It’s Not Your Imagination Charlotte Really Is Left Off Of Major Concert Tours More Often Than Other Cities
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 17: (Editorial use only and no commercial use at any time. No use on publication covers is permitted after August 9, 2023.) Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona). The city of Glendale, Arizona was ceremonially renamed to Swift City for March 17-18 in honor of The Eras Tour.
I’ll never forget the moment Taylor Swift announced her Eras Tour just over a year ago, and Charlotte was missing from the schedule. It shouldn’t have been a surprise as she hadn’t been here on her last tour the reputation Stadium Tour either. But I had heard that it was in the works, especially since David Tepper is all about bringing concerts to Bank of America Stadium. But it wasn’t. She isn’t the only major touring artist to skip Charlotte on their major concert tours either.
Harry Styles, Eric Church avoided Charlotte for years, Morgan Wallen in 2023, Lady Gaga, and Lionel Richie are just some of the names that immediately come to mind. So if you’ve ever thought “Geez why does my favorite artist never come here” you’re probably not alone. And you’re also correct. Our friends Radical Storage conducted a study to see which cities really get excluded from the biggest tours.
To do this they reviewed more than 700 concert dates from 21 of the biggest music artists to see which cities they visited this year, canceled, or plan to visit in 2024. These are the most streamed artists on Spotify who have embarked on a “world tour” since 2015. They compared this list with a list of the largest cities. And the data confirmed that Charlotte is disproportionately left out of concert world tours. Here’s what Radical Storage found:
Top 5 most overlooked world tour destinations in the U.S.
- Fort Worth, Texas (97.9% of world tours skipped this city since 2015)
- Jacksonville, Florida (87.2%)
- San Antonio, Texas (74.5%)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (66%)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (63.8%)
On the other end of the spectrum, these were the cities that were seemingly always included:
Top 5 most popular U.S. world tour destinations
- = 1. Chicago, Illinois (80.9% of world tours played at this city since 2015)
- = 1. Houston, Texas (80.9%)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (70.2%)
- Dallas, Texas (59.6%)
- New York City, New York (55.3%)
There are seemingly new shows being announced daily in Charlotte. Gotta get those tickets on sale before the holidays! But even still Charlotte seems to miss out on some of the biggest concert tours around. Perhaps this changes soon? Taylor I need multiple Charlotte dates and none of this Ticketmaster “verified fan” crap (the worst thing to ever happen to ticket buying and it’s not even close). You can read more on the Radical Storage study here.
What Were The Hottest Concerts Of 2023?
The past two years saw the return of touring, and many acts have hit the road with a vengeance. There have been amazing live performances, with some of the biggest artists returning to the road. Some tours were delayed due to COVID-19, while some musicians happened to take a long hiatus from performing altogether. Whatever the reason, in 2023, musicians across all genres of music announced world tours and stadium tours.
Pop legends like Madonna and Janet Jackson are touring on a global scale, as are younger artists like Harry Styles and Morgan Wallen. Popularity with K-pop and Latin artists has brought musicians from both genres to have successful tours in 2023. Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Pink and the Cure have all been on the road this year as well.
There is, of course, massive hype around Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Her shows last three-and-a-half hours as she covers all aspects of her career, from country to pop to indie. With her two “surprise songs” each night, fans are always eager to find out what songs she’ll choose for that segment. On top of that, her timing is impeccable for fans “itching for a post-pandemic live music immersive experience.” Another factor is how much Swifties appreciate Taylor’s dedication to her craft: writing all her songs and reclaiming ownership of all of her music by re-recording her discography. Fans have also been buying and streaming the new versions of her old songs and the bonus tracks on her re-recorded versions of her albums.
Secondary ticket market site Gametime released data showcasing the Top 10 Concert Tours of the year based on average ticket prices on their site. Take a look below at which ten music artists have the hottest concert tickets of 2023 so far, based on the prices of their tickets on Gametime.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
