Murray Stott rocks on about the ''triple bottom line'' benefit from the Dunedin Fleetwood Mac concert.
Dunedin can take a bow at staging a once-in-a-life-time opportunity with the original and iconic Fleetwood Mac concert.
The concert provided a feel-good factor and revenue boost for the city's cafes, bars and motels two to three days before the remarkable 35,000 sellout show, on a Wednesday night to boot.
I calculate the economic benefit to the city to be in the order of $10million plus.
Just the ticket, for a city that has often felt sidelined for such headline acts.
Not any more, thanks to the stadium's new can-do CEO who promotes Dunedin's covered stadium to the promoters.
The chairman of the Carisbrook Trust, stadium developer on behalf of the Dunedin City Council, must have had the vision of a so-called cathedral thinker - an architectural metaphor relating to those with great vision who place the first foundation stone for a building of the future, when it may be required, and paid for.
Therefore, Malcolm Farry must have had such a vision of a 35,000 sellout, with a little blurring on costs ...
However, it will take several life-times with a continuum of such sellouts before the ratepayer- saddled $121 million stadium debt is paid off.
And let's not lose sight of just how competitive the business of scoring gigs for headliners is.
Following their sellout in Dunedin on the Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac played to 38,000 fans at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, in the wind and rain; and, 32,000 on the Sunday night.
Concurrently, Elton John packed 30,000 fans into the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, the first major concert at that venue in four years; and Florence and the Machine played to a sellout 12,000 fans at Vector Arena, also on the Saturday night and also in Auckland.
All in the same week that tickets are selling nicely for 40,000-plus sellouts in Auckland and Wellington for AC/DC in December and for Ed Sheeran, again at Mt Smart, in Auckland.
The one consistent winner in all of these concerts is Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster that sells all the tickets.
Once, Dunedin benefited from the antics of quintessential promoter the late Joe Brown, who staged the first Miss New Zealand ''Beauty'' Pageant in the Dunedin Town Hall - then the largest town hall in the southern hemisphere, built with no debt to the ratepayers - where he also promoted the largest Saturday night dances in Australasia.
At present, the city benefits from the efforts of the DVML CEO Terry Davies, who tirelessly works the promoters to bring the headliners here.
Bar and cafe owners rejoice with the results he has produced over the past year or so ... long may it continue.
It probably will, given the positive relationship with Live Nation he has cultivated.
Some may allude that a covered stadium is the main attraction.
Not necessarily so, nor does it override population catchments.
For the very band who once personified the maxim sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and who have confronted all the adversity life can serve up by virtue of marriage breakdowns, addictions and health scares et al, to have transcended life's challenges since the '70s and to be able to perform pitch-perfect for 120 concerts over 15 months is truly remarkable in every way.
The group appeared fresh and vibrant; some commentators were of the view that such a gruelling tour appeared to invigorate them.
Clearly, following his cancer scare, Mick Fleetwood now works out daily to stay fit.
And given Kiwi male expectancy is now 79.8 years, it is fair to say the group all nearing 70 and the general weighting of the concert's audience are in the departure lounge of life.
And that being the case, the concert delivered a triple bottom line by virtue of invoking a feel-good factor, potentially contributing to wellness.
For those baby-boomers, to see Fleetwood Mac looking so pristine while athletically performing their pitch-perfect renditions could serve as both an inspirational and aspirational tonic.
In two months' time, say, a farmer might be humming a Fleetwood Mac hit while his mind reflects on the youthful exuberance and energy the band conveyed, which could invoke an extra spring in his step.
Or jumping over the odd fence, charged-up by image-recall and the husky tones of gothically-hip Stevie Nicks dancing in his brain.
On with the show(s) ... next up for the stadium, Black Sabbath, who, like Fleetwood Mac, have also sold more than 100 million records collectively with frontman Ozzy Osbourne.
This concert has the potential to take its audience to the next level of triple bottom line; not to be confused with bypass.
• Murray Stott is a trademark agent and sponsorship broker.
