Support band signs but main act proves elusive

The ink is on paper for one 2013 Mission Concert star, but there's still no word on the headline act.

That was the latest from booking agent and Australia-based Sports and Entertainment project director Garry Craft last night, although he remains hopeful a big name can be confirmed by the end of this week.

"I still haven't received the email," he said.

"Hopefully, in the next couple of days."

He revealed a support act has been confirmed but is unable to be identified before confirmation of the drawcard, an announcement now more than five weeks later in the year than when Rod Stewart was named last year.

The delay highlights increasing problems signing acts from what Mr Craft conceded is a dwindling pool in the context of the icons who've graced the vineyard stage near Taradale in the past two decades.

"The difficulty is the number of acts available is definitely reducing," he said, reflecting on the demand for acts which generally started making their mark in the 1960s and 1970s. "There are not a lot of acts.

"At some point, they have their use-by date. Our market doesn't really change that much, but it is fairly broad.

"They still want the unattainable. The Eagles are a clear example. But year by year, we come up with 2-3 acts, one sticks, and the other two don't happen."

As much as Napier is a must for recalling an era for the target audience, it is not necessarily so for the artists, who are not in the habit of chasing-up promoters for the chance to join their fans in reliving the past at the Mission.

"I don't think that's ever happened," Mr Craft said.

Rumours now centre on acts heading down under and possibly interested in tagging New Zealand on to concert schedules in Australia.