Dave Dobbyn CHB gig is off - but he'll be back

Dave Dobbyn's CHB gig has been canned but he is vowing to return. Photo / File

Loyal Dave Dobbyn fans are going to have to wait again for his return to Hawke's Bay, following the pandemic-induced cancellation of his sold-out Waipawa concert.

It was to have been the second show of a mainly smaller venues "Open-Up" tour, signifying the return to the road of New Zealand musicians after the level 4 lockdown in March and April, and was to have happened this Saturday.

Announced on July 23, tickets for the 350-seat Central Hawke's Bay Municipal Theatre show were sold out within a few hours the next morning – the first sellout of the tour.

Others in the lower North Island followed, with tickets for shows in Feilding (415 seats) and Carterton (375) also being quickly snapped up.

Agent and promoter Lorraine Barry said: "We are disappointed but hoping only to postpone – already we are checking with venues as to availability moving forward."

Depending on a new date, Hawke's Bay may see Dobbyn at least twice within a year or so, with the evergreen musician set to hit Napier on a rescheduled tour by Th' Dudes in November 2021.

"Life is tough for people who make their living and pay their rent by working in music," Barry said. "This small run of shows was called 'Open Up' to mark that our team's lives were on the move again.

"Dave and his band are supported by a small but dedicated crew, from the truck driver delivering all the gear, production and stage crew setting up the show, to the sound and lighting engineers and tour management," she said.

"After the show, the crew are the last to leave when they pack everything back into the truck. We've all really been looking forward to getting together."