Lewis Capaldi’s arena tour ‘only the beginning’
Lewis Capaldi‘s backroom team have spoken to IQ about the Scottish superstar’s biggest tour to date.
The 26-year-old singer/songwriter, whose new Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now dropped yesterday (5 April), broke the record for Scotland’s highest-selling indoor show earlier this year after shifting more than 15,000 tickets for his DF Concerts-promoted date at P&J Live in Aberdeen.
He also performed a sellout date at the 14,300-cap OVO Hydro in Glasgow as part of his 2023 European arena tour.
“His shows in Scotland for this tour were amazing,” says DF promoter Craig Johnston. “He has been very open about his mental health and that anxiety can cripple him sometimes, so it was so powerful to see him enjoying the shows, because hometown shows come with huge pressures. Our Aberdeen show became the highest-selling indoor show in Scotland’s history: it’s an incredible achievement.
“Lewis has an amazing talent of making everyone, even people who have never met him, feel like they are his best mate, and that is an incredible tool for us when selling tickets.”
Capaldi was forced to reschedule his remaining European tour dates in Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Italy last month due to illness, but has a stacked slate of high-profile concerts booked for this summer.
“The focus now turns to 2024. We’ve got dates held internationally, and we’re looking at bigger venues, especially in the UK”
“He’s confirmed for Electric Picnic, and Reading and Leeds festivals, and we’ve recently announced additional outdoor shows in August for Manchester, Belfast, Chepstow, and Edinburgh at the Royal Highland Centre,” says Ryan Penty, who represents the star along with Alex Hardee at Wasserman. “But the focus now turns to 2024. We’ve got dates held internationally, and we’re looking at bigger venues, especially in the UK where the sales we had for the arena tour were ridiculous.”
Capaldi, whose second album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent is out in May, performed at the International Festival Forum (IFF) in 2017.
“The thing about Lewis is we never skipped a moment of building,” notes Penty. “In London, for example, we started at The Waiting Room [120 capacity], then we played a show at Oslo [350-cap] where there was an 18-plus age restriction, which was a little bit of a hiccup, at the time. But from there we played the Scala [800], then we went straight to Shepherd’s Bush Empire [2,000], then Brixton Academy [4,921], then Wembley Arena [11,500] for two shows on the weekend before the pandemic. And then last year we played two nights at The O2 [18,500]. That sort of sums up the hard work Lewis and the whole team have put in everywhere, just organically growing the audience each time.”
Speaking in the latest issue of IQ, Penty continues: “Lewis doesn’t do any VIPs – there’s no meet and greets, there’s no golden circle, there’s no end-of-the-aisle uplift or anything like that. He’s always wanted to keep the face value ticket prices affordable, so on the UK dates for this tour, we’re at £45, £55, and £65, which is the top price for the very best seats.
“This tour is only the beginning of the many things we have planned on the live side for Lewis Capaldi in 2023 and beyond”
“We don’t want his fans to feel like he’s ripping them off at any point, and I know he just wants to make sure that everybody feels like they’re not excluded from seeing him because of the price. Originally, the tickets were going to be even cheaper, but we had to push the price a little because the costs of everything have gone through the roof since this tour was routed two and a half years ago. But in the end, we worked hard to keep ticket prices reasonable. At the end of the day, if the fans come and have a good night, and they’ve had value for money, they’ll come back.”
Echoing Penty’s thoughts, Anna-Sophie Mertens, VP of touring at Live Nation suggests that Capaldi’s current tour is “only the beginning”.
“Lewis has a great team, from his band, his tour and production managers and road team who have, for the most part, been there right from the start,” says Mertens. “A particular mention needs to go to Ryan Walter, Lewis’s manager, who right from the start had a strong vision in place and ensures every step, every release, every artwork, every tour announcement and on-sale is meticulously planned and slotted into Lewis’s career. It was always a perfect execution of putting the right building blocks in place.
“This tour is only the beginning of the many things we have planned on the live side for Lewis Capaldi in 2023 and beyond. I am extremely excited for things to come.”
IQ subscribers can access the full tour feature here.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Busted expand UK reunion tour with six new dates
Iconic pop-punk trio Busted have added six new dates to their forthcoming arena tour of the UK.
The English band, comprising Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne, are set to hit the road in September to mark their 20th anniversary.
The trio will play their greatest hits at venues across the country including the O2 (cap. 20,000) in London, the AO arena (21,000) in Manchester and the M&S Bank Arena (11,000) in Liverpool.
The additional dates will take place in Nottingham (23 September ), Cardiff (26), London (27), Birmingham (29), Manchester (30) and Glasgow (1 October).
The band will be joined by special guests Hanson, New Hope Club and The Tyne.
Formed in 2000, Busted had four UK number-one singles, won two Brit awards, released four studio albums and sold over 5 million records.
See the band’s full list of dates below.
SEPTEMBER
3 – Cardiff, CIA
5 – Swansea, Swansea Arena
6 – Bournemouth, BIC
7 – Brighton, Brighton Centre
9 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
10 – London, The O2
12 – Bridlington, Bridlington Spa
15 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
16 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, Utilita Arena
17 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
19 – Aberdeen, P&J Live
20 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
22 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
23 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena (new date)
24 – Manchester, AO Arena
26 – Cardiff, Cardiff International Arena (new date)
27 – London, The O2 (new date)
29 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena (new date)
30 – Manchester, AO Arena (new date)
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
The Chicks announce 2023 world arena tour
The Chicks have announced a 37-date world tour, with dates in the UK, Europe and North America.
The trio – formerly known as the Dixie Chicks – will kick off the tour on 20 June at Spektrum in Olso, Norway, eventually finishing up at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on 18 September.
The CAA-repped band’s UK run of shows will be The Chicks’ first dates in the country for seven years and support will come from Maren Morris.
“This last year on the road has been a whirlwind for us, but it’s time to bring the party to the UK and Europe,” say The Chicks. “We can’t wait to see everyone and play for all our fans across the pond – it’s been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to get back!”
The Chicks released their fifth studio album ‘Gaslighter’ in 2020. The trio’s comeback album was co-produced by Jack Antonoff and was their first since 2006’s ‘Taking The Long Way’ – the group’s last album released under the Dixie Chicks name.
JUNE
20 – Oslo, Spektrum*
21 – Stockholm, Avicii Arena*
23 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome*
27 – Cardiff, Cardiff Castle*
28 – Glasgow, OVO Arena*
30 – Dublin, 3Arena*
JULY
2 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena*
4 – Manchester. AO Arena*
21 – Tulsa, BOK Center^
22 – Little Rock, Simmons Bank Arena^
25 – Louisville, KFC Yum Center^
27 – Nashville, Bridgestone Arena^
29 – Knoxville, Thompson-Boiling Arena^
30 – Greensboro, Greensboro Coliseum^
AUGUST
2 – Columbia, Merriweather Post Pavilion^
3 – Bethel, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^
5 – Gilford, Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion^
6 – Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center^
10 – Hershey, Hersheypark Stadium#
11 – Canandaigua, CMAC#
13 – Bangor, Maine Savings Amphitheater^
16 – Columbus, Nationwide Arena#
17 – Grand Rapids, The Van Andel Arena#
19 – Des Moines, Iowa Fairgrounds#
25 – St. Paul, Minnesota State Fair^
26 – Madison, Kohl Center Arena#
29 – Kansas City, T-Mobile Center#
30 – Omaha, CHI Health Center Arena#
SEPTEMBER
1 – Sioux Falls, Denny Sanford Premier Center#
5 – Vancouver, Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena*
7 – Calgary, The Scotiabank Saddledome*
8 – Edmonton, Rogers Place*
10 – Saskatoon, SaskTel Centre*
12 – Winnipeg, Canada Life Centre*
15 – Ottawa, Richcraft Life at Canadian Tire Centre*
16 – London, Budweiser Gardens*
18 – Toronto, Scotiabank Arena*
Maren Morris will be supporting dates marked with *
Ben Harper will be supporting the dates marked with #
Wild Rivers will be supporting the dates marked with ^
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
S Club 7 reunite for UK and Ireland arena tour
British pop sensations S Club 7 will reunite for a UK and Ireland tour this year, to mark their 25th anniversary.
Jo O’Meara, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Bradley McIntosh and Jon Lee will hit the road again together for the first time since 2015.
The 11-date 2023 tour will kick off at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on 13 October, before visiting cities including Dublin, Glasgow and Newcastle, and ending at London’s O2 Arena on 28 October.
“After eight years it feels amazing to announce that we’re reuniting and performing together again,” they said.
“We’re so excited to bring the S Club party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7”
“We’re so excited to bring the S Club party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7. We can’t even believe it’s been so long. Music and friendship have always been at the core of everything that we’ve ever done. We hope everyone can join us for one big party.”
Originally created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller in 1998, S Club 7 had four UK number-one singles, including Bring It All Back, and a chart-topping debut album.
The group also had their own BBC TV series, Miami 7 – a children’s sitcom based on the lives of the group who had moved to Miami in search of fame. The second series was titled LA 7 after they moved to Los Angeles.
They disbanded in 2003, but came back together in 2014 for the BBC’s Children In Need charity appeal, performing a medley of their best-loved tunes. They went on to release new music and tour the following year.
All SEVEN members of @SClub7 are here! 🙌
Live and exclusive on #TheOneShow at 7pm 👉 https://t.co/kTuZTnDl9U pic.twitter.com/Sbi4z1Rf5F
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) February 13, 2023
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Coldplay add 12 arenas to 2016 world tour
Coldplay have added 12 North American arena dates to this summer’s A Head Full of Dreams world tour.
The Super Bowl 50 headliners, who are currently playing to sold-out stadia in South America, will stop at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas; the Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona; the Scottrade Center in St Louis, Missouri; the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado; the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky; the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio; the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York; the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan; the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis; and the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City when they tour the US this summer.
Canadian R&B singer Alessia Cara will support Coldplay on all US shows, and will also appear as a special guest on some European dates.
Coldplay’s last A Head Full of Dreams tour announcement, in support of their seventh studio album of the same name, was the addition of 10 US arena dates.
“We’ve always played a lot of markets in America, so we try to hit as many markets as we can,” the band’s manager, Dave Holmes, tells Billboard. “This ‘stadium on the weekends and arenas during the week’ model enables us to try to play to as much of our fan base as possible.”
The tour, also the band’s seventh, will head from Latin America to Europe then onto North America. No Asian dates have yet been announced.