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'We've Delivered': Why Coldplay Success Has Eden Park Boss Wanting More
As Kiwi fans flood into Eden Park on Friday night for Coldplay's second of three concerts this week, venue boss Nick Sautner cannot help but want more.
The UK pop-rock giants played to a 57,000 sell-out audience on Wednesday, and will do it all over again tonight and on Saturday.
The three concerts make up half of Eden Park's allowance, meaning Eden Park will reach its cap tomorrow.
But Sautner hopes to get that increased to 12, and believes the justification for that is there for all to see - having previously hosted Six60, Pink, and Guns & Roses.
"There's no guarantee, but we've got 97 percent support from the community," he told Checkpoint.
"We went through a process and I'm confident the commissioners saw the benefits and the engagement we've had.
"You've got to remember we've delivered. We said we would be able to deliver concerts at Eden Park."
He said Coldplay's recent performances in Sydney saw the city receive an economic boost of $90 million, and has seen first-hand the foot traffic the band has had on Eden Park's surrounding suburbs this week.
Sautner revealed Auckland Unlimited have indicated around $20m boost for Auckland's economy because of Coldplay.
"With one venue in New Zealand, that will be far greater for our venue," he said.
He believes Kiwis have woken up to the potential of Eden Park, and hopes there will be plenty more to come in way of international artists on our shores.
"It's a beautiful stadium and we just want to make sure that it is utilised for both sport and entertainment," he said.
Despite insistent rain bucketing down in Auckland on Friday, Sautner is promising another magical night for Coldplay fans.
He said people had been at the venue since 9am this morning buying merchandise, and there will be around 3000 staff on hand for support.
"It's a real carnival atmosphere here," he said.
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