Western Springs Stadium

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Quarter midget race at Western Springs Stadium at sunset
Quarter midget race at Western Springs Stadium at sunset

Western Springs Stadium is an entertainment venue in Auckland, New Zealand, that consists of a natural amphitheatre. During the winter it is used for club rugby union matches and over summer it is used for speedway. It is also occasionally used for large music concerts and festivals.

Western Springs Stadium has a crowd capacity of 30,000 for sports[1]and upwards of 50,000 for concerts. It is located four kilometres west of the city centre in the suburb of Western Springs.

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[edit] History

Western Springs Stadium has been used for Speedway racing since 1929.

Many notable concerts have been held at the stadium, including the only New Zealand concerts by Led Zeppelin (1972), Bob Marley (1979), Genesis (1986) Pink Floyd (1988), Bruce Springsteen and Duran Duran (2003).

Two concerts held at the stadium were the largest concerts ever in the Southern Hemisphere at the time (although since overtaken by Rock in Rio). On 26 November 1983 the final date of David Bowie's Serious Moonlight World Tour was attended by either 74,480 fans (according to bootleg recordings) or by 83,000 (according to the promoter years later [1]). On 14 March 1987 over 80,000 fans saw the concert by ZZ Top.

At the top of the hill that forms the amphitheatre is a street of houses - the residents have a view into the stadium from their back gardens. This has often been referred to by the artists on stage, who have often encouraged the residents to donate money to charity in lieu of an entrance fee - notably, Bono from U2 (1989) and Robbie Williams (2003). In 1993's ZooTV show, Bono made a mid-performance phone call to one of the neighbouring properties with a grandstand built in the backyard overlooking the stadium, and earlier in the day the band had sent up a selection of tour merchandise to attempt to sell to the viewers.

In April 2006 The Rolling Stones played a show of their A Bigger Bang Tour at Western Springs; they had played there 33 years earlier on their 1973 Pacific Tour.

In February 2007 the WWE Road To Wrestlemania 23 Tour came to Western Spring attracting over 12,000 WWE fans.

[edit] Speedway

Western Springs Stadium has been used for speedway since 1929. Speedway events take place at the stadium from early November through to mid March. Speedway activities have been under threat in recent years due to complaints and legal action from the local community. Currently speedway events are limited to 12 events per season, but negotiations and legal action by community groups and speedway promoters are ongoing.

[edit] Rugby

Between late March and early October the stadium is used by the Ponsonby Rugby Club for training and games. Western Springs Stadium has also hosted NRL games when Mt Smart stadium has been unavailable.


[edit] External links