Metallica fans fork out small fortune
BY SHAHRA WALSH
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South Island Metallica fans are paying thousands of dollars to see the band in Auckland in October, despite airlines offering cheap flights.
Shelley Glassey, 32, of Invercargill, said she and husband Erin would pay about $3000 to see their "No1 band" perform. "I've been a fan for 17 years. It's pretty important that we go. We're huge fans."
Costs included accommodation, concert tickets, airfares, meals and taxi fares. They also paid $80 to join a Metallica fan club that made tickets available online in a presale.
The couple paid $720 for flights direct to Auckland from Invercargill for their two-day trip a day before Air New Zealand announced $1 fares from Christchurch to Auckland for the gigs.
The airline has organised the 120-seat flight for South Island fans who were left disappointed when Metallica's promoters said they would not play in Christchurch.
Bruce Parton, from the airline's discount ticketing site, Grabaseat, announced the offer on Wednesday, and the seats sold out in 30 minutes yesterday.
Similar discounts were offered by Jetstar.
Blenheim fan Jamie Woods, who has campaigned unsuccessfully to get Metallica to play in Christchurch, said that even with the cheap flights there was still a considerable cost for South Island fans to make the trip to Auckland.
Glassey said the trip was a "huge cost to any everyday person", but she hoped the trip would be worth the money.
Tickets to the Auckland shows on October 13 and 14 sold out in 20 minutes yesterday.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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