On going chatter that the Madonna tour, and by extension her multi-rights deal with Live Nation, are underperforming is "baseless,"according to sales figures provided by tour producer Arthur Fogel chairman of Live Nation Global Touring.
According to Fogel, the guy who would know - these are the facts: 76 Madonna shows at arenas and stadiums are on sale in North America and Europe combined. More than 1.4 million tickets have been sold, banking about $214 million for an average in the $2.7 million per show in a mix of stadiums and arenas.And the tour doesn't even begin until May 29 in Tel Aviv, first hitting America in Philadelphia Aug. 28.
Fogel's not sure what to make of the detractors. "This tour is completely on track to end up in the top 10 tours of all time, especially considering we haven't put South America or Australia on sale," he tells Billboard.biz. "To say this tour is not performing is so off base I don't even know what to say. When this tour is said and done, combined with 'Sticky and Sweet,' you're talking $750 million in gross ticket sales. That sounds pretty impressive to me."
"She's at the top of her game and she ain't goin' away," he concludes.
