ULTIMATE CONCERT GUIDE
Everything you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The concert starts at 8pm and the main gates will open at 6pm. But if you like to arrive at events early, an area will be opened up from 5pm where you can wait.
ROAD CLOSURES
Alabaster Dve will be closed to the public between Nerang Broadbeach Rd and Plateau Cres between 3.30pm and 1am. Anyone parked in the Blue
Carpark will only be allowed to exit westbound.
HOW TO GET THERE – PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Ticket holders can ride lots of services for free from four hours before and after the concert including:
QR Rail Services Surfside Buslines
Free shuttles will run from 4.45pm and take you straight to the stadium, leaving from: Nerang Station Boowaggan Road Park ‘n’ Ride Broadbeach South Light Rail Station
RIDESHARE OR TAXI?
You will find the rideshare and taxi rank at the Dream Centre carpark off Chisholm Rd. You will not be able to book a taxi after the event, but taxis will be waiting and ready to take passengers. Rideshare services have also been made aware of the specified pick-up and drop-off zone. Signage and lighting will help you find your way there.
PARKING – SOLD OUT
If you do not have a permit to park in the Blue Carpark then don’t expect to find a spot. The carpark is fully booked and cars will not be allowed to enter without a permit. Parking is not available to be bought on the night.
For permit holders, the entrance to the carpark is via Nerang-Broadbeach Rd.
Disability permit parking will be at Emmanuel College off Birmingham Rd.
If you have a valid disability parking permit, you will have free access to this parking area and do not need to book ahead. A free shuttle will be available to take you to the stadium from 5pm. This shuttle will drop off and pick up directly outside Gate 4.
WEATHER
Good news! While showers were forecast for Saturday, the
latest forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology includes a decreasing risk of showers with up to 5mm now expected, revised down from up to 30mm.
TICKETS
General tickets are sold out but if you are really keen to see the concert, there are some premium tickets and packages still available starting from $299.
DON’T stop us now.
It seems like every person I know, plus their children, their parents and possibly the kitchen sink, are making their way to Metricon Stadium tonight to witness Queen in action.
And the timing could not be better.
Not only are we predicted to capture a break in the literal weather, but given the figurative storm clouds rolling in, now seems the perfect time to party.
We are ready to be rocked. After all, it’s been a week of bad news – the Covid-19 pandemic (are we officially calling it that yet?) is wreaking havoc on both physical and financial bodies, with around 3000 dead and the Dow Jones yesterday suffering its worst one-day drop in history. Indeed, the coronavirus crisis has pushed global markets into one of the worst weeks since the GFC.
That’s frightening news for the Gold Coast, where it feels like the city has only just shaken off the last vestiges of that slump. Another one bites the dust.
But right now, we can forget about all that. The virus is yet to fully impact our physical shores and with markets now closed, we can all dream that Monday will bring good news and soaring stock prices.
Tonight is a night to forget our worries and celebrate what we have: an island of relative safety in a dangerous world; a beautiful city where the good times, like the surf, never stop rolling; and a community that’s seizing the moment to come together.
The fact that we don’t often get an opportunity to witness world-class entertainment on our doorstep is perhaps one reason our population is so pumped. The fact that it’s Queen, the classic creators of feel-good music, is obviously another.
Even the joy of simply bussing it to Carrara instead of the five-hour epic journey that is exiting the Brisbane Entertainment Centre carpark was reason enough to buy a ticket. Just because we can DOES mean we should.
Among my tens of thousands of friends attending the concert this evening, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single person who does not believe the Gold Coast should get more opportunities like this.
We have the location, we have the facilities, we have the crowds … we just don’t have the bookings. It’s not like we’re not trying, it’s just bloody hard work.
Indeed, entertainment guru Tony Cochrane, chairman of the Gold Coast Suns which leases and operates the stadium, said the work to bring Queen to the Gold Coast started four years ago.
Four years!
And Queen comes a whopping nine years after the last rock act to play Metricon, with the unmitigated success of the Foo Fighters concert that attracted 37,000 fans in December 2011.
Why is it so hard to break free?
Well, Mr Cochrane said the key to the Queen coup was striking a new deal with Stadiums Queensland.
“We stood up to Stadiums Queensland and demanded a fairer deal that would put us at least into a position where we could attract big events, whether they be sport or entertainment.
“That was a long road with a lot of help from (Minister for
Sport) Mick de Brenni and we finally have our relationship now with Stadiums Queensland on a good level.
“Our long-term strategy is to make this a really strong, viable venue for all big events that come to the Gold Coast, whether sport or entertainment.”
With the Queen concert expected to inject about $7 million into the Gold Coast economy – and ratepayers chipping in a maximum of $250,000 – this seems like a winning formula for businesses, bands and punters alike.
Although we may still have to do battle with Brisbane when it comes to proving to promoters that if they book it, audiences will come, I can think of 40,000 arguments in our favour right now.
All we need to do is stop our audiences from going viral. And then, my friends, we really will be the champions.