Despite their popularity and the need to promote their upcoming album This is Why, Paramore have opted for a miniscule jaunt around the UK and Ireland with only 6 dates on their first UK tour in around 5 years. With their last gig in Newcastle in 2010, many fans anticipated a visit to the North East for the American band, especially in a stadium tour (if the North East is blessed with one thing, it’s a plethora of stadiums!). So why is the North East forgotten in favour for other cities despite the obvious demand?
After the pandemic, many industries struggled to return to the way that life once was, and with the sharp rise in the cost of living, the world is a difficult place to thrive in – a fact that musicians are deeply aware of. With the rise of streaming and the plummet of physical album sales, most artists make their profit through touring and merchandise. But with a rise in the rate of inflation, the expenses of touring are outweighing the profit meaning artists are postponing and even cancelling entire tours. Lil Simz was forced to cancel her US tour in April citing financial reasons in her Twitter statement: “I pay for everything encompassing my live performances out of my own pocket and touring the US for a month would leave me in a huge deficit”.
But with a rise in the rate of inflation, the expenses of touring are outweighing the profit
Despite the end of lockdown and the freedom to tour the world once again, artists are still at the mercy of Covid-19 as insurers will not pay out if a show is cancelled due to the virus. If a stadium show is cancelled due to Covid, the loss can be between £2.5-4 million. With such a brutal loss, it’s no surprise that artists are cancelling shows and dialling back their tours.
While Northern fans are very much aware of their presence and the demand for artists to tour up North, many times cities such as Manchester are chosen for concerts instead. With scaling back their tours, artists are perhaps choosing the more well-known cities and with Manchester known as the home of Northern music, it is the first place considered for a Northern gig. This, however, rockets the cost of attending a concert for a fan from the North-East due to travel and accomodation.
Both artists and fans are struggling in today's financial climate, where gigs used to be a fun and relatively cheap way to enjoy music, for the North East fan, their favourite artist's tour announcement can be a set-up for disappointment.