Concert for Dogs

Overview

In line with 2020's NZ Festival of the Arts, artist and musician Laurie Anderson is heading to Wellington to stage Concert for Dogs — a gig that doesn't just let humans bring their four-legged friends along, but serves up melodies, frequencies and riffs have been composed specifically for pooches. Taking place on Saturday, March 7 at Odlins Plaza, the 20-minute show combines low-decibel violin, vocals, keyboards and electronic sounds into a symphony certain to get puppers' tails wagging.

Only held a handful of times before — including in Sydney, in New York's Times Square and in Brighton, England — the free event is open to all doggos, although they must play nicely with others and be kept on a leash. For both hounds and humans alike, the concert will be followed by Anderson's Heart of a Dog, her astonishing documentary tribute to her own furry piano-playing and finger-painting BFF, Lolabelle.

Anderson is in the country as a curator of this year's Festival, including a virtual reality experience and a sonic installation dedicated to her partner in art and life, the late Lou Reed.