The Summer Concert Tour, Taupō NZ, 2024

The Summer Concert Tour
feat. Simple Minds, Texas, Collective Soul & Pseudo Echo

27th January 2024
Riverside Park, Taupō, New Zealand

Review by Bridget Herlihy with photography by Ngamihi Pawa.

For over a decade the Summer Concert Tour has become a much anticipated fixture for the Kiwi summer. Each year a diverse lineup of acts play three concerts around the country at some of the best outdoor venues on offer; the Taupō Ampitheatre, Gibbston Valley in Queenstown, and for this year (due to infrastructure under repair in the Coromandel in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle), Claudelands in Hamilton.

On Saturday Taupō were the first to be treated to this year’s stellar array of artists, witnessing a lot of ‘firsts’. While Taupō is renowned for turning on the most brilliant of summer days for the event, yesterday proved that a turn in the weather does nothing to dampen the spirits of the 15,000 concertgoers in attendance. It was an epic day of live music, proud Scots, women behind the drumkit, one-legged guitar playing, fun and just sheer joy.

As soon as the gates opened at 10am throngs of excited attendees made a run for it with their camping seats, chilly bins and rain ponchos to claim their chosen spot for the day. Needless to say the venue filled up quickly, and by the time proceedings commenced on the dot of 11:30, space was at a premium.

With the MC announcing “Taupō, we are about to light the jets!” The day’s festivities kicked off with local band Sonorous in the highly-coveted opening slot. Within seconds of the trio starting their set jaws dropped at guitarist and vocalist Lucien McDermott’s blues infused guitar solo, with a crowd quickly gathering in front of the stage. The band had only been playing together for three weeks before booking the gig, and despite still being teens they rocked the blues like seasoned veterans. Playing a set of original material and covers, including Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode, Richie Valens’ La Bamba and a phenomenal rendition of The Beatles’ Come Together with another stunning guitar solo from McDermott, the trio had the crowd completely mesmerised and awe-struck from the very beginning to the very end of their set. Drummer Cooper Paalvast also played a thunderous drum solo followed by a groove-ridden bass solo from Kahni Te Mete. Finishing off with an epic cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, it is fair to say that Sonorous left a long-lasting impression on the crowd. The future looks and sounds very bright indeed for Sonorous, and what a perfect way to start the day.

After a short break, brooding synths blasted through the PA, heralding the arrival of Australian new wave rockers Pseudo Echo. They took the stage to a cacophony of screams and cheers from the crowd and a throng of energetic fans in front of the stage. With animal print scarves hanging from their mic stands, they quickly broke into Stranger In Me from their debut album Autumnal Park, before launching into the opening riff to His Eyes. Frontman and guitarist Brian Canham greeted the crowd, emphasising the band’s enthusiasm at being back in New Zealand, before cracking into Destination Unknown. The band were in top form throughout their set, with the crowd on their feet and hanging on every note and word. A Beat For You was delivered with as much panache and edginess as it was in the 80s, quite literally sending chills down the spine, and Don’t Go had most of the audience clapping in unison with the band.

With a number of songs from the band’s first album dominating the first part of their set first album, they then segued into Living In A Dream from their second album, followed by Love An Adventure, complete with an all-to-brief keytar solo. Picking up his distinctive hot pink guitar, Canham then moved onto the Race album with Eye Of The Storm. It was clear to see that the band were having a great time, with drummer Abigail Lula smiling from ear to ear for teen entirety of the set. Canham asked if the crowd was up to having a dance, before bursting into a blistering keyar-ladden take on Nutbush City Limits, a flawless cover of Real Life’s Send Me An Angel, and a rendition of the band’s first single, 1984’s Listening.

Needless to say, Funky Town had people running from all directions to join the large crowd in front of the stage to groove to one of the biggest hits of the 80s. Canham challenged the crowd, saying “Let’s see if you Kiwis have some funk in you“, encouraging the crowd to dance harder to an extended instrumental break including Dirty Deeds and Black Night, before seamlessly securing back into Funky Town. As they took a bow and waved to the crowd, Pseudo Echo left the stage to very much deserved cheers and applause.

Despite the cloudy skies well and truly settling in for the afternoon the joyful summer vibe did not falter. Collective Soul were next on the agenda, with their first show for 2024. It is a milestone year for the band from Atlanta, Georgia, as they celebrate their thirtieth anniversary, and what better way to kick off celebrations than with a long, long overdue visit to Aotearoa. Frontman Ed Roland admitted on several occasions that the wait between visits had been far too lengthy, and promised that they would never wait so long to come back again. Clad in a crowd-pleasing floral suit jacket and oversized fur trimmed hat, Roland danced around the stage, almost like a modern Pied Piper luring the crowd into his magical world. With a sizeable back catalogue of hits, Collective Soul truly show what they are made of live, with Roland’s distinctive vocals soaring with the layers of guitars. The band delightful weaved their way from one fan favourite to another, with the set featuring the likes of Heavy, Shine, Crash, The Compliment, The World I Know, Spin, Run and Where the River Flows, and an impressive cover of AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds.

At one point during the set Roland stopped and asked security to pass forward an album a fan in the front row was holding up. He then proceeded to sign it, and pass it around for the rest of the band to sign; a gesture that elicited huge cheers and a round of applause from the audience. And quite rightly so, as one lucky fan’s day was made even more special. It may have taken many years for Collective Soul to return to Aotearoa, but it is obvious that they are still very much adored and continue to shine as brightly as ever.

One of the most anticipated performances of the day came from the first of two Scottish bands for the day, Texas. Making their appearance even more special was the fact that this is the first time the band have ever played in New Zealand, something that frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri was very apologetic about, colourfully proclaiming that she happen it certainly it would not be the band’s last visit here.

Kicking off their set with I Don’t Want A Lover, Texas kept the momentum going from the beginning to the very end of their set. With a performance full of hits and favourites, including Halo, Once In A Lifetime, The Conversation, Summer Son, Let’s Work It Out, Mr Haze and Black Eyed Boy, Spiteri well and truly kept the crowd on their toes, challenging them to dance harder, cheer louder, and sing at the top of their lungs, as if making up for lost time. Rounding off their set with Say What You Want, Texas made a significant impression on fans and bystanders alike, and the throngs of people clad in Texas T-shirt’s were beaming from ear to ear.

With a lineup and performances this strong, it was hard to imagine how the day could get any better, until the headliners, Simple Minds, arrived. Lining up and taking a bow before assuming their respective positions around the stage, the second Scottish band of the day launched into Waterfront with all of their might, and the momentum barely let up over the following 90 minutes. Despite being in his mid 60’s, vocalist Jim Kerr has got to be one of the most agile performers in the music world, as he knelt on the stage and leaned all the way back, danced, and came close doing the splits, all the while never missing a beat.

Unknown to many, Simple Minds had actually been in Taupo for two weeks prior to the concert, rehearsing for their 2024 world tour. It has been a year and a half since the band last played to a live audience, and the rehearsals must have payed off as they were are captivating and as exquisite as ever. Once again, Taupō were graced with this not only being the band’s first show of the year, but the first of their world tour. With Kerr musing that for those who had not heard of Simple Minds, they are an “up and coming band from Glasgow“, they delivered an incredibly powerful and engaging set that spanned their lengthy and formidable career, including Lovesong, Vision Thing, Solstice Kiss, Book of Brilliant Things, and an incredibly powerful rendition of Belfast Child, proving that Kerr still has killer vocals. Concluding the set with the iconic Don’t You Forget About Me, the band were enticed back for and encore from the ecstatic crowd, ending the day with an a spellbinding version of Amazing Grace, Let It All Come Down, Alive and Kicking and Sanctify Yourself.

Having seen Simple Minds live several times, it is clear that the band are still very much at the top of their game, and audiences in Hamilton and Queenstown – in fact anyone who has the good fortune to see them during their world tour, is in for a huge treat.

As the stage emptied and the crowd started to make their way out of the amphitheatre, the consensus seemed to be that the Summer Concert Tour had once again delivered an unforgettable day. The next two shows promise to be just as epic; it would be a travesty to miss out on this lineup of world class performers.

Simple Minds:

Texas:

Collective Soul:

Pseudo Echo:

Sonorous:

Were you there in Taupō for this fun day out? Or have you seen any of the acts on the lineup perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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