For the first time since 2007, U2, Madonna and the Rolling Stones are all sitting out touring the U.S., and with Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift also off the road, the concert business will have to get by this summer without a sure-thing megastar.
"Some of the artists who've been iconic multiple arena and stadium acts — we're not seeing that in North America," says John Meglen, president of global touring for concert promoter AEG Live.
"But there's a lot of good talent selling out arenas right now." (Industry sources have confirmed to Rolling Stone that
Beyonce and Jay Z are planning a joint tour together, though no details have been worked out as of press time.)
Making up for this top-tier deficiency may be One Direction, which graduates to baseball parks and football stadiums. The superstar boy band will do more than 30 such shows, many of them sold out, which has helped Live Nation, the industry's biggest promoter, expand its stadium concerts from 30 in 2013 to 55 this year. Plus,
Billy Joel, Eminem/Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Cher, Fall Out Boy/Paramore, Nine Inch Nails/Soundgarden and a slew of country stars, including [B]Jason Aldean,[/B] have sold well and given breadth to the summer season. "We've got some macro-economic tailwinds that are being helpful," says Bob Roux, Live Nation's co-president of U.S. concerts.
"There's a generous number of high-value artists touring in the U.S. as a result of the good economy here."
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