"This is not a New Zealand quirk. It is the local edge of a global collapse. Pitchfork, the most influential music publication in the world, was folded into GQ in 2024 and its editor-in-chief was laid off. Local music press has been gutted in the US, the UK and Australia. New Zealand just got there first and hardest, because we were small to begin with."
Aotearoa (NZ) has fired up the four way flashers. We ignore it at our peril.
New Zealand also has the disadvantage of being so far away that many international acts will skip it.
(My eyes are bent, my back is dim etc) I recall going to a few gigs back in the day. Iron Maiden headlining, with I think Anthrax. Wembley Arena (London, UK), 1989ish. That costed us £16 a head - I remember that price well, it was pretty cheap for the time. Guns n Roses, Wembley Stadium (the old one), 1990ish was about £25-30 - not too sure.
Beer at the time was crossing the £2 a pint mark in London. Seems my memory isn't too bad (1) bear in mind that London is a lot more expensive than the rest of the country.
Nowadays a pint in London will need at least a tenner and a gig in London will require waving a tearful farewell to a vital organ or a mortgage or both.
I doubt that general disposable income has risen five fold over the last 30 years.
Now, as to your assertion of "not being bored at home anymore". ... ... can't be arsed.
(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/time...