Taranaki gears up for Toto
Thousands of Toto fans are warming up their vocal cords getting ready to sing their hearts out to hits like Africa, Rosanna, and Hold The Line at the band’s gig at New Plymouth’s TSB Bowl of Brooklands tomorrow.
Promoters are predicting that between 9000 and 10,000 people will pack into the venue for the A Summer’s Day Live concert, which is touring the country.
Joining the 1980s American rockers are Jefferson Starship and Kiwi favourites Dragon, and Taranaki is leading the way in ticket sales compared to other centres, promoter Mitch Lowe said.
‘‘New Plymouth is an incredible place for events and it feels the whole town gets behind them.’’
Lowe said New Plymouth’s ticket sales were the highest, followed closely by Napier.
However, the number of fans expected is less than the Bowl has seen for other headliners.
In 2009 Elton John entertained more than 15,000 people in the pouring rain. Later that year Fleetwood Mac drew almost 18,000, and in December 2017 Cat Stevens performed to 15,000.
There are tickets still available, with more people expected to buy at the gate, but a lot of New Plymouth accommodation is booked out, and a number of motel and hotel owners say they have been booked for months.
On Tuesday afternoon Booking.com had only three accommodation options left in New Plymouth city.
At Saddle & Sulky Motor Lodge, which is one of the closest motels to the venue, owner Tony Davies said they’d been booked out since it was announced Toto were coming.
Just down the road, BKs Egmont Motor Lodge had been booked out and now had one room left due to a last-minute cancellation. But owner Ross said it will easily sell.
‘‘The whole town’s pretty much sold out. We sold out within a month of the announcement.’’
Ticket holders hopefully won’t be blessing any rains as showers tomorrow morning are due to clear, with temperatures set to reach a high of 23 degrees Celsius by the time gates open at 4pm.
This summer will also see The Hollies, Womad, and Angus and Julia Stone perform at the Bowl.