Rocking on

Securing ’90s rockers Pearl Jam’s only Queensland concert is a huge win for us

There’s nothing like a big concert gig to get the Gold Coast excited. It doesn’t get much bigger than Pearl Jam, the ’90s-era act, who will arrive in November, with the Pixies in tow.

It will be their first Australian gigs in a decade and, in a serious coup, the Gold Coast will host the only Queensland concert.

This is a big deal economically for the city because it ensures strong visitation from across the state and potentially interstate too.

This will be the latest big-ticket post-Covid gig that we have hosted following KISS, Guns’n’Roses, Pink, Harry Styles and, of course, Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney.

Holding the exclusive rights to the band’s Queensland tour came as a result of long-running talks between promoters and tourism leaders here.

Experience Gold Coast executive director of events Avril Harris said the city could have more big gigs if it was seen as attractive to promoters.

“It came after two years of work with promoters across Australia and Heritage Bank Stadium to help position us as an option for international tours and the more we can demonstrate we are a great location for big concerts like Pink next week and Pearl Jam in November, it will reinforce the Gold Coast as a great location for events,” she said.

“What it comes down to is relationships and the work our team and the stadium team have done to build up those connection with promoters, so they know we want their concerts here.

“If we can get a couple of big concerts held here each year, it will really build our reputation as a viable option and the more we sell out stadiums, it only gets strengthened,” she said.

The number of stadium-sized events the Gold Coast can host annually is restricted by the availability of our arenas during the AFL and NRL off-seasons.

But if these relationships that our industry experts have fostered continued to pay off, the city faces a much greater economic return, plus the bragging rights to hosting these gigs.

The Gold Coast is already well-known as an events city now on the back of so many successes in recent years, but there is always more to be had.