From Beyoncé to Harry Styles: Why stars are choosing stadiums over arenas

In 2022, Wembley, the UK’s largest stadium, will host as many gigs as football matches.

16 sold out concerts, including Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, with 1.3 million tickets purchased.

They now have to submit a planning application to Haringey Council to ensure the show can proceed.

Pioneered by the Beatles in 1965, the stadium tour was once a booking for pop’s biggest stars, including Michael Jackson, Madonna and Eminem, but in recent years it has overtaken arenas and become the number one major tour of the UK. it’s an option.

Sunderland AFC Chief Operating Officer Steve Davidson said:

“The costs of these massive world tours are enormous. [artists] To pay for that, we have to sell out the bigger venues,” he adds.

Davidson said the Stadium of Light can hold 60,000 people for regular concerts and has helped attract artists like Beyoncé and Pink to the northeast of England this summer.

“We have the space, we are in the city center, it is attractive [concert] Promoters,” says Davidson.

He also notes that artists put more effort into staging and production.

“Some artists come with 90 HGV trucks. We have space to accommodate them all,” he adds.

Beyoncé fans predict online that her Renaissance World Tour stage will be 174 feet (53 m) wide and 84 feet long, not including the runway and an additional small stage.

Compare this to her final arena tour in 2013. This time the main her stage was less than half the size of Stadium 1 she had predicted (76ft x 49ft).

So not only is the arena not enough space to accommodate all those tracks, the stage is too big.

“They have to go from one venue to another and get in and out very quickly, which saves them money,” adds Steve.

But big tours come with big risks, says Wembley stadium director Liam Boylan.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” he told the BBC.

Promoters are responsible for organizing live events and ensuring ticket sales. They need to weigh whether interest in a particular artist is high enough to fill a seat.

“Promoters will say, ‘I guarantee you a lot of money,’ but if the show doesn’t sell, they’ll be held accountable,” Boylan added.

John Cornwell has been working as a music promoter for over 25 years, touring artists such as Muse, Blink 182 and Kings of Leon. His job was to figure out where Arctic his Monkees would appear as they begin their full stadium tour in the UK this summer.

“The demand for the band is huge. We have sold half a million tickets in England and Wales alone,” he told the BBC.

The Glastonbury headliners will stop at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate Stadium, Norwich City’s Carrow Road Stadium and Middlesborough FC’s Riverside Stadium (three towns and cities that currently have no arena venues).

“We wanted more fans to see the band and be on tour, not just in Sheffield, London or Manchester,” he adds.

He also said that stadiums give artists’ production teams more freedom to “design the staging and sound to provide the best possible experience for fans at each venue.”

“For example, the placement of the sound system can be tailored to the specific acoustic characteristics of each venue,” he adds.

However, the main drawback of touring at stadiums is the limited time available for artists to choose from. Concerts cannot interfere with the main business of the venue: sports.

“trying to match [concerts] It’s hard to put it on your calendar. Because they kill the football pitch,” Boylan said.

He says Beyoncé’s team wanted Wembley, but her proposed tour dates clashed with the FA Cup.

“People are doing stadium tours, so they tend to go on world tours, so managers and agents have to solve this giant jigsaw puzzle.”

His team’s solution was to increase the number of concerts they could hold each year from 16 to 24 to accommodate more touring artists.

Stadium tours show no sign of stopping, but Steve Davidson says he’s “really worried about promoter pricing.”

“We haven’t priced general admission tickets, which are often over £100. Match day tickets are £29. That’s a big difference,” he says.

He added that even if the show provided a big boost to trade around Sunderland, promoters would need to be reminded that “there’s less disposable income here than in London.”

Boylan said Wembley Stadium has been hit by rising energy costs. This means venue rental prices will rise and consumers will receive bills.

“As venue operators, we care about disposable income and don’t want to set prices higher than people do, but we need to cover the costs,” he says.

“We know very well what’s going on in the world and what people have to put up with.”