A Summer’s Day Live concert returns: Dire Straits Legacy tour announced

Dire Straits Legacy will be coming to New Zealand this summer.

Legendary bands Dire Straits Legacy and Nazareth will be headlining later this year in Tauranga.

The summer concert series that began in 2019, A Summer’s Day Live, will be coming back to the city again on December 30.

The series has previously included musical legends TOTO, Bryan Adams, UB40, Jefferson Starship, and Dragon.

This year’s tour will also stop in Napier, Matakana and New Plymouth.

The last A Summer’s Day Live concert, scheduled for Tauranga on January 4 this year, featuring UB40 alongside Jefferson Starship and Dragon, was cancelled due to the weather.

British rock band Dire Straits have sold more than 120 million albums globally, and have not toured as a full band since the early 90′s, promoters said in a statement.

Dire Straits Legacy is made up of a range of original musicians who recorded and toured with Dire Straits over 30 years ago and have performed live as the band on multiple world tours.

Dire Straits Legacy will be in Tauranga later this year.

While in New Zealand over the summer, the band will be performing hits drawn from six platinum albums, including Money for Nothing, Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet, and Walk of Life.

Scottish rock act Nazareth, with 50 years’ worth of hits, will headline alongside them at all stops of the series tour during their first time in New Zealand.

Kiwi band Hello Sailor will be a supporting act at all stops, and Mount Maunganui’s Wildlanes will also take the stage in Tauranga .

Dire Straits Legacy has Dire Straits’ first keyboardist Alan Clark, as well as Phil Palmer and Danny Cummings, who both recorded On Every Street, and Mel Collins who played on several singles.

All men have performed live with the original band on several world tours.

Past members include bassist Trevor Horn, keyboardist Primiano Di Biase, frontman Marco Caviglia, and guitarist Mark Knopfler.

Scottish rock act Nazareth are coming to New Zealand for the first time ever.

The upcoming shows will also be a tribute to the life of Dire Straits’ guitarist Jack Sonni who died a week ago, aged 68.

Tickets go on sale on September 13; the presale at 11am, and the general sale at 12pm and can be purchased off Trademark Group.

Other concerts announced for Tauranga this summer include L.A.B and Sublime with Rome, as well as annual music festival Bay Dreams.

A Summer’s Day Live ft. Dire Straits Legacy, Nazareth and Hello Sailor

Church Road, Napier: December 29, with Scarlett Eden

Wharepai Domain, Tauranga: December 30, with Wildlanes

Matakana Country Park, Matakana: January 2, with Uncommon State

Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth: January 3, with Darkwater