KEY POINTS:
Most Aucklanders think a waterfront stadium is a bad idea but a venue of that size would do wonders for attracting big-name music acts.
It's a safe bet that Coldplay, Elton John and Robbie Williams would have played in Auckland if there had been a 60,000-seat venue such as the proposed waterfront stadium.
Instead, Elton went to Wellington and Robbie opted for Australia. Coldplay had planned to stop here for up to three shows but the 12,000-seat Vector Arena, also in downtown Auckland, isn't finished.
The problem is that there are only a handful of these crowd-pulling superstar acts around nowadays, so can Auckland warrant it?
Manolo Echave, from Michael Chugg Entertainment, who planned to bring Coldplay here this year, believes the city can. "Those acts are the ones who can come here and fill stadiums like that, but often their options are better in Australia because we just don't have the venues.
"Elton's people obviously decided what Wellington was offering was the go for New Zealand," Echave said, adding that they probably would have chosen Auckland had there been a waterfront stadium.
"It's mainly the older ones, like Elton, I have to admit. But with Coldplay we were looking at two, maybe three nights at Vector, which could have been one night [at the waterfront stadium].
"So even if you get two big acts a year, and with all the sporting fixtures, then it's big money for the town."
Brent Eccles, of the Frontier Touring Company, has no doubt such a stadium would attract big international acts such as David Bowie, the Stones and U2.
"But who knows when they will be coming back here? There's probably two or three of those acts that come over a two-year period but you would certainly put New Zealand in the stream if you had that there. That sort of stadium does attract events."
Ian Magan, director of Pacific Entertainment, which brought Cher to North Harbour Stadium last year, is more cautious. He's wary of whether there are enough superstar acts around to warrant a 60,000-seat stadium.
He says in recent times there's only been one "very big show" every two years on average.
"There's no doubt a stadium of that type - on very rare occasions, I must say - would have enormous appeal to a promoter who has a true superstar-like show. But really, there's not many of those in the world today."
Magan says his company would have limited use for a venue of that size but says that if it were promoting a show with an audience of more than 30,000 then it would be an attractive venue.
Then there's the potential conflict between the Vector Arena, which opens soon, and the proposed stadium.
Echave sees the two as entirely different markets. "We're talking major capacity with a stadium aimed towards outdoor concert events as opposed to a medium-sized event, of 12,000 capacity at the arena," he says.
Magan believes there will be a conflict because the trend is towards less outdoor shows with artists opting to play three nights at mid-size venues such as the Vector Arena.
He also has serious concerns about access to the proposed site and where people will park.
"I think everybody's conveniently blowing over the parking problems. They fool themselves that 60,000 people, or even 40,000 people, will take public transport to an event. This is not Wellington and it doesn't have the facilities of Wellington."
