Late venue switch for Ed Sheeran’s Indonesia show
Ed Sheeran’s upcoming stadium concert in Jakarta, Indonesia has been relocated just two weeks ahead of the show.
The + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour had been set to grace the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Main Stadium on 2 March, but will now switch to Jakarta International Stadium (JIS). All tickets remain valid.
Organisers PK Entertainment, AEG Presents Asia and Sound Rhythm say the decision has been taken as a result of Indonesia’s upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier with Vietnam at the GBK on 21 March.
“We recognise the importance of the Indonesia national football team’s matches, especially when we are hosting. Our support aligns with the government’s goal to advance national sports,” PK co-founder and COO Harry Sudarma tells the Jakarta Globe.
“We also believe that JIS, as the largest international-standard football stadium in Indonesia, can provide an unforgettable experience for Ed Sheeran’s fans. Our team is currently working closely with JIS to ensure a smooth and enjoyable concert experience for all fans in Jakarta.”
“We need to make special preparations to keep the venue in prime condition”
Voi reports there had been controversy in the past when the national football team was forced to move venues due to concerts by One Direction and Coldplay at GBK, while two nights by Blackpink last March also caused concern as a result of “the damaged and alarming condition of GBK grass” in the aftermath.
“The GBK Main Stadium will be the location of the match between the Indonesian national team and Vietnam,” says GBK director Rakhmadi A Kusumo. “We need to make special preparations to keep the venue in prime condition.”
The promoters are working alongside JIS and several partners “to provide additional parking spots, shuttle buses with a few pick-up and drop-off points, as well as motorbike taxis and ride-hailing services” for the relocated show.
Sheeran, who is several shows into his AEG-promoted + – = ÷ x Asia tour, set another record last week with his sold-out show at Singapore National Stadium. The 16 February concert broke the venue’s all-time capacity record after attracting 59,000 people.
The singer-songwriter also has further shows in The Philippines and India scheduled before the Asian leg of the tour wraps up in mid-March.
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Ed Sheeran headlines Thailand’s UOB Live opening
A special one-night-only concert by Ed Sheeran launched the new UOB Live venue in Thailand on Sunday (11 February).
Managed by ASM Global, the 6,000-cap venue promises to “reshape the live entertainment landscape” in the region and is located on the sixth floor of The Emsphere shopping mall in Bangkok.
The intimate performance followed Sheeran’s sold-out + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour stop at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium the previous evening.
“This event truly showcased the potential of our venue to deliver exceptional experiences for both artists and audiences”
“We are thrilled with the success of Ed Sheeran’s exclusive concert at UOB Live,” says Craig Grossarth, general manager of UOB Live. “This event truly showcased the potential of our venue to deliver exceptional experiences for both artists and audiences. We look forward to welcoming many more iconic acts to UOB Live in the future.”
Upcoming concerts at the theatre include Slot Machine, Tom Jones, Jeff Satur and Radwimps.
AEG Global Partnerships brokered a naming rights partnership for the venue with The EM District and UOB last summer. The EM District is a renowned developer of premier retail and entertainment complexes in Thailand, while UOB is a leading bank in Asia.
“This is a transformative partnership that will usher in a new era of entertainment”
“This is a transformative partnership that will usher in a new era of entertainment,” said AEG Asia Pacific president and CEO Adam Wilkes at the time. “UOB Live symbolises the future, offering guests unparalleled live experiences. Our partnership with UOB and The EM District signifies a significant step forward in delivering world-class events and unforgettable moments to audiences in Thailand and beyond.”
Bacardi and Volvo have also signed deals to become the first founding partners, with both to have a large-scale brand presence and partnerships across the venue, with Bacardi becoming the exclusive beverage partner and Volvo becoming the exclusive automotive partner.
AEG also secured a 10-year deal between IG Group and the Aichi International Arena Company for IG Group to take the naming rights for the new 17,000-seat arena currently under construction in Nagoya Japan, which will be known as the IG Arena. The partnership is one of the largest-ever naming rights agreements in the APAC region.
As part of the Asia leg of his tour, Sheeran will play another intimate gig at the 1,000-cap Capitol Theatre in Singapore on 17 February – a day after his show at Singapore National Stadium.
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AEG Presents’ Simon Jones: ‘Business is good’
AEG Presents’ SVP of international touring Simon Jones says 2024 is on track to be the “biggest ever” for the global live business.
The Arthur Award-winning promoter is currently on the road across Asia for Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour, with dozens of Taylor Swift Eras dates still to come later this year.
And Jones, who is also overseeing this month’s BRITs Week, tells IQ he is especially encouraged by the growth of the industry outside the traditional heartlands of the US and UK.
“Business is good,” he says. “2024 is shaping up to be the biggest ever. For me, Asia continues to be the most exciting region. The globalisation of music genres is something that is outpacing everyone and is ever changing. Blackpink headlining Coachella and BST Hyde Park is a great example of that.
“Also, separately to Blackpink, what is amazing to see is how an act based out of Korea for example can be so huge in Europe and the United States, yet less so in their home region, and the same goes for a select few artists in the UK, where they have a decent solid business in Europe, but explosive in Asia.”
AEG recently co-promoted Sheeran’s record-breaking stadium concerts in Dubai on 19-20 January alongside All Things Live (ATL) Middle East. The current run also encompasses stops in Bahrain, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and India, where AEG Asia Pacific CEO Adam Wilkes is a longtime collaborator on Sheeran with Jones.
“The Dubai shows were collectively the biggest shows in UAE’s history, and a huge flag in the ground”
“The first couple of weeks of the tour has been fantastic,” says Jones. “We did a warm up show at the fantastic Al Dana Amphitheatre in Bahrain, followed by two sold-out shows at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai – 69,500 tickets in total.
“The Dubai shows were collectively the biggest shows in UAE’s history, and a huge flag in the ground proving that putting on major outdoor events in that market can be done, even though the viable venues are so few and far between. Together with our partner in Dubai, [ATL Middle East CEO] Thomas Ovesen, it was a hugely successful return to the region for Ed.
“After the Middle East shows, Ed crushed three sold out shows in Japan too last week, which has shown to be a huge market for him. Now on to sold out shows in Taiwan, Singapore, Mumbai and more over the next two months.”
In total, AEG will stage 26 dates with Sheeran from January to September, as well as 50 sold-out Taylor Swift concerts from May to August, including eight nights at London’s Wembley Stadium in the UK.
“It’s already a busy year but we’re about to launch some major tours for Q3 and Q4 2024, and into 2025,” says Jones, who notes he is closely monitoring developments in the ticketing world.
“Ticketing is an ever dynamic landscape, and the trends in America are slowly but surely going to evolve into most markets around the world over the next few years,” he adds. “We have seen it in South Africa recently, and we will also see even more forward thinking strategies being delivered into more markets that are going to catch up, despite local hesitance. We are going to be right at the forefront of implementing those.”
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Ed Sheeran announces intimate Singapore gig
Ed Sheeran has announced an intimate concert at Singapore’s 1,000-cap Capitol Theatre.
The show, entitled An Evening with Ed Sheeran, will be held on 17 February, with tickets priced S$298 (€205).
The one-night-only performance will take place the day after the British singer-songwriter plays to a sell-out + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour date in front of 50,000 fans at Singapore National Stadium.
“Experiencing Sheeran in a smaller theatre setting and sharing stories as he goes through his catalogue of hits with a full band will be a treat for Singapore fans,” says a statement by promoter AEG Presents Asia.
“Expect to hear a symphony of strings and synths as Sheeran goes through the emotions of writing and performing songs like Salt Water and End of Youth. Ballads informed by the singer’s own grief and personal upheavals will echo with soul-baring strength and create priceless memories for the lucky few.”
Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour was the seventh highest-grossing concert run of 2023
Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group’s lifestyle rewards programme KrisFlyer has partnered with AEG Presents Asia to offer exclusive priority access to tickets for KrisFlyer members, who will be able to redeem a pair of Category 1 Standing and Category 2 tickets for 63,000 and 78,000 miles respectively.
“We had very strong interest in redemptions for Ed Sheeran’s sold-out concert via our KrisFlyer Reserve Sale and KrisFlyer Experiences,” says Dai Haoyu, acting SVP marketing planning for Singapore Airlines. “We are now pleased to offer KrisFlyer members priority access to a rare opportunity to attend Ed Sheeran’s special performance in Singapore. This is part of our continuous efforts to offer our members even more options and greater value.”
The Mathematics Tour was the seventh highest-grossing concert run of 2023 according to Pollstar, generating US $268,017,633 from 54 nights.
Sheeran is represented by agent Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live outside North America.
Local independent promoters recently spoke to IQ about how they are breaking ground in their markets with record ticket sales for the tour’s European leg, which is due to kick off on 8 June 2024 in Italy, making 20 stops at a mix of stadiums and festivals across the continent.
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Local promoters hail record Ed Sheeran sales
Local, independent promoters have spoken to IQ about how they’re breaking ground in their markets with record ticket sales for Ed Sheeran’s 2024 European tour.
The European leg of Sheeran’s + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour is due to kick off on 8 June 2024 in Italy, making 20 stops at a mix of stadiums and festivals across the continent.
The first stadium stop on the AEG Presents promoted-outing will be at Ta’ Qali National Park (cap. 30,000), marking the 32-year-old’s first-ever concert in Malta.
According to one of the show’s local promoters, Nigel Camilleri at NNG Promotions, the 26 June 2024 concert has broken “all records” in the island country.
“The number of tickets in an hour, total number of ticket sales in one day, as well as total gross amount of ticket sales in an hour and in a day,” lists Camilleri, who is promoting the gig alongside AEG and Greatt.
“Hopefully, this will open more doors which were previously closed or only ajar”
“The adrenaline rush when the ticket sales opened was indescribable,” he continues. “It’s not often, at least in Malta, that one gets to promote a concert of an artist who appeals to such a wide-ranging audience.”
Camilleri says hosting a star of Sheeran’s size helps to put Malta – which is isolated from mainland Europe – on the map for other blockbuster tours.
“It is a great triumph for us because we have proven that the Maltese market can sustain an A-level artist such as Ed Sheeran,” he adds. “We have been working towards and building up to this moment for many years and admittedly there was an element of luck with the stars aligning for it to happen.
“As a company, it is a major feather in our cap and hopefully, this will open more doors which were previously closed or only ajar.”
Bulgarian promoter FEST Team is also hoping the success of Sheeran’s show at Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia (31 August) will be a calling card for other A-list artists.
“[We hope] more prominent artists will acknowledge Bulgaria as a substantial market with tour potential”
“Our aspiration is that the success of this event will encourage more prominent artists to acknowledge Bulgaria and the Balkan region as a substantial market with tour potential,” FEST Team’s Stefan Elenkov tells IQ.
The Sofia-based full-service promoter sold all 60,000 tickets to the Bulgaria date in the first 24 hours of the on-sale. It beat the previous record set in 2009 by Madonna who sold 19,000 tickets in the first 24 hours for a 55,000-capacity show.
“This indeed is a truly remarkable achievement,” says Elenkov. “It is important to mention that a show of this magnitude hasn’t taken place in Bulgaria since 2009.”
Staging the biggest-ever concert in Bulgaria, which is yet to be included in the Schengen Area, hasn’t been without its challenges but Elenkov says his team has been “excited to embrace them”.
“After dedicating eight months to negotiations and detailed planning, we managed to successfully overcome various infrastructural and logistic challenges associated with the venue,” says Elenkov.
“Ticket Station Bulgaria is handling a show of such magnitude for the first time and has met the tour’s criteria”
“Anticipating Bulgaria and Romania’s inclusion in the Schengen area, we expect even fewer logistical challenges, making future tour planning considerably more structured. The routing Budapest – Bucharest – Sofia – Athens—would essentially become practically borderless.”
Another source of pride for FEST Team is the reported absence of tickets for Sheeran’s Bulgaria date on Viagogo.
“This demonstrates our success in implementing stringent security measures, ensuring that only real people have bought tickets for the show,” adds Elenkov. “This marks an important milestone – Ticket Station Bulgaria is handling a show of such magnitude for the first time and has precisely met the tour’s criteria.”
Sheeran’s team has long taken an aggressive stance against the secondary ticketing market, opting to use 100% mobile digital ticketing technology to keep tickets in the hands of fans.
The tour’s local promoters in Lithuania also have a lot to celebrate after sales for Sheeran’s two 2024 dates in the country broke “all previous entertainment sales records” across the Baltic states.
“By selling the most tickets of any artist in the Baltics, Sheeran has set yet another record”
According to L Tips Agency – which is organising Sheeran’s concerts in the Baltics for the third time – the first concert sold out in just over 24 hours the second is already more than 50% sold out, nine months in advance.
Provided both dates in Lithuania sell out, Sheeran will perform to 90,000 fans across the 3 and 4 August at Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas.
“In 2019, he set the record for the most visited international artist show of all time in Latvia with an attendance of approximately 50,000 people,” says Gints Putnins, owner of L Tips Agency. “Now a new record has been set for the whole of the Baltics!”
The Agency, which is one of the largest independent promoters in the Baltic States, is promoting the concert alongside FKP Scorpio.
Folkert Koopmans, founder & CEO of FKP Scorpio, adds: “By selling the most tickets of any artist in the Baltics, Ed Sheeran has set yet another record. We’re proud and happy to be promoting the shows and couldn’t have done so without the support of all local stakeholders and our partner agencies. L Tips Agency’s work has been invaluable in making the second-ever music concert in Kaunas stadium possible. We’re already looking forward to seeing everything coming together in August 2024!”
The 32-year-old’s forthcoming Dubai concerts could become the best-selling shows in UAE history
Sheeran’s record-breaking streak doesn’t stop at independent promoters, nor does it stop in Europe. As previously reported in IQ, the 32-year-old’s forthcoming Dubai concerts could become the best-selling shows in UAE history, according to All Thing Live Middle East CEO Thomas Ovesen.
The British singer-songwriter is due to play the Sevens Stadium from 19-20 January 2024 in what are being called the largest open-air concerts ever to take place in Dubai.
The dates, which will see Sheeran perform “in the round”, will be his first in the Middle East since playing at the city’s Autism Rocks Arena in November 2017, which attracted a sell-out 23,272 crowd.
Last month, Sheeran concluded the North American leg of his Mathematics tour, with the final date on 28 October at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sheeran is represented by Marty Diamond and Ash Lewis at Wasserman for US and Canada, and Jon Ollier at One Finiix Live for the rest of the world.
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Ed Sheeran’s UAE shows tipped to make history
Ed Sheeran’s forthcoming Dubai concerts could become the best-selling shows in UAE history, according to All Things Live Middle East CEO Thomas Ovesen.
The British singer-songwriter brings his + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour to The Sevens Stadium from 19-20 January 2024 in what are being called the largest open-air concerts ever to take place in Dubai.
The dates, which will see the 32-year-old perform “in the round”, will be Sheeran’s first in the Middle East since playing the city’s Autism Rocks Arena in November 2017, which attracted a sell-out 23,272 crowd.
“Not since 2017 has the Dubai market hosted such large scale outdoor concerts promoted on merits of ticket sales,” Ovesen tells IQ. “So it’s with great satisfaction we don’t just put on two Ed Sheeran concerts here in January, but again together with AEG Presents get to work with Ed and his management – this time showcasing his incredible 360° production for the first time in the Middle East.”
The events, which will feature support from Calum Scott, are backed by Dubai Calendar and Coca-Cola Arena, with tickets going on sale on Friday (9 November).
“It’s not only a massive event and achievement for Dubai, but one that hopefully reflects also a return to more large-scale outdoor shows”
“With a combined capacity of more than 60.000 tickets these shows could well break the record of the best-selling UAE concert ever. It’s not only a massive event and achievement for Dubai, but one that hopefully reflects also a return to more large-scale outdoor shows and an increased live entertainment offering in our market.”
European live entertainment group All Things Live launched in the Middle East earlier this year following successful collaborations with Ovesen’s TOP Entertainment. Ovesen had previously brought acts including Justin Bieber, The Eagles, Guns ‘N Roses, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John and Ed Sheeran to the region, and launched festivals such as RedFestDXB and Fiesta De Los Muertos.
The promoter’s recent highlights included a rare sell-out for last weekend’s Bryan Adams’ concert at Dubai’s 17,000-cap Coca-Cola Arena.
“I think the arena has had a few other sell-out shows this year including Hanz Zimmer and some Arabic and Indian artists,” Ovesen told IQ last month. “But the UAE is a relatively small market with less than 10 million residents and more than 200 nationalities, so it is hard to pick an event or artist that will pull from all the various communities and sell beyond 10,000 tickets.
“It’s rare that shows in the UAE sell out and, indeed, for large-scale shows in the few arenas here. So for an established touring artist who has visited the market many times in the past and played in smaller capacities, to completely sell out Coca-Cola Arena two months prior to the show date is unheard of. Our last sold-out show at the venue was with 50 Cent back in September 2022 and it only sold out the day before the show.”
The Mathematics Tour was the fifth highest-grossing worldwide in H1 2023
The Mathematics Tour was the fifth highest-grossing worldwide in Pollstar‘s H1 2023 rankings, selling just over one million tickets to earn $105.3 million. Back in June, Sheeran broke the attendance record at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in the USA, pulling in 89,106 people to surpass the 88,491 fans drawn by U2 for their 360° Tour in 2011.
He also broke his own attendance record at Melbourne Cricket Ground in March by playing to more than 100,000 fans on consecutive nights, and New Zealand’s Sky Stadium, where he drew 48,000 fans. He also set a new ticket sales record in Denmark, shifting 160,000 tickets to four shows in the capital city of Copenhagen last year.
Sheeran, who will tour Asia and Europe in 2024, will also headline Rock in Rio Lisbon’s 20th anniversary edition, and is also slated to appear at other festivals including Lucca Summer Festival (Italy), Hurricane & Southside (Germany) and Stavernfestivalen (Norway).
His previous 255 show ÷ (Divide) run from 2017-19 was the highest-grossing tour ever before, generating $776.2 million, before being surpassed by Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour earlier this year. Sheeran is represented by Marty Diamond of Wasserman Music in North America and Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live for the rest of the world.
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India stakes its claim as global entertainment hub
India is enhancing its claim as a global entertainment hub as it entices a growing number of international stars and festival brands to the country.
50 Cent, Westlife, Deep Purple, Goo Goo Dolls, Bastille and Kodaline are among the big-name acts set to perform before the end of the year, while Ed Sheeran last week announced his + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) tour will visit Mumbai in 2024.
The concert at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on 16 March will be the first time Sheeran has played in India since 2017. According to BookMyShow Live, which is co-promoting the concert with AEG Presents, the gig will feature a 360° circular and revolving stage – a first for India.
“The future of events in India is on the cusp of a remarkable transformation,” says Owen Roncon, BookMyShow’s chief of business, live entertainment.
“Our endeavour at BookMyShow Live is to consistently push the boundaries of how live entertainment is experienced here at par with global standards. In line with that, we are thrilled to bring this ground-breaking, production wonder with the 360-degree circular, revolving stage to the Indian audience for the Ed Sheeran: + – = ÷ x Tour (Mathematics Tour).
“The future of events in India is on the cusp of a remarkable transformation”
“With this innovative production, auditory experience and the technological integration, the tour comes to India as a work of art where technology waltzes with creativity, weaving an enchanting blend of visuals and sound; ensuring in fact that it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
India has already enjoyed a bumper 2023 calendar, with concerts from the likes of Backstreet Boys, John Legend and Bonobo, and festivals including Vh1 Supersonic, Mahindra Blues Festival and Lollapalooza drawing yet more household names.
Live Nation and BookMyShow teamed up on the very first Lollapalooza India at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse, featuring Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, and Diplo alongside Indian-born rapper AP Dhillon, Delhi-based singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad and others. The event drew 60,000 fans over two days, with 40 artists performing across four stages on a 50-acre site.
James Craven, Live Nation president, Middle East, says Lollapalooza coming to Mumbai is a great example of the market’s growing importance.
“It’s really exciting to see global markets open up to music and artists from the Indian sub-continent, as well as seeing how the Indian market continues to open up for international acts,” says Craven in the IQ’s Global Promoters Report. “Expanding global touring routes for artists is key to their growth and that of the industry, and India will play a key role in that going forwards.”
“Our endeavour is to consistently push the boundaries of how live is experienced here at par with global standards”
Lollapalooza isn’t the only global festival brand to plant a flag in India. Palm Tree Festival, an event founded by renowned Norwegian producer Kygo and his manager Myles Shear, will debut in Mumbai this November.
The festival will bring the likes of Kungs (FR), Sam Felt (NL) and Kidnap (GB) to the Mahalaxmi Racecourse between 3–5 November. Palm Tree has also taken place in The Hamptons (US), Cabo San Lucas (MX) and Pag Island (HR).
Elsewhere in the festival market, pre-existing brands have hailed new milestones. India’s biggest metal festival Bangalore Open Air sold out for the first time in its 10-year history.
The 3,000-capacity event, which is produced in partnership with Germany’s marquee metal festival Wacken Open Air, saw acts including Mayhem, Pestilence, Kryptos, Godless, Born of Osiris, Dying Embrace and Amorphia perform at Royal Orchid Resorts at Yelahanka.
Closing out the year, Percept Live’s Sunburn festival will return to Goa in December, with international artists such as Alesso (SE), Charlotte De Witte (BE) and Timmy Trumpet (AU).
“India’s music landscape has witnessed meteoric growth in the past few years,” says Kunal Khambhat, head of live events & IP at BookMyShow, said in the most recent Global Promoters Report.
“Slowly but steadily, the country has set the stage to become a keystone for some of the biggest music performances and markets in the world – from hosting acclaimed international and Indian independent artists at large concerts to smaller formats that are gradually shaping the music landscape in the country.”
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Blockbuster tours stack up for 2024
Ed Sheeran, Adele, Blink-182, Sting and Billy Joel are the latest stars to reveal touring plans for 2024, amid a flurry of announcements.
Sheeran last week announced that his + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) tour will visit Asia and Europe in 2024, with support from Calum Scott.
The Asia leg kicks off in Bahrain on a yet-to-be-confirmed date in January and wraps on 16 March in Mumbai.
The 11-date outing includes stops in Dubai, Osaka, Tokyo, Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila.
Following that, the Europe leg will kick off in Malta in June and conclude in Cyprus in September, with stops in Tenerife, Gdansk, Budapest, Hradec Kralove, Kaunas, Zagreb, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia.
Sheeran last week announced that his + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) tour will visit Asia and Europe in 2024
The English singer-songwriter is also slated to perform at a number of festivals during the leg, including Lucca Summer Festival (Italy), Rock in Rio (Portugal), Hurricane and Southside (Germany) and Stavernfestivalen (Norway).
The tour announcement comes as Sheeran concludes the North American leg of his Mathematics tour, with the final date on 28 October at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Soon after, he is due to deliver two one-off shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, performing his new album Autumn Variations with a live band and string section.
Sheeran is represented by Marty Diamond and Ash Lewis at Wasserman for US and Canada, and Jon Ollier at One Finiix Live for the rest of the world.
Elsewhere, Adele has announced she is extending her residency at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas one last time.
Adele has announced she is extending her residency at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas one last time
The final leg of Weekends With Adele, which launched last November, is 32 dates and runs from January through June 2024.
“This residency, these shows have changed my life,” she wrote on social media. “I desperately needed to fall back in love with performing live again, and I have. I needed to reconnect with my songs and remember what they mean to me, and I have!”
Adele added 34 new dates to the Live Nation-promoted residency earlier this March and after a three-month hiatus, the Grammy winner returned this summer. The singer is represented by Lucy Dickins and Kirk Sommer at WME.
Meanwhile, Blink-182 are returning to North America for a 30-date tour of arenas and stadiums, in support of their new album One More Time.
The Live Nation-produced tour will visit venues including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Citi Field in New York, Fenway Park in Boston, and Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Blink-182 are returning to North America for a 30-date tour of arenas and stadiums
The outing follows the band’s 70-date tour across Latin America, North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, which kicked off in March and ends in February 2024.
The tour has seen all three founding members – Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker – reunite for the first time in 10 years.
Billy Joel and Sting have also joined the slew of 2024 announcements, confirming a pair of ‘one night only’ concerts in Tampa and San Diego in 2024.
The co-headline shows take place at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on 24 February and San Diego’s Petco Park on 13 April.
Other 2024 tours recently announced include Jess Glynne’s series of outdoor shows, Tom Odell’s biggest UK and European tour to date and Johnny Marr’s greatest hits tour.
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Ed Sheeran to headline Rock in Rio Lisbon 2024
Ed Sheeran has been unveiled as the first headliner of Rock in Rio Lisbon’s 20th anniversary edition.
First held in 2004, the biennial festival returns to Portugal for a double weekender between 15-16 & 22-23 June 2024. Sheeran, who previously played the event in 2014, will headline the main stage on 16 June.
The festival will be held at a new 80,000-cap venue in Parque Tejo Lisboa, and will feature a new stage and a daily audiovisual show commemorating the anniversary. A new ‘Route 85’ area, meanwhile, will enable the public to learn more about the history of the event.
“Looking back and seeing Rock in Rio’s journey since arriving in Portugal in 2004, how much the festival and the market have evolved, the challenges we’ve overcome, the legacy we’ve already left behind, all the people we’ve made a mark on and the projects we’ve created and supported over the years that would allow us to help transform lives, that’s what makes it worthwhile,” says Roberta Medina, VP of brand reputation at Rock World. “And that’s what we want to celebrate, with all those who made these 20 years possible.
“Having Ed Sheeran back at the City of Rock, we couldn’t have a better start! This will undoubtedly be a historic edition”
“Since it’s not every day that you turn 20, we’re going to do what we do best, party! Having Ed Sheeran back at the City of Rock, we couldn’t have a better start! This will undoubtedly be a historic edition.”
Alongside Rock in Rio Lisbon, festivals have also previously been launched under the banner in Madrid, Spain and Las Vegas, US.
Rock in Rio’s 40th anniversary edition in Brazil, where the festival originated in 1985, is also set for next year from 13-15 & 19-21 September. The 100,000-cap festival welcomed 700,000 fans across seven days in 2022, when it was headlined by Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay and Dua Lipa.
The debut edition of Medina’s Rock in Rio spin-off The Town took place in São Paulo last month at the Interlagos race track, attracting 500,000 fans over five days to see acts such as Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.
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Ed Sheeran show axed last minute due to venue issues
Ed Sheeran’s Saturday concert at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was called off at the last minute due to “flooring issues”.
The 65,000-capacity venue initially warned fans shortly before the concert was due to start that it would be “significantly delayed” but it ended up being cancelled altogether.
The British singer revealed on social media on Sunday that he and his team battled for 24 hours to save the Mathematics Tour show after a “flooring problem” was identified.
The post explained that when the crew were bringing in their equipment ahead of the soundcheck, “rubber tiling had become unstuck – causing two tall towers to slip overnight by about a foot each”.
“We really tried to do the best we could to make the show happen but I’m not gonna risk the safety of my fans for anything”
“It was a safety issue, and we really tried to do the best we could to make the show happen but I’m not gonna risk the safety of my fans for anything,” wrote Sheeran. “I really am gutted, this was very much out of my control but I do take full responsibility for everyone that was put out from the cancellation.”
With temperatures over 90 degrees, some fans required medical attention for heat-related issues, the Clark County Fire Department told 8 News Now, with one person transported to a local hospital.
Allegiant Stadium said in a statement that “stadium doors were opened at 5:05 PM to get fans out of the heat and we ensured that anyone requiring assistance received it”.
Sheeran apologised for the lateness of the cancellation: “Nothing will take away from the effort people went to get to Vegas though and I’m sorry it wasn’t communicated sooner to the people waiting outside. We really thought the show was going to happen up until the very last moment but it just couldn’t for safety reasons.”
The show has been rescheduled for 28 October, pushing back the conclusion of the Mathematics Tour. The third and final leg of the 88-date tour had been due to finish at SoFi Stadium on 23 September.
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