Redwood 70National Music Convention
A two-day West Auckland music festival at Redwood Park, Swanson, headlined by Robin Gibb during his solo period. Sources describe thrown objects, stage invasion attempts, police/security intervention, increased controls on day two, and an early close after police advice.
Overview
What Happened
Core Findings
A Small Festival With A Messy Headline Moment
Redwood 70 was a two-day music festival in Swanson, West Auckland, promoted as New Zealand's first major multi-day pop festival. Its headline act was Robin Gibb, then performing away from the Bee Gees during a solo period.
During Gibb's set, sources report objects being thrown toward the stage, including the well-known tomato account, and attempts by audience members to reach or get onto the stage. Police and security intervened, and the second day operated with stronger controls.
The clearest operational outcome is that the festival ended early on Sunday, 1 February, after police advice that the park be cleared before dark. Injury, arrest, and attendance numbers are weaker: the material gives descriptions, but not one clean verified set of figures.
Review disputed details →Quick View
Incident Highlights
Chronology
Known Sequence
Operational Picture
Evidence Strength
Conflicting Information
What Does Not Line Up
The core incident is clear enough: Redwood 70 took place at Swanson, Robin Gibb's set was disrupted, and controls increased after the Saturday disorder. The loose ends sit in the numbers and some detail wording.
Attendance is reported differently across the source set.
Reports that over 9000 fans attended.
Reports that 20,000 people attended the two-day event, with about 1000 staying overnight on Saturday.
Editorial note: no primary attendance record was verified in the material available, so the lower verified figure should not be merged with the higher local-history claim.
The figures may describe different groups, but they are not cleanly comparable.
Says about 1500 music fans bussed out to the Swanson holiday park.
Says about 1000 people stayed overnight on Saturday.
Editorial note: one may be a transport figure and the other an overnight figure, so they should be kept separate.
Sources do not describe Robin Gibb's backing group in the same way.
Describes Gibb as being backed by a 17-piece orchestra.
Describes him as being backed by a string quartet.
Editorial note: the difference may reflect performance arrangements or later retelling, but it was not resolved from the checked source set.
Unverified Details
Not Verified
No exact injury total was verified.
No death linked to the incident was verified.
The 1970 incident-specific street address was not verified.
One source says "a few arrests", but no precise number was verified.
No specific bodily injury to Robin Gibb was verified from the opened sources.
References
Evidence Cards
Redwood 70 concert: Robin Gibb pelted with a tomato
1 Apr 2023
Extract from Professor Paul Moon's book. Supports the dates, Redwood Park setting, tomato account, stage access incidents, police/security response, electric fence reference, and "a few arrests" wording.
Visit Source →Redwood 70 National Music Convention
12 Dec 2013
Identifies Redwood 70 as New Zealand's first major multi-day pop festival and states that the Sunday programme finished early at 6 pm after police advice to clear the park before dark.
Visit Source →Beginnings - Rock music festivals - Redwood 70
29 Sept 2015
Places Redwood 70 at Redwood Park in Swanson, identifies Phil Warren as organiser, names Robin Gibb as headline act, and gives the over-9000 attendance wording.
Visit Source →Redwood 70
1970 programme page
Describes Redwood 70 as a two-day festival in the Swanson holiday park, says about 1500 fans bussed out, and repeats the thrown tomato account.
Visit Source →Redwood Park
No date shown in captured lines
Places Redwood 70 at Redwood Park and describes riotous crowd behaviour on Saturday night. It also gives the higher attendance figure that conflicts with NZ History.
Visit Source →Redwood 70 festival poster
Updated 12 May 2014
Supports the poster wording and describes Redwood '70 as New Zealand's first national rock music festival held over two days in West Auckland in 1970.
Visit Source →Music festivals from the 1960s
24 Sept 2014
Places Redwood 70 within the wider development of New Zealand rock festivals and identifies it as the first national music convention.
Visit Source →User-supplied and NZ On Screen social leads
Not verified from direct open
Social posts were used only as leads because direct access was throttled or incomplete. They are not relied on for disputed facts in this page.
See caution →Source Links
