Poor bookings for concert

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 5

Poor bookings for concert

PA Dunedin Because of poor bookings, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s Dunedin concert may be cancelled and a second Wellington show held instead. “We have been very very disappointed,” said the general manager of International Management Group, the concert promoter, Mr Paul Gleeson, in Dunedin yesterday. Only 569 tickets had been sold so far, Mr Gleeson said, and for the concert to go Ulead that numbered to

increase to 2000 by the week-end. The concert is scheduled for April 2 with 2464 seats available in the Dunedin Town Hall. So far bookings have been open only to American Express cardholders. Today they open to the public. There are about 6500 cardholders in Otago and Southland and most sales have been of the top-priced >75 seats, mainly to people from outside Dunedin. About 1400 $4O and $5O seats were available;?'.Mr

Gleeson said, more than in other centres where Dame Kiri would perform. Last year she sang to two full houses in Auckland, where tickets sold for $lOO. In Wellington, almost twice as many applications for tickets have been received as there are tickets available, the Auckland concert is sold out, and the Christchurch one is threequarters sold out Mr Gleeson said Dunedin was not on the original tour itinerary and was included at Dame Kiri’s request be-

cause of the good reception she had received there previously. If Dunedin does not show enough interest in the concert by Friday, alternative arrangements will begin almost straight away because of the logistic problems of organising accommodation, rehearsal . facilities and booking the venue. With its very good bookings, Wellington was the obvious alternative, he said. Dame Kiri celebrated her on Monday