Free Shihad tickets snapped up quickly

Some 4000 free tickets have been snapped up to see legendary Kiwi rockers Shihad perform a one-off Christchurch gig tonight that will also air live on Sky Arena - the first pay-per-view concert in New Zealand.

Tickets have been dished out to around 3000 Cantabrian fans of the hit-selling band.

Another 1000 free tickets for 'Shihad Live at Horncastle Arena' have been offered to members of St John, Fire Service, Defence Force, rebuild workers, and some University of Canterbury students.

Shihad's pay-per-view profit will be donated to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Fund, which has been helping community groups and charities rebuild after the devastating quakes.

"A lot of people in Christchurch are still on the bones of their arse and people [outside the city] need to be reminded that it's an ongoing process, that the damage and the wounds are still there," said drummer Tom Larkin.

"We've always had a strong relationship with Christchurch - it was the first city that took to Shihad way back when - and we've always had a good time there.

"We're really looking forward to it, keen to get out and about and have some fun."

Shihad made New Zealand music history earlier this year when their ninth album, FVEY (pronounced Five Eyes) debuted at No.1 on the country's Top 40 albums chart - the only Kiwi band to have five No.1 albums - all of which debuted at the top of the charts.

The Melbourne-based outfit played their first FVEY gig in Brisbane on Tuesday night which Larkin says was a good warm up for tonight's gig.

"It went really, really well," he said. "A lot of the album is about the disparity between the haves and the have nots, and we all feel that's what's happening in Christchurch."

He said the band is both "nervous and excited" to see how the pay-per-view model works.

"Whatever happens, we know what the production is going to be like and what the show set-up is like and that it's going to be amazing spectacle," he said.

Eight high definition cameras will capture the action that will be broadcast in high definition and on Dolby Digital 5.1.

Sky Arena director John McRae said the pay per view model shows "progressive thinking" by both the promoters and the band.

While it's hard to predict how many people will tune in for the event, he's confident "we'll reach our targets".

"Everyone's pretty excited about it. Anyone who has been to a Shihad gig before knows that they like to turn it up loud and put on a real show," Mr McRae said.

"People should tune in to be part of New Zealand music history."

* Shihad Live at Horncastle Arena can be watched at home from 9pm Friday for $19.95 through Sky Arena.