Review: L.A.B brings the summer vibes to Hastings despite stabbing incident
L.A.B Concert
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Tomoana Showgrounds
Review by Michaela Gower
Sweet summer vibes were the all-encompassing feeling upon entering the Tomoana Showgrounds on Saturday Afternoon. People coming from near and far to experience a taste of kiwi music.
The stage was nestled in amongst the trees, where the lights instantly drew your attention to the artist and musicians upon the stage.
The great lineup included Summer Thieves, Katchafire, Acacia, Ocean Alley, Tipene, who paved the way for the headline act of the night L.A.B.
The Reggae band formed in Whakatane in 2016 has a way that creates a genuine kiwi experience, which is felt by fans of all ages.
The outdoor location where the stage sat front and centre allowed for the food and drink stalls to line the edges. With all the fan favourites including hot chips, and crepes, and many other delights to satisfy the hunger.
The atmosphere of the crowd was relaxed and happy, which was felt by all. Having spoken to people from across the country everyone was really able to let loose and enjoy themselves.
Crowds were energetic for all aspects of the concert whether that was dancing, singing along, or consuming some of the tasty food made from local food trucks.
While many were happy and enjoying the concert for the live music it couldn’t be ignored that there was a heavy police presence at the event.
Upon entry patrons were scanned with a wand in search of what one can assume to be any weapons or alcohol that was trying to be snuck into the event and bags were searched.
Entry was granted upon proof of ID, and a green band was provided to those who made it through successfully.
Unfortunately with large gatherings comes an opportunity for those who are not there to partake in the festivities but are merely opportunists bringing others misfortune.
The lines when entering were fairly long, however, this was not the same when lining up to purchase alcoholic beverages as lines moved swiftly due to the large amount of staff working tills that were able to operate eftpos and cash.
As well as a great number of staff pouring the drinks when required, which made for happy customers.
When thinking of a classic kiwi summer, L.A.B and the other acts certainly gave this feeling, and really there is no one better to provide the soundtrack for summer than kiwi’s themselves.
Being able to sing songs that many are able to connect with the ideas and messages in has proved to create a great rapport with the artists and fans.
Concerts and music are designed to bring people together, and for the most part that's what this concert did, however, there were undertones of feeling unsafe and needing to be aware of yourself and the people you were there with, to ensure that a good time was had by all.
Overall the L.A.B concert was great, however, it was unfortunately undermined with the stabbing that took place earlier in the evening.
