Sales for the Dixie Chicks' upcoming tour are far below expectations

[Sgt Schultz]

Dixie Chicks tour struggling in several markets
By Ray Waddell

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 in its first week, according to Nielsen Soundscan, the third-largest sales week of 2006. The album logged a second week in the period ended June 4, according to sales data issued Wednesday.

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 off the route and the status of the shows in Indianapolis, Houston and Oklahoma City remains uncertain. Industry speculation has it that much or all of the tour may be postponed. At the very least, it is likely routing and capacity will be reconfigured.

Early ticket sales for this tour are in marked contrast to the Chicks' last proper outing in 2003 when a national on-sale moved some 867,000 tickets the first weekend, and second shows were added in several markets. The Chicks ended up with the top-grossing country tour of 2003 at $62 million.

But not all shows on this tour are below projections. "We're happy (with our on-sale) and comparatively seem to be ahead of most," says John Page, Global Spectrum COO/GM at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, where the trio is booked for July 25. A second date was added for the Air Canada Center in Toronto, where the first show sold out in eight minutes. "Canada loves the Chicks," says ACC booking director Patti-Ann Tarlton.

After two shows in London, the North American tour was set to begin July 21 in Detroit. But with ticket sales below expectations, it is possible the route and capacities may be further reconfigured. The Chicks are managed by Simon Renshaw and booked by Rob Light at Creative Artists Agency, both of whom declined to comment.

Reuters/Billboard

[FORD]

I didn't even know they were on tour yet. Sounds like bad promotion to me.

As opposed to the album, which has been well promoted (even by right wingers who didn't mean to do so )

[EAT MY ASSHOLE]

Why is this in The Front Line??? Are the Chicks setting policy??? Are they members of the armed forces in Iraq???

NO!!! They're just three cute girls who can sing who stated out loud their personal feelings towards the war and our current administration.

SFW??? Bump this to House of Music, please.

[DEMON CUNT]

Look at the stupid neocons trying to discredit the Chicks.

I'm sure CHEWTAR(ded) seills out every show they play.

What a douce!

[ODShowtime]

Man you haven't posted in like a year and this is the best you can come up with?

How about some of the policies you advocated?

You don't have much to say about the war these days...

[Redballjets88]

its bc no one likes them, their target audience is midwestern and southern people who are conservative, of course everyone in that demographic hates them,


plus ...they suck ass

[FORD]

Originally posted by Redballjets88


plus ...they suck ass

Really now.....

OK then, pull out your fiddle or your banjo and lets see you do better.

[Redballjets88]

i dont play either of those.....

ford please c'mon you cannot say you like a band with a song called "Earls gotta die" just bc they hate bush doesnt mean they are good

[FORD]

Originally posted by Redballjets88
i dont play either of those.....

ford please c'mon you cannot say you like a band with a song called "Earls gotta die" just bc they hate bush doesnt mean they are good

Actually, the song was called "Goodbye Earl", and I thought it was a great song. They actually took a serious subject (killing an abusive pig wife beating bastard) and made a hilarious song out of it.

I appreciate talent in any form of music. Labels like "rock", "country", "grunge" or whatever don't mean shit to me. All I care about is whether it's good or not. And I appreciated the talent of the Dixie Chicks long before they said one word about the Chimp being from Texas. (Which, by the way, he isn't.)

You give me a choice of Van Hagar or Johnny Cash, don't expect me to pick Van Hagar just because someone labled it rock n roll.

I'd rather listen to Johnny Cash because he had something to say in his music. And when his music became bland cookie cutter Nashville corporate country in the 80's, I stopped listening. Thank God he made up for that in the last decade of his life with his Rick Rubin produced stuff.

BTW, Rick Rubin produced the Dixie Chicks album. Look at the guy's track record. Does he work with anyone who truly sucks??

[LoungeMachine]

If this is FL material, it's only by a thread....

And since there is NOTHING in the article about ticket sales tied to any political agenda, and no 2 members are marrying each other, or sneaking across the border to take ASSVibes job at Jiffy Lube, Im moving this to Music.


Where I'm sure it will be dumped faster than you can say LANDLSLIDE

[Redballjets88]

well to each his own FORD

Originally posted by LoungeMachine


and no 2 members are marrying each other,

actually one of my favorite bands, The Locust has two of the male members married

[rustoffa]

Welp, whatever their motivation, they've sure polarized the demographic that fed the one chick PORK CHOPS.

IMO, the whole fucking deal was another RORSACH test cuntpliments of the machine.

Rick Rubin doesn't come cheap, and cuntveniently specializes in PINK FLOYD album cover irony.

Word to the Dixie Chicks:

Invest.

[Bill Lumbergh]

Shitty music is shitty music whether you share their views or not.......

[monkeythe]

I had the misfortune of taking my wife to a Dixie Chciks show iat MSG a few years back because the opening act was my wifes favorite, Michelle Branch. I'll give them credit for having a nice stage set up that was in the round but it was absolute torture sitting through that show. My wife has taken me to some bad shows (ex: N Synch) but the Chicks were by far the worst to see.

By the way, I've returned the favor of taking her to some shows that she couldn't stand (Anthrax, Priest, Queensryche, Dream Theater).

[The_KiD]

I cannot stand these bitches...

KiD

[EAT MY ASSHOLE]

Originally posted by FORD
Actually, the song was called "Goodbye Earl", and I thought it was a great song. They actually took a serious subject (killing an abusive pig wife beating bastard) and made a hilarious song out of it.

I agree. Great song. Written by one of the best pro songwriters out there, Doug Lynde I believe. Also wrote Presley's "Burning Love".

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by FORD

BTW, Rick Rubin produced the Dixie Chicks album. Look at the guy's track record. Does he work with anyone who truly sucks??

Yes, metallica.

[Redballjets88]

Originally posted by EbDawson
Yes, metallica.

hahaha yes

[FORD]

Originally posted by EbDawson
Yes, metallica.

OK, but that wasn't Rubin's fault. Bob Rock made them suck.

[Redballjets88]

no metallica made metallica suck. they didnt have to do exactly what he said, ...just like no one blames Donn Landee for van hagar sucking, the band desides what to do

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by FORD
OK, but that wasn't Rubin's fault. Bob Rock made them suck.

True. They were/are a lost cause when he took over.

[matt19]

Who didnt see that coming? They totally alienated their core fanbase.

[Terry]

It's just sad that anyone would even take what the tubby little one said two years ago seriously to begin with, never mind still getting upset about it.

They're entertainers.

I don't automatically think their ticket sales being lower than expected correlates to what they said about Bush, either. Concert ticket sales have been off the last few years for A LOT of mainstream acts...mostly because they are overpriced to begin with, so the people that would generally see a half dozen or more shows a year only go to see one or two now.

Anything more than $50 for a show is a ripoff, period. I don't give a shit WHO it is.