April 21, 2025 • 10 mins
There's been a string of concerts cancelled across the country this year, with some concert-goers unable to access refunds after the promoters entered liquidation.
So how do you keep your money safe, and how can you tell a reputable promoter from a potentially dodgy one?
Wellington Mornings' music man James Irwin joined Nick Mills for Music Time.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said b.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Eggs can new releases and keeping tabs on local artists.
His music time on Wellington Mornings.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Everyone knows. That's part of the show that I love.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I get my old mate James Irwin to come from
a studio, brand new studio next door. And someone that
came in to visit me the other day said gys
a nice looking studio.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I said, it's James's studio.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
He controls all the music for all the shows on
our company's organization, said JAMESI.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Welcome, welcome, welcome, thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Talk to me about this whole sort of I don't
know fiasco that's going down where people are paying for
tickets and that's shows you get canceled.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
There's been a there's been a ball but BS in
it too.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
There is a bit of yeah. And I haven't personally
had that done myself. I haven't lost out on a ticket,
but I know a lot of people this year have
lost out on tickets. We're it's have fallen over. I
always kind of I go to a lot of shows
and I look at who the promoter is and I
know a lot of people don't do that. You know,
I read the fine print. I'm super weary if it's
(01:17):
a new promoter, but I never have concerns about you know,
we've got some seasoned promoters in this town, in this country,
like Brett Eckles Entertainment. His stuff is just spot on.
Stu Macpherson with Stetson Group. You can always rely those
shows are going to go ahead. Kurt who runs Plus
one his shows, he's been around for twenty five years.
You know, there are all seasoned promoters that were a
(01:38):
lot of them were musicians who have gone through the
thing and they know how to put on a good show.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Can you give our listeners a little tip on how
to be safe?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Well, you know the one that's recently cropped up was
Juicy Fest and a lot of people lost a lot
of money. Now if you looked at the I think
the I think the ticketing site was ticket Ferry. I
could be wrong, and a lot I think they got
a lot of hate that they were like, hey, you'ven't
given our money back ticketing Fery, But.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
They were just they were just the pass.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Through, so the promoter and prey much when you buy
your ticket, it's going to have a terms and conditions.
And this is where we all go, oh yeah, accept
the terms conditions. What you want to look for and
the terms of condition is that your money is going
to be holding and held in a trust account. That's
the key to these.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And it doesn't get released and it doesn't get.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Released to the promoters. So those season promoters like Equals
and plus one, they they've got money to set the
show up and and and the money's over there the
trust account and at the end they get released the
money and they put on the show, whereas some of
these newer companies don't have any money and they're relying
on two thousand ticket sales to prop up to the
(02:43):
bank to say, hey, give us some more money. And
and so it's it's it's like any any anything like
it's like setting up a new bar, it's like anything.
I suppose you've got to have some capital behind you.
So have a look at those promoters who's doing it?
And you know, because it's not just happening in New Zealand.
We just had the classic fire Fest I think the
second time round. Where was it. Billy McFarland and Jarrow
(03:06):
of conned a whole lod of those American influences. They
put on a second, second concert that never happened, and
people have lost all their money. He was the guy
who went to jail, and there's the Netflix show. Just
be a bit more wary. The other thing I would
say is watch out who is when you go to
buy your tickets. And I've said this so many times
on the show. I did it this morning because I
(03:26):
was looking out for a show that I'm gonna talk
about a minute. For Greg Johnson tickets and the first
site that popped up was via go go. Now that's
like buying anything on Facebook marketplace. You might get legitimate tickets,
but the person selling this it's a reseller site. The
person selling those tickets might sell them to twenty different people.
So make sure if you're buying your tickets from plus
one or from Equals Entertainment, or it's ticket Tech or
(03:47):
ticket Master, make sure that's where you're going. Don't go
into the via go gos because it's just like buying
a secondhand car on marketplace. You never know what you're
gonna get. Anyway, I want to talk Yeah, terrific, terrific
show this weekend that's Old Saint Paul's this Saturday. Now,
that's the church.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Do you know that I know that church because I
got married there forty years ago.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Well, there you go. So another great event forty years
on has happening there this Saturday, after the first forty
years ago. And it's Greek Johnson and he's an La
based kiwi. He's released thirteen albums and I could say
I don't think any of them are bad. I've always
been a big fan of Greg Johnson. I very briefly
met him as a young twenty year old when he
wasn't a big deal in Auckland, and he was really
(04:28):
confident and he was like, I'm going to be a star.
And he's become a star. He runs a studio in
Los Angeles. He tours back and forth to New Zealand.
He plays with some of the best session musicians over there.
There's still limited tickets left. I had a quick look.
That's what I was looking for this morning. Still limited
tickets for the Old Saint Paul's gig. It's really nice.
It's kind of the kind of gig that's great to
go to in the sense because it's you just you
(04:48):
don't you don't have set tickets. It's pure. It's the church.
There's pews, so.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
You get it early.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You can sit up the front, you know, from me
meta your way half a meter away from Greg Johnson.
He's got a tremendous backing band.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
So it's just like a rock venue. But it's yeah, yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Then people do treat it. You know, there's no stage
diving a church that you can buy drinks on the side,
but no one's cutting loose. You can have alcohol in
the church. What's that about? What's all that about? Milsey?
But yeah, so you can buy a drink, you can
buy some food, but no one cuts loose and cuts crazy.
Take some bread with us and we'll be we'll be away.
(05:24):
So yeah, check it out. You can get your ticket.
So this is the PLAT plus one dot code Audions,
So that's a reputable seller. Treat your favorite mate or
the wife or the husband. It will be a really
interesting night out. Sounds amazing in this, So Greg Johnson,
let's have a listen. Catchy timeless pop songs.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
They have trouble with annoys.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
It's no because it's it's such a beautiful sound in there.
They don't have to play loud because you've got you know,
it's beautiful, reverb and natural, it's it's fantastic. Anyway, let's
roll on. Had a lot of feed back on albums
turning thirty. Last time I talked to you, I had
a few people text me going, oh, you know, blah blah,
you missed that album. And then a few people said, well,
are you going to do albums turning forty? So naturally,
(06:16):
yes we are. Let's hit it. There we go, Prince.
This was called around the World in the day banger.
This is the big head of it. You know this one?
Brothers in Arms tat forty years ago, forty years nineteen
eighty five.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
One of my all time favorite five guitar.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Yeah, fantastic. Kate Bush Pounds of Love was that the
one hit?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Yeah? Huge?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Oh what Houston album the same title, I Love What
You Love Her?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
I love her, I'd marry her?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Yes, Lo Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair, Yep,
and again You're gonna I probably missed your favorite album.
But and who's nice to Phil? Phil Collins Now Jacket
were Quiet. I didn't actually love this album, but it
was a band and it can't be it can't be
not there's a few softies on there. Speaking of Whitney Houston,
(07:10):
I always bang on about this as well, her mother,
Sissy Houston. Oh, go and listen to Sissy Houston on
Spotify or Apple or whatever. She was magnificent, she was
in all the girl groups, bad Shen. I know she
died earlier this year or late last year. So Sissy
Houston is worth checking out.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
And a lot on the bodyguard all that stuff to
go on on social media at the moment, you get
it all the time, all right.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah, Yeah, here's another terrific gig coming up that will
keep in the back of your mind for the end
of May. This is a band that's probably dead in
my heart, one of my top fives. They're called the Lemonheads.
They're touring New Zealand. You can get tickets just search
the Lemonheads there again through plus one, so another reputable
and like I said, I'm I'm not getting free tickets
to these shows. These are just shows I think will
be of interest to our I wish I got tickets
(07:57):
to this gig I love. I'm going to go and
buy them. I think they're about ninety bucks and I'll
go and buy a ticket because I love this band
so much, to the point where I drove to Auckland
last time that Lemonheads were playing, got there and the
night before the concert, the lead singer, Evan Dando was
not led into the country for carrying things that he
was not allowed to carry when he reached New Zealand customs.
So I'm hoping so I was devastated. I saw them
(08:18):
also play at via Uni. They're playing at Meo. I
saw them play at nineteen ninety three at the university.
Are called it vic Uni, and I think something happened
with the bass player and someone local filled in. I
think there was a death. But anyway, but I have
listened to Lemonheads very quickly. You know this song Simon
(08:38):
and garfunk the Lemonheads with Missus Robinson. The best version
of it, Screwbat facing it the bait.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Now we've got thirty five second, all right, I want
to hear that beatles.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
A beatles John Lennon what he would sound like if
his life today. We'll put a link on the website
because it shows a video of him as well, where
he is an eighty year old man oppresion. Listen to that.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Ai Beatles will put a link on the Facebook page.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I know I've got to go. Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Red Fountain Opera House, May second, mid year, later in
the year October twenty fourth, Porira of Rocks. We Love
That Saturday, May third, straight after Red Fountain and Mel
Parsons May twenty fifth. And thank you to the great
record shops at Wellington Record Independent Record Store Day last weekend. Creeps,
slow Boat Flying None. You did a terrific job.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Gotta go.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Always a pleasure, never a pain. Love having you on
the show. James Irwin is our master of music. He's
got a doctor in music given to them by me.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said b.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Eggs can new releases and keeping tabs on local artists.
His music time on Wellington Mornings.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Everyone knows. That's part of the show that I love.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I get my old mate James Irwin to come from
a studio, brand new studio next door. And someone that
came in to visit me the other day said gys
a nice looking studio.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
I said, it's James's studio.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
He controls all the music for all the shows on
our company's organization, said JAMESI.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Welcome, welcome, welcome, thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Talk to me about this whole sort of I don't
know fiasco that's going down where people are paying for
tickets and that's shows you get canceled.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
There's been a there's been a ball but BS in
it too.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
There is a bit of yeah. And I haven't personally
had that done myself. I haven't lost out on a ticket,
but I know a lot of people this year have
lost out on tickets. We're it's have fallen over. I
always kind of I go to a lot of shows
and I look at who the promoter is and I
know a lot of people don't do that. You know,
I read the fine print. I'm super weary if it's
(01:17):
a new promoter, but I never have concerns about you know,
we've got some seasoned promoters in this town, in this country,
like Brett Eckles Entertainment. His stuff is just spot on.
Stu Macpherson with Stetson Group. You can always rely those
shows are going to go ahead. Kurt who runs Plus
one his shows, he's been around for twenty five years.
You know, there are all seasoned promoters that were a
(01:38):
lot of them were musicians who have gone through the
thing and they know how to put on a good show.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Can you give our listeners a little tip on how
to be safe?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Well, you know the one that's recently cropped up was
Juicy Fest and a lot of people lost a lot
of money. Now if you looked at the I think
the I think the ticketing site was ticket Ferry. I
could be wrong, and a lot I think they got
a lot of hate that they were like, hey, you'ven't
given our money back ticketing Fery, But.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
They were just they were just the pass.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Through, so the promoter and prey much when you buy
your ticket, it's going to have a terms and conditions.
And this is where we all go, oh yeah, accept
the terms conditions. What you want to look for and
the terms of condition is that your money is going
to be holding and held in a trust account. That's
the key to these.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And it doesn't get released and it doesn't get.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Released to the promoters. So those season promoters like Equals
and plus one, they they've got money to set the
show up and and and the money's over there the
trust account and at the end they get released the
money and they put on the show, whereas some of
these newer companies don't have any money and they're relying
on two thousand ticket sales to prop up to the
(02:43):
bank to say, hey, give us some more money. And
and so it's it's it's like any any anything like
it's like setting up a new bar, it's like anything.
I suppose you've got to have some capital behind you.
So have a look at those promoters who's doing it?
And you know, because it's not just happening in New Zealand.
We just had the classic fire Fest I think the
second time round. Where was it. Billy McFarland and Jarrow
(03:06):
of conned a whole lod of those American influences. They
put on a second, second concert that never happened, and
people have lost all their money. He was the guy
who went to jail, and there's the Netflix show. Just
be a bit more wary. The other thing I would
say is watch out who is when you go to
buy your tickets. And I've said this so many times
on the show. I did it this morning because I
(03:26):
was looking out for a show that I'm gonna talk
about a minute. For Greg Johnson tickets and the first
site that popped up was via go go. Now that's
like buying anything on Facebook marketplace. You might get legitimate tickets,
but the person selling this it's a reseller site. The
person selling those tickets might sell them to twenty different people.
So make sure if you're buying your tickets from plus
one or from Equals Entertainment, or it's ticket Tech or
(03:47):
ticket Master, make sure that's where you're going. Don't go
into the via go gos because it's just like buying
a secondhand car on marketplace. You never know what you're
gonna get. Anyway, I want to talk Yeah, terrific, terrific
show this weekend that's Old Saint Paul's this Saturday. Now,
that's the church.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Do you know that I know that church because I
got married there forty years ago.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Well, there you go. So another great event forty years
on has happening there this Saturday, after the first forty
years ago. And it's Greek Johnson and he's an La
based kiwi. He's released thirteen albums and I could say
I don't think any of them are bad. I've always
been a big fan of Greg Johnson. I very briefly
met him as a young twenty year old when he
wasn't a big deal in Auckland, and he was really
(04:28):
confident and he was like, I'm going to be a star.
And he's become a star. He runs a studio in
Los Angeles. He tours back and forth to New Zealand.
He plays with some of the best session musicians over there.
There's still limited tickets left. I had a quick look.
That's what I was looking for this morning. Still limited
tickets for the Old Saint Paul's gig. It's really nice.
It's kind of the kind of gig that's great to
go to in the sense because it's you just you
(04:48):
don't you don't have set tickets. It's pure. It's the church.
There's pews, so.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
You get it early.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You can sit up the front, you know, from me
meta your way half a meter away from Greg Johnson.
He's got a tremendous backing band.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
So it's just like a rock venue. But it's yeah, yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Then people do treat it. You know, there's no stage
diving a church that you can buy drinks on the side,
but no one's cutting loose. You can have alcohol in
the church. What's that about? What's all that about? Milsey?
But yeah, so you can buy a drink, you can
buy some food, but no one cuts loose and cuts crazy.
Take some bread with us and we'll be we'll be away.
(05:24):
So yeah, check it out. You can get your ticket.
So this is the PLAT plus one dot code Audions,
So that's a reputable seller. Treat your favorite mate or
the wife or the husband. It will be a really
interesting night out. Sounds amazing in this, So Greg Johnson,
let's have a listen. Catchy timeless pop songs.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
They have trouble with annoys.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
It's no because it's it's such a beautiful sound in there.
They don't have to play loud because you've got you know,
it's beautiful, reverb and natural, it's it's fantastic. Anyway, let's
roll on. Had a lot of feed back on albums
turning thirty. Last time I talked to you, I had
a few people text me going, oh, you know, blah blah,
you missed that album. And then a few people said, well,
are you going to do albums turning forty? So naturally,
(06:16):
yes we are. Let's hit it. There we go, Prince.
This was called around the World in the day banger.
This is the big head of it. You know this one?
Brothers in Arms tat forty years ago, forty years nineteen
eighty five.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
One of my all time favorite five guitar.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Yeah, fantastic. Kate Bush Pounds of Love was that the
one hit?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Yeah? Huge?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Oh what Houston album the same title, I Love What
You Love Her?
Speaker 3 (06:46):
I love her, I'd marry her?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Yes, Lo Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair, Yep,
and again You're gonna I probably missed your favorite album.
But and who's nice to Phil? Phil Collins Now Jacket
were Quiet. I didn't actually love this album, but it
was a band and it can't be it can't be
not there's a few softies on there. Speaking of Whitney Houston,
(07:10):
I always bang on about this as well, her mother,
Sissy Houston. Oh, go and listen to Sissy Houston on
Spotify or Apple or whatever. She was magnificent, she was
in all the girl groups, bad Shen. I know she
died earlier this year or late last year. So Sissy
Houston is worth checking out.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
And a lot on the bodyguard all that stuff to
go on on social media at the moment, you get
it all the time, all right.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah, Yeah, here's another terrific gig coming up that will
keep in the back of your mind for the end
of May. This is a band that's probably dead in
my heart, one of my top fives. They're called the Lemonheads.
They're touring New Zealand. You can get tickets just search
the Lemonheads there again through plus one, so another reputable
and like I said, I'm I'm not getting free tickets
to these shows. These are just shows I think will
be of interest to our I wish I got tickets
(07:57):
to this gig I love. I'm going to go and
buy them. I think they're about ninety bucks and I'll
go and buy a ticket because I love this band
so much, to the point where I drove to Auckland
last time that Lemonheads were playing, got there and the
night before the concert, the lead singer, Evan Dando was
not led into the country for carrying things that he
was not allowed to carry when he reached New Zealand customs.
So I'm hoping so I was devastated. I saw them
(08:18):
also play at via Uni. They're playing at Meo. I
saw them play at nineteen ninety three at the university.
Are called it vic Uni, and I think something happened
with the bass player and someone local filled in. I
think there was a death. But anyway, but I have
listened to Lemonheads very quickly. You know this song Simon
(08:38):
and garfunk the Lemonheads with Missus Robinson. The best version
of it, Screwbat facing it the bait.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Now we've got thirty five second, all right, I want
to hear that beatles.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
A beatles John Lennon what he would sound like if
his life today. We'll put a link on the website
because it shows a video of him as well, where
he is an eighty year old man oppresion. Listen to that.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Ai Beatles will put a link on the Facebook page.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I know I've got to go. Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Red Fountain Opera House, May second, mid year, later in
the year October twenty fourth, Porira of Rocks. We Love
That Saturday, May third, straight after Red Fountain and Mel
Parsons May twenty fifth. And thank you to the great
record shops at Wellington Record Independent Record Store Day last weekend. Creeps,
slow Boat Flying None. You did a terrific job.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Gotta go.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Always a pleasure, never a pain. Love having you on
the show. James Irwin is our master of music. He's
got a doctor in music given to them by me.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.