Usher cancels Aussie tour – were high prices or too many stars to blame?

• American R&B star Usher has canned his Aussie tour.
• Promoters and Ticketek are offering full refunds.
• Were high prices or an overcrowded market in Australia to blame?

American R&B singer Usher has cancelled his upcoming Australian tour – but no-one was saying why.

Australia’s appetite for bit tours seems to be huge. But there had been complaints about high ticket prices.

From October onwards, Australia will see massive tours from the likes of AC/DC, Oasis, Kendrick Lamar, Metallica, Addison Rae, Mariah Carey and Franz Ferdinand.

So far, ticket sales have appeared to be strong.

So Usher’s cancellation is a puzzle.

The background

Real name Usher Raymond IV, he was to play six dates at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and a further six shows at Sydney’s SuperDome in November and December.

That’s a big ask – especially with the likes of Oasis in town at the same time.

Why did he cancel? Neither the artist nor promoters have given a reason for the cancellation. Promoter Live Nation has not answered questions.

The Ticketek website states that ticketholders will receive an automatic refund on the cards used to purchase their tickets. Read their full statement below.

Were high ticket prices to blame?

One clue might be prices.

He was said to be charging and eye-watering ‘Ultimate Meet and Greet VIP Lounge Experience’ for $2792.85. 

Taylor Swift’s Australian Eras Tour in 2024 charged VIP packages from $349.99 to $1249.90, depending on the included benefits, though there were no meet and greet opportunities.

According to The Daily Mail, Australian fans complained about prices saying:  ‘The prices for the tour in general is absolutely ridiculous, I was going to take my mum but $600+ for two people is absurd.’

Usher’s promoters were offering a wide range of tickets, including $530.05 for premium reserve seating and $203.80 for B reserve seating.

Other ticket prices, detailed on the Ticketek website, included a seat for $285.40 or $224.20.

The tour would have been Usher’s first headlining tour Down Under since 2011. The singer was last in the country back in 2018, performing alongside the likes of Salt-N-Pepa, T-Pain and Naughty By Nature for the RNB Fridays Live tour. 

Usher’s Present and Future tour is currently in Europe and the UK after opening in the US.

Initially announced as an eight-date tour in early May, a further four shows were added due to high demand in the pre-sale period.

Ticketek issued the following statement:

 USHER’S Past Present Future Tour Cancelled

The promoter of USHER’s Australian Tour regrets to advise that the scheduled shows to take place in November/ December, will no longer be proceeding.

REFUND PROCESS
All tickets purchased (including refundable ticket purchases, if relevant) will be automatically refunded in full to the original payment method used. Customers do not need to take any action.

Customers who purchased tickets at a Ticketek Agency or using Ticketek Gift Vouchers, have been contacted to the email address of their Ticketek account to request additional information so we can process your refund.

Customers should allow approximately 30 business days for the refund to appear in their account.

For more, see Ticketek.