Focus: Six60 talk selling out Western Springs, playing the biggest Kiwi show in history.
Promoter Brent Eccles is promising a concert "unlike anything anyone has seen" at tonight's record-breaking Six60 concert.
Nearly 50,000 people are expected to attend the sold out gig at Western Springs Stadium, the first time a New Zealand band has filled the venue to capacity.
Eccles, head of Eccles Entertainment, said the show is unlike anything he's worked on before - and it keeps growing.
"It's the biggest show I've been 100 per cent responsible for. What started out as a modest-sized stage is now the biggest stage you can get in New Zealand," he said.
"It's a world-class production. We're talking big screens ... and content for the screens, built specifically for Six60. It's unreal."
The band's singer, Matiu Walters, told the Herald earlier this week they had put together an all-new show for the occasion, and had been rehearsing every day for weeks leading up to it. He also said they would debut several new songs.
"It wasn't good enough to just be standing on stage," Walters said. "We're trying to put a narrative into the show, trying to take people on a journey ... rather than just adding fireworks and pyro."
The show is so big builders have been putting up the stage, fencing and venue amenities for the past 10 days, unloading 30 trucks-worth of equipment onto the site.
"It's a totally unique show with the biggest production a New Zealand band has ever had," Eccles said, who has spent 40 years in the music industry, 20 of those as a promoter.
"I've been down there ... we're building a small city. It's jaw-dropping. It's huge."
The pressure is on Six60 to deliver; Western Springs is the only North Island show they're playing this summer, and they're performing in front of the biggest crowd they've ever pulled.
That's not all: a documentary crew will be filming for a planned feature film focused on the historic occasion, while music industry bigwigs are flying in from overseas to see what the fuss is about.
That, said Eccles, could lead to future opportunities for Six60 to take tonight's one-off stadium show on tour.
"It's created a lot of attention," he said. "The people I talk to internationally, they say, 'Sorry? 50,000? Who are they?"
Crowds are expected to arrive from 4pm, when gates open, and they'll be treated to sets from opening acts illBaz, SWIDT, Sons of Zion and Drax Project.
Six60 are due on stage at 8.50pm, with the show scheduled to end around 11pm.
Road closures include Stadium Road, Bullock Track, West View Road, Old Mill Road, and a section of Great North Road from St Lukes Road to Bond Street.
Parking restrictions will be in place along West View Road, Mayoral Drive, Old Mill Road, Surrey Crescent, Tuarangi Road, Ivanhoe Road and a section of Great North Road,
The show has been sold out since September, and promoters have warned against buying tickets from unauthorised sellers and may refuse entry to those who do.
As for predicted bad weather coming from the tail end of Cyclone Oma, Eccles said it's "unlikely to be a show-stopper".
"Any decision would be made on the morning of the show," he said. "We'll definitely play in the rain; a cyclone might be a different story."
KEY INFORMATION
• Who, where and when: Six60, Western Springs Stadium, tonight • Set times: Gates open - 4pm; illBaz - 5pm; SWIDT - 5.30pm; Sons of Zion - 6.20pm; Drax Project - 7.20pm; Six60 - 8.50pm • To ask for help: Text 'ASSIST' with a message and location to 260; or approach venue staff and ask for 'Angela'. • Prohibited Items: Bags larger than A3, video cameras and recording devices (not cellphones), prams and strollers, selfie sticks and drones, animals, banners, iPads, can, glass, alcohol and drugs. •Drop-off and pick-up zone: A five-minute zone has been set up between St Lukes Road and Motions Road. • Free public transport: Travel on the Northern Express, and special buses departing from 4.30pm from 4 Mayoral Drive, is included with tickets. Buses depart after the event from Williamson Ave. • More information: visit aucklandstadiums.co.nz
