A remarkable night in store for Lakeside

The Koi Boys' Ngahere "Nuz" Ngatai is all geared up to perform back in his hometown tonight, for one of Rotorua's biggest events of the year.

"We're very excited to be back, and for me being able to perform in front of my grandparents is a bonus."

Nuz's grandparents are over from Australia for a few weeks.

One of the members of The Koi Boys, Danny Faifai, is married to a Rotorua woman, while third member Kevin Keepa has never visited the city before, and is looking forward to the experience.

The Lakeside Concert will take place at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre - a first in the event's 21-year history.

Due to public safety concerns after wet weather, the decision was made to move it from the Village Green on Wednesday afternoon.

The Koi Boys, as well as the other performers, had rehearsal with the rhythm section on Thursday and with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra yesterday.

It'll be a quick turnaround for the trio, returning to their base on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust chairman Ian Edward said everything was going well under the extraordinary circumstances.

"Collectively the team is putting in the extra mile to ensure the event will be something truly remarkable. We are making the best out of a difficult situation."

He said the service providers, both from outside Rotorua and locally, were doing an outstanding job to get the show ready.

Mr Edward reminded people to get in early to pick up a free ticket for the show.

The tickets are available from the Ticketmaster office at the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre from 9.30am today. There is a limit of four tickets per person.

As the show has been forced indoors, Lakeside's production and event manager Chris Gillies said the team has had to adapt to fit into the arena.

He said while there would be no LED screens from previous years, there would be lasers, "which would inject excitement and drama into the show".

"There have been a huge number of challenges this week. However, we are incredibly grateful to those who have accommodated and understood the changes. We are grateful for their co-operation and we are lucky to have this alternative venue."

The details
When: Tonight, 5pm pre-show entertainment, pohiri 7pm, entertainment to start at 7.30pm.
Where: Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Doors open 4.30pm.
Cost: Free but must have ticket for entry. Tickets are available to be picked up from the Ticketmaster office at the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre from 9.30am today. There is a limit of four tickets per person.
Performers: The Koi Boys, Simon O'Neill, Annie Crummer, Jason Kerrison and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra plus more.