Paula Yeoman: Gig calendar rapidly filling up

Some of the artists Paula Yeoman is gearing up to see in the coming months. Photos / File

Live music fan Paula Yeoman books her tickets to the best shows.

I'm a serial gig-goer but I also suffer terrible concert fatigue so I deliberately hunkered down this winter, venturing out only to the shows I really, really wanted to see.

But in my dreary winter stupor I've gone to town booking concerts. And on my recent return from two weeks in the Californian sun, I decided it was time to start getting my spring/summer gig calendar in order. There are still many more to lock in but here's how it's looking so far.

Kiss on October 16: My partner is a big Kiss fan and, in a moment of weakness, I said yes to this gig. But the more I think about it, the more I regret that impulsive decision that will see me spending two hours of my life watching old men in makeup sweating and prancing around Vector Arena singing songs I don't know.

Neil Diamond on October 19 & 21: Neil Diamond is also old and it's likely he also wears makeup, but the difference here is I know and love his songs and I reckon two hours of reminiscing to famous tunes like Sweet Caroline and Solitary Man will be worth the dosh I paid for this ticket.

Fleetwood Mac on November 21 & 22: I would cross oceans to see Fleetwood Mac and have. The most memorable time was in Palo Alto in 1997. Lindsay Buckingham had just rejoined after his highly documented hiatus and it was to be the last time I saw the famous five together. And so, with John McVie back in good health and Christine McVie back on the scene, this is the concert I'm most looking forward to this year.

Halestorm on December 5: Google tells me they're a rock band from Pennsylvania and my partner says they're "kick-ass". Quite frankly, I'm only going to this show because, should I need a sidekick for any upcoming moody folk gigs, my partner has no option but to return the favour.

Ed Sheeran on December 12: Each step of Ed Sheeran's meteoric rise to super-stardom can be measured by the size of the venue he has played. I first saw him play to a three-quarter-full theatre in 2012. Earlier this year he graduated to packing Vector Arena two nights in a row. Now I can't wait to see him stand alone on stage in front of 40,000 at Mt Smart.

Madonna on March 5 & 6: Skip ahead to 2016 and the only concert in the calendar thus far is Madonna at Vector Arena. I'm not a die-hard fan and haven't properly listened to a full album since 2000's Music. But so what, this is Madonna! It has to be done.

Who are you looking forward to seeing in the coming months? Comment below!