So Australia gets Kendrick Lamar and Doechii now?
This shit just got personal.
In June of last year, I parked myself in front of the livestream for a highly anticipated Los Angeles concert. Slowly, the jealousy spread over me as a who’s who of the hip-hop world turned up and showed out for Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out and Friends showcase, a live celebration of the rapper’s complete and utter demolition of Drake.
That night ended with six versions of ‘Not Like Us’ because of course it did. I wanted to be there for every single one of them so badly, but I couldn’t, because I live in Aotearoa, I’m on a journalist’s salary, and there’s no way I could afford to head off half-way around the world just to go to a Kendrick Lamar show on a whim. As if.
Those jealous feelings didn’t stop. When Lamar and SZA announced their Grand National Tour through North America and Europe, I turned green with envy all over again. It only got worse when those shows kicked off this week and the setlists started coming out: the pair are performing 54 (!) songs across nine-act shows that have earned rave reviews.
At the same time, I have watched Doechii’s rise from afar: her stunning performance after her Grammy win; her Tiny Desk concert; stealing the show from Tyler the Creator; then stealing their entire Camp Flog Gnaw festival. It’s been a stunningly quick and deserved ascension. Everything she touches, it seems, turns to the same colour: a particular shade of gold.
So, if you asked me who was on my concert bucket list for 2025, it would almost certainly include Lamar and Doechii. After Blue Lips, his best album yet, I would include Schoolboy Q on that list too. They’re the three artists I need to see live this year. At a guess, I’d say I’m probably not the only one who feels that way.
So you can imagine how I’ve been feeling since Spilt Milk – an Australian music festival that cancelled its 2024 event – announced an absolutely stonking comeback line-up with four dates in December. Look at it. Take your time. Let it sink in that Kendrick Lamar, Doechii and Schoolboy Q are all on that line-up, alongside Dominic Fike and D4VD. (And Rebecca Black? Cool.)
This hurts. It really stings. Right now, none of those acts are coming here. There don’t appear to be any Aotearoa sideshows planned. This is an Australian festival. Those are the dates, and those are the shows. If you want to go, you’ll need to nab tickets and book flights to Wadawurrung in Ballarat, Whadjuk in Perth, Ngunnawal in Canberra or Kombumerri in the Gold Coast.
Why would they come here? For the past 12 months, I’ve endlessly detailed this terrible trend that has seen major acts sidestep us in favour of exclusive Australian shows. By now, I can recite all of the names off the top of my head. It started with Taylor Swift, then Billie Eilish followed suit, and suddenly everyone was doing it. Olivia Rodrigo. The Weeknd. The Killers. Green Day. Katy Perry. Kylie Minogue. Oasis. And Lady Gaga.
It’s horrible. It sucks. Most of us can’t afford to head over to Australia just to go to shows several times a year, but that’s what’s being asked of us. It’s happened so often, the trend cementing itself so hard, that Live Nation is actively encouraging us to travel to Australia for these shows. Billboards popped up in Auckland and Wellington for the Lady Gaga tour. I’ve seen them with my own eyes.
For the first time, though, the strain appears to be showing. A new financial report from Eden Park shows revenue fell from $44.3 million in 2023 to $29.7 million in 2024. Attendance dropped from 881 thousand to 540 thousand. Those are huge drops for the stadium now certified as the nation’s best, one soon to receive a pretty major makeover. They are almost entirely to do with a lack of major concerts.
I’ve spoken to Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner several times over the past year, but this week he said things I’ve never heard him say. He called on the government to create a major events strategy. He requested seed funding to attract shows. He pointed out all of the tourism dollars we miss out on when we don’t get big tours. “It’s concerning,” he told Newstalk ZB. “Eden Park went through a five year journey, a 125-year journey, to get concerts and now we’re in a situation where artists are bypassing New Zealand.”
I don’t know how we fix this. I don’t know how many more big names will bypass us. I don’t know how many times I’ll need to keep writing this same story until something changes. Will there be Kendrick Lamar sideshows? (Please?) Will anyone from Spilt Milk’s bill make their way here? (Don’t make me beg.) Or will it be like this for good? (Say it ain’t so.)
Did the very long list of artists not coming to Aotearoa just have three more major names added to it? Do I have to try and find a way to get to Australia in December? I have asked the question. I will let you know more when I know more. Until then, it’s cross your fingers, watch this space, and try not to let the envy engulf you.
Kia ora! Thanks to the Taite Prize, you’re reading an award-winning newsletter. I recently picked up my award and it’s big and hefty and has pride of place next to my turntable. It feels good to finally hold this thing, but I couldn’t have done it without everyone who contributes to keep Boiler Room going. If you’d like to support the work I’m doing here, I have a special available for new subscribers; you can access that here. Thanks for spending your weekend with me. Stay safe.
-Chris
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Bonus beat.
Saw Kendrick at Spark and he was stunning, would love to see him again but Doechii is my #1 would buy a ticket in an instant artist - lightning in a bottle as any performance I see is next level. Secretly hoping a promoter is sliding in your DMs after reading this saying they are working on something in the background.
Got a Marlon ticket for Spark and it seems like that is building to be an emotional show. The LP landed whilst I was overseas so will be catching up on that over the weekend. My Passionfruit Martini is bouncing around to the Horse Meat Disco comp I finally got my hands on this week. Lots of records from my trip to catch up on too - the housework can wait.
I preordered the Team Dynamite Holiday release - i've been dropping lots of money there recently, they are doing a fine job releasing Aotearoa's best and supplying Aussie too. Have you done a story on them yet? I'd love to peek behind the scenes and hear their story
The Eras Tour choosing more shows in Australia over a limited run at Eden Park was the beginning of the end for big shows in NZ.
That set the new benchmark and proved that you don’t need to spend all that money moving the production to another country where you can only do a limited run due to resource consent constraints at Eden Park, and instead do an extra night at the three or four Australian main centres.
They put on the shows, we pack out the planes.