The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival was the first large outdoor music festival in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It was held on a farm at
Ngāruawāhia
Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...
on the
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
, 19 kilometres north-west of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, for three days from 6 to 8 January 1973.
1973 – The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival
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Management
* Robert Raymond
* Barry Coburn
Performers
* Corben Simpson (NZ) - opening act
* Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
(UK)
* Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...
(UK)
* Blerta (NZ)
* Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
(NZ)
* The La De Das
The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band of the 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in New Zealand in 1963 as the Mergers, they had considerable success in both New Zealand and Australia until their split in 1975.
In Australia the band is proba ...
* Mammal (NZ)
* Max Merritt & The Meteors
* Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a ...
(NZ)
* Lindsay Marks (NZ)
* Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band (NZ)
* Billy TK's Powerhouse (NZ)
* Orb
* Butler (NZ)
* Ticket (NZ)
* Itambu (NZ)
* Treefoot (NZ)
* Teddy and the Bears (NZ)
Publicity
* Corben Simpson removed all his clothes on stage and was reported nationwide in the media, Black Sabbath burned a cross on the hill while getting the entire audience to light a match or lighter.
* Ticket never appeared. They were scheduled to appear and to tour Australia and Canada with Black Sabbath but singer Trevor Tombleson had a throat infection and guitarist Eddie Hansen's 'beloved yellow rig' was blown up by Sabbath's guitarist who was using it onstage without permission. Hansen refused to go on after that.
* "Todd (Hunter) ... gathered some friends and fellow performers for an appearance at the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival. They wrote original songs for their set list, and someone pulled the name "Dragon" out of an I Ching book. Their performance at the Ngaruawahia Music Festival led to a better gig, a few weeks performing at the Occidental Hotel in Auckland.
See also
*List of historic rock festivals
A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...
* New Zealand music festivals
References
*
* Keith Newman
Keith Anthony Newman (born January 19, 1977) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and was drafted by the Buffal ...
, personal interview with Ticket members including Eddie Hansen
External links
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival
Music festivals in New Zealand
1973 in music
Ngāruawāhia
Music festivals established in 1973
Rock festivals in New Zealand
Pop music festivals
Heavy metal festivals in New Zealand
1973 music festivals