High Stadium Costs Blamed For Bon Jovi's Qld Concert Move To Brisbane

The high costs associated with running a live event at Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium has been blamed for the Queensland leg of Bon Jovi's newly-announced Australian tour moving to Brisbane. 

As Gold Coast Bulletin reports, the Gold Coast Suns AFL club had two dates on hold to accommodate the show at Metricon (their home venue), before the concert was eventually moved to the Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre in Brisbane. 

"We were certainly considered for Bon Jovi but they’ve done a deal in Brisbane," Gold Coast Suns chairman, Tony Cochrane, said.

"There is no question transport costs, policing costs and the overall cost base of running Metricon Stadium are bleeding us to death."

It comes after the US rockers Australian promoter, President and CEO of TEG Dainty, Paul Dainty, told Gold Coast Bulletin last September he planned to "bring them to Metricon".

The concert would have been the first held at the venue since 2014 in support of the now-defunct Big Day Out festival. 

read more:

• It's Official - Bon Jovi Are Heading To Australia This Year

• Gold Coast Stadium Struggling To Attract Major Music Acts Due To High Operating Costs

"The Gold Coast will continue to miss out on major entertainment like this while we have the most expensive stadium to hire in the country," Cochrane said.

"Per head, we have the most expensive stadium in the country — not even the most expensive regional stadium. The most expensive stadium.

"It costs more per head than QSAC and Suncorp, more than the MCG to hire, more than the new $1.5 billion stadium in Perth per head.

"I ask you, how does that happen in a regional city?"

It comes just months after Cochrane said Metricon will continue to lose out on major touring acts due to high operating costs, which is is costing the Gold Coast a reported $60 million.

For a look at all of the dates on Bon Jovi's tour, click on theGuide.