Posted on 06/08/2006 1:46:57 AM PDT by Criminal Number 18F
NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Initial ticket sales for the Dixie Chicks' upcoming tour are far below expectations and several dates will likely be canceled or postoned.
Ticket counts for the 20-plus arena shows that went on sale last weekend were averaging 5,000-6,000 per show in major markets and less in secondaries, according to sources contacted by Billboard. Venue capacities on the tour generally top 15,000.
In contrast, the band's new album, "Taking the Long Way," sold 526,000 units...
Despite those numbers, early ticket sales are clearly not meeting projections. The plug was pulled on public on-sales for shows in Indianapolis (August 23), Oklahoma City (September 26), Memphis (September 27) and Houston (September 30) because of tepid pre-sales in a national promotion with Target stores.
The Memphis show has been pulled...
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...
All those heartland shows are likely to get yanked, and except for places like Philadelphia and Boston and San Francisco, the tour might downsize to "more intimate" (i.e. a third the size, more realistically what the Chicks can sell) venues.
I'm sure this breaks a lot of FReeper hearts.
Hey, but they added a show in Canada. They love 210-lb moonbat chicks in Toronto -- maybe we can send them Code Pink too.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Wonder what Natalie's Pakistani husband is thinking...now that her fortune is waning?
HA HA... Somebody call the Whaaaaambulance.
The most interesting aspect is that the mainstream media has been on a huge campaign to promote them--cover of Time, major feature on "60 Minutes".
Of course people in the heartland quite wisely don't pay much attention to the coastal media, so the campaign didn't work.
Will they wear black at their next concert out of "respect" for Zarqawi? Too bad Katie "80 IQ" Couric is not on the air right now, I'm sure she'd be picking out one of her black outfits.
Zarqawi's dead, and now the Ditzy Chicks are struggling.
The good news just keeps coming in!
So much for 6/6/06 being the end of the world. :P
They bought all that publicity on 60 Minutes and other networks. They must have beleived the time was right based on the latest polls. Trotted out the Bush bashing lines. Look what it got them. This is one reason I don't trust the poll numbers. Heartland USA is still red.
Just now remembered a line from "Spinal Tap".
The director (Rob Reiner) is interviewing the band's manager. The director notes that a few years ago the band was playing arenas, then they started playing 3,000 seat halls, and now they're now playing much smaller facilities. "Do you think their popularity is waning?"
"No, it's just that our audience is becoming more selective".
Chickenfreude!
Oh, great catch, Numb, I meant to say something about that!
Here's some FR threads about these Ditzy Chix Who Sell Few Tix:
Yikes! They were practically lined up for a two million seller, a boffo tour, a TV special, and sainthood. Whose job was it to tell the fans?
And in related news, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is still dead.
And yeah, Numbers Guy, I'm sure Katie Couric is deeply saddened. Little Tommy Daschle too. (Hey -- is it just me, or are those two never in the same place?)
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
The Dixie Chicks dug a hole, hit bottom, kept digging.
They are not very bright, are they??
Ickky Chikkies,,,,so there!
The joy of juxtapositon:
"Dixie Chicks Tour Struggling Before Diminishing Fans"
"Pod of Sperm Whales Beach Selves in U.S."
"Defiant al-Zarqawi Shows Face on Video"
"Aye, Starbuck; aye, it was Moby-Dick that dismasted me; Moby-Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye! I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase the white whale on both sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out..."
-Captain Ahab, in Moby Dick , Chapter 37
"Thar She Blows!"
Their first 3 albums sold 29 million copies, I'm no math whiz but to me that averages out to about 9.6 million copies per release. They are bragging about the 4th selling a bit under 600 thousand copies. Now THAT's positive spin, hehe
So sorry. I searched "Dixie Chicks" and found all the sainthood threads, but not this!
What's up with FR search anyway? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The forum has come an incredible distance since I first signed on, but the search is still hinky as ever was.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
It was the beginning of the end of the world. For liberals.
That's why the name Ditzy Chicks fits so well.
I saw them for about 15 seconds on Larry King. Unfortunately for them, more people go to the can to take a dump during one of Rush's advertisement breaks than watch Larry King.
Looks like they are doing best in Blue Cities, but I bet liberals are really in a quandary there: "damn, I hate country western, but I should buy a ticket to support them" (that doesn't mean that they will go!).
And in foreign countries. All of them should get together (Dixie Chicks, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, The Human Stain, Gore Vidal, Meathead, etc) , buy a plane, and do a continuous worldwide tour of trashing the U.S. and Bush.
Actually I think Natalie could make significant profits this year but only if she were to market a couple of books-
"How to trash a career in one evening"
"Keeping your mouth shut for Dummies--Like Me"
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