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Sam Fender unveils 2024/25 European arena tour

Sam Fender has announced his first UK tour since spring 2022, along with a slate of arena dates across Europe.

The People Watching Tour, which will feature support from Wunderhorse, commences at Dublin’s 3 Arena on 2 December.

The seven-date 2024 UK & Ireland leg also includes stops at Leeds’ First Direct Arena (4 December), Manchester’s Co-Op Live, Manchester (6 December), The O2 in London (10 December), Utilita Arena, Birmingham (13 December) and OVO Hydro, Glasgow (16 December), concluding on 20 December at the Utilita Arena in Fender’s native Newcastle.

Tickets go on sale on 25 October. Due to the expected high demand, tickets for the latter show will be available by ballot to customers with North-East postcodes only.

The CAA-represented 30-year-old, who returned to the stage to headline Boardmasters festival earlier this summer, has pledged that £1 from every ticket sold for the UK dates will be donated to the Music Venue Trust in support of grassroots venues.

Next spring, the singer-songwriter will headline European shows in Paris, Tilburg, Zurich, Cologne, Munich, Bergamo and Berlin, wrapping up at the Forest National arena in Brussels.

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

2024:
2 December – 3Arena, Dublin
4 December – First Direct Arena, Leeds
6 December – Co-Op Live, Manchester
10 December – The O2, London
13 December – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
16 December – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
20 December – Utilita Arena, Newcastle

2025:
4 March – Olympia, Paris
5 March – 013 Poppodium, Tilburg
8 March – Halle 622, Zurich
10 March – Palladium, Cologne
12 March – Zenith, Munich
13 March – ChorusLife Arena, Bergamo
16 March – Uber Eats Music Hall, Berlin
18 March – Afas Live, Amsterdam
19 March – Forest National, Brussels

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Childish Gambino cancels NA/Euro tour amid health issues

American rapper Childish Gambino has cancelled the remaining North American and European dates of his The New World Tour due to reported health complications.

The AEG Presents-promoted tour was set to span three continents across 56 shows, bringing the star to arenas in North America, Europe, and Oceania until February 2025. After 18 shows, Gambino (real name Donald Glover) postponed the remaining North American dates in August before scrapping the NA and European legs on Friday (4 October).

“After my show in New Orleans, I went to the hospital in Houston to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent. After being assessed, it became clear I would not perform that night, and after more tests, I could not perform the rest of the US tour in the time asked. As of now I have surgery scheduled and need time out to heal.

“My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously. With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform. Until then, thanks for love, privacy, and support,” Gambino said online.

His third headlining tour, The New World Tour was set to be a farewell tour to the Childish Gambino pseudonym

It is unclear whether the performer’s Oceania leg, which is set to kick off on 28 January 2025 at New Zealand’s Spark Arena (cap. 12,000), will go ahead. Following the first round of postponements, tour promoters Frontier Touring confirmed to The Music that the leg would still go on as planned, but have not issued a statement following the latest round of cancellations.

Gambino launched the outing in August at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center (cap. 16,591) and played the first 18 shows before postponing his 8 September show at Houston’s Toyota Center due to the undisclosed ailment. The following day, the This is America singer shelved the remaining 15 shows on the North American leg to prioritise his physical health.

“Unfortunately I have to postpone the rest of the North American tour to focus on my physical health for a few weeks,” he said at the time. “Hold onto your tickets. ALL tickets will be honoured for the upcoming dates in North America when they are rescheduled.”

Less than a month before he was due out for the European leg, the 41-year-old has called off the next 33 shows of the tour, with the final five still up in the air.

His third headlining tour, The New World Tour was set to be a farewell tour to the Childish Gambino pseudonym. Glover rereleased his fourth studio album 3.15.20 as Atavista this May, followed by his final record, the film soundtrack album Bando Stone & the New World, in July.

Childish Gambino is represented by Brent Smith at Wasserman Music worldwide.

 

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Lauryn Hill sued by Fugees bandmate over axed tour

Lauryn Hill is being sued for fraud and breach of contract by Fugees bandmate Pras Michel in relation to the group’s cancelled 2023/24 tour dates.

The Fugees’ 2024 North American outing was set to feature Hill, Michel and Wyclef Jean, but was axed in August, with the singer blaming “sensationalism and clickbait headlines” for hurting ticket sales. Hill had previously curtailed the second half of their 2023 run, citing “vocal strain”.

Michel’s lawsuit – filed this week in the Southern District of New York – says last year’s tour was on track to be “a huge commercial success, since most of shows for the entire arena size tour were sold out in advance”.

However, the suit, which Hill has blasted as “baseless” and “full of false claims and unwarranted attacks”, alleges the vocalist mismanaged the budget to the extent that it became “so bloated with unnecessary and, most likely fictitious, expenses, that it seemed designed to lose money”.

Accusing Hill of “arrogance” and “narcissistic tendencies”, it claims she “was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and tour net profits ‘off the top’ for herself, leaving the remaining 60% to be split equally between Hill, Pras and Wyclef”.

“This action will be aggressively defended and defeated”

The filing further alleges that Hill “unilaterally rejected” a $5 million offer for the trio to perform at this year’s Coachella without informing her bandmates, since “her ego was bruised” that No Doubt would receive top billing.

Michel, 51, was convicted of illegal lobbying last year following a trial at the US District Court in Washington.

In a statement to Variety, which obtained the lawsuit, Hill’s attorney Howard King said: “It is particularly disappointing that the suit fails to reveal that Pras was grossly over advanced for the last tour to help him pay his mounting legal bills. His failure to show appreciation for the financial help Ms. Hill has afforded him in his time of need is disappointing. This action will be aggressively defended and defeated.”

Michel will not be joining Hill and Jean on the Fugees’ imminent European arena tour, which is due to begin later this month.

 

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Oasis reveal 2025 North American tour dates

Oasis have expanded their 2025 reunion tour by announcing a handful of stadium dates in North America.

Produced by Live Nation and SJM, the run will see the Gallagher brothers play stadiums in Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Los Angeles and Mexico City next summer, supported by special guests Cage The Elephant.

The confirmed shows at the new Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Canada (24 August) and in the US at Soldier Field, Chicago (28 August), MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (31 August) and Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl Stadium (6 September) will represent their biggest ever headline concerts in the territory. They will also perform in Mexico at GNP Seguros Stadium on 12 September.

The Britpop legends built up a solid following across the Atlantic during their commercial peak in the 90s, but famously fell short of reaching a similar level of success as in their native UK.

“America. Oasis is coming. You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along”

“America. Oasis is coming,” says a statement from the group. “You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along.”

The general ticket onsale will begin on Friday 4 October at www.ticketmaster.com. As with the UK shows, Twickets will serve as the official resale partner.

Plans are also underway for Oasis Live ’25 to visit other continents outside of Europe and North America later next year.

The Oasis Live ‘25 Tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to buy tickets for the group’s first shows since 2009.

However, the unprecedented demand soon gave way to a dynamic ticketing controversy that has prompted multiple inquiries. There was widespread media coverage of fan anger after customers were offered “in demand” tickets for more than twice the advertised face value under surge pricing after queuing online for several hours.

“Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model will not be applied to the forthcoming sale of tickets to Oasis concerts in North America”

A statement from Oasis’ management says that dynamic pricing will not be employed for the US, Canada and Mexico shows.

“Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model will not be applied to the forthcoming sale of tickets to Oasis concerts in North America,” it reads. “It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a useful tool to combat ticket touting and keep prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate and thus more affordable.

“But, when unprecedented ticket demand (where the entire tour could be sold many times over at the moment tickets go on sale) is combined with technology that cannot cope with that demand, it becomes less effective and can lead to an unacceptable experience for fans.

“We have made this decision for the North America tour to hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues fans in the UK and Ireland experienced recently.”

The full list of 2025 tour dates announced so far is as follows:

July

4 – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium

5 – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium

11 – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park

12 – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park

16 – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park

19 – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park

20 – Manchester, UK – Heaton Park

25 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

26 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

30 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

August

2 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

3 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

8 – Edinburgh, UK – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

9 – Edinburgh, UK – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

12 – Edinburgh, UK – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

16 – Dublin, IE – Croke Park

17 – Dublin, IE – Croke Park

24 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium

28 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field

31 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

September

6 – Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl Stadium

12 – Mexico City, MX – Estadio GNP Seguros

27 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

28 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium

 

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Zayn announces first ever solo tour

Former One Direction star Zayn has released details of his first ever solo tour.

The 31-year-old singer, who signed with UTA for representation worldwide in 2023, will launch the intimate Stairway to the Sky run next month.

He announced the trek with a surprise walk on skit on US TV show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (17 September).

The 11-city tour, produced by AEG Presents and SJM Concerts, will visit the US and UK this autumn.

The North American leg kicks off on 23 October at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, making stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and DC before wrapping at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on 2 November.

It will continue to the UK on 20 November at O2 Academy Edinburgh, followed by gigs in Manchester, London and Wolverhampton, concluding at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on 3 December.

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

US
23 October: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
25 October: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
27 October: Shrine Expo Hall, Los Angeles
30 October: The Anthem, Washington, DC
2 November: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York

UK
20 November: O2 Academy Edinburgh
23 November: O2 Academy Leeds
24 November: O2 Apollo Manchester
26 November: Eventim Apollo, London
29 November: Wolverhampton The Halls
3 December: O2 City Hall, Newcastle

 

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Oasis confirm 2025 reunion tour

Following days of speculation, Oasis have confirmed they are reuniting for a 2025 UK and Ireland tour.

Liam and Noel Gallagher have announced a 14-date run of stadium and outdoor shows in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin for next summer.

“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised,” says a statement from the group.

Their only shows in Europe next year, the concerts are being promoted by SJM Concerts, Live Nation, DF Concerts and MCD Productions.

Tickets for the UK dates go on sale from 9am this Saturday 31 August, with Dublin tickets available from 8am that same day. Plans are underway also for OASIS LIVE ’25 to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year.

The full list of announced shows is as follows:

JULY 2025

4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium

5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium

11th – Manchester, Heaton Park

12th – Manchester, Heaton Park

19th – Manchester, Heaton Park

20th – Manchester, Heaton Park

25th – London, Wembley Stadium

26th – London, Wembley Stadium

AUGUST 2025

2nd – London, Wembley Stadium

3rd – London, Wembley Stadium

8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

16th – Dublin, Croke Park

17th – Dublin, Croke Park

The legendary British band split following a backstage bust-up at France’s Rock en Seine in August 2009. Both Gallagher brothers have built successful solo careers in the intervening years, with Liam Gallagher recently completing a 30th anniversary tour based around Oasis’ classic 1994 album Definitely Maybe.

In their initial run, Oasis were booked by agent Ben Winchester of Primary Talent International outside North America. Winchester has continued to represent Noel, while Liam has worked with Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee and Adele Slater since 2017.

The group famously played to 250,000 people across two shows at Knebworth at the height of Britpop in 1996. Other big moments included two headline sets at Glastonbury in 1995 and 2004; homecoming shows at Manchester City’s Maine Road stadium; and a run of Wembley Stadium gigs in 2000 and 2009.

 

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Jack White confirms intimate ‘pop-up’ tour

Jack White has shared details of a new tour comprising pop-up shows “mostly at small clubs and backyard fetes.”

“Shows will be announced as close to the show date as possible, some shows we won’t even decide to do until that morning,” the soloist and former frontman of The White Stripes announced yesterday (13 August) on social media.

White also revealed that the outing – in support of his surprise sixth studio album No Name – had already kicked off.

Late last month, he played a run of dates at the American Legion Post 82 bar in Nashville, before taking to the stage at The Earl in Atlanta, and 40 Watt Bar in Athens.

“We don’t know what to tell you but the tour already started at the Legion a couple of weeks ago”

Last night (13 August), White played another intimate gig at The Basement East in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Lotta folk asking about when we are going to announce ‘tour dates’, well, we don’t know what to tell you but the tour already started at the Legion a couple of weeks ago,” he wrote on social media.

“People keep saying that these are ‘Pop up shows’ we’ve been playing, well, you can call them whatever you want, but we are on tour right now.

“These are the ‘shows’. We won’t really be announcing dates in advance so much, we will mostly be playing at small clubs, back yard fetes, and a few festivals here and there to help pay for expenses.”

The American musician has also made a number of European festival appearances at Pentaport Rock Fest (South Korea), Way Out West (Sweden), Øya Festival (Norway) and Syd for Solen (Denmark).

 

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The Black Keys cancel entire North American tour

The Black Keys have cancelled their entire North American arena tour, scheduled for later this year.

The American duo – Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney – were due to embark on the Live Nation-produced, 31-date International Players Tour, kicking off at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK on 17 September.

It was also slated to visit venues such as Kia Forum in Los Angeles, New York’s Madison Square Garden and the United Center in Chicago, as well as stops at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Columbus’ Nationwide Arena in their native Ohio.

However, amid rumours of poor sales and complaints about high ticket prices, the CAA-represented band say they plan to reconfigure the run as a more “intimate experience”, with a revised set of tour dates to be announced in the near future.

“We have decided to make some changes to the North American leg of the International Players Tour that will enable us to offer a similarly exciting, intimate experience”

“The band wants to assure everyone that Dan and Patrick are alive and well,” says a statement on behalf of the pair. “Following the recent run of shows in the UK and Europe, including stops at iconic venues like Brixton Academy and the Zenith in Paris, we have decided to make some changes to the North American leg of the International Players Tour that will enable us to offer a similarly exciting, intimate experience for both fans and the band, and will be announcing a revised set of dates shortly.

“Everyone who had purchased tickets and/or VIP to the initial tour dates will be fully refunded – and when the new plans are announced, will be the first to be able to buy tickets.

“Thank you for your understanding and apologies for the surprise change… We’re pretty sure everyone is going to be excited when you see what we have in mind though, and look forward to seeing everyone soon.”

In other gig news, Nicki Minaj’s 25 May concert at Manchester’s Co-op Live, which was called off at the last minute following her arrest at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, will now take place on 3 June.

 

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Kid Cudi cancels world tour after Coachella injury

American rapper Kid Cudi has cancelled his Insano: Engage the Rage World Tour after breaking his foot during a last-minute Coachella performance on Sunday (21 April).

During his set at the Goldenvoice-promoted festival’s Sahara Tent, the 40-year-old singer jumped off the front of the stage, breaking one of his heel bones and cutting his set short. He joined the lineup two days before the second weekend kicked off on 19 April.

The recovery time for a severe calcaneus fracture can be up to two years, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, with those with labour-intensive jobs “unable to return to their job” post-injury.

“We have to cancel the tour so I can focus on getting better to be out there in top shape with you all,” he wrote on social media. “There’s just no way I can bounce back in time to give 100%. The injury is much more serious than I thought.”

Cudi (real name Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi) underwent surgery for the broken bone today (25 April), telling fans on X that he was “feelin’ good”. Most surgery patients need to wait three months post-surgery before putting weight onto the foot, with walking aids likely during the healing process, per the AAOS.

“I’ll make it up to you and be back better than ever very soon”

The AEG-promoted tour was set to begin on 28 June at Texas’s Moody Center (15,000), with stops at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (19,500), Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (19,800), and Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (18,300), before wrapping up the North American leg at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena (20,000) at the end of August.

The European leg was due to start next February at Oslo’s Spektrum Arena (10,300) and set to end at London’s O2 Arena (20,000) on 18 March 2025.

Rapper Pusha T was due to support the 43-date tour, alongside rapper-actor Jaden and hip-hop duo EARTHGANG. Ticketholders will be notified and refunded, and new tour dates will be announced as soon as possible.

German singer Kim Petras has also cancelled forthcoming festival dates because of “health issues”. The Grammy-award-winning pop star was set to appear at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, London’s Mighty Hoopla, Porto’s Primavera, and Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party this summer.

“I’ll make it up to you and be back better than ever very soon,” she wrote on social media.

Petras concluded her Feed the Beast World Tour in March, her third headlining venture, which kicked off last August in California. She played venues across the US, Canada, Brazil, and Europe before closing it out at Milan’s Fabrique (3,100).

 

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George Strait on pace to break US attendance record

Country music legend George Strait could break the all-time attendance record for a ticketed concert in the US with his June performance at a Texas football stadium.

The one-off show at Texas A&M University’s stadium, dubbed The King at Kyle Field, has already sold 100,000 tickets since its announcement on 28 March. His only home-state performance this year, set for 15 June, the potentially record-breaking venture will see him play in the round during the venue’s first-ever concert. He’ll be supported by two additional Texas natives, Parker McCollum and Catie Offerman.

While seats are still available, including platinum-level seats ranging up to US$2,750, the gig could break the standing record of 107,019 set by the Grateful Dead in 1977 during their Terrapin Station Tour at New Jesery’s Raceway Park. Internationally, Italian singer Vasco Rossi holds the overall record with over 225,000 tickets sold for his 2017 show at Modena, Italy’s Enzo Ferrari Park.

Strait’s performance could also break the College Station football stadium’s attendance record, set at 110,633 during a 2014 matchup between the Aggies and the University of Mississippi’s Rebels.

“George has always said he has the best fans, and there’s nothing like a Texas crowd,” says longtime promoter and Messina Touring Group founder, Louis Messina.

“We knew the show at Kyle Field would be exciting as it’s the first-ever one of its size to be held in the stadium, but even I didn’t expect we’d sell over 100,000 tickets in just a few days. He’ll play to more people in one night than we did at AT&T in 2014! It’s a testament to George’s reputation as an entertainer and performer that here we are, still setting records and personal bests years later.”

“Bringing these magical nights from the King of Country music to fans has been one of the greatest honors of my life”

The homecoming gig is on pace to break Strait’s personal attendance record of 104,793, set in 2014 during his Cowboy Rides Away stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The finale to his 47-show retirement tour grossed over $18.1 million, a record for the largest gross at a single-show country concert. Strait has since played speciality productions, including his 17-weekend Vegas residency Strait to Vegas at T-Mobile Arena (20,000-capacity).

“The King of Country Music”, Strait’s career spans five decades and includes a multitude of accolades, including a Grammy; Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 2013; Academy of Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014; and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

The 71-year-old has landed 60 No. 1 hits, the record across all charts by an artist in any genre of music, a record he’s held since 2013 with Give It All We Got Tonight. He’s also the only artist to have a top 10 hit every year for 30 years and has sold more than 105 million records worldwide.

Strait’s upcoming performance — his first one in Texas since 2022 — lands amid his 10-stop summer stadium outing alongside Chris Stapleton, supported by Little Big Town. Kicking off 4 May at Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium (70,000), the country pioneer will play MetLife Stadium (82,500) in New Jersey, Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium (51,444), and Soldier Field (61,500) in Chicago. After a break in the autumn, the tour will wrap up at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium (65,000) on 7 December.

“We’ve spent the last few years playing specialty one-off shows in markets he’ll likely never play again,” Messina adds. “I’m excited about this summer of special shows with Chris Stapleton – it’s always been such a great experience for the fans. Bringing these magical nights from the King of Country music to fans has been one of the greatest honours of my life.”

 

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