A Rock Concert in Auckland
Matakriki falls on the Friday closest to the last quarter period of the lunar calendar. To celebrate this important time for Maori, Matariki became a public holiday in New Zealand in June 2022.
On Friday, “Matariki Day”, we had tickets to a concert made up of a group of well-known and talented Kiwi musicians – Come Together – playing a tribute concert of Neil Young’s famous songs from his album “Live Rust” and others, at the Civic Centre in Tamaki Makaurau – Auckland’s CBD.
On this particular visit to Auckland, it was a very quiet CBD. Seemingly, all Aucklanders had flown the coop for their long weekend to beach homes or camping grounds. If the at-a-standstill traffic heading South on the motorway was anything to go by, quite a number of those locals were on their way to the Coromandel – a popular holiday spot for Aucklanders. But as we headed north into Auckland, we enjoyed a comparatively free run into the city centre.
Car parked, checked in at the hotel, unpacked, we changed and headed out to enjoy a few drinks at the local bar near the sold-out concert venue. We anticipated a rollicking good night of stonking renditions of Neil Young’s suite of songs from his Rust Live album, along with plenty of extras from the last 40 years.
We were not disappointed.
The lineup of top-shelf NZ musicians, Dianne Swann, Jon Toogood, Reb Fountain, Jol Mulholland, Brett Adams, Mike Hall, Delaney Davidson, James Milne and Alistair Deverick didn’t disappoint. As consummate entertainers and performers, they sang and played their way through an energy-fueled mix of rock and gentle ballads.
And then after the intermission (I know an intermission!), the group returned to the stage and without further ado smashed out over an hour’s worth of straight-up rock, including numbers such as “Cortez the Killer”, “Like a Hurricane”, “Powderfinger”.
The Lead, Rhythm and Acoustic guitars ruled the concert with all-night, in-your-face sounds. Oh, and the drumming was superb, too, as well as Delaney Davidson’s beautifully evocative harmonica accompaniments.
Thank you, Auckland. Thank you, “Come Together”.
MTR Stayed – at Legacy Hotels – Airdale Boutique Suites – $252 per night incl breakfast. Valet car parking is available for $45 a night. For the best service and discounts, we recommend booking directly with the hotel. Ph: 090800 96 963.
If you would like to know more about this story, or any others published on the Mytravelroom website, please get in touch with me at janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz
