MUSIC NEWS- Producers of the all-female Lilith Fair 2010 tour, which was originally co-founded in 1997 by singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and her manager, Terry McBride, confirmed this week that they are canceling nearly a third of the shows on their ambitious tour itinerary.
Lilith 2010 which started up in Calgary last Sunday after an 11-year break is cancelling big market stops like Montreal, Houston and Dallas with the promoters citing "one of the most challenging summer concert seasons" as the reason. Things may get even worse, with additional cancellations, as performers on the bill (like Norah Jones and Kelly Clarkson [see KC news below]) start jumping ship and leave the declining tour.
Though the problem with poor ticket sales is not just a "girl thing". Top artists like Christina Aguilera, the Eagles, Rihanna, John Mayer, Limp Bizkit, Jonas Brothers, and the Go-Go's (injury claim on this one) have either canceled individual shows or entire tours with others downsizing to smaller venues due to world economic issues and a possibly saturated touring marketplace. Many consumers are facing tough economic decisions, and seeing the same performer over and over playing the same songs might be hard to accept, especially at the sky ticket prices (plus fees) that are being charged.
Lilith organizers had big plans for the comeback tour initially, and at first booked 33 shows, but co-founder and co-headliner McLachlan stated back in May that sales were "pretty soft" and rumors were flying about the likelihood of tour date cancellations.
And with the tour opener in Calgary, which also featured Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu and Colbie Caillat, drawing only 9,000 people at a 35,000-capacity stadium. Though a Lilith spokesperson reported that the venue was reconfigured to hold 11,000 people.
One of the other possible problems is that the Lilith lineup varies as the tour moves on, with artists such as Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Selena Gomez and Heart booked in certain cities, causing frustration among fans. And even with some great lineups, fans seem reluctant to shell out as much as $250 (before fees) in some markets.
Lilith co-founder Terry McBride put a positive spin fn the news and said in a statement; "We are in the midst of one of the most challenging summer concert seasons with many tours being canceled outright,".
"Everyone involved with the tour would like to apologize to the fans and artists scheduled to play in these markets, and express appreciation for all the support for the festival's return. Lilith remains the only tour of its kind, and we are confident that fans will be amazed by what each date has to offer."
UPDATE 7/8/10- Some good Lilith news; enter to win a trip to the Chicago,IL LILITH show, and meet LaRoux (sponsored by Forever 21 and Virgin Mobile). Rules / Enter here, and tell 'em MusicNewsNet sent you!
Update 7/2/10- Kelly Clarkson pulls out of Lilith 2010 tour, more @ kellyclarkson.com
CANCELLED LILITH FAIR 2010 Concerts are-
JULY-
12- Salt Lake City, UT
23- Montreal
August-
4 Raleigh, NC
6 Charlotte, NC
10 West Palm Beach, FL
11 Tampa, FL
12 Birmingham, AL
14 Austin, TX
15 Houston, TX
16 Dallas, TX
Comments