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Why is everyone doing stadium tours now???


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Old 08-02-2016, 04:25
John_Lochery
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its annoying me now lol. i hate stadiums and now Rihanna and Beyonce have both announced stadium tours!! whats worst is in Scotland they are doing Hampden Park which is massive and means you're not guaranteed a decent view. And while im thankful they are not missing out Scotland anymore, it kinda annoys me that we built the Hydro and now all of a sudden they decide to do stadium tours [i know Beyonce did the Hydro in 2014 as i was there]

i am thankful they are coming to Scotland, i just hate stadiums!! Anyone else feel the same??? Really hope P!nk doesnt follow suit
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Old 08-02-2016, 07:22
unique
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everyone isn't doing stadium tours, only a small amount of artists do. this is for a number of reasons. stadiums are only allowed a license to hold a limited number of concerts due to noise levels and availbility (as of course they are primarily there for sporting events), they cost a fortune to hire so promoters will only arrange those types of tours if they are certain there is enough demand, otherwise they will stick to arena shows

the hydro and SECC aren't great venues either. you can get better views at hampden than at the hydro or SECC depending on where you are

the problem with popular artists is ticket sales will be in demand so promoters will often book bigger venues. the alternative may be arena shows which aren't much better, and less chance of getting a ticket. so they could play they hydro and you don't get a ticket
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Old 08-02-2016, 09:04
Cloudy2
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I found the hydro to be an excellent concert venue, I've never been in the 'gods' but I've always had excellent views and the sound is much better than the SECC, it has also been a big success.

Op I'm not sure everyone is doing stadium tours, it's summer and it cuts the number of tour dates down whilst annoying fans makes you wonder why they do it at all, especially female acts, they are rarely good in stadium. it is perhaps different for a rock act.

from what I hear Rihanna is not selling well so good views are a possibility.
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Old 08-02-2016, 09:17
MissAyrshire
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I've been in the 'gods' once at the Hydro and still got a good view
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Old 08-02-2016, 09:20
Cloudy2
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Hi missayrshire did you enjoy Madonna.
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Old 08-02-2016, 09:24
MissAyrshire
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Hi missayrshire did you enjoy Madonna.
I did, thanks for asking. I still can't believe I've seen her live
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Old 08-02-2016, 10:29
Jambo_c
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I don't like stadiums or arenas and I'll avoid them unless it's a band I absolutely love. The smaller the venue the better as far as I'm concerned. So glad I managed to catch The Libertines at Rock City in September so didn't have to bother with their arena gigs.
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Old 08-02-2016, 12:32
Tejas
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Simple answer - more money for less effort! You'd have to play several nights at an arena to sell that many tickets which means more work for the artist.

I'm not really surprised if Rihanna's struggling to sell tickets though, she's probably been away for too long to sell out such massive venues - and aside from the way it appeared, the new album hasn't been that well received to justify them.
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Old 08-02-2016, 13:25
unique
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Simple answer - more money for less effort!
not necessarily. artists are usually paid a fee from the promoter for the show. they could potentially get the same fee for a stadium show as an arena show, as they are ultimately doing the same thing. it all comes down to managers negotiating with promoters. larger venues cost more to hire and it can take more effort to shift tickets




You'd have to play several nights at an arena to sell that many tickets which means more work for the artist.

I'm not really surprised if Rihanna's struggling to sell tickets though, she's probably been away for too long to sell out such massive venues - and aside from the way it appeared, the new album hasn't been that well received to justify them.
it's the promoters job to get the tickets sold, and they book the artist and venue. they wouldn't do that unless they thought they could profit from it
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Old 08-02-2016, 15:27
pmw_hewitt
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It is true that any successful act can tour stadia now, whereas in the past it was reserved purely for the absolute elite.

The simple reason is that in the past, tours promoted albums, nowadays albums essentially promote tours - an experience one can't illegally download or listen for next-to-nothing on Spotify and the sort.

But not only that: in the globalised world as we now know it, a "world tour" is exactly that, with practically every corner of the planet covered. Compare it to The Beatles, who only saw about nine or ten countries in their entire touring career - nowadays some acts can do that in two or three weeks.

Thus, the size of the shows, plus the sheer amount of places a "world tour" now constitutes, stadiums are vital; otherwise a world tour never ends!
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Old 08-02-2016, 17:20
anthony david
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It's the only way to make money, digital music is just too easy to copy so it's just a promotion for the live events.
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Old 09-02-2016, 07:05
Thorney
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I have only been to one stadium gig in my life and it was the worst ever and annoyinging it was on of my favourite bands ever REM, they could have been anybody, could hardly see them or hear them and no atmosphere at all. That was at Murrayfield.
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Old 09-02-2016, 07:31
unique
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I have only been to one stadium gig in my life and it was the worst ever and annoyinging it was on of my favourite bands ever REM, they could have been anybody, could hardly see them or hear them and no atmosphere at all. That was at Murrayfield.
murrayfield is an awful venue for concerts. it's just concrete and steel and almost guaranteed to rain. i saw REM there, down the front and it was okay. the tent show(s?) they did on glasgow green or wherever where much better. the stirling castle shows were pretty good and they did a dvd of them. there was another one near loch lomond or somewhere and mike mills was getting pissed off at drunks throwing pints about. that's another problem you get with large gigs. more idiots and drunk people. more fairweather fans amongst more faithful fans

one of the few bands i found were good in a stadium was u2 at hampden, but it was the first time i saw them and i was front row and it was a beautiful day so all those aspects made it a good day and a good gig. but i also saw george michael there and was at the front, but with a huge stage and walkway platform he wasn't that close most of the time. the earls court gigs were miles better (the "final 2" even though he did one or 2 shows after them!) even though i was at the back for one of them. the view and atmosphere was just miles better. he also had great video screens which worked miles better inside in the dark and i thought being further back was better than being up close. i suppose it's like seeing pink floyd or roger waters front row, or sitting front row at the theatre, you don't get to see everything properly
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Old 09-02-2016, 07:45
dearmrman
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murrayfield is an awful venue for concerts. it's just concrete and steel and almost guaranteed to rain. i saw REM there, down the front and it was okay. the tent show(s?) they did on glasgow green or wherever where much better. the stirling castle shows were pretty good and they did a dvd of them. there was another one near loch lomond or somewhere and mike mills was getting pissed off at drunks throwing pints about. that's another problem you get with large gigs. more idiots and drunk people. more fairweather fans amongst more faithful fans

one of the few bands i found were good in a stadium was u2 at hampden, but it was the first time i saw them and i was front row and it was a beautiful day so all those aspects made it a good day and a good gig. but i also saw george michael there and was at the front, but with a huge stage and walkway platform he wasn't that close most of the time. the earls court gigs were miles better (the "final 2" even though he did one or 2 shows after them!) even though i was at the back for one of them. the view and atmosphere was just miles better. he also had great video screens which worked miles better inside in the dark and i thought being further back was better than being up close. i suppose it's like seeing pink floyd or roger waters front row, or sitting front row at the theatre, you don't get to see everything properly
I saw Madonna at Wembley Stadium right at the very front...never again, great view until the concert started, people started pushing up against you, crushing you against the barrier, then some started passing out, and as they carry them over your head to get treatment boots/shoes in the face, back of the head it was not fun.
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Old 09-02-2016, 10:16
Glawster2002
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I don't like stadiums or arenas and I'll avoid them unless it's a band I absolutely love. The smaller the venue the better as far as I'm concerned. So glad I managed to catch The Libertines at Rock City in September so didn't have to bother with their arena gigs.
I always look at it that you go to a small venue to see the band, you go to a stadium to see the show.
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Old 09-02-2016, 10:23
Max Love
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To make as much money as they can?
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Old 09-02-2016, 12:01
mgvsmith
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I would have to agree and say that most artists don't do stadium gigs because not many artists are able to command a stadium. Watching the Superbowl though Beyonce looks like she could do it ok and Coldplay aren't bad although they do seem to be U2 lite at times.

U2 at Croke Park is a great gig and U2 are the best stadium band I've seen.
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Old 09-02-2016, 13:53
unique
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I saw Madonna at Wembley Stadium right at the very front...never again, great view until the concert started, people started pushing up against you, crushing you against the barrier, then some started passing out, and as they carry them over your head to get treatment boots/shoes in the face, back of the head it was not fun.
personally I find at a large gig, front row is the spot for me, as you have a less obstructive view apart from when security are in front of you, you have the barrier to hold onto, no-one in front of you to squash against, you get a bit more air and space because of it, and it's people in the 2 or 3 rows behind you that are usually the "barrier" that pushes people back a bit. in stadium and outdoor gigs they usually have a second barrier so the first so many people are penned into an area, and usually given a wristband either upon going in, so that reduces the amount of people who can push

I've not seen many people getting passed over barriers the last few years but I've avoided stadium gigs as much as possible. it's usually folk getting too drunk before the show

if you are say 5th row standing in the middle in front of the stage it's one of the most uncomfortable spots. personally if its GA standing I'd rather stand at the back and get some space if I'm not going to be front row
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Old 09-02-2016, 23:19
glyn9799
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I don't mind a stadium tour, although it really does depend on the artist.

Pink, Robbie, Madonna - Amazing stadium acts.
Rihanna - Not so much.

I think Beyonce could be pretty good though. I'm looking forward to that
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Old 10-02-2016, 04:04
spaceygal
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I despise stadium concerts and wouldn't go to another one if you paid me. I remember going to Madonna's Girlie Show tour at Wembley Stadium in 1993. Hours of standing and waiting in a crush and then seeing her as a dot a mile away. Even the big screens either side of the stage seemed far away and I wasn't even halfway down the pitch! Completely pointless going. I saw Paul Weller at Crystal Park stadium a few years later and, even though I was much nearer the front and had a decent view of him onstage the whole place still felt empty of atmosphere and the sound quality was awful. There were about 10 support acts and they all sounded bad, so it was the venue not the acts. To me stadium shows are a total waste of time and money. You pay a fortune to see a dot on a stage and lousy sound quality. I really can't think of a single artist I would pay to go and see at a stadium ever again. Even large arenas like the O2 in London are bad enough. I've been in some of the best seats you can get in arenas for artists like Girls Aloud, Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi but the stage still seemed not that close (as the venues are so wide) and the atmosphere just feels flat in such a cavernous venue! Cardiff's Arena is my favourite arena as it's not as big as many other arenas. I much prefer smaller venues though. I saw Madonna again at Birmingham's NIA during her MDNA tour. Yes, an arena but smaller than London's O2 or the NEC or whatever it's called these days and I was right by the runway so saw her up close. Unless I can see the face of the artist(s) I'm going to watch there's no point me going, I may as well just get the DVD, but that's just me. I'm going to see Mariah Carey in Cardiff next month. As I said, a much smaller arena than most and I'll be 7 rows from the stage so that, for me, is worth shelling out the money for.
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Old 10-02-2016, 09:15
Glawster2002
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I despise stadium concerts and wouldn't go to another one if you paid me. I remember going to Madonna's Girlie Show tour at Wembley Stadium in 1993. Hours of standing and waiting in a crush and then seeing her as a dot a mile away. Even the big screens either side of the stage seemed far away and I wasn't even halfway down the pitch! Completely pointless going. I saw Paul Weller at Crystal Park stadium a few years later and, even though I was much nearer the front and had a decent view of him onstage the whole place still felt empty of atmosphere and the sound quality was awful. There were about 10 support acts and they all sounded bad, so it was the venue not the acts. To me stadium shows are a total waste of time and money. You pay a fortune to see a dot on a stage and lousy sound quality. I really can't think of a single artist I would pay to go and see at a stadium ever again. Even large arenas like the O2 in London are bad enough. I've been in some of the best seats you can get in arenas for artists like Girls Aloud, Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi but the stage still seemed not that close (as the venues are so wide) and the atmosphere just feels flat in such a cavernous venue! Cardiff's Arena is my favourite arena as it's not as big as many other arenas. I much prefer smaller venues though. I saw Madonna again at Birmingham's NIA during her MDNA tour. Yes, an arena but smaller than London's O2 or the NEC or whatever it's called these days and I was right by the runway so saw her up close. Unless I can see the face of the artist(s) I'm going to watch there's no point me going, I may as well just get the DVD, but that's just me. I'm going to see Mariah Carey in Cardiff next month. As I said, a much smaller arena than most and I'll be 7 rows from the stage so that, for me, is worth shelling out the money for.
The problem is, of course, that stadiums are designed as sports venues and not music arenas and most of the stadium events I have been to the sound has been awful.

I'd say the one exception was Roger Waters doing The Wall a couple of years ago @ Wembley Stadium, the sound was absolutely spot on, so it can be done if someone is prepared to pay the money, and the whole event was simply stunning. But then with something like The Wall, the band isn't the focus of the show.

I agree with you about The Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, though, because of its size it is a great venue although many of the larger shows won't fit in there.
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Old 10-02-2016, 12:05
shankly123
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It would take something really special to get me to a stadium gig (Led Zeppelin reform?) - fortunately there are plenty of good bands touring who play at theatres and art centres and only change £20 or so, so I go to them. Most of the acts mentioned above hold no interest to me, so I don't care where they play. The last stadium gig I went to was the Stones in 1990 and even the large arenas lack atmosphere and decent sound in most cases. I saw Bob Dylan at the Echo Arena in Liverpool a few years back and, whilst I enjoyed it, I'd rather see him at a theatre.
When I was young, I saw even the biggest bands play in theatres - Zeppelin, Floyd etc. It's a shame those days are over.
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Old 10-02-2016, 16:39
Thorney
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Same it would have to be something like The Smiths reforming , I can't see me ever doing one again tbh
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Old 10-02-2016, 22:25
ScottishWoody
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Stadium tours can be brilliant shows. Only downside is because we live so far north it doesn't get dark til late, so the first half of the concert which often has light shows is too light to notice.

The first time I seen coldplay at hampden it was a gorgeous hot and sunny day. The second time I saw coldplay at the stadium of light it was torrential rain, and I mean torrential! Still though, once your wet your wet and coldplay put on an amazing show. Going to see them again this year at hampden again, as well as rihanna.
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