Australia doesn't quite know what the fuck is happening 2017 - 2039

[cobl04]

What an awesome insight. I remember how big the whole "when will she come back?!" was, stunned to hear it went so badly. Were $249 the cheapest tickets originally Puppy? If that's the case then I get it.

I miss the days when it was simply $99 for GA+L2,L3 seats / $149 B res / $249 A res.

 

[Axver]

Just thinking - if it's mid-sized stadiums, will Adelaide miss out again? Footy Park and Adelaide Oval are both 50,000+. The other four cities have suitable smaller stadiums but there's nothing in SA.

I'm also curious about when we'll start hearing which New Zealand city/ies are in contention for a show. Mt Smart in Auckland is obvious, but I've noticed some artists doing Forsyth Barr in Dunedin as well as Auckland, and U2 really ought to go back to the South Island. And every tour there's the question of whether they'll hit the Cake Tin in Welly instead. (Fingers crossed on that last one.)

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

What an awesome insight. I remember how big the whole "when will she come back?!" was, stunned to hear it went so badly. Were $249 the cheapest tickets originally Puppy? If that's the case then I get it.

I miss the days when it was simply $99 for GA+L2,L3 seats / $149 B res / $249 A res.

She had front row for $2,000, Runway seats at $799 only available as pairs, 'B Stage' seats (6 rows of them!!!!) at $1,100. Then A reserve $499, B reserve $249 and C reserve at $99. I think the Sydney pre-concert river cruise was an extra $299 or so and that was without entry - just drinks and a DJ.

I saw the 2 Brisbane shows (on comp tickets) and there were huge gaps on the floor that security and the promotion teams were desperately plugging with people from the cheap seats. One friend had a $99 ticket and when she walked in just past security was given an 'upgraded' ticket that had $1,100 printed on it. Insane. The people up back were "encouraged" to move down.

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

Holy shit, I seriously can't believe the Madonna tour tanked like that. After the long wait I assumed that would've been one of the best-grossing international tours. Is there an explanation better than "market fatigue"? Some of those price points are just insane. Cashed up bogans and boomers (boomergans?) are a lucrative source of dollarydoos but there's surely a limit to what any sane person will drop on seats and insane VIP packages and shit like that.

Makes me wonder what Pink has got to be able to tour so lucratively while Madonna can't. I'd assume they have pretty strong market crossover.

Pink's last tour had two price points - $149 and $209. The tour before that was $99 and $149. She has previously made it at least kind of affordable. This tour - I don't know. I honestly wonder if they'll get the 40 shows at those price points.

As for who pays that much for Madonna - the gays. I know that sounds dismissive (I am gay myself) - but yeah. Madonna's people know who are cashed up and what they will pay to be close to her. Think about it - 24 million Australians. If 3% are gay that is 720,000 potential Madonna ticket buyers. It is terribly stereotypical and obviously proven very, very wrong. The younger generation don't give a shit about Madonna and that hurt her.

Me? I'm more of a Janet Jackson kind of gay man. Thus I am off on Thursday to see her Las Vegas show this Saturday night and to have a few meetings regarding another upcoming tour (no - not U2- sadly just Imagine Dragons lol). Back next week for the Pink pre-sale madness.

 

[ChargedVT]

Just thinking - if it's mid-sized stadiums, will Adelaide miss out again? Footy Park and Adelaide Oval are both 50,000+. The other four cities have suitable smaller stadiums but there's nothing in SA.

There is Coopers/Hindmarsh Stadium. 20-25,000 capacity for concerts. Foo Fighters are playing there soon. Could be the right size for a U2 gig. I mean, yes, it will have been 12 years between drinks for Adelaide but as proved by Madonna sometimes long gaps between tours are actually detrimental.

 

[Axver]

That's Norwood's ground right? I didn't realise it was used for gigs.

 

[ChargedVT]

That's Norwood's ground right? I didn't realise it was used for gigs.

It's a small rugby stadium shaped thing, I think mainly used for soccer. Not a footy oval.

 

[Axver]

Huh, had no idea you guys even had a rectangular ground big enough for the likes of the Foos, U2, etc.

Upon looking it up, I discovered why I muddled it with Norwood's (bigger) home ground:

The oval is one of two sporting venues in Adelaide to carry the name of Coopers Stadium. The other is the soccer specific Hindmarsh Stadium which also has naming rights sponsorship from Coopers Brewery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwood_Oval

 

[The_acrobat]

Also remember U2's visit down under for 360 didn't sell out, either. The 2nd Brisbane show was 2/3 full or so. Sydney and Melbourne failed to sell as much as they did on Vertigo, despite playing 360 instead of endstage. Apparently the 2nd Sydney show had roughly 40,000 people there, but they were able to make it look full-ish through creative selling.

Perth and Auckland were good, though.

 

[jeffarido]

So by the sounds of it Australia will have to wait after yet another US and Europe leg before seeing U2 again?

FAR OUT!!!

 

[travelleru2]

Also remember U2's visit down under for 360 didn't sell out, either. The 2nd Brisbane show was 2/3 full or so. Sydney and Melbourne failed to sell as much as they did on Vertigo, despite playing 360 instead of endstage. Apparently the 2nd Sydney show had roughly 40,000 people there, but they were able to make it look full-ish through creative selling.

Perth and Auckland were good, though.

Perth had a 12 year gap between Popmart and 360.... Might be the same time at this rate.

 

[ChargedVT]

Here's the interview originally from 3 weeks ago, Bono talking about touring Australia

https://mobile.twitter.com/adampwf/status/918739353823625217

 

[kiwilad]

I'm also curious about when we'll start hearing which New Zealand city/ies are in contention for a show. Mt Smart in Auckland is obvious, but I've noticed some artists doing Forsyth Barr in Dunedin as well as Auckland, and U2 really ought to go back to the South Island. And every tour there's the question of whether they'll hit the Cake Tin in Welly instead. (Fingers crossed on that last one.)

Forsyth Barr is an interesting one. I know the stadium team have been gunning for U2, and they've built a very good rapport with LN.
Ed Sheeran has sold three shows in a row here, Pink is coming, Stevie Nicks, Robbie Williams etc.
The fact it has a roof seems to be a big deal.

Other than that the only roofed venue in NZ is Spark Arena, with a 12k capacity. So if it is an arena setup they bring, NZ might be stuffed.

 

[Axver]

Don't forget the arena in Christchurch!

I can't believe that the original Vertigo Tour plan was five shows at TSB in Wellington. That would've been fucking perfect, even if the venue itself is a hole - the smallest full-tour gigs since Point Depot in 1989.

 

[travelleru2]

Here's the interview originally from 3 weeks ago, Bono talking about touring Australia

https://mobile.twitter.com/adampwf/status/918739353823625217

Cheers...... Hmmm so thought about starting here.... Doesn’t sound like they will though, I did wonder logistically about the rehearsal side of it.

 

[kiwilad]

Don't forget the arena in Christchurch!

I can't believe that the original Vertigo Tour plan was five shows at TSB in Wellington. That would've been fucking perfect, even if the venue itself is a hole - the smallest full-tour gigs since Point Depot in 1989.

I can't see LN going for Horncastle, which is tiny by international standards, when there's a proven indoor mini-stadium just down the road.

And Wellington is fucked. I haven't seen a gig at the caketin but reviews of the acoustics are scathing.

I can genuinely see them going for 2 Auckland shows and 2 in Dunedin.
Having said that, they have struggled to sell out both the second Auckland shows the last two tours - a heap of punters were there for Kanye and JayZ. In fact a bunch left before U2 even came on.

 

[travelleru2]

Arenas it is.

 

[Axver]

I can't see LN going for Horncastle, which is tiny by international standards, when there's a proven indoor mini-stadium just down the road.

And Wellington is fucked. I haven't seen a gig at the caketin but reviews of the acoustics are scathing.

I can genuinely see them going for 2 Auckland shows and 2 in Dunedin.
Having said that, they have struggled to sell out both the second Auckland shows the last two tours - a heap of punters were there for Kanye and JayZ. In fact a bunch left before U2 even came on.

No, indeed. Now that Forsyth Barr is there I think most major international acts for the foreseeable future will be bypassing Christchurch for Dunedin.

I recall that in 2006 (once they changed the plan to stadiums) and 2010 the main reason Wellington didn't get a gig was because the Cake Tin had already filled its quota of gigs for the year.

1 gig in Auckland and 1 gig in Dunedin is probably the route they should take. Or if it's arenas, 2 in Auckland and 1 in Dunedin.

 

[cobl04]

With The Chills and The Bats opening?

 

[Axver]

If it were The Chills, The Bats, and U2, the support act would be U2.

(In seriousness I wish I'd been old enough for the 1993 ZooTV shows with 3Ds supporting. That would've been wild.)

 

[kiwilad]

If it were The Chills, The Bats, and U2, the support act would be U2.

(In seriousness I wish I'd been old enough for the 1993 ZooTV shows with 3Ds supporting. That would've been wild.)

Ha! They were terrible! It was largely the mixing but they were just a loud, indistinguishable sound. No one knew them. They appeared embarrassed to be there. Although Big Audio didn't go over a hell of a lot better...

 

[Axver]

Mate I thought a loud, indistinguishable sound was the point of a 3Ds set!

(Though I suppose nobody really nailed that quite like Gordons and Bailter Space did.)

 

[cobl04]

The biggest bit of hope we've had in a long time. Interview on Australian 60 Minutes. As always it's still qualified and leaves us open to heartbreak, but it's something.

Edge: "We absolutely are coming."

Bono: "We want to go. We really do. And if there's any way we can, we will."

 

[kabigon]

Somehow I watched the interview and missed this part until I saw it pointed out later on. I must be becoming immune to bono's lies..

Bono seemed quick to make Edge's statement appear a little less definitive.

 

[cobl04]

Yeah that was deflating. Edge sounded very confident and then bam, it's back to see you in 2025 maybe.

 

[kabigon]

If the US shows continue to sell slowly, they'll use it as justification for not bringing an unsuccessful show to such a faraway place.

If the US shows start to sell better, they'll use it as justification for adding more US legs.

 

[kiwilad]

They'll do stadiums in Australasia late 2018.

 

[cobl04]

where the FUCK is thatsnotmypuppy

 

[kabigon]

U2 Say They're "Absolutely" Going To Tour Australia Soon - Music Feeds

"U2 have revealed they’re planning on touring Australia again soon — potentially in 2018, and potentially as part of their current 30th anniversary tour for 1987 album The Joshua Tree."

They've amended this article from JT Tour to possible JT Tour but have no basis for it. Someone just looked at all the JT Tour footage in the story and had no idea about E+I it seems...

 

[Axver]

The biggest bit of hope we've had in a long time. Interview on Australian 60 Minutes. As always it's still qualified and leaves us open to heartbreak, but it's something.

Edge: "We absolutely are coming."

Bono: "We want to go. We really do. And if there's any way we can, we will."

This is code for "we're not coming".