Iggy Pop + Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Taupō Ampitheatre: January 24, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Iggy Pop, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Hoodoo Gurus and ZED descended upon Taupō yesterday to kick off Greenstone Entertainment’s Summer Concert Tour 2026. The 13th Floor’s Ming Lyu was on the scene…here is his report and his photos.
When I first saw the poster, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, and New Zealand all in one place, I honestly thought it might just be a high-end tribute show. I was even looking for who would be “playing” Joan Jett. But then it hit me: the legends themselves were actually coming. This wasn’t a cover act, it was the real deal. A real, wild one.
After a week of working outdoors in the pouring Auckland rain, my only concern was the Taupō weather. The rain icons on my phone weren’t a good sign. As I drove down from Auckland, the sky kept shifting between gray and blue. Luckily, I pierced through the last rain cloud at 11:30 AM, and by the time I hit Taupō, the sun was blazing. The logistics were flawless—parking on the massive grass fields outside the venue was so easy, which is a huge relief after a long drive. I later learned that the Summer Concert Tour has a 16-year history, and the Taupō Amphitheatre has become a legendary landmark for the Kiwi summer.
The lineup was a rock lover’s dream: Kiwi legends ZED, Aussie icons Hoodoo Gurus, and the heavy hitters, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Iggy Pop. The merch line was already miles long at the entrance, everyone wanted that custom tour shirt with the three stops—Taupō, Auckland, and Wānaka. The venue itself is a natural amphitheater, a sloping green hill where everyone gets a perfect view. The sea of portable chairs was surprisingly organized. I had a Greenstone Club ticket, which meant a reserved chair, free food and drink vouchers, and a straight shot to the very front. Once I settled in, ZED was ready to rock.
ZED
ZED—Nathan King, Adrian Palmer, Andy Lynch, and Ben Campbell—are absolute icons of their era. Their 2000 debut album Silencer hit #1, and they’ve been part of the NZ rock DNA ever since. They kicked things off with Renegade Fighter, a #1 hit that immediately set the place on fire. That riff and the soaring solo are the perfect way to start a festival. They followed up with the classic Oh! Daisy, which bassist Ben Campbell wrote when he was just 15. Nathan joked with the crowd that they were “trying to act young again.”
Nathan then talked about their 2024 album, Future Memory. He seemed genuinely proud of the new material. During Face the Rain, he mentioned they originally wanted to play it while it rained, but ironically, the clouds cleared just in time. Honestly, the sun was a better fit for the song’s sense of redemption.
For the new track Future You, Nathan ditched his guitar and called it a party song. He moved to the edge of the stage, interacting with the front row and getting everyone dancing. It was a great moment of connection.
One of the most touching moments was when Nathan pulled out a letter from a loyal fan named Scott. Scott wrote that while he wasn’t always a fan of the big hits, the new album had cracked his “Top 10 of all time.” Nathan dedicated the song Bonfire to him. It’s rare to see a band read fan mail on stage; it felt warm and intimate. As Adrian and Ben joined in on the harmonies, you could feel the soul of the band. It was a definite highlight.
After the crowd-pleasers Say So and Hard to Find Her, and the massive hit Crawl. Finally, we went back to 1999 with Glorafilia, the ultimate summer anthem for a generation of Kiwi. The song centers on a “perfect girl” imagined by bassist Ben when he was just 17. Hearing it live 27 years later, the emotional weight was still there, hitting everyone in the crowd.
The couple sitting right next to me were clearly from that original era. They held each other tight, singing every word at the top of their lungs in a moment of pure, shared history. It was a beautiful sight. Under this afternoon sun, we weren’t just in Taupō anymore—we were all back in 1999.
Just like Glorafilia says, it was “just another Saturday afternoon”—but a truly lovely one. ZED closed their set with a cover of Creep, perfectly setting the stage for the rest of the day.
Hoodoo Gurus
If ZED provided the warm afternoon glow, the Hoodoo Gurus brought the Australian sun. It was harsh, brilliant, and unapologetically loud. Brad Shepherd on guitar, Richard Grossman on bass, and Nik Rieth on drums walked onto the stage first. When the singer Dave Faulkner arrived, he looked at the cheering crowd and said: you are welcome! They began with I Want You Back. Right from the start, it felt like they were trying to summon the golden age of rock.
Next came The Right Time, World of Pain, and Out That Door. These legends from the 80s have incredibly solid skills. Both the singer and the bassist played beautiful vintage instruments. You could tell the wood was high quality just by looking at them. This pursuit of vintage gear shows the dedication of old school musicians.
Death-Defying is about the death of a friend, while I Was a Kamikaze Pilot was inspired by a documentary about the Pacific War. They have a great ability to find inspiration in life and turn it into philosophy. This is an impressive talent. They continued with I Come From Your Future, Bittersweet, and Come Anytime. My neighbor told me how great they are and sang along to every word. The guitar solos had a psychedelic touch, which proved they truly belong to that era when the guitar ruled the world.
Dave introduced the band members. Guitarist Brad Shepherd joined in 1982, bassist Richard Grossman in 1988, and drummer Nik Rieth in 2010. Dave said that it feels like forever. The guitar started up followed by heavy drums for Miss Freelove ’69, which featured an intense solo.
I had done my homework before arriving. What’s My Scene is the hit of all hits. My neighbor and his wife left their chairs and rushed to the front row. I grabbed my phone to start filming. It started to rain at that moment, but it could not stop the crowd from singing along. My neighbor said that in his era, this song was a household name and the biggest hit on the radio. Looking at the crowd, I totally believed him.
Like Wow – Wipeout ended the set from these Australian rock legends. Their performance was full of passion, technical skill, and great ideas. There is so much for us to learn from them today.
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
I used to ask myself a few stupid questions about rock music. I tried ranking totally different genres together on one list. One of those questions was this: if I had to pick one person to represent rock music, who would it be? As the entire history of rock ran through my head, past all the brilliant singers and bass/drum heroes, my answer was Joan Jett.
This is not just because all those hits she has. It is because she was a female guitarist and songwriter who was rejected by the labels and the entire industry. Instead of giving up, she started Blackheart Records. That pure DIY spirit led to a miracle. I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll spent seven weeks at the top of the charts, and the market had to bow down. They had to recognize that Joan Jett could not only make rock, she makes the best rock.
So you can imagine how excited I was to see her perform in person. And we are in New Zealand. Her shows are common in the US and occasionally Canada, but she rarely travels further. The last time she was outside North America was in 2019. Being here today felt like a marvelous coincidence of fate.
When the band walked onto the stage in all black, except for the deep red lenses of Joan’s glasses, the dream became real. They opened the show with Victim of Circumstance. After Cherry Bomb, she finally said: hello Taupō. The set moved fast with classics like Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) and You Drive Me Wild. There was very little talking between songs. Often, the end of one track bled right into the next. She played her iconic Gibson Melody Maker guitar. The sound was raw and gritty. She slung the guitar very low. It might not be the most comfortable way to play, but it is the way with the most attitude. The white paint was covered in stickers, but the edges were worn down to the natural wood. It is an old guitar from the 80s or even earlier, and it felt like she was using it to take us back in time.
She introduced Make the Music Go Boom as a song from their new EP. In 2023, they released Mindsets, a collection of six simple and powerful songs. It is considered a strong return to form for her.
After Fake Friends, she played a cover of Androgynous by The Replacements. This time she took off her guitar and gave her full energy to the vocals. She looked free and happy as she interacted with the crowd. Then came the older tracks: Oh Woe Is Me, Lie to Me, Love Is Pain, and Long Time. When she introduced If You’re Blue from the new EP, I heard a guy behind me complain that he did not want to hear new stuff. We all knew what he was really waiting for, and soon, we got it.
The first chord of I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll set the crowd on fire. Everyone began to scream and sing along with everything they had. To me, this is the anthem for rock music. I love songs that mention rock itself, like God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You or I Want Rock ‘n’ Roll All Night by KISS, or I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister. They are the most direct way to express a feeling. Among all of them, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll is the most powerful. It is originally a song by The Arrows, but it fits Joan so perfectly that it feels like it grew out of her body. One third of her set was covers, but she has a magic that makes everything belong to her. I first heard this song 20 years ago. I never thought I would see her play it in the Southern Hemisphere. All I could do was scream my lungs out and let it echo in my mind forever.
Crimson and Clover was another classic cover. During the bridge, the band stopped playing. There was no music, only the sound of thousands of people repeating: over and over. “What a beautiful feeling” described exactly how I felt.
Then came I Hate Myself for Loving You. This song is so famous it even has a Cantonese version in China. Many Cantonese classics are based on Japanese pop, but very few are based on American rock. I used to practice this song on bass back in university, the riff and the drum beat are in my blood. Hearing that classic shout on the off-beat while standing in the crowd, I had tears in my eyes. I did not have the words to describe the feeling.
At that moment, the rain began to fall. Many people left their spots, but most of us stayed to welcome the summer downpour with energy. The set ended with Bad Reputation. This song is so important because it represents her defiance against the music industry. She shouts: not me! That spirit of rebellion is the core of rock and roll. Everything in her music video about being rejected by labels really happened. Her success with her own label is a fact. When people told her she could not sing, she did not argue. She just kept singing, with her own, true voice.
It was a 19-song set that lasted 75 minutes. Anyone would be satisfied with this performance. Joan’s voice sounds incredible, even better than it did on the 2023 EP. I watched her and realized how lucky I was.
Who represents rock music? My answer is Joan Jett.
Iggy Pop
First of all, yes, Iggy Pop is still alive. Not only is he alive, he is healthy and extraordinary energetic. The Godfather of Punk and the most iconic figure in rock must really love New Zealand. He even made a short video about his love for the country. He said that since he makes so much noise, he really values the peace and quiet here. It feels like he is just here for a beautiful holiday, but we are lucky enough that he gave us three shows.
Iggy brought a luxury seven-piece band to the stage, including two guitars, a bass, a drum kit, and two trumpets. Once the musicians were ready, he ran to the center of the stage in a sequin jacket. He grabbed the mic with a death grip. The first song was T.V. Eye from The Stooges. The crowd rushed in from everywhere. People were screaming and waving their fists in the air. He ran to the right of the stage and then to the left. His energy was unbelievable. The photographers were going crazy, switching angles constantly because they were afraid to miss a single second of this rare performance. Yes, Iggy Pop is showing us how it is done.
The jacket was gone by the second song. This is the Iggy Pop we know best. He might be the only artist in the world who truly loves performing shirtless. The next tracks, Raw Power, I Got a Right, and Gimme Danger, all came from his era with The Stooges. The set was very tight. He gave a quick hello and then dove right back into the frantic and aggressive performance. Before the fifth song, he finally took a breath. He asked if someone would give him a ride or pick him up. This led into The Passenger. He pointed at the crowd and told everyone to sing along. The audience was in a state of joy, singing the lalalala parts together.
Then came that famous, wall-of-sound drum beat followed by the bass. This was his biggest hit, Lust for Life. It is the strongest anthem in rock history about energy, survival, and redemption. Before the next song, he praised New Zealand. He said it is a beautiful country and everyone should travel, but he joked that he really should not be driving on a motorway at his age. That song was Death Trip. It was a dark journey from 1973, but I believe Iggy is having a much better summer trip in New Zealand today with the sun and the beaches.
I Wanna Be Your Dog set the field on fire again. Everyone was howling along. It felt a little bit funny, but I was totally lost in the moment. Then he told the crowd that he is a real old man and thanked everyone for the hospitality. We are the ones who should be thankful that he can still perform with such power at his age.
In the middle of the set, he suddenly said he should have a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Everyone thought it was a joke, but an assistant immediately brought him a glass. He looked very happy. The next song was 1970, and he took us straight back to that year. The guitars were brutal. He pulled hard on the ropes hanging from the side speakers, making them shake violently. But the stage was safe, and he was not in any real danger. The song ended with a wild blast of trumpets.
He continued with Cock in My Pocket, Real Wild Child (Wild One), and Frenzy. At one point, he put on a leather jacket, but of course, it was gone very quickly. Finally, he said goodbye with a cover of Louie Louie. He left the stage while the seven band members kept playing. The music slowly faded into silence, and the show was over.
The amazing thing about this Iggy Pop show is that it was a full 75-minute set. It is a blessing to see him so healthy and full of life. It seems like rock stars have to stay healthy if they want to keep rebelling. I hope he enjoys the rest of his holiday in New Zealand!
The End.
I walked back to my car with a tired body, slowly realizing that the dream was real but now it was over. After the show, the sun appeared from behind the dark clouds like it was playing a joke on us. I am certain this will be the most remembered performance of the Taupō Summer Concert. The only question now is: what kind of lineup could ever beat this one?
The good news is that the tour has just begun. There are still two stops to go. See you in Auckland!
Ming Lyu
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ming Lyu:
Iggy Pop:
Joan Jett:
Hoodoo Gurus:
Zed:
