British singer Olivia Dean apologised to more than 40,000 fans last night after technical issues forced her to halt her sold-out Auckland concert for nearly 40 minutes.
Dean was performing at Western Springs Bowl on Saturday to conclude her Art of Loving Live tour when sound issues brought the concert to a standstill after just three songs.
The singer briefly improvised on stage and talked to the crowd while crews attempted to resolve the problems, before leaving the stage and telling fans the sound system needing to be reset.
Promoters took to the stage shortly after to apologise for the delay, reassuring fans the full show would still go ahead despite the venue's 11pm curfew.
A 1News staffer who was at the concert said the crowd was growing increasingly frustrated as the delay prolonged, with many concertgoers leaving to grab a drink or use the bathroom.
Dean returned to the stage shortly after 10pm and thanked fans for their patience.
"I'm so sorry about that, everybody. That's never happened before," Dean told the crowd.
"I want you to know that we're going to do the rest of the show as planned. We're not going to cut anything, we're going to give you what you paid for.
"Thank you for waiting, everybody – we're still going to have a good time this evening."
The show eventually ended about 50 minutes later than scheduled, with Dean completing her full set for the sold-out crowd.
Concert promoter Handsome Tours released a statement after the event concluded, expressing "enormous gratitude" to the city of Auckland and the fans in attendance.
"The show was paused for a period of time, due to unforeseen technical issues," a spokesperson said.
"We appreciate the diligent work of Olivia's team, allowing the show to recommence as quickly as possible.
"We wish to send our enormous gratitude to the city of Auckland and all the wonderful fans who came along to Olivia Dean's show tonight at Western Springs Bowl."
A spokesperson for Handsome Tours told RNZ the interruption was an issue with the tour's production rather than the venue.
Auckland Transport said additional buses were deployed to help concertgoers get home following the unexpected late finish.
"Public transport worked well and met demand throughout the day, with no significant issues reported," a spokesperson said.
Additional rail capacity had been provided for both Dean's concert and Auckland FC's season opener at Go Media Stadium in the nearby suburb of Penrose.
Following the concert, standby buses were used on the NX1 and 18 routes to accommodate passengers heading home.
"Some evening bus services were delayed due to event congestion," Auckland Transport said.
The concert marked Dean's return to Auckland after performing at Laneway Festival in 2025.
Since then, the 27-year-old British singer had soared in popularity, with hits including Man I Need, Nice to Each Other and So Easy (To Fall in Love).
Dean told the crowd Saturday night's performance was her biggest headline show to date, as more than 40,000 fans packed into the Western Springs Bowl in jubilant fashion.
The show marked the first music event for the Western Springs venue after its $2.5 million transformation earlier this year.
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