Summer Touring Headed For An Upswing

In 2010, summer touring took a downhill turn, but as the weather warms up, so do the predictions for this year’s concert biz.
After a year off the road, Kenny Chesney is mounting a major outing, sharing billing on the stadium dates with Zac Brown Band. Big stars like Chesney and Brown, who may have toured separately in a booming economy, are teaming up for dates in big venues to boost ticket sales. George Strait and Reba are co-headlining a tour that was one of Billboard Boxscore’s Top 25 Tours of 2010.
The Strait/Reba package, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are among the country stars who successfully navigated 2010’s touring slump, though some had more special guests than others. Underwood didn’t need another big name to sell tickets to her tour, she flew solo on her headlining arena run, playing to over a million fans.
Venturing overseas is another way acts are thriving on the road. Alan Jackson performed a series of shows in Australia for the first time in his career last month. And Aussie Keith Urban is currently leading a tour Down Under with guests Lady Antebellum.
One of the hottest acts of the year, Taylor Swift has been on a worldwide outing and is back in the states, continuing her sell-out run. She concluded the overseas leg with a sold-out show in London, and simultaneously added 16 new dates to the North American portion of the tour, which kicks off May 27. When that leg wraps just before Thanksgiving, she will have headlined 97 stadium and arena shows around the world in 2011.
High ticket prices were one of the factors fueling last year’s touring downturn. Since December, commentators like The New York Post have been predicting lower ticket prices for this season.
Chesney manager Clint Higham told the Wall Street Journal that the singer lowered lawn seat prices from $40 in 2009, to about $30 for this year. Higham added that his superstar increased the number of dates, up from 45 to 60, to make up the difference at the box office. He says Chesney’s ticket sales are already up 15%, thanks partly to taking last year off and “being missed.”
Manager Ken Levitan also talked to the Wall Street Journal for the new article. He says that artists are cutting corners to lower touring costs. “We might be jamming more people on fewer buses, or doing a little less pyro on stage,” he told the paper.
“Our merch numbers are very strong,” he added, “and that’s a good sign of a little more disposable income out there.” He pointed out that his client Kid Rock has been moving about $14 a head in merch, where $10 would be considered strong. In keeping with the current trend that two acts are better than one, Kid Rock will be pairing with Sheryl Crow for a summer outing.