596 replies to this topic

[mwhedon]

Cher had one long farewell tour, not many. Cher did not say she was retiring, she said she wasn't touring anymore.

I, for one, am happy that Cher chose to do a long tour charging, basically, $35-$55-$75 a ticket, unless she was in someplace like Las Vegas or New York where it's customary to charge more. (Rather than charge $60 to $350/$450   or charge $100,$200,$350 and $750 a ticket)

Cher's tour was about 2 years and 10 months long (June 2002 to April 30, 2005). The Rolling Stones Bigger Bang tour (fall 2005 to Aug 26,2007) and U2's Vertigo tour (March 28, 2005 to Dec 9, 2006) were both almost 2 years long and I haven't read anything negative about there length.
- -  according to Pollstar the Stones average ticket price in 2005 was $133.98, 2006 $136.63 and $119.20 in 2002 on their 40 Licks tour. U2 charged an average of $96.92 in 2005. In 2006 Madonna tickets averaged $183.76, $143.59 in 2004 and $123.91 in 2001, Streisand averaged $298.36 in 2006. Bette Midler in 2004 averaged $99.12. Cher's Farewell tour averaged $68.34 (2002 $71.89, 2003 $65.91, 2004 $65.19 and 2005 $70.37)

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Billboard.biz By Susanne Ault

Cher's Farewell Tour Is 'Living Proof' Of Popularity

September 07, 2002
Following a highly successful 54-date first leg, Cher is extending her "farewell" tour by adding 42 more dates in a move that should place her among the top few touring artists of the year.

Cher's parting is sweet sorrow for tour producer Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE), with the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour grossing $44 million on the initial leg and $25 million-$30 million projected for the second.

Those numbers beat the results for Cher's last national road trip—1999's 64-date, $44.7 million-grossing Believe. After 26 dates, Cher is currently averaging $882,318 per show, placing her eighth among all 2002 touring artists.

"Anytime you have an artist with the desire and physical ability to perform live as we're doing, where the audience is giving her unbelievable feedback [that is] making her want to get out there and work, then you're going to get one of the most successful tours of 2002," says Brad Wavra, VP of CCE's Los Angeles-based touring division.

READYING FOR ROUND THREE?

Typical of her lavish leanings, Cher does want to go out with a bang. "So many cities sold out right away that it seemed we should have done more shows," Cher tells Billboard. "We originally did just two Madison Square Gardens, and now we're doing two more. It's the same in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and a lot of other places. I'm only doing one farewell tour, and nobody said that it had to be brief."

Currently, Cher's handlers are hinting at unspooling a third U.S. show block. It would hit after a probable international excursion, which is shaping up for sometime in 2003.

That would make sense, considering that this next extension—kicking off Sept. 27 at Manitoba, Canada's Winnipeg Arena—appears not to be satisfying all of Cher's fans. The two upcoming Oct. 17-18 dates at New York's Madison Square Garden essentially sold out within days—and that followed two sold-out dates June 26-27. Then, 7,000 tickets flew the first day of Dallas' American Airlines arena onsale for a Nov. 22 show before folks had the chance to review her Aug. 23 performance there.

"It would be great if she just stayed in New York for a month," says Madison Square Garden senior VP of entertainment Joel Peresman, who is in discussions with CCE about possibly getting in on a third Cher leg. "That's just me being selfish—but unquestionably, we'd do one more show."

As it stands, Cher will have played six New York-area dates (or two full stadiums) by the time the second leg wraps Dec. 21 at a yet-to-be-announced venue.

Roger Davies, Cher's manager, says there are 60 more U.S. cities clamoring for her to stop by, even though her second leg mostly covers different ground from her first. Not all shows have been confirmed, but it is expected that a dozen of the 42 will be repeats.

"We're looking at traveling into next year—Europe, Australia, New Zealand . . . If that happens, we'll look at doing more secondary [American] markets," Davies explains, pointing out that these cities "don't get a lot of the big tours and would get very excited."

On the waiting list for further Cher routing are, among others, Wilkes Barre, Pa.; Lubbock, Texas; and Charlotte, N.C. Pumping up the tour to 96 dates is welcome relief for arena managers, who have complained throughout the years that marquee artists do not tour enough. (Right now, Bruce Springsteen has scheduled 46 dates; Paul McCartney, 49.)

"Any time you do more than 50, it's a surprise," Wavra acknowledges. "But once we saw the show delivering, it was apparent it should continue."

Wavra says Farewell is faring so well because Cher is being her "Cher-ific" self, pointing out that she has gained fame not just in music—normally enough of a reason to attract folks for a concert—but in film (winning an Academy Award in 1987 for best actress for her role in Moonstruck) and TV (with such programs as the hit '70s show The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour).

Impressively, Cher is reeling them in while venue managers grumble about economic conditions cutting into their usual building capacities on such normally popular summer shows as Anger Management and Ozzfest.

"The economy is tough out there, but people want to get on this," Peresman says. "Here's a woman who's been around in entertainment since the 1960s and comes into 2002 and does arena business. Maybe there are a handful of others that can do this—the Stones, the Who—but to think we can put Cher in that league? It's weird but true."

With 14 trucks, 10 buses, and 100 production people—larger than 1999's extravagant Believe—Farewell seems to have all the bells and whistles a Cher fan would want. Cyndi Lauper is opening most nights, and rare Cher film footage is displayed on stage.

KEEPING IT AFFORDABLE

Besides that, Davies says Farewell is packing them in because tickets are reasonably priced. And this is despite the fact that the show is being billed as a last-chance event. "It's been a bit of a rough summer . . . so one of the things that's been good is that we haven't overpriced it—it would be hard for people to buy a $250 ticket," he says of the tickets. Prices range from $35 to $125, and this remains in effect for Cher's second leg.

"We've talked about this—Cher has a lot of fans around the country that couldn't afford [something higher]. You'd have to play to a more elite audience, but she has a big following in the Midwest," Davies adds. "She's an icon, with hits [for] over four decades. That covers a pretty broad cross-section."

A big part of Cher's Farewell marketing strategy is drumming up excitement about her in the small cities. CCE senior director of tour marketing John Riccardi knows that the primary markets are a slam dunk for Cher, who "traditionally calls to mind this cosmopolitan image—a diva. So we're trying to reach outside the tried-and-true. There are people who are in secondary or tertiary markets who've never had the chance to see her live."

Riccardi believes that heavy radio, TV, and Internet advertising in these small areas led the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., to move 13,000 Farewell tickets on the first day of its Sept. 28 onsale.

"We knew she'd do well," Davies says. "We just never knew how well. Sales have been fantastic."
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Billboard.biz By Ray Waddell

November 08, 2003
Her Farewell tour may have been a long goodbye, but parting has been a sweet sorrow for Cher, who will rank among the top touring acts for the second consecutive year.

With 200 concerts that grossed $145 million and drew 2.2 million people, an Emmy Award-winning TV special and a new record deal with Warner Bros., Cher continues to break down barriers.

"This is the biggest tour in history by a female artist," says Brad Wavra, VP of touring for Clear Channel Entertainment, producer of the tour. "She crushed any other female [touring] artist."

Numbers back the claim—a testament to Cher's stamina and box-office clout. Top female touring artists Tina Turner ($108 million in 2000), Madonna ($74 million, 2001), Janet Jackson ($41 million, 2001) and Britney Spears ($43.7 million, 2002) did not scale such financial heights as Cher's.

The success of the tour even caught Cher's handlers off guard.

"No question that everyone is surprised at how well it's done," says Lindsay Scott, who co-manages Cher with Roger Davies. "It's sort of like 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'—not stylistically, but in that it's taking on a cult status. People keep coming back."

The North American trek—which was to conclude Halloween night for 25,000 people at the Sky Tent in Toronto—was marked by repeat plays, multi-night stands, tour extensions and financial successes in markets of all sizes, from New York to Billings, Mont.

With a total of about $70 million in box office for the year, Cher will rank among the elite of touring acts in 2003. She finished second behind Paul McCartney last year, according to numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore (Billboard, Dec. 28, 2002).

Cher's relentless road work has also helped keep her current platinum release, "The Very Best of Cher," camped out on The Billboard 200 chart for 30 weeks. There was also an Emmy-winning NBC TV special that drew 17 million viewers. A two-hour A&E Biography special is on tap for Nov. 9.

Scott says ticket and album sales have enjoyed a synergistic relationship. "One has fed off the other. They both remind everybody of all these wonderful songs."

The response to the tour also indirectly led to Cher signing to Warner Bros. America after a stint on Warner Bros. U.K. That deal ended with her "Living Proof" release in 2001.

Scott says Warner chairman/CEO Tom Whalley came to a Cher show and observed the response. He thought that "if she comes with the right record, it could do very well. So she's a Warner Bros. America recording artist now, a new deal."

REPEAT ENGAGEMENT

Even concert industry veterans are impressed by what the tour has accomplished.

"We started out with two shows in June of 2002. She came back in October for two more shows, then came back this past June for two more," says Joel Peresman, senior VP of Entertainment for Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Within a year she sold out six shows here," Peresman continues. "When you think of the acts that can do that kind of business, there aren't many."

The tour may be best remembered for its equal-opportunity approach to routing. It is one thing to play four times in South Florida, five times in Chicago and six times in Boston. But Cher also put up big numbers in such markets as Trenton, N.J.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Des Moines, Iowa; Moline, Ill.; Reading, Pa.; and Memphis.

"Every place we could possibly put this show, we've played it," Wavra says. "We did two shows in Council Bluffs, Iowa. We played Billings, Mont., twice in three months."

Scott adds, "I think she felt like if people still wanted to come see [the show], this would be their last chance. There was no difference in response from the crowd, whether it was Billings or New York."

So what was the tour's secret in spinning turnstiles from large markets to the hinterlands?

"Ticket pricing and the quality of the show Cher delivers," Wavra replies. "We had no ticket prices over $75, and the show is incredible."

For all its longevity, the Cher Farewell tour may still have some life in it yet. Cher plays Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena Jan. 2-3, 2004, with K.C. & the Sunshine Band and Village People, and some are hoping she may take the tour overseas.

"I know she wants to go to Australia and New Zealand, and I know she'd love to go to Europe and show this off," Wavra says. "Anything is possible, but nothing is confirmed."

Scott says, "Cher needs a break, and she's looking forward to that break. Then we'll see if anybody is interested."

But when she is done, she is likely done touring for good. "I really do believe this will be her last tour," Scott says. "She will perform, but she's not going to get on a bus and schlepp around America.
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Billboard Magazine
On The Road: Cher Tour Top Grosser Among Female Acts

May 28, 2005
As partings go, Cher's was such sweet sorrow, indeed.

And record-setting. It is safe to say that Cher just wrapped the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist.

The numbers generated on Cher's three-year Living Proof Farewell Tour are nothing short of remarkable. The tour concluded triumphantly April 29 and 30 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with two sellouts that grossed $2.8 million.

During the course of 280 shows in North America, Cher played to 2,880,726 fans and grossed $194,683,927. More impressively, she played to 92% of capacity and realized 90% of her gross potential on the road. From Albany, N.Y., to Yakima, Wash., Cher played virtually every feasible market in the country.

Brad Wavra, touring VP at Clear Channel Entertainment, promoted the North American dates. "No other female artist has ever come close to what she did," he tells Billboard. "Not Madonna, not Bette Midler, not Janet, not Whitney, not Tina, because she outworked them all."

Including European concerts (promoted by Barrie Marshall) and Australian shows (promoted by Michael Coppell), Cher played 325 dates, grossing well over $200 million and playing to more than 3 million people. Wavra is quick to point out that despite its length, this was one complete tour. "She might have taken a month or two off physically, but she was always on sale," he says. "It was the same show, the same production, the same crew, everything."

A $200 million-plus tour puts Cher in some pretty exclusive company for an act not known for extensive touring. "If Cher's in the same company as the Rolling Stones and U2, that ain't a bad place to be," Wavra says.

[celinesbabeinchrist]

I'm not a HUGE Cher fan, but she is good. No Celine of course but she is a good singer. No one is like Celiniepoo.

[No1IrishFan]

Hi guys

Do any of you intend on seeing Cher's show and if you already have what did you think of it?

[Nmj]

IDK.... I think Cher will better than Bette but there both absoluty not Celine

And Doesnt anyone else  find it funny that Caesars Palaces hired three entertainers to take the place of one (Celine) lol
-Nmj

[stevethefan]

I think it's ok that Cher is playing the Colosseum. I agree that it's taking three different acts to fill the void that Celine left!

If I go to LV I probably would not go to see Cher's show. I like her, but there are a lot of other shows I'd rather see there.

[Krys]

i'd rather go watch the Cirque Du Soleil shows

[bruno_oliveira]

tina turner isnt coming to vegas too??

[WaterFromTheMoon]

I never heard about Tina will be doing Las vegas  

[aicee]

Nmj, on May 8 2008, 06:21 AM, said:

IDK.... I think Cher will better than Bette but there both absoluty not Celine

And Doesnt anyone else  find it funny that Caesars Palaces hired three entertainers to take the place of one (Celine) lol
-Nmj

I agree. And to watch her performing @ Caesars will caused so much day dreaming for me. That I wish she will turn into Celine. Lol

[Nmj]

Lol Me too the Place is Celine's They should rename it  
"The Celine Dion Coloseum". She doesnt have to be there just her name will do.
-Nmj

[carthal]

aicee, on May 8 2008, 10:18 PM, said:

Nmj, on May 8 2008, 06:21 AM, said:

IDK.... I think Cher will better than Bette but there both absoluty not Celine

And Doesnt anyone else  find it funny that Caesars Palaces hired three entertainers to take the place of one (Celine) lol
-Nmj

I agree. And to watch her performing @ Caesars will caused so much day dreaming for me. That I wish she will turn into Celine. Lol

if ever i would go to LV, i would feel awkward watching anyone whos going to perform there and not celine. coliseum is to celine and celine only.

[aicee]

Did the 3 entertainers they hired knows that after Celine performing for 5 years @ Caesars. They permanently named it Caesars because of the popularity Celine brings to the coliseum.

[Davey84]

http://cher.yuku.com...-show-pics.html
http://www2.oprah.co...?promocode=HP51


Thanks to Mirage  


OOOOOOOOOh If I lived in the USA I would have already booked my ticket!!! I miss the colloseum!!! it's one year ago now!!!

[KimboCosmo]

I actually might be getting to see her show...one of my friends asked me yesterday if I'd wanna go with her to see her.  I love Cher, I saw her on her farewell tour, and it was amazing!  

[eliud82]

Tina is doing one show with Cher at the coliseum. Tina is going back on tour this summer.

Cher actually played at Ceasars Palace back in the late 1970's.  The show ran from 1979 to 1982, and at the time was the most successful show in vegas.  This when the shows took place in the hotel itself, and YEARS before the Coliseum was built.

Cher's show, is basically the Farewell Tour all over again, at least, when it comes to the set list. The outfits, like always, are beyound spectacular.  The stage was shortened, at least the part of the stage that was at an angle.  That dissapointed me, I like the big stage, becuse it was theatrical, You could do alot with that stage.  There's some structures infront on the big screen, hidden behind screens.  The band is on the wings of the stage not under it.

Cher's signed on for 3 years 200 shows, and the response has been so huge, that i've heard rumors that her run might be extended.  Cher has already set ticket sales records.  

I love Celine, but Cher is a better entertainer.  You go to see Celine, to hear her sing, you go to see Cher to watch an event.  I am not afraid to say that I was so excited for the Celine Dion DVD of her Vegas show, and was so dissapointed once I saw it. I had heard so much about it, and obviously the show had gone through some changes, for a show created by Dragone, I felt let down.  I've seen clips, and pics of Cher's new show, and her show looks more like a Cirque Du Soleil show.

[KimboCosmo]

LOL...yep, she confirmed it on Oprah yesterday    

I like Tina, but I'm not like in love with her or her music...some of her stuff is ok to me.  I'll go to see just Cher...

[stevethefan]

"Half breed!...that's all I ever heard...Half breed!"

[KimboCosmo]

Gypsies, tramps and theives....

[stevethefan]

Cher..the legend.

[KimboCosmo]

I got you babe...

[stevethefan]

Sonny et...

[KimboCosmo]

This is a different kind of love songgggggg

[stevethefan]

VAMP!

[KimboCosmo]

Believeeee  

[stevethefan]

"Snap out of it!"

[KimboCosmo]

LOL...

Cher has a potty mouth at her shows...well at least her concerts...but they were so funny...

When I went to her farewell tour, she said "Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson can't do what I do..."  then everyone got silent and she said "Brittany, eat this s***" and then her music started and the crowd went wildddddd LOL

[stevethefan]

Unbelievable...Simply unbelievable.

[Davey84]

eliud82, on May 10 2008, 01:51 AM, said:

I love Celine, but Cher is a better entertainer.  You go to see Celine, to hear her sing, you go to see Cher to watch an event.  I am not afraid to say that I was so excited for the Celine Dion DVD of her Vegas show, and was so dissapointed once I saw it. I had heard so much about it, and obviously the show had gone through some changes, for a show created by Dragone, I felt let down.  I've seen clips, and pics of Cher's new show, and her show looks more like a Cirque Du Soleil show.

Yeah that's true, cher 'gives' away a bigger show then Céline, her shows are more focussed on 'the voice' Well I agree with you, that the AND is kinda disappointing, but did you see the show for real? I don't think the DVD really catches the atmosphere in the Collosseum when Céline and her 50 dancers were on... that was truely amazing

Anywayz... What is the setlist of the Cher show? I hope she'll record and release that damn album she's been talking about for like a year now!   And that new songs will get into the setlist!

Oh and Steve and Kim... this isn't a SPAM thread!       

[KimboCosmo]

Davey, Who said it was?  

Edited by KimboCosmo, 12 May 2008 - 02:22 AM.

[Davey84]

DJ?? Kim... are you awake??? I might be 1/4 Indonesian, but that doesn't make me Indian