The Glee cast just wrapped up an extensive tour with a two-night stand at Dublin's The O2 that ended Sunday. Last week, NBC's The Voice announced shows in a half-dozen cities starting July 27 in Los Angeles.
For this summer's American Idols Live! tour, the challenge is to reinvigorate the brand, much as the latest season did for the Fox show, and draw more customers than it did in 2010, when weak demand resulted in the cancellation of seven live dates. "They've been successful multiple years," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert trade publication Pollstar. But "it's a question mark every time it goes out, because it depends on how this year's cast resonates with the audience."
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Last year's Idol tour wasn't alone in feeling the economic pinch: Gross revenue for the top 100 tours dropped 13% (from $2.5 billion in 2009 to $2.2 billion in 2010), and ticket sales fell 12% (40.5 million to 35.7 million), according to Pollstar.
"We're talking about people who couldn't sell two tickets before the show," Bongiovanni says. "For them to play arenas is no small feat, whether they sell them out or not."This season's cast is a promising bunch. Winner Scotty McCreery has a top 20 hit at country radio with I Love You This Big. Downloads of debut singles by McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina are outpacing those of last year's winner, Lee DeWyze. Three other finalists already have recording or management deals.
This year, the top 11 finalists will play 47 shows in 45 markets. Second dates were added at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., and the Prudential Center in Newark. By comparison, The Voice Live On Tour is taking a conservative approach. The eight top Voice finalists will play venues like the 3,000-seat Beacon Theatre in New York and Chicago's Rosemont Theatre, which has a capacity of 4,300. The tour also will stop in Las Vegas, Boston and Wallingford, Conn.
"Our goal this year was to do a very small tour of major markets," says Steve Herman, senior vice president of touring at Live Nation, the tour's promoter. "We did a very similar thing with Glee last year, where we did Chicago, New York and Los Angeles."The second Glee Live! In Concert! tour played multiple dates in several North American arenas. Herman hopes The Voice can follow a similar path. "Next year, our plan is an expanded tour with probably 30-plus markets."
Initial demand has been right in line with expectations, he says. "New York's pretty much sold out right now, and the others are tracking really well."These TV tours are almost like taking a variety show on the road, Bongiovanni says. "The key is whether those particular performers connect with the fans who are doing the online voting and whether they want to come see them live."