Dixie Chicks tour struggling in several markets

By Ray Waddell
31 minutes ago

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Initial ticket sales for the Dixie Chicks'
upcoming tour are far below expectations and several dates will likely
be canceled or postoned.

Puzzla...

Just shows a lot of people are lemmings. They love the music (CD sales),
but don't want their friends to know.

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.