Taupō revels in 14,000 strong concert crowd

The inaugural Taupō Summer Concert, featuring the double international line-up of the Doobie Brothers and the Little River Band, saw a record crowd fill Taupō’s Amphitheatre on Saturday 4 February.

Almost 14,000 flowed into Taupō’s Amphitheatre in Riverside Park, near the boat marina, on Saturday to watch the Doobie Brothers and Little River Band perform live for the first time together in New Zealand. The concert is said to be the largest on record for the lakeside town, and organisers hope it won’t be the last.

Concert organiser, Amanda Calvert, says the day exceeded all expectations. “Everyone had a wonderful time and were relaxed and well behaved. The success of the concert demonstrates that New Zealanders love to support quality performers at fantastic venues like this.

“We’re proud to have brought an event of this magnitude to Taupō and wish to thank the local community for getting right behind us from the beginning. We will be announcing who the international line up for the 2013 Taupō Summer Concert will be in the very near future and we look forward to it once again being held at the fantastic Taupō Amphitheatre."

District Events Manager, Nick Reader, says Taupō is proving its position as the ‘Events Capital’. “Taupō is built for events like this. Our fantastic venues, natural surroundings, extensive accommodation, award winning restaurants and bars and of course our central North Island location all make us the ideal place to host events. It is little wonder the Oceania Football Confederation has chosen Taupō to host the Olympic Football Qualifying Tournament next month.”

“We look forward to working with Taupō Summer Concerts again later this year to repeat the success we experienced on Waitangi Weekend,” says Mr Reader.