Westpac Stadium is hoping to take it to the limit by hosting The Eagles for a one-off concert later this year.
It is understood two promoters are vying to book The Eagles for a one-off show in New Zealand in November or December – one would have them playing in Wellington, the other in Auckland.
Neither promoter would comment yesterday, and it is understood a decision is expected within a month or so.
It is more than three years since the stadium last hosted a major rock concert, when Bon Jovi played to about 23,000 people in December 2010.
Earlier the same year AC/DC played to more than 60,000 fans over two nights.
Westpac Stadium chief executive Shane Harmon would not comment specifically on the possibility of The Eagles playing there.
“We have pitched for a number of sporting and non-sporting events over the next 12 months,” he said. “Concerts are high on our priority list.”
The Eagles are on an extensive world tour, with shows booked in Europe and the United States. The last confirmed date is in San Diego on October 4.
Concert promoter Phil Sprey, from Capital C, who brought Elton John to Wellington in 2006, was not surprised to hear The Eagles might come.
“I put a bid in for them at one stage . . . we pulled out because the sort of dollars they wanted for them was, in our opinion, far too high.”
If Westpac Stadium hosted the band’s only New Zealand concert at the end of the year, he thought it would do extremely well.
He speculated that ticket prices could start at $100 to $120, rising to well in excess of $300 for front-row seats.
“I am firmly in favour of Westpac finally getting a concert after three years. It’s not before time.”
A Westpac Stadium report has previously described how complex it was to host the AC/DC shows: “A massive amount of equipment and skills were required to stage the concerts. Staging and concert gear filled 55 containers. A touring crew of 130 was supplemented by a local crew of 380.”
The Eagles last played in New Zealand in 1995 as part of their Hell Freezes Over tour – named because, when the band broke up in 1980 founding member Don Henley said they would play together again “when hell freezes over”.
The present lineup is Henley and fellow founder Glenn Frey, along with longstanding members Joe Walsh and Timothy B Schmit.
Founded in 1971, The Eagles have sold more than 150 million records and have notched up six Grammy awards. They had numerous worldwide No 1 singles, including Take It to the Limit.
