SUPERSTARS Madonna, Neil Diamond and Paul McCartney have scrapped Australian tour plans because of the weak dollar.
Madonna had agreed to perform at Sydney's ANZ Stadium and Melbourne's Docklands in late January, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
Tickets for Madonna's shows, presented by US tour giant Live Nation and local promoter Michael Coppel, were due to go on sale two weeks ago.
She planned to charge a top ticket price of $400.
"t got as close as anything ever gets,'' a tour industry source said.
"Madonna was coming to Australia, the dates were resolved, then economics got in the way.''
Mr Coppel yesterday confirmed the Madonna deal, but refused to elaborate.
The revelations follow a growing list of postponed tour plans by world superstars.
Concert industry sources say Diamond, McCartney, The Eagles, Green Day and Metallica have put visits on hold because of the bad economy.
"It's unknown territory at the moment,'' said promoter Michael Chugg. ``A lot of tours went on sale before the dollar crashed.
"We are only starting to see the affect of the economy on the tour industry.''
Mr Coppel said the weak dollar had made promoters, and touring superstars, cautious.
"Everyone is feeling their way,'' he said.
"The risk level has gone up substantially.''
Madonna dumps Aussie tour dates | The Daily Telegraph
Thats on madonna etc.