Lady Gaga is embarking on her ARTPOP world tour, but there’s a bit of a chink in the armor: people have been saying the whole thing is a flop and no one wants to buy any tickets. There used to be a day when a Gaga tour would sell out within about 3 minutes of tickets going on sale, but those days are gone. But does that really mean it’s a disaster? LiveNation, who partnered with her on the tour, is saying no.
From Billboard:
Reports that ticket sales for Lady Gaga’s artRave: The ARTPOP Ball tour are struggling are “ridiculous,” according to Arthur Fogel, chairman of Live Nation’s global touring division, producers of the tour.
Ticket sales for North America and Europe are at 80% capacity sold, Fogel tells Billboard.biz, even though the tour doesn’t begin in America until May, and Europe in the Fall. “The run with Gaga over the last two tours has been incredibly successful, and this one is shaping up no differently,” Fogel says. He adds that Live Nation will announce an additional six Gaga shows in North America in the coming weeks (including a second in Los Angeles), as well as more dates in the U.K., including a fourth O2 in London.
The 29 shows that are on sale in North America have already grossed $26 million in ticket sales, according to Fogel, which averages out to a healthy nightly take of nearly $900,000 per show. Referring to published reports that Gaga’s June show at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee was “flopping,” Fogel says, “When something like Milwaukee specifically comes up, that show has sold 14,264 tickets, the gross is $961,000, and it’s at the end of June. I just don’t know how this shit gets any traction without people doing their homework.”
Fogel also laughed off reports that LiveNation has already lost $30 million from Gaga’s tour, insisting that only a “complete fool” would say that because it makes “no sense on any level”. I mean… methinks he doth protest too much here, but whatever.
Here are the facts: concerts are expensive as shit, and audiences want to be entertained. Gaga was entertaining for a good few years because she’s so weird. She came to an awards show inside a fucking egg, for crying out loud. However, now people are used to her. The novelty has worn off and she’s finding it harder and harder to outdo herself. Who could, really? People aren’t willing to pay $100 or $200 to see some bullshit they’ve seen for the past 5 years – especially when the bullshit isn’t even really all that good. Gaga’s gone for style over substance the past few years, and people are realizing it. The end.
“Egyptian whore” is such a trend right now, you guys. Gaga, RiRi, K.P., who’s next?
Her first album was catchy as hell, even though I don’t like the music. Her music has really just gotten worse and worse since then, but it’s like it took people a few albums to realise it.