April Foo’s Gig Creates Carnage

Music Fan Avalanche episode 943 occurred in Auckland, New Zealand this April Fool’s Day as yet another radio DJ pulled the “secret huge gig” routine, disrupting the schedules of half the southern hemisphere and causing headaches, paranoia and general malcontent.

A Kiwi radio station called The Rock thought it would be a good joke on the morning of March 31st to begin promoting a bogus, secret acoustic Foo Fighters gig, Stuff.co.nz reported Wednesday. The fake show was set for a small Auckland venue called the Powerstation, and the plan was for about 50 curious listeners to show up to the venue where radio station employees would hilariously play a Foo Fighters album on a stereo, to everyone’s chagrin.

Can you guess what happened? Yes, the prank went ballistically wrong. By 5 pm the station was overwhelmed with inquiries, and people across New Zealand were taking time off work and booking flights to make it to the show, creating what program director Brad King called “absolute carnage.”

“This is what happens when fools plan April Fool's jokes,” King brilliantly said. “Word spread beyond far and wide.”

The station soon recanted on the prank, apologizing to its victims, of which they estimated there would have been close to 2,000. Fliers were also placed outside of the Powerstation venue as a heads-up to any long-distance travelers whose radios were broken.

Regarding punishment for those clever minds involved, King was not specific about what actions were taken, saying only that “heads have rolled.”

They’re fortunate the guys from Flight of the Conchords weren’t on the bill, as Auckland would have found itself festooned with creepy, self-conscious guys with trucker hats and no communication skills. Thank god that didn't happen.