SIX60 announce SIX60 Sessions: The Grassroots Tour
Wednesday 13 March 2024
In a first for New Zealand’s biggest and most decorated band, SIX60 will play exclusively in 23 small towns and venues across Aotearoa this April and May, recording each show to compile a new Best Of The Grassroots Tour album. They’ll be taking their biggest hits, some of which have only ever been heard live in New Zealand’s biggest stadiums, rearranging them into acoustic and unplugged stripped back versions, and playing in some of New Zealand’s most beloved small town venues. Beginning at one of lead singer Matiu Walters marae: Pōtahi Marae in Te Kao, the tour will take in a host of locations off the beaten track. From the Piha Surf Life Saving Club, to Waimate’s Regent Theatre, and Te Puka Tavern, this is fans' chance to get up close and personal with SIX60 to hear their iconic stadium hits reworked for stunning small town pubs, theatres, halls and more.
“When SIX60 first came to us about doing an intimate tour, we all thought they were thinking Spark Arena, TSB Arena, Wolfbrook Arena…it then became clear that the boys meant proper intimate. Piha Surf Life Saving Club, Stewart Island, Te Puka Tavern…so going from 50,000 people in a stadium to literally 150 capacity venues….but we know what greatness this band are capable of, and here they are pushing themselves once again….only SIX60” - Dave Munro, Eccles Entertainment, SIX60’s booking agent
Echoing the sentiments of one of their most beloved songs, "Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō / Don't Forget Your Roots," this tour embodies the band's commitment to their roots and the profound bond they share with their fans. SIX60 Sessions - The Grassroots Tour will bring the band back to the grassroots, celebrating the essence of music and the unbreakable connection with their audience. In true SIX60 fashion, not only will they be playing live each night, they will be recording these moments for a ‘Best Of Grassroots Tour’ album to be released later this year offering fans a tangible piece of New Zealand music history.
“For years on social media, fans have been asking us to record acoustic versions of our songs, for weddings, funerals and everything in between…we felt that if we were ever going to do it, we wanted to do it with our fans, that’s what excites us, bringing the people that made us the band we are, made the songs into the hits they are along for the ride. We can’t wait to visit these special pockets of Aotearoa and bring these songs to life in a way we have never done before” - SIX60
Transforming each stage into a space that mirrors a recording studio, the band invites the audience into their world of creativity. The show will take fans on a journey, from feeling like you are a fly on the wall in the studio with the guys, to belting out the reimagined stadium hits in a pub or theatre setting, the one night only format in each town promises that each performance will be unique and exclusive.
Opening each show is exciting up and coming artist Makayla (Ngāti Kahungungu ki Heretaunga, Te Whakatōhea). Born in Boston and raised in the Hawke’s Bay, Makayla is the most recent signing to SIX60’s record label MASSIVE, joining an esteemed young lineage of New Zealand artists SIX60 have mentored such as Drax Project, Coterie and Mitch James. With over 1.6million likes on TikTok, Makayla came to the attention of SIX60 covering their song ‘Pepeha’ and in 2023 she joined the band on stage at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to sing it live.