Mission Concert: Survivors' guide to a good night with Robbie

The tens of thousands in Hawke’s Bay this weekend for Robbie Williams’ two Mission concerts will be met with a well-tested array of steps tried over the years to improve the experience.

Scanners will log in up to 25,000 on each of Saturday and Sunday, with barcode and QR codes from online booking, possibly the biggest single factor in improving the experience since the teething days following the late 1992 announcement that an outdoors concert would be held the following January 23, and that it would be headlined by opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

People took the day off work to queue from pre-dawn for tickets when they first went on sale, and on the day would queue with chilly bins full of booze and food, and trollies carrying other necessities such as rugs, cushions and other necessities of living the day and evening in a pop-a city in a paddock the size of a few rugby fields.

Few would have envisaged that it would become an annual event, even twice-annual, almost 31 years later, unless, maybe they were part of the strategy – the Mission statement – which was essentially writ on the label on the bottle - The Kiri Concert, at the Mission Estate Mission Estate Chardonnay 1992.

Why the patrons keep coming back, some from afar, comes back to the appeal that evolved, with Mission Estate CEO Peter Holley, who came on board in 1996 and has been at every Mission Concert since, saying there will be patrons who have been to almost every one.

“It’s a phenomenal event, it’s more than a concert, it’s accessible, and it’s annual,” he says, confident there are still more music icons to grace the stage in the future.

The big thing to be aware of now, so that it won’t spoil your night, is that patrons are not permitted to take any alcoholic beverage – no wines, no hot stuff, no beers, no RTDS, but it is something that has been with Missioners a long time.

Under the terms of the liquor licence, no different than any other on-licence, all alcohol consumed on site must have been purchased on site, and ticketholders aged under 18 cannot purchase alcohol, and must be accompanied by an adult.

There will be at least 23 food carts, and liquor booths, with food of a variety of ethnic origins, and beverages “for all tastes and budget”, the promoters say.

People can take their own food, such as the picnic hamper, but they must be reasonable about the size or proportions of what it is carried in, and it must not include glass.

The weather is always a consideration, more so in a changeable Napier November, but fine weather is forecast, which hopefully will alleviate worries about the rule that says “no umbrellas permitted”, but something a bit warmer for the twilight and evening is recommended.

Looking at the weather has, itself, advanced somewhat. The 2009 the venue was half-full when it was announced mid-afternoon the concert with Lionel Ritchie could not go ahead because of the rain, but in April this year, Rod Stewart’s appearance was advanced 30 minutes to avoid rain forecast for late evening.

Concert management retain the right to inspect all items brought into the venue, so don’t be bringing in your leftover fireworks for a bit of private entertainment between acts.

“Patrons will not be permitted entry with prohibited items,” the rules say.

For some, the mission is getting there and getting home, so your sober driver needs to be aware of some of the rules about in the vicinity.

They are Church Rd from Montepelier Drive to Wharerangi Rd, Avenue Rd from Church Rd to Avondale Rd, Mission Rd from Church Rd to Auckland Rd, Irene Mooney Place, Bishops Close, Ennor Place, Lowndes Place, and Tironui Drive (from midday).

Concert times: 2pm, gates open; 2.30pm, Molly Pawson; 3.45pm, Danica Bryant; 5pm, Stretch; 6.15pm, Ladyhawke; 8pm, Robbie Williams; 10pm, close.