Gold Guitars final crowd drawcard
The 50th annual MLT Gold Guitar Awards Senior Finals began impressively last night with a sold-out stadium and a jam-packed lineup of country music's finest.
The event is the big finale for the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival, and what a show it promised to be for the 1100 people in attendance.
Musicians brought their very best to the Gore Town & Country Club, all vying for their place among New Zealand country music royalty.
There were plenty of home-town heroes such as the Mitchell family, with twins Nicola and Maegan competing against their father Ron in the singer/songwriter section.
Notably Ron's daughter and the twins' sister Jenny Mitchell won the overall award back in 2017, setting a high watermark for the country music family.
Fan favourite Jeremy Hantler, of the Harmonic Resonators, wowed the audience during the Traditional section, with an impressive show of vocal range and control.
Australia sent over a bit of strong competition too, in the form of Jon Collins.
The grand prize for the Senior category is $3000, a Martin D-28 Satin Acoustic Guitar, a fully produced single and publicity package as well as other prizes to help the winner's career.
The winner will also be flown out to the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival to show off the fine work of the Gold Guitars.
Finalists and winners were yet to be announced at the time of writing, and convener Phillip Geary said this year it was a strongly contested competition.
"It's going to be a very close call this year.
"Some years we can see it from the first audition, but this is a lot tighter. The quality is high, very high," he said.
Mr Geary had a lot to celebrate, with sold-out shows across the block like the 50th anniversary Golden Guitars show on Thursday, which featured 22 past Gold Guitar winners.
Heavy hitters from past and present set a high bar for the competitors, showing exactly what it meant to take up the mantle of winning the award.
Mr Geary knew what the Gold Guitars meant for a young musician — a chance to rise the ranks into country music royalty.
"This is a steppingstone for anyone who is serious about their career, and their music," he said.
gerrit.doppenberg@odt.co.nz
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