title track of her latest album, Preservation.
Reid's third round of touring Preservation in New Zealand will see her play Wellington's San Fran on October 27, Waipara's Black Estate on October 28 and Dunedin's Plato on October 29.
Reid is also playing Auckland's Wondergarden Festival at Silo Park on New Years' Eve.
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The award-winning actress said it was 'unforgiveable' she hadn't fully explored NZ.