Joanna Hunkin sits down with Dave Dobbyn to discuss touring and growing confidence on the stage.
Sir Dave Dobbyn will perform at Auckland Town Hall on June 4.
Dobbyn, diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2022, continues to inspire with his powerful performances.
Tickets go on sale May 5, with a pre-sale for My Live Nation members starting May 2.
One of New Zealand’s most treasured musical acts, Sir Dave Dobbyn, will perform at Auckland Town Hall, the first time he has hit the stage there solo.
The 68-year-old has previously performed at the prestigious venue with his band Th’ Dudes,but has never showcased his own set. That will change on June 4, when he and his touring band look to cover songs from his 45-year recording career.
Announced as part of the Auckland Winter Concert Series lineup, Dobbyn and his band will perform everything from his celebrated anthems to “an extraordinary catalogue of deeper cuts”.
Sir Dave Dobbyn performing at the Whangarei Fritter Festival 2024. Photo / Michael Cunningham
In a Facebook post announcing his diagnosis, Dobbyn said the news has given him a “wider appreciation of life”.
“Of late, I have a tremor in my right hand which gives my guitar playing a new kind of twang. I have to do what I love, so it’s business as usual and on with the show, singing all the way.”
He first gained notoriety in the Kiwi music scene with Th’ Dudes in 1979 alongside Ian Morris and Peter Urlich, enjoying further success with his band DD Smash and then as a solo artist.
Songs such as Slice of Heaven, Whaling, and Bliss have become local anthems, with Dobbyn and his band a regular fixture at popular events, including Jim Beam Homegrown and Rhythm and Vines.
Reporting on a performance with L.A.B in Tauranga in 2023, where Dobbyn and his band appeared instead of US band Sublime with Rome, NZ Herald journalist Alex Cairns said the then-66-year-old “rasped ‘Aaasiaaan cigarettes’ (lyrics to Th’ Dude’s Be Mine Tonight) like it was recorded yesterday, and the quintessential Slice of Heaven really got the Domain crowd moving".
He has also won countless New Zealand Music Awards, Apra and Aria awards, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
Dobbyn was knighted in 2020 and in 2003 was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music.
The details
Who: Sir Dave Dobbyn and his band
Where: Auckland Town Hall
When: Wednesday, June 4
Concert tickets for the general public go on sale Monday, May 5 at 11am.
My Live Nation members may secure tickets first during the pre-sale beginning Friday, May 2 at 11am through to Monday, May 5 at 10am.
For complete tour, ticket and event information, visit livenation.co.nz.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
