Touring
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London’s O2 Academy Brixton is set to reopen in April, more than a year after two people died and several people were seriously injured during a crowd stampede outside the venue.
Security guard Gaby Hutchinson and Rebecca Ikumelo were killed when fans without tickets tried to force their way into a sold-out concert by Nigerian singer Asake on Dec. 15, 2022.
A 22-year-old woman injured on the night remains in the hospital in critical condition. A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The famous South London venue, which has a capacity of just under 5,000 and has previously played host to everyone from David Bowie to Lady Gaga to The Clash, had faced the threat of permanent closure after the Metropolitan Police urged the local council to remove its license in the wake of the crush.
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Following a two-day hearing last September, Lambeth Council ruled that the venue would be allowed to host live music events again, but “only once it is compliant” with 77 new safety conditions, including stronger doors, new crowd management systems and new security and management.
During the hearing, much of which was held in private, it was revealed that O2 Academy Brixton owner and operator Academy Music Group (AMG) had spent £1.2 million ($1.5 million) on maintenance and improvements to the building during the period it was closed to the public.
At the time of the council’s decision, the venue’s owner, Academy Music Group (AMG), which runs 18 music venues across the United Kingdom, said it was “committed to ensuring” the tragic events of Dec. 15 “can never be repeated.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (Mar. 4), the venue announced that it will be reopening Friday, Apr. 19 with performances by tribute bands Nirvana UK and The Smyths, followed a week later by concerts from Definitely Mightbe (an Oasis tribute band) and the UK Foo Fighters.
Upcoming shows by The Black Keys and British indie rock band Editors, both scheduled for May, were also announced Monday.
“This is a significant moment not only for the venue itself but for the entire live music industry,” said Michael Kill, CEO of industry trade group the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), in a statement welcoming the news.
“Brixton Academy holds a special place in the hearts of music lovers, artists, and industry professionals alike,” said Kill, adding: “Its reopening marks a symbolic resurgence of the night-time economy, signalling a return to the vibrant cultural landscape we all enjoy.”
Prior to last year’s council hearing, more than 110,000 people signed an online petition to save the historic venue, which first opened in 1929 as a cinema and began hosting live music gigs in the early 1980s.
Co-op Live, the Oak View Group-owned and operated entertainment arena set to open next month in Manchester, U.K., announced Monday (March 4) that The Black Keys will perform at the arena on April 27, during its opening week.
The acclaimed duo is preparing to release their 12th studio album, Ohio Players, on April 5 via Nonesuch Records, just two weeks before taking the stage at Co-op Live. The new record features collaborations with friends and colleagues including Beck, Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin, Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and more.
Gary Roden, executive director and general manager of Co-op Live, says: “We are thrilled that a band of The Black Keys’ caliber will be taking to the stage. The show will be part of an amazing week of performances that kicks off a jam-packed opening season.”
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Co-op Live’s opening season will see the arena feature more than 30 artists across more than 50 shows, including a seven-night Take That residency, a five-night U.K.-exclusive residency as part of the Eagles’ final tour, Barry Manilow‘s only U.K. arena show and Eric Clapton’s first Manchester performance in 10 years. Legendary comedian and Manchester local Peter Kay will open the arena with two shows on April 23 and 24.
In addition to seeing an array of international artists perform, Co-op Live was recently announced as host of the 2024 MTV European Music Awards – the first time music’s biggest global awards show will be staged in Manchester – and the awards return to the U.K. for the first time in seven years.
Co-op Live, a joint venture between Oak View Group and City Football Group, will be the country’s highest-capacity arena and the U.K.’s most socially responsible arena, operating 100% electric, with pledges for zero waste direct to landfill, rainwater harvesting and use of reusable cups to significantly reduce plastic usage across the site.
Co-op members will gain first-in-line access to The Black Keys tickets through a designated pre-sale from 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 6. General sale tickets will be available through Co-op Live from 10 a.m. on Friday, March 8. Tickets available here.
Kanye West’s short but lucrative five-show run of listening parties for his Vultures 1 album with Ty Dolla $ign generated more than $12 million in ticket sales, Billboard estimates based on available data. West’s first two listening events in the United States — Feb. 8 at United Center in Chicago and Feb. 9 at […]
Kicking off the new year in style, Coldplay leads Billboard’s Top Tours chart for January. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Chris Martin and company grossed $58.8 million and sold 417,000 tickets during the month, essentially doubling its closest competition.
January is traditionally the slowest month of the year, with Elton John and Tool crowning lists in 2020 and 2022, respectively, with less than $20 million each. John himself set a high mark in 2023 with $40.9 million, and now Coldplay improves upon that by 44%. This year’s top 30 tours grossed a collective $271 million, up 75% from last January’s total.
This marks the third time that Coldplay has been No. 1 on Top Tours, having crowned lists in March 2023 and July 2022. The band achieved its hat-trick with eight shows in Asia. Including another two dates in early February and eight shows in November, the latest leg of the Music of the Spheres tour earned $143.3 million.
Coldplay’s January shows break down to two at the Philippine Arena in Manila and six at Singapore’s National Stadium. The latter batch grossed $43.4 million and sold 321,000 tickets, leading Top Boxscores by a margin of 2.8-to-1.
While the phrase “world tour” often translates to the U.S., Canada and western Europe, Coldplay has taken its time to travel the globe. The Music of the Spheres Tour launched in March 2022 and has included three legs in Latin America, two in the U.S. and Canada, two in Europe, and now 18 shows in Asia. More dates in Europe and Oceania await in 2024.
In all, Coldplay’s massive global trek has sold 7.7 million tickets. Only Ed Sheeran’s Divide (÷) tour (2017-19) has sold more, at 8.9 million. With 43 shows scheduled between June and September, Coldplay would need to average about 28,000 tickets per show — less than half of the tour’s global average so far — to close the gap and become the bestselling tour in Boxscore history.
Speaking of Sheeran, he sits at No. 2 on January’s Top Tours chart with Asian concerts of his own. He grossed $31.7 million and sold 194,000 tickets over six dates, with five more in February to count toward next month’s recap.
Sheeran grossed $11.6 million over two nights in Osaka and another $10.6 million from a double-header in Dubai. Similar to Coldplay, his dates in Asia are part of a global endeavor, following legs in Europe, Oceania and North America.
Not only do both acts rub shoulders atop the all-time tally, they wrestle on the opposite end of the top 10. Sheeran’s The Mathematics Tour has now grossed $556.4 million and sold 5.8 million tickets since its April 2022 debut, squeezing into the top 10 highest grossing tours of all time. Collateral damage, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour (2016-17) dips to No. 11, just as the British rock band encroaches on Sheeran’s prior tour at the all-time summit.
At No. 3 on Top Tours, Madonna brought in $31.2 million from a string of arena dates in January. That leaves her just $500,000 away from Sheeran’s runner-up spot, held back by a margin of less than 2%. All of Madonna’s 11 January dates appear on Top Boxscores, spotlighted by her three shows at Madison Square Garden. Those grossed $10.3 million from 41,200 tickets sold.
Now at $121 million, The Celebration Tour is Madonna’s sixth to cross the nine-digit threshold. Only The Rolling Stones (nine) and U2 (seven) have more. Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles also have six $100 million tours to their names.
Madonna has 32 shows left to report in the U.S., plus five in Mexico City. When all is said and done, The Celebration Tour will likely become her third to gross $200 million or more, behind stadium runs Sticky & Sweet Tour ($407.7 million; 2008-09) and the MDNA tour ($305.2 million; 2012).
K-pop offers bright spots in the top 10, with SEVENTEEN at No. 4 with $19.6 million and ENHYPEN at No. 7 with $13 million. Each group played batches of shows in Asia, just like Coldplay and Sheeran. With restrictive weather in the U.S. and Europe, stadiums in southern Asia and Australia are often pillars of early-in-the-year box office.
Comedians make their mark on Top Tours as well, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Peter Kay, Kevin Hart, Jo Koy and Brett Goldstein all ranking between Nos. 14-20.
Though not without significant highlights, the Top Tours chart embraces the winter doldrums of years past, delivering the lowest top-30 gross since last January. John Mulaney and NieR Orchestra close out the top 30 under $1 million, matching 2023’s two sub-million earners. February marks the stage returns of Blink-182, Karol G and P!nk, while introducing new tours from Bad Bunny and Olivia Rodrigo.
A version of this story will appear in the March 2, 2024, issue of Billboard.
AEG Presents announced the appointment of Jay Belin as vp of international touring. A prolific talent booker with over 17 years of live music experience, Belin will be responsible for executing major concerts across Europe with the AEG Presents Global Touring division, utilizing his strong history and relationships built in his previous roles. Directly reporting […]
A U.S. District Court judge is allowing a shareholder lawsuit against Live Nation to move forward, denying the concert promotion giant’s motion to dismiss it in a decision handed down Friday (Feb. 27).
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The case involves how much the company should have to disclose about ongoing public pressure from federal authorities and how much of its financial success it should attribute to its dominant market share in the concert industry — as opposed to demand for concert tickets or the strength of its business.
Shareholders Brian Donley and Gene Gress are suing Live Nation over drops in its share price from February 2022 to November 2023 that they say were brought on by the company’s “false and misleading statements and omissions” within its annual earnings reports — specifically regarding the company’s alleged “anticompetitive behavior and cooperation with regulators.”
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The lawsuit did not reveal any new antitrust allegations against Live Nation, nor did it detail any new antitrust investigations into the company by regulators. Attorneys for the shareholders instead focused on boilerplate language within the company’s shareholder report and argued that it should have spent more time talking about the threat a federal antitrust investigation posed.
In siding with the shareholders, Judge Kenly Kiya Kato took issue with how the company described its success, noting in a 13-page ruling that she believed that Live Nation’s “failure to include specific facts and details about their presence and control of the live entertainment industry” in its annual report didn’t paint the full picture. Kato wrote in her ruling that the company’s claim that 2022 revenue growth “was a reflection of the quality of the Ticketmaster platform and its continued popularity with clients across the globe” was “misleading” because it failed to mention that “Ticketmaster controls ticket distribution for over 70% of major concert venues,” and “77% of the top 100 amphitheaters worldwide.”
Kato also wrote that Ticketmaster’s claims that its success was based on the superiority of its ticketing systems was in part a false claim because it omitted criticism from competitors who testified against the company in front of the U.S. Senate in early 2023.
Since it merged with Ticketmaster in 2010, Live Nation has faced antitrust complaints over the company’s size and market share from competitors, politicians including Senators Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal, and consumer advocates. Scrutiny of the company increased in 2019 when officials with the Department of Justice opted to extend a decade-old consent decree against it, and then ramped up again following the high-profile 2022 crash of Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster sale for her Eras Tour.
Since 2022, Live Nation has not been notified that it’s the subject of any legal action by the Department of Justice and has written in its annual disclosures that it cooperates with all federal and state authorities, operates in a highly competitive marketplace and attributes its revenue growth at the end of 2021 to an increase “in events and higher ticket sales.”
Attorney Laurence M. Rosen, representing several shareholders in the class action lawsuit, said Live Nation’s answers contradict June 2023 reports from Politico and CNBC that the company was “allegedly stonewalling” a Senate subcommittee led by Senator Blumenthal that was seeking documents from the company about how it operated its concerts division.
Live Nation countered that Blumenthal was misrepresenting the dispute, that it had already handed over thousands of documents and was contesting demands for confidential information that included private details about how much artists earned from touring. In its response to the Senate committee, the company argued it would only hand over the documents if confidentiality protections were put in place. While Live Nation’s attorneys viewed the disagreement as insignificant, Rosen argued that the objection meant the company was “not cooperating fully with the ongoing DOJ and Senate Subcommittee investigations,” an attorney for the shareholders wrote.
Live Nation declined to comment for this story.
Will Ariana Grande go on tour in support of her fast-approaching new album Eternal Sunshine? Even she doesn’t know for sure.
When asked during a Monday episode of The Zach Sang Show whether she plans to hit the road in support of her March 8-slated record, the 30-year-old pop star said her decision was “TBD.” “I would love to do shows, I miss being onstage,” she continued. “I miss my fans so much, that’s the honest-to-god truth.”
Grande hasn’t released an LP since 2020’s Positions, and her last trek was even longer ago: In 2019, she launched the Sweetener World Tour, which supported 2018’s Sweetener and 2019’s Thank U, Next albums. The four-month international run was documented in the “POV” singer’s Netflix film Excuse Me, I Love You.
This time around, Grande said her schedule is tied up with press commitments for the Wicked live-action films, in which she stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. The Jon M. Chu-directed pair of films wrapped shooting earlier this year, and the first installment will arrive in theaters this Thanksgiving. (Check out the project’s first trailer, which aired during the 2024 Super Bowl broadcast, here.)
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“I had a really hard time emotionally on my last tour, but I think that’s because of where I was at,” Grande told Sang. “I’m excited to redefine my relationship to shows, when I’m ready. I do have a very busy year with this and with Wicked.
“[The tour] would obviously be shorter,” she added. “If anything, it would be a littler something. But I definitely do have the itch. I’m not ready to announce any sort of thing or get people too excited because I don’t want to disappoint.”
The Victorious alum covered a lot of ground during her 40-minute interview with Sang, which will soon be followed by a part 2. Not only did Grande call out the “thieves” who leaked her unreleased music on TikTok last year — “I’ll see you in jail, literally” she said at one point — but the vocalist also touched on her “frustration” with last year’s persistent tabloid rumors regarding her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.
“We selectively remember that this is what the tabloids do to people, especially women, based upon if we like the person,” she said. “We don’t need to go into any specifics, but of course there’s an insatiable frustration, an inexplicable hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love, and you.”
Watch Grande on The Zach Sang Show above.
21 Savage is hitting the road. On the heels of taking over Saturday Night Live last weekend and his American Dream album, the U.K.-born and Atlanta-bred rapper has announced the 2024 American Dream Tour.
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21’s headlining trek will run through 30 cities across North America and begins north of the border at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. on May 1. JID, Nardo Wick and 21 Lil Harold are slated to provide opening support on the tour.
Tickets will be available for artist pre-sale (password: DREAMTOUR), Citi card members and VIP packages starting on Wednesday (Feb. 28), while the general public will get their chance on Friday (March 1) at 10 a.m. ET on Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
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The tour mixes in an array of arenas and amphitheaters while making stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, Boston, Cleveland, Charlotte, NYC and West Palm Beach before wrapping up in Atlanta on June 15 at the Lakewood Amphitheater.
21 Savage spent a majority of 2023 on the road as support on Drake’s It’s All A Blur Tour and then headed back home to the U.K. for his first-ever performance in his birth country after resolving long-running immigration issues to close out his busy year.
Last month, 21 scored his fourth No. 1 album atop the Billboard 200 with American Dream, which earned 133,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Luminate.
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Find all of the Grammy-winning rapper’s 2024 American Dream Tour dates below.
May 1 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
May 3 – Seattle WA @ White River Amphitheatre
May 5 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
May 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
May 9 – Concord, CA @ Toyota Pavilion at Concord
May 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
May 12 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
May 14 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
May 15 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
May 16 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
May 18 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
May 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
May 21 – Chicago, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
May 22 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
May 23 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
May 25 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
May 28 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
May 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
May 31 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
June 1 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
June 2 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
June 4 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
June 5 – Simpsonville, SC @ CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
June 6 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
June 8 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival*
June 9 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
June 11 – Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
June 13 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
June 14 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds
June 15 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
Olivia Rodrigo’s long-awaited Guts world tour kicked off on Friday night (Feb. 23) at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif., and Rodrigo had the crowd on their feet the whole night with a jam-packed set of hits spanning her two albums: 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts. With multiple outfit changes throughout the night — including sparkling sets […]
It takes guts to stand up for important causes, but Olivia Rodrigo is as gutsy as they come. Shortly before taking the stage at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif., for the opening night of her Guts World Tour Friday (Feb. 23), the 21-year-old pop star marked the launch of her Fund 4 Good supporting reproductive rights with a video on social media.
Sitting backstage with her glittery show makeup already on, Rodrigo took a moment to talk to fans about her initiative. “Before I pop onstage, I wanted to come on here and talk about something I’m really excited about,” she told the camera. “The Fund 4 Good works to support all women, girls and people seeking reproductive health freedom.”
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“The fund will directly support community-based nonprofits that champion things like girls’ education, support reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence,” continued the “Vampire” singer, noting that Fund 4 Good tables with resources for fans will be set up at all of her Guts tour stops.
Rodrigo also reminded fans that a portion of the proceeds from her ticket sales will go toward the Fund 4 Good, as well as the National Network of Abortion Funds in North America. “Thank you so much for supporting this cause that I care so deeply about,” she added. “I can’t wait to see you all on tour.”
The former Disney star went on Friday night to deliver an energetic pop-punk performance featuring songs from both her 2021 debut album Sour and her 2023 sophomore effort Guts. The next day, she brought her show to Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Rodrigo has long been vocal about her support for women’s health issues. In June 2022, she blasted the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade during her Glastonbury set before performing “F–k You” with Lily Allen. “I’m devastated and terrified that so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this,” she said in front of thousands of festivalgoers.
She added at the time, “I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a s—t about freedom.”
Watch Rodrigo open up about her Fund 4 Good below.
@livieshq olivia has launched Fund4Good, a global initiative committed to building an equitable and just future for all women, girls and people seeking reproductive health freedom. get more info & donate at http://oliviarodrigo.lnk.to/fund4good ♬ original sound – livies hq ❤️