NZ | Music + Concerts + Festivals + Exhibitions

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

U2 has landed
5:30 AM Wednesday Nov 24, 2010



U2 has landed - and wasted no time in tweeting about the New Zealand experience. Guitarist The Edge has posted a photo of One Tree Hill on his Twitter account two days before the Irish rockers play the first of two shows at Mt Smart Stadium. The band has a connection to the Auckland landmark - One Tree Hill is the title of their 1987 single written after the death of Bono's New Zealand-born assistant Greg Carroll. Concert promoters and record label representatives are keeping the band's movements a closely guarded secret. However it is understood the rockers arrived on Monday morning on an Air New Zealand flight.

The last time U2 was here, in 2006, members stayed at the $25,000-a-night Great Mercury Island estate, owned by Sir Michael Fay, and were choppered to Auckland for concerts. The private island, off the coast of the Coromandel, give guests access to two homes, 12 beaches and a private chef. Other favoured Auckland accommodation for the rich and famous include Wells Bay lodge on Waiheke Island - with the required helicopter pad and $750-a-night suite at the Hyatt Hotel for each of the four musicians. Supporting act Jay-Z has also arrived in the country but it is not known if his wife, singer Beyonce Knowles, is with him.

The rapper's entourage was spotted renting a fleet of luxury Audi vehicles, celebrity watch websites said. Last night, crews were putting the final touches to the 590 tonne stage set complete with the "claw", a 50m three-legged structure. The band's 360 Degrees Tour, one of rock's highest grossing productions, involves 250 personnel as well as local crews at each venue. More than 50,000 tickets sold in less than an hour for the Thursday night show but there are some still available for Friday. See tomorrow's TimeOut for a U2 special featuring the band's only New Zealand interview, memories of past tours and essential concert information including a transport guide.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Beyonce touches down in Auckland
9:56 AM Thursday Nov 25, 2010



New Zealand's a-list quota is reaching extreme levels, with the arrival of R&B/pop superstar Beyonce. The singer, who was this year voted 52 in a list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, will join her husband - hip hop superstar Jay-Z - who is in New Zealand for two sell-out concerts at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium. Whether Beyonce (Knowles) would come to New Zealand to accompany her husband has been a hot topic with fans online. While officials have given no comment, fan Sam Bellingham managed to take a photo with the star this morning at Auckland Airport.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Big Day Out 2011 Line Up Announced



TOOL
RAMMSTEIN
M.I.A
IGGY AND THE STOOGES
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
SHIHAD
LUPE FIASCO
GRINDERMAN
DEFTONES
THE BLACK KEYS
THE NAKED AND FAMOUS
ANDREW WK
WOLFMOTHER
THE JIM JONES REVUE
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES
PRIMAL SCREAM
BLOODY BEETROOTS DEATH CREW 77
BOOKA SHADE DJs
SIX60
DIE ANTWOORD
VITALIC
KIDS OF 88
CSS
PLAN B
RATATAT
I AM GIANT
JOHN BUTLER TRIO
AIRBOURNE
DIE! DIE! DIE!
BULLETPROOF
BIRDS OF TOKYO
STREET CHANT
CRYSTAL CASTLES

FRIDAY JANUARY 21st AUCKLAND MT SMART STADIUM

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Vector Arena announces upcoming attractions

image hosted on flickr


10 OCT 10 18°C by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr

02 Dec 2010 - JACK JOHNSON
05 Dec 2010 - BON JOVI
10 Dec 2010 - End of School with STAN WALKER
16 Dec 2010 - BLONDIE & THE PRETENDERS
21 Dec 2010 - GORILLAZ
21 Jan 2011 - KENNY ROGERS
27 Jan 2011 - JOE COCKER
05 Feb 2011 - EL CABALLO BLANCO
26 Feb 2011 - NEIL DIAMOND
02 Mar 2011 - THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
29 Mar 2011 - USHER
03 May 2011 - DISTURBED
06 May 2011 - ANDRE RIEU
07 May 2011 - KATY PERRY

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

RON MUECK exhibition, Christchurch Art Gallery



The Gallery is proud to present a major exhibition of work by internationally renowned sculptor Ron Mueck. Ranging from the startlingly huge Wild man to the miniscule Two women, this comprehensive exhibition of work by the Australian-born, London-based artist is the largest to have been presented in the southern hemisphere – and an opportunity not to be missed. The show includes four striking new works alongside many of the artist's iconic sculptures, including the monumental and moving Pregnant woman, and Christchurch is the only place you can see it.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

EUROPEAN MASTERS OF THE 19th-20th CENTURY, Te Papa Museum in Wellington



Spanning the dynamic and transformative years of the 19th and 20th centuries, this exhibition features 96 works by 70 of the greatest German, French, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch and Swiss masters of the period. Included are iconic Neoclassical, Realist, Impressionist, and Symbolist works, as well as breathtaking German Expressionist paintings and sculpture. View pieces by great German masters including Tischbein, Friedrich, and Beckmann, along with beautiful Impressionist works by Monet, Renoir, and Degas, and important paintings by Picasso, Marc, and Bonnard. Also on display are works by Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Munch.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

CREEDEENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED & DR HOOK to perform at Gibbston Valley Winery, Queenstown



Alpine Entertainment and Gibbston Valley Winery proudly announce the inaugural ‘Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert’. Legendry bands Creedence Clearwater Revisited and Dr Hook will perform all their greatest hits with a back drop of the stunning Kawarau River and the internationally recognized vineyards of Central Otago. This concert will become an annual event at the award-winning Gibbston Valley Winery. Both bands have featured on the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine

Creedence Clearwater Revisited will be performing their greatest songs, including Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Midnight Special, Suzie Q, Down on the Corner, Born On the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain and many more.

Dr Hook will be performing his all time hits, including Cover Of The ‘Rolling Stone’, Sexy Eyes, Sylvia’s Mother, When You’re In love With A Beautiful Women, Only Sixteen, Walk Right In and many more

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

NITRO CIRCUS coming to New zealand

Nitro Circus Live phenomenon to tour New Zealand for first ever time. The all new touring sensation Nitro Circus Live, which performed to record breaking crowds throughout Australian capital cities in its worldwide debut this year, will tour New Zealand for the first time in February 2011. Heading the tour will be 17 times X games medalist and new world no. 1 FMX rider, Travis Pastrana on his first trip to New Zealand

Joining Travis Pastrana (USA) will be the entire Nitro Circus crew from the hit MTV show including Jolene Van Vugt, Erik Roner, Jim De Champ, Special Gregg and Streetbike Tommy. The show will showcase some of the greatest FMX riders on the planet including FMX 2009 gold medalist Blake ‘Bilko’ Williams (AUS) and the only rider performing FMX double back flips and current X games gold medalist, Cam Sinclair and many more. Some of the best BMX riders in the world will also feature including X games medalist Andy Buckworth performing the death defying double front flip.

For the first ever time, NZ fans will see the Nitro Crew launch themselves off the death defying 50 foot high Nitro Gigant-A-Ramp on a host of crazy contraptions including – kids trikes, snow skis, razor scooters and boogey boards to name a few.

[DML2]

Ew.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

STING to perform at The Mission Estate in Napier

image hosted on flickr


The view from Mission Estate by peter_a_hopwood, on Flickr

THE MISSION ESTATE CONCERT is very proud to announce STING - accompanied by a 50 piece symphony orchestra and band - will extend his critically-acclaimed Symphonicity tour to take in New Zealand's biggest annual concert on Saturday, February 12, 2011.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Legendary guitarist SANTANA to play in New Zealand



Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana is to play two shows in New Zealand in March. Santana has sold more than 90 million records and reached more than 100 million fans at concerts worldwide during the past 40 years. The Guitar Heaven tour begins on March 13 at Sandalford Estate Swan Valley in Perth, followed two other Australian shows before heading to New Zealand for shows at Vector Arena in Auckland on March 20 and Christchurch's CBS Canterbury Arena on March 22.

[piles]

The timetable has been released for the 'No Sleep Til Auckland' festival.

Megadeth have been confirmed to close the show, which takes place on December 10th from the ASB Showgrounds.

Below is the full timetable

[piles]

http://libel.co.nz/blog_posts/-grass...ed_for_easter_
Grassroots Festival Confirmed For Easter!


Chugg Entertainment today announces that, in alignment with the wealth of talent visiting Australia for the Easter blues season, New Zealand's Puhinui Peninsula will also become a melodious playground as the first ever GrassRoots event kicks off for two days on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April, 2011 at the stunning Puhinui Reserve.

The two-day festival will bring together some of the world's most renowned artists as well as a raft of local acts across a multitude of genres whilst still having its core ethos firmly grounded in blues and roots based music. Over thirty artists on two stages over the two days will launch GrassRoots - The New Zealand Blues and Roots All Music Festival 2011.

GrassRoots proudly brings to you a string of international artists who will be making their one-off exclusive performance in New Zealand over these two very special days. First artists to be announced include BB King (USA), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (USA), Ben Harper and Relentless 7 (USA), Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Mexico), Eric Bibb (USA), Paul Ubana Jones (NZ), Ruthie Foster (USA), Cairo Knife Fight (NZ), Ticket (NZ), Don McGlashan (NZ), Sola Rosa (NZ) with many more local and international artists to be announced before the end of January.

Not only will festival patrons be afforded the opportunity to experience some of the world's most dynamic and diverse performers, but there will also be camping and parking available for the full weekend and when respite is required one can enjoy a wide range of culinary delights from the plethora of food and beverage stalls, the NZ food and wines hall as well as a selection of fully licensed bars on site. The festival will also host a wide variety of arts & crafts in the market village.

For those who like the finer things in life there will be VIP ticket packages available for purchase which not only include exclusive parking and camping, but also full access to the VIP facilities which offer a full panoramic view of the main-stage as well as upmarket amenities and a fully licensed bar and dining area.

Set across 200 hectares of lush rural landscape, Puhinui Reserve occupies the southern portion of the Puhinui Peninsula, forming a major component of the Gateway Heritage area of Manukau with its considerable historic, conservation and cultural amenity value. The reserve forms part of the extensive Matukuturua volcanic field and is linked with pre-European settlements centred around Wiri Mountain and Matukuturua (McLaughlins Mountain). Whilst in idyllic surroundings offering pleasures of both rural countryside and views of Manukau Harbour, the site is also boundaried by the Auckland International Airport and SW motorway, offering Aucklanders, all visitors and those travelling in from the South an easily accessible venue site.

GrassRoots upholds a firm belief in sustainability and commitment to the beautiful environment in which it will take place and therefore will undertake a comprehensive waste management and recycling plan as well as various green initiatives to ensure a long and fruitful tenure in Puhinui Reserve.

GrassRoots is bringing the music to New Zealand for Easter. Do not miss your chance to say that you were there first.

Ticket options include Single day, 2-Day, VIP & camping with limited Early Buy offer.
For more info go to www.grassrootsfestival.co.nz

TICKETS ON SALE TUESDAY 14 DECEMBER, 9AM

GRASSROOTS : PUHINUI RESERVE
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April

Tickets available from:
www.grassrootsfestival.co.nz and www.ticketek.co.nz or phone 09 377 8899

[Rooty]

Originally Posted by Milan Luka

Damn it. Bought tickets to see u2 in Akl, decided to pull the plug.

1) Earthquake.
2) They really are crap
3) I dont know why I even bothered to buy them in the 1st place.

Off to trade me they go, unless anyone wants some u2 tkts for cost price. Just PM me.

U2 is surely one of my top-5 most listened to artists. I wouldn't go five days without listening to U2.

(No, I didn't go.)

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

ELTON JOHN to perform in Dunedin



Singer-songwriter Sir Elton John is the first major act booked for Dunedin's controversial new roofed stadium. The $200 million stadium is expected to open in August and will host Rugby World Cup games before the concert at the end of the year. It will be Elton John's first South Island visit for two decades. Promoter Phil Sprey said fans would be delighted to hear Sir Elton was coming back to the South Island for the first time in 20 years. Dunedin Venues chief executive David Davies was thrilled with the announcement. "This is a fantastic coup for the city."

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Top 10 FESTIVALS this summer

image hosted on flickr


Crowd for Mumford and Sons @ Laneway Festival 30/01/10 by laubarnes, on Flickr

LIVE AT THE ISLANDS

Where & when: Urupukapuka Island, Bay of Islands, Dec 28, Nathan Haines, Kirsten Morrell; Dec 31, New Year's Eve Pirate Party with the Dirty Dozen; Jan 3, Jordan Luck Band, Autozamm; Jan 5, Anika Moa, Don McGlashan; Jan 7, Salmonella DJ Soundsystem, Minuit; Jan 22, Topp Twins.

Where & when: Motutapu Island, Auckland, Feb 12, with Anika Moa, Nathan Haines, Kirsten Morrell, the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, the Earlybirds, Salmonella DJ Soundsystem, Lisa Crawley, and more to be announced.

What: Concerts for conservation
Tickets: From ticketmaster.co.nz
More info: arkpresents.co.nz or doc.govt.nz


RHYTHM AND VINES

When: Dec 29-Dec 31
Where: Waiohika Estate, Gisborne
What: Get away, have a ball, and party

Line-up: N.E.R.D., Shihad, Flying Lotus, Chromeo, Carl Cox, Hudson Mohawke, the Naked and Famous, Dragon, Tinie Tempah, Gaslamp Killer, Bulletproof, Hollie Smith, P-Money, Barb, and more.

Tickets: $235 from rhythmandvines.co.nz
More info: rhythmandvines.co.nz


LA DE DA

When: Dec 31
Where: Alana Wine Estate, Martinborough.
What: It's sold out so watch out for Wellingtonians on the loose

Line up: Kora, Katchafire, Hollie Smith, Salmonella Dub, Minuit, Six 60, the Upbeats, 1814, Mt Eden Dubstep, Thomas Oliver Band. Plus, on Dec 30 at Lullaby Lane, next door to the festival grounds see the Naked & Famous, Kids of 88, Kidz in Space, Computers Want Me Dead, Zowie and the Heavy Metal Ninjas.

Tickets: Sold out, VIP tickets still available from ladeda.co.nz
More info: ladeda.co.nz


BIG DAY OUT

When: Jan 21
Where: Mt Smart Stadium
What: Still the big daddy of local festivals

Line-up: Tool, Rammstein, Iggy and the Stooges, MIA, Grinderman, the Black Keys, Jim Jones Revue, Crystal Castles, CSS, the Naked and Famous, Deftones, Primal Scream, LCD Soundsystem, Plan B, Andrew WK, Kids of 88, the Green Hornes, Die!Die!Die!, Shihad, Street Chant, the Phoenix Foundation, Bulletproof, and more.

Tickets: $150 (plus booking fee) at bigdayout.com
More info: bigdayout.com


LANEWAY FESTIVAL

When: January 31
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland
What: Indie cool kids of Aotearoa unite. This is your national day.

Line-up: Deerhunter, Warpaint, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, !!!, An Emerald City, Beach House, Blonde Redhead, Children's Hour, Foals, Holy F***, Ladyhawke, Lawrence Arabia, Yeasayer

Tickets: $105 at lanewayfestival.com.au
More info: lanewayfestival.com.au


RAGGAMUFFIN

When: Feb 5
Where: Rotorua International Stadium
What: Roots, reggae, and a little bit of R&B, hip-hop, and soul

Line-up: Mary J. Blige, Jimmy Cliff, Maxi Priest, Sean Paul, the Original Wailers, Ky-Mani Marley, Che Fu and the Kratez, Nesian Mystik, 1814, and Sons of Zion

Tickets: $111.51 (plus other options) at Ticketmaster
More info: raggamuffin.co.nz


SPLORE-CITY

When: Feb 11-12
Where: Aotea Square, Auckland
What: The seaside festival goes urban

Line-up: Kelis, Fly My Pretties, Caribou, Fourtet, Mayer Hawthorne, Coast, Empress Star, Belleruche, the Cuban Brothers, and more

Tickets: $95-$170 at the-edge.co.nz
More info: splore.net


HOMEGROWN

When: March 5
Where: Wellington waterfront
What: The biggest and best local line-up of the year

Line-up: Blindspott, Shapeshifter, I Am Giant, TrinityRoots, the feelers, Tiki & the Dub Soldiers, Midnight Youth, Six60, Elemeno P, Katchafire, Black River Drive, Salmonella Dub, Cairo Knife Fight, Sunshine Soundsystem, the Checks, the Upbeats, Kids of 88, State of Mind Live, Ivy Lies, Optimus Gryme, Motocade, Dick Johnson, Supermodel, Tim Phin, Dane Rumble, Maya and Vanya, J Williams, Savage Vs. Scribe, Brazilbeat Sound System, Nesian Mystik, Jayson Norris, PNC, the Phoenix Foundation, Kidz in Space, the Clean, Coco Solid, Die! Die! Die!, Tommy ILL, the Ruby Suns, DJ Logikal, Artisan Guns, Lotion, Family Cactus

Tickets: $95 at Ticketek
More info: homegrown.net.nz


WOMAD

When: 18-20 March
Where: Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth
What: The world comes to us. Fire pois optional

Line-up: Amadou and Mariam, Afro Celt Soundsystem, Don Letts, Luka Bloom, Nitin Sawhney, TrinityRoots, Sola Rosa, The Creole Choir of Cuba, Juan De Marcos Afro Cuban All-Stars, Calypso Rose, Horace Andy, and many more

Tickets: $65-$229 at ticketek.co.nz
More info: womad.co.nz


GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL

When: April 23-24
Where: Puhinui Reserve, Manukau
What: Singing the blues and praying for a long hot Indian summer

Line-up: B.B. King, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Eric Bibb, Paul Ubana Jones , Ruthie Foster, Cairo Knife Fight, Ticket, Don McGlashan, Sola Rosa and more to be announced.

Tickets: $117.50-$299 at grassrootsfestival.co.nz
More info: grassrootsfestival.co.nz

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Concert Review: GORILLAZ, Vector Arena



Getting the cartoon band - masterminded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn (who was at his dreamy, serenading, and highly-strung best last night) and comic creator Jamie Hewlett in 1998 - together with the many guest artists who feature on their albums poses one of live music's great logistical challenges. In the past it's been too expensive, but it's all come together for the Escape To Plastic Beach Tour, with a cast of more than 35 singers and players. And this is how the monster multi-media live music freak show plays out. The virtual band - singer 2D, the Gollum-like band leader Murdoc, guitarist Noodle, and hulking drummer Russel - are beamed on to the giant screen and act out Hewlett's intriguing and twisted stories.

Meanwhile, the live band, including Albarn as ringmaster, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones of the Clash, and a girl septet of strings conjure up the trippy, bouncy, and often eerie Gorillaz sound. Then it's up to the cast of guests to do their thing, headed by mighty six-piece hip-hop brass band the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, American hip-hop act De La Soul, and veteran soul man Bobby Womack. Even Snoop Dogg shows up. Albeit larger than life up there on the giant video screen letting lose with his laid-back salvo on Welcome To the World of the Plastic Beach.

The two hour sets takes in almost all the new album Plastic Beach, as well as Gorillaz' brilliantly oddball pop hits, from the spooky and thrumming Tomorrow Comes Today and the cheeky melancholic lope of Clint Eastwood to the bass bop and clap along of Dirty Harry and the druggy haze holler of DARE. There's a fitting Clash-inspired end to the main set with the sonic squelch and weirdness of Glitter Freeze giving way to the steely crash and bash of Punk (which is like the start of Career Opportunities or Clash City Rockers), which is followed by Plastic Beach, with Simonon and Jones to the fore.

This is the last show of Gorillaz' world tour, and with music as fun, dark, and irresistibly cheeky as this - and with visuals and performances to match - it's one of the concerts of 2010. It's also, declares Albarn a little sadly, the last Gorillaz show. They will be missed because they are one of modern music's best, most innovative, and fun bands.

Who: Gorillaz

Where:Vector Arena

When: Last night

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

DAVID HASSELHOFF on patrol at Mt Maunganui beach



Former television lifeguard David Hasselhoff has been hitting Mt Maunganui's Main Beach today to promote ice cream. The Baywatch star and international celebrity who inspired the saying "don't hassle the Hoff" was at the beach after 11am. Hasselhoff donned his trademark red shorts for a similar promotional event at Sydney's Bondi Beach this week. He was accompanied by a number of women in Baywatch-style swimsuits handing out ice creams to surprised beach goers. Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club planned to take advantage of an expected 3000-strong crowd by fundraising with a bucket collection. Hasselhoff, who also starred in American television series Knight Rider, has a cult following in Germany for his pop career, and has been a judge on reality television talent competitions such as America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent.

[piles]

http://libel.co.nz/2172-jimmy_buffet...at_the_viaduct

Jimmy Buffett To Perform At The Viaduct



This summer Te Wero Island at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour will become a tropical oasis when Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band extend the Auckland Seafood Festival with one very special performance on Saturday 29th January.

For singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett, life is a beach and everyone is invited to join in the fun. Based on the popularity of Buffett's music, notorious persona and his embrace of the island escapism lifestyle with his legions of Parrotheads - as his devoted fans are known - this beach party may never end. What can one expect from the man who famously said, "If life gives you limes, make margaritas."

Born in Mississippi and raised in Alabama, Buffett has translated his easygoing Gulf Coast persona into more than just a successful recording career - expanding into restaurant chains, clothing, nightclubs & literature - though it has to be said that the basis of the business empire that kept him on the Fortune magazine list of highest-earning entertainers is his music.

Buffett's music is known for its humorous chronicles of a laid-back seafaring life; his philosophy speaks that while things in the world may be wrong, and life can be littered with strife, right now everything is just fine. Such an ethos is encapsulated in hits such as Margaritaville (No. 234 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"), Cheeseburger In Paradise, Come Monday & Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. He has recorded over forty albums, most of which have gone gold, platinum or multi-platinum. His sold-out concert tours are an annual rite of summer passage for his legions of fans, affectionately known as Parrotheads, many of whom are professionals by day and who dress in spectacular and outrageous tropical outfits and headwear when Jimmy comes to town.


Whilst best known for his music, which portrays the tropical escapist lifestyle he's renowned for, Buffett is also an author, businessman and philanthropist. A best-selling author, he has to date written three #1 New York Times best sellers both on the fiction and non-fiction lists, making him one of only eight authors in history who have reached #1 on both lists. Other authors on this fabled list include Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and Dr Seuss.

About writing he said... "The basic way to be a good writer is to keep your eyes and ears open, and keep an open mind. If you can listen and you have a bit of imagination, you can create. I listen to everything. But don't go to a particular place and listen to the bellman at the hotel that caters to tourists. Go down to the local bar, to the waterfront where the fish are cleaned and listen to the local people. That's where you get your information."

Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also at the helm of the successful Margaritaville Café restaurant chain - a popular escapist dining concept which first opened in Key West, Florida in 1985 of which Buffett said "When I started out playing bars in this town, all I wanted was enough money to buy a boat I could sail away on if success faded. The other alternative was to buy my own bar so I could hire myself and just keep singing. Welcome to Margaritaville!" The Margaritaville chain now boasts several other establishments throughout the world including eight mainland USA locations as well as another ten properties in the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii.

Buffett has been involved in many charity efforts over the years, raising money and awareness for various organisations including The Save The Manatee Club (leading the West Indian Manatee preservation efforts), The Singing For Change Foundation, "Surviving The Storm" Hurricane Relief Concert in Orlando, Foreign Correspondent's Club Charity Fund (Buffett not only performed for free at an event in Hong Kong, but also paid for the concertgoers' tequila and beer), and in July 2010 Buffett put on a free concert on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama - a response to the BP oil disaster. In addition, many Parrothead club activities across the world are focused on charity work.

As if that weren't enough for Buffett, he is also a fourth-generation sailor and fisherman, a pilot, a surfer, and a frequent traveller to remote and exotic destinations of the world, having become addicted to National Geographic magazine as a child.

New Zealanders, it's summer and the party is about to start. It's time to kick back and grab yourself a frozen concoction and let the cool breeze blow over. Do not miss out on Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer's landmark return to our shores.



JIMMY BUFFETT & THE CORAL REEFER BAND

Presented by Chugg Entertainment & the Auckland Seafood Festival

Saturday 29th January Te Wero Island, Viaduct Harbour Auckland

Go to www.chuggentertainment.com

Presale tickets will be available to people on the Eventfinder Jimmy Buffett Wait List at 9:00am Monday 17th.

To register for the exclusive presale go to http://www.eventfinder.co.nz and join the Eventfinder Wait List

before 8:00am Monday 17th January.

General public ticket release is at 9:00am Tuesday 18th January.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

WILLIAM SHATNER charting course for NZ

The man who became a household name when he starred in Star Trek and Boston Legal is coming to Auckland for one show in which he will tell his life story. William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) will beam down to the Civic Theatre in April.