Iconic Kiwi band Shihad loses farewell tour merchandise in fire on Melbourne Airport tarmac

Iconic Kiwi band Shihad have hit a bump in their farewell tour of New Zealand and Australia, losing their entire shipment of tour merchandise in a fire at Melbourne Airport this week.

It has been reported a freight pallet containing freshly printed Shihad merchandise burst into flames on the tarmac of Melbourne Airport just before it was set to be loaded on a plane bound for New Zealand.

In a statement to Rolling Stone Australia, Shihad said that over 37 years, “you figure you have been through most scenarios that the music industry can throw at you”.

“Nonetheless, having your merch burn to the ground at Melbourne Airport en route to NZ is a new energy. Glad that everyone is safe, we are doing all we can to get new stock printed for our sold-out show in Napier this weekend,” the statement earlier this week read.

Shihad's Loud Forever farewell tour kicked off on December 29 in New Plymouth.

It comes after the legendary Kiwi band’s Loud Forever farewell tour kicked off on December 29 in New Plymouth. They were en route to New Zealand earlier this week to perform a sold-out concert in Hawke’s Bay tonight.

The tour will make its way across New Zealand and Australia before the band’s final set at the Jim Beam Homegrown music festival in Wellington on March 15.

Drummer Tom Larkin and vocalist/guitarist Jon Toogood formed the band in 1988 as students at Wellington High School, with lead guitarist Phil Knight joining shortly afterwards and bassist Karl Kippenberger being recruited in 1991.

In a career that’s spanned almost four decades, the band powered their way to the top on the back of their blisteringly powerful live show and songs that, at their best, blended the band’s sheer power with memorable earworm hooks.

Shihad in 1997. Photo / Wildside Records

It’s no exaggeration to call them one of New Zealand’s most influential and iconic bands. Six of their 10 albums hit No 1, they won 18 Aotearoa Music Awards, were inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2010 and released hits You Again, My Mind’s Sedate, Wait and See, Pacifier and, of course, their signature anthem, Home Again.

Having conquered Aotearoa, Australia quickly followed. But their attempt to take over America was thwarted by global events when the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York forced them to rebrand as Pacifier. It instantly ended their momentum and ushered in a dark period for the band. They battled on, before coming home and reverting to Shihad.

While gaps between shows and albums increased, whenever Shihad resurfaced they were never anything less than a force. They continued to destroy audiences and their albums kept hitting No 1.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.