Mt Smart Stadium: Long live Queen – they've reigned over the charts, the airways and concert stadiums of the world for 50 years which isn't quite as long as the Queen but in the fickle world of music, it's an achievement worth saluting. Original Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor are back in town, with long-time frontman Adam Lambert, for three stadium shows guaranteed to rock you. The Rhapsody Tour promises to "expand the parameters of what a live music experience can be" and, after Wellington last night, is in Auckland on Friday and Dunedin on Monday.
Queen + Adam Lambert, The Rhapsody Tour, Mt Smart Stadium, tomorrow night.
The Wine Cellar: New Zealand has played quite a part in the evolution of Seattle's Glass Heart String Choir, a baroque-pop duo which combines cinematic strings, intricate harp, piano and guitar arrangements and emotive vocals. Guitarist/vocalist Ian Williams toured the country two years ago with US chamber-pop songwriter Shenandoah Davis meeting up with the likes of local musician Anthonie Tonnin and French for Rabbits. Now Williams returns, with harp-player, violinist and composer Katie Mosehauer, for a tour that goes from Auckland to Dunedin taking in the likes of
Okarito, Hokitika, Rangiora and Palmerston North. The duo will be joined, at various times, by French for Rabbits, writer Rose Lu and songwriter Mali Mali who performs in Auckland.
Glass Heart String Choir, Wine Cellar, tonight, 8pm.
Albert Park and Aotea Square: Back in '72, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku led New Zealand's Gay Liberation Front at a rally around the statue of Queen Victoria in Albert Park for one of the country's earliest gay liberation demonstrations. This Saturday, rainbow communities meet at the same statue to start OurMarch, one of the highest profile events on the Auckland Pride Festival calendar. The march, down Bowen and Victoria Streets onto Queen St and into Aotea Square, pays homage to Pride history, celebrates how far the LGTBQI+ communities have come and champions the issues still to be overcome.
Auckland Pride Festival, OurMarch, Albert Park 4pm.
OurMarch is a show of energy, unity and divesity; OurParty is a full-on extravaganza with queer artists, musicians, performers, dancers and foodies in full celebration mode. Hosted by Tom Sainsbury and Madeleine Sami, it's a free and unapologetic expression of the richness of our rainbow communities and a chance to dance into the evening.
OurParty, Aotea Square 6pm.
