DUNEDIN’S FORSYTH BARR STADIUM WILL ALWAYS FACE AN UP-HILL BATTLE TO ATTRACT MAJOR ARTISTS

There are only a small elite cliché of rock royalty that are going to fill a full  'outdoor' stadium anywhere in New Zealand.  Coldplay is one of them. Their entourage, lighting, sound equipment requires three cargo aircraft to travel with them around the globe. We are talking a 747 ‘Jumbo’ amongst the mix. So what are the chances of getting a band of Coldplays magnitude playing outside Auckland? Well if you were say Dunedin the chances are nil. Your money-pit (a.k.a Forsth Barr Stadium) will remain empty as it normally does 99% of the time. The only noise to be heard will be a tractor preparing the pitch for the next (charity?) rugby game, not Jonny Buckland making sure his guitar rig is geared up correctly for the nights sold-out concert. You see the ‘rush of blood’ individuals that lauded the 220 million stadium as being suitable for ‘International Acts’ didn’t bother to factor in one critical factor attracting the Coldplays of this world – the length of Dunedin Airports runway. It’s too short for wide-bodied aircraft like theirs. This means Dunedin is pissing into the wind if it thinks it will ever attract say the U2, Lady GaGa or Madona’s of this world. They all employ 747 freighters, that can land only at Auckland and the presently ravaged city of Christchurch. Forsyth Barrs managers Dunedin Venues Management Ltd is therefore on a permanent global search for ‘B’ graders who can attract enough mainland punters. The second tare willing to either use the stadiums sound system or prepared to go to the major expense, time hauling it 1,400kms down from Auckland and then back again. In its only major outing, Elton John, the stadiums 1.5 million dollar sound-system’s sound was described as wishy-washy. That’s to say some of the audience got perfect clarity and others, ironically mostly those in the more expensive seats, got an overall sound that floated in and out. The management blamed the wind that night for the sound distorting in places. The level of the wind also meant the retractable roof above the stadium became noisy in the larger gusts. Dunedin Venues Management Ltd called the wind ‘extreme’. Windy? Surely not in Dunedin which boasts N.Z’s best weather? So all the cards are stacked firmly against Forsyth Barr Stadium ever becoming a major concert venue. What opportunities there are will evaporate to almost lotto proportions once Christchurch’s stadium is fully re-built. Forsyth Barr will always be essentially a Rugby Stadium no matter how Dunedin Venues Management etc want to package it.