This is one of a series of posts expanding on my 50 States in 50 Dates blog by documenting the global touring adventures of George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers and the earlier years of their career.
Quick Links:
- Aug. 14, 1981 – Town Hall. Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Aug. 15, 1981 – Town Hall. Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Aug. 16, 1981 – Town Hall. Wellington, New Zealand.
- Aug. 17, 1981 – Town Hall. Auckland, New Zealand.
Above: Crew t-shirt from the Destroyers’ 1981 tour of New Zealand. Source: Instagram.
Christchurch Town Hall.
Date: August 14, 1981.
Venue: Christchurch Town Hall. 86 Kilmore St. Christchurch Central City. Christchurch 8013. New Zealand.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/VARVmGVcKHuFcpm28
Venue Exterior:
1970s:
2020:
Venue Interior:
1970s:
Source: Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
Opening Act: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any information.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ show at Christchurch Town Hall. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 48. July 1, 1981. Pg. 19.
Source: Billboard Magazine. July 18, 1981. Pg. 80.
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 49. August 1, 1981. Pg. 23.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I am yet to see a ticket stub for this concert. If you have a scan or a photo to share, please send me a note.
Attendance: Unknown. The Christchurch Town Hall held 2,650 people in 1978.
Source: Journal of the Acoustic Society of America. Vol. 63, Supplement 1. Spring 1978. Pg. S36.
Set List: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any details.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I have yet to come across any photos from this concert. Please get in touch if you know of any.
Concert Reaction: I am still looking for a print review of this show. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: Christchurch Town Hall was heavily damaged in an earthquake in February 2011. A major project to rebuild the hall commenced in 2015.
Dunedin Town Hall.
Date: August 15, 1981.
Venue: Dunedin Town Hall. Dunedin Central. Dunedin 9016. New Zealand.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/dTgqBzii8Za3ES9t9
Venue Exterior:
1971:
Source: Dunedin City Council Archives.
2020:
Venue Interior:
1964:
Source: University of Otago Library Collections.
Opening Act: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any information.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ show at Dunedin Town Hall. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 48. July 1, 1981. Pg. 19.
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 49. August 1, 1981. Pg. 23.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have yet to see a ticket stub for this concert. If you have a scan or a photo to share, please send me a note.
Attendance: Unknown. Dunedin Town Hall seats up to 2,200 people.
Set List: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any details.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos:
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 50. September 1, 1981. Pg. 3.
Concert Reaction: I am still looking for a print review of this show. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: Dunedin Town Hall continues to function as a venue for concerts and other public events.
Wellington Town Hall.
Date: August 16, 1981.
Venue: Wellington Town Hall. 109 Wakefield St. Wellington Central. Wellington 6011. New Zealand.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/vkt1omUY8AM9vjkP9
Venue Exterior:
1970s:
Source: New Zealand National Library.
2018:
Venue Interior:
1974:
Source: Archives of New Zealand.
Opening Act: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any information.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ show at Wellington Town Hall. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 48. July 1, 1981. Pg. 19.
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 49. August 1, 1981. Pg. 23.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have yet to see a ticket stub for this concert. If you have a scan or a photo to share, please send me a note.
Attendance: Unknown. Wellington Town Hall seats up to 2,200 people.
Set List: Unknown. Please get in touch if you have any details.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I have yet to come across any photos from this concert. Please get in touch if you know of any.
Concert Reaction: I am still looking for a print review of this show. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: At the time of this writing, Wellington Town Hall is undergoing major safety upgrades for earthquakes.
Auckland Town Hall.
Date: August 17, 1981.
Venue: Auckland Town Hall. Queen Street. Auckland 1010. New Zealand.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/NFPN9HevH7L97kFu9
Venue Exterior:
1981:
Source: Auckland Council Libraries.
2020:
Venue Interior:
1976:
Source: Auckland Council Libraries.
Opening Act: Midge Marsden Connection.
Source: Sidney Limbert / Facebook.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ show at the Auckland Town Hall. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 48. July 1, 1981. Pg. 19.
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 49. August 1, 1981. Pg. 23.
Source: Auckland University Craccum. August 4, 1981. Pg. 19.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have yet to see a ticket stub for this concert. If you have a scan or a photo to share, please send me a note.
Attendance: Unknown. The Destroyers played to “a packed Town Hall” on this night. The Auckland Town Hall seats up to 1,529 people.
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 50. September 1, 1981. Pg. 3.
Set List:
- House of Blue Lights
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 50. September 1, 1981. Pg. 3.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I have yet to come across any photos from this concert. Please get in touch if you know of any.
Concert Reaction:
Peter Thomson of Rip It Up magazine had these positive words to say about the Destroyers’ 1981 concert at the Auckland Town Hall:
“From the moment the young man with the white guitar took the stage the congregation (his term not mine) was up out of their seats. And by the time the first number, an incandescent ‘House of Blue Lights’, was over it was obvious that few, if any souls would remain un-converted tonight.
George Thorogood preached born-again blues and rock ‘n’ roll with an energy and intensity that infused that old hall with the spirits of his acknowledged masters. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker became no longer just names from the past but renewed and vital forces in the hands of this remarkable musician and his powerhouse band…
[Thorogood’s] great love is performing live. It is evident in everything he and the band do: from the blistering guitar solos to the classic duck-walks; from his gritty but fun-loving vocals to the call and response of sax and guitar. And in a packed town hall on a cold winter’s night we were blessed to get so near to the fire.”
Source: Rip It Up. Issue 50. September 1, 1981. Pg. 3.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall continues to function as a site for concerts and public events.
50 States in 50 Dates 