Posted Mar 25, 2009, 1:25 PM
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Here is the article...
Quote:
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff
It's a long way to the top of Magnetic Hill from Australia, but it's sounding more and more like legendary Aussie hard rock band AC/DC is indeed heading to the Hub City.
It was reported last night that a concert announcement will be coming sometime this week regarding the band's show in Moncton, said to be taking place Thursday, Aug. 6.
Ian Fowler, general manager of Moncton's Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Culture department, reached at home last night, denied reports of the Aug. 6 concert by Halifax media last night. The reports did not name any sources.
"They have been totally premature," Fowler said regarding the concert news. He said the City of Moncton does not currently have a signed contract for any show at Magnetic Hill. He also noted that city council has not been brought on board to ratify any deal because at this point, there is no deal.
There has also been speculation among Metro Moncton music fans that a few other shows are currently in the works. Concertgoers are saying the Jonas Brothers and Bon Jovi are heading to Magnetic Hill while Bruce Springsteen is said to be planning a show at the Moncton Coliseum.
Fowler would not comment on any of the potential shows.
He was "extremely disappointed" with news coming out about the possible AC/DC show last night. He said if a show with AC/DC or any other act was in the works, this news could potentially jeopardize the possibility of the show happening at all.
"I can tell you emphatically that as of (last night), the city is still in negotiations with promoters," he says.
Last night, Fowler recognized that AC/DC was the name that has been popping up most among music fans over the last year, but he did nothing to confirm or deny whether the band might be heading to Moncton.
"There's no doubt it's a show everybody would like to have," he says.
AC/DC talk in Metro reached a fever pitch last fall when the band released its first album in nine years, Black Ice. The band has released "Rock and Roll Train" and "Big Jack" as singles thus far, with both receiving a lot of airplay.
The band is in the midst of a world tour, but it doesn't have any dates listed on its website beyond a sold-out show scheduled for June 30 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Moncton has a solid track record over the last few years of producing top-quality concerts at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site, including dates with the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson.
However, this year the city is facing stiff competition from other cities. Halifax announced a few months ago that KISS would be headlining a show on July 18 at the Halifax Commons while Prince Edward Island announced that country stars Tim McGraw and Reba McEntire would headline the July 10-12 Cavendish Beach Music Festival.
Even Fredericton has announced an outdoor rock concert for the summer with the Black Crowes and Live headlining FredRocks from June 19-21.
Asked if he is concerned that Moncton entering the summer concert game late may mean its show doesn't sell as well, Fowler says he isn't. He says he has heard that many concertgoers are waiting to hear what Moncton has planned before making a decision regarding what they will attend.
"The expectation is there that Moncton is going to deliver," he says.
Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by Bristol Omnifacts Research for the Times & Transcript shows that AC/DC is the band most people in the area want to see.
When 605 people were asked who would be their choice for a band to play at a Labour Day concert on Magnetic Hill, 16 per cent chose AC/DC.
U2 followed at 10 per cent and Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Celine Dion each took two per cent of the votes.
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