A vision of the future at the Sleater-Kinney show.
We finally have an entertainment precinct worth dreaming about. Will it happen?
Hi! Before we get started, a quick reminder I have a special running on subscriptions, with 20% off until the end of May. Please only do this if it won’t cause financial hardship. From June, my newsletter is going behind a paywall, but I’d love you to keep reading. I’ve got some fun stuff coming up, including today’s story about a crazed idea for a new Auckland stadium that resembles an intergalactic spaceship. Let’s get into it…
‘What’s this going to cost? A casual $20 billion?’
Inside one venue, an alt-rock act from Portland entertained a small crowd by revisiting the past. Carrie Brownstein, one of Sleater-Kinney’s two singers, timed her scissor kicks with her ferocious riffage, then declared: “Time is a merciless bitch.”
“Who was here the time we played The Kings Arms?” asked Corin Tucker, the Portland band’s other singer, referencing Sleater-Kinney’s 2002 performance in a venue that no longer exists. A smattering of hands went up. She smiled.
Inside the venue next door, punters experienced a completely different vibe. Lights throbbed, strobes pulsed, and filters bathed the stage in deep hues of yellow and orange as the festival-friendly dance-pop act Jungle took over. “It was intense,” a friend who was there told me. “You had to dance or you would have felt left out.”
If you wanted to head out on this drizzly Wednesday night in Auckland, you had a choice. Did you want to see Sleater-Kinney’s often-thrilling set of alt-rock bangers at The Tuning Fork sadly cut short by Brownstein’s strained vocals? Or did you want to dance up a storm at the much larger Jungle show just a few metres away at Spark Arena?
(Barely anyone reviewed either of these shows because … ugh … sigh … you know.)
Soon, a decision like that could be even harder.
If Auckland’s town planners show some guts, exhibit some bravery, and respond to current trends by taking a huge step forward and investing heavily in the future, work could soon begin on a fuck-off-sized stadium right next door.
That’s right. On a night when there were already two decent live music options in Auckand, a proposed stadium could pump with the noise of 55,000 more people, inside a venue able to host some of the world’s biggest artists – and perhaps stop them from skipping New Zealand on their tours.
If everything goes to plan, it would look something like this:
Did you watch it? Because that stadium is out of control. It’s crazy, unlike anything we’ve ever built in Aotearoa before.
It appears to have wings. It looks like it’s preparing to take off on an intergalactic mission, perhaps to take the first human colonisers to Mars.
Look at this:
That stadium, called Te Tōangaroa, or Quay Park, is one of four options under consideration by an Auckland Council working group. It is, says Toa Architects’ senior Māori adviser Tracy Davis, our very own Sydney Opera House, “something that really makes us stand out on the world stage, that people want to travel to New Zealand to be part of and experience.”
I freaking love it. But it is, right now, jockeying for position against three other stadium options: a $2 billion sunken stadium called The Crater on Bledisloe Wharf, a 50,000 capacity venue at Wynyard Point, or – snore – a revamped Eden Park.
Today, those four bidders present their options to the council, with two chosen to progress to a final round. A vote is due on May 30, a day looming as a huge one for New Zealand’s music industry, with a revamped Aotearoa Music Awards returning.
A quick assessment of those options: as a climate crisis looms, building a sunken stadium on Auckland’s waterfront seems like a terrible idea, so that’s out. Wynyard Point also seems stupid because that part of town is already a traffic-clogged nightmare and has barely any parking or public transport options.
That leaves Quay Park as the only viable decision for a new Auckland stadium. It makes sense. It’s close to public transport hubs. Restaurants and accommodation options are within walking distance. The plans includes a retractable roof, an All Blacks-themed hotel and many design flourishes. It looks incredible.
So, today, Boiler Room is announcing that it 100% supports the creation of the Quay Park stadium. It would be a huge asset for Auckland, a vision that creates an entertainment precinct unlike anything else in the country, one where artists at all levels can find an audience, and where punters can expect to have a great time, no matter which venue they’re visiting.
Next time, Taylor Swift would have to come. Who wouldn’t want to perform in that stadium?
Spoiler alert: it’s probably not going to happen.
All the experts predict the cheap, boring option of upgrading of Eden Park will be chosen. NZ Herald’s Trever McKewen says so. TVNZ’s Scotty Stevenson believes it’s true too. Despite hating the place with passion, The Bounce’s Dylan Cleaver seems to think Eden Park will sew it up.
But I can’t help but imagine what Auckland would be like if that stadium existed. It would create a full-blown, 100% dedicated entertainment hub, with three distinct venues pumping with events and people. Huge international chart-toppers could fill the stadium, major acts could light up Spark Arena, and smaller local bands and indie acts could pack out The Tuning Fork, all on the same night.
It sounds awesome. It sounds delightful. How much will it cost? Dunno, but dive into the YouTube comments and pundits predict it will never happen. “What’s this going to cost?” asks one. “A casual $20 billion?” I don’t care. I want this stadium and I want it now. It almost certainly won’t. But a boy can dream, right?
Everything you need to know…
Apple Music has caused a kerfuffle by announcing its 100 best albums of all time over the past week. The top 10 is weird, and the No. 1 choice is an album that doesn’t often top these kinds of charts. Go take a look and dive into the debate here.
If you haven’t read Rolling Stone magazine’s interview with Kid Rock, head there immediately. In it, the rocker waves a gun around, confirms he’s gone full MAGA, uses the n-word, threatens the journalist and says: “Would you do me a favor? Just write the most horrific article about me. Do it. It helps me.”
What is Musi and how does it work? Business Insider examines the new Canadian music streaming service that feels a hell of a lot like Napster and finds that it may not last much longer. The timing is interesting: a new documentary called How Music Got Free is about to come out, and the trailer is here.
It’s been a little light on the tour news lately, but two shows stand out: The The have reformed, announced their first album in 24 years, and confirmed they’re coming to perform at Kiri Te Kanawa on November 14; and alt-rock titans Sparta are playing Wiretap Scars in full at Meow on Saturday and Whammy Bar on Sunday.
Do you feel like hearing Nine Inch Nails’ classic 1994 album The Downward Spiral in the dark, in a movie theatre? Next Tuesday, you can do so at The Capitol; tickets are available here.
Finally, is it hip-hop? R&B? Soul? Trap? Dunno! Either way, Tommy Richman’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’ is blowing up quickly, with some predicting it will become America’s Song of the Summer. It’s already overcome Taylor Swift and Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap beef to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. That’s happened thanks to TikTok, according to Forbes, but I think the cross-pollination genre space Richman is working in helps too. Make your own minds up…
That Kid Rock article is unhinged.
It might be the best thing I’ve read this year 🤣