Swift not yet saying if Dunedin included

Swift disappointed fans when she performed in Australia at the end of 2015 for the end of her ...
Taylor Swift. Photo: Reuters
Pop superstar Taylor Swift is heading down under for her next international tour but Dunedin Venues is shaking off any questions on whether she will join the list of big acts booked to perform at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

On Tuesday Swift announced a string of North American tour dates to support her sixth studio album Reputation.

At the same time she confirmed she will be bringing the tour to New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, although no dates or venues were announced.

When contacted by the Otago Daily Times, Dunedin Venues chief executive Terry Davies did not want to comment or speculate on whether the Shake it Off singer would perform in Dunedin.

However, he said if Swift wanted to perform at Forsyth Barr Stadium, then Dunedin Venues would ''welcome her with open arms''.

When Swift does finally perform in New Zealand, wherever it may be, it will be the first time she has appeared on stage here since 2013.

Fans were disappointed she did not perform in New Zealand in 2015 when she embarked on an international tour to support her 1989 album.

If Swift does perform at Forsyth Barr Stadium, she will be the latest in a long line of international acts to grace the stage in Dunedin.

Stevie Nicks and The Pretenders are performing next Friday, followed by Roger Waters in January next year, Robbie Williams in February, Ed Sheeran in March and Pink next September.

Tickets for most of the concerts are still available.

Chugg Entertainment New Zealand representative Manolo Echave said about 80% of the 15,000 allocated tickets for the Robbie Williams concert had been sold.

''The capacity has been extended slightly. We had to put more tickets on sale,'' Mr Echave said.

He said there were several seating arrangements available at the stadium and capacity was extended after all the Bronze Seat tickets were sold.

''There will be other levels that will sell out before the show and whether we can add more at the higher price levels, I don't know.''

Mr Echave said Williams was looking forward to performing ''enormously''.

''There seems to be a wealth of talent coming over this summer and he's happy to be a part of that.''

Live Nation New Zealand publicist Bridget de Launay said the company was ''very pleased with the response to both major international artists from their South Island fans''.

There were still tickets available to the Stevie Nicks and Roger Waters concerts in all price categories.

Dunedin Venues marketing manager Kim Barnes said she was blown away by the support from around the country.

About 60% of fans were from outside of Dunedin.

''It's a great opportunity for Dunedin to shine and encourage visitors to come back again.''

It would also have a ''positive injection'' to the economy, she said.

A representative for Ed Sheeran did not immediately respond to questions.

samuel.white@odt.co.nz

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