Concert Pulse: Imagine Dragons Wrap $20M Euro Tour, With Stadiums Next; Lorde Debuts, Agents Talk Cashmere Cat / MØ Mashup

Lorde leads the new entries on this week’s Global Concert Pulse, at No. 21 with an average gross of $477,931 and average tickets sold of 7,191, joining a strong Christian contingent this week that also includes Outcry Tour / Jesus Culture ($138,630) and Hillsong Worship ($110,191).

Lorde kicked off her U.S. tour leg March 1, playing mostly curtained arenas, with recent reports submitted to Pollstar including the final date of the run, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville April 15 ($534,253 grossed, 9,540 tickets). Others include The Anthem in Washington, D.C, which sold out at 6,000 tickets and grossed $624,700, and KeyArena at Seattle Center March 9, which sold 7,898 tickets and grossed $538,607. 

Average ticket price to see the New Zealand-born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor was $66.45, with hip-hop duo Run The Jewels as support act. Both are Paradigm Talent Agency clients.

The U.S. leg comes after most of her 2017 headlining was in Europe and Australia, although she played had high billing on major North American festivals including iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Life Is Beautiful also in Vegas, Bumbershoot in Seattle, Outside Lands in San Francisco and Osheaga in Montreal. 

Xavi Torrent / Redferns / Getty Images –
Imagine Dragons shower the fans with confetti at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, April 6.

Holding strong at No. 11 on the chart is Imagine Dragons, which just wrapped a European tour that CODA agent James Whitting said grossed a total of $20.4 million and had the demand to support another 10 to 15 shows.

“They played 25 shows on this run due to time constraints and needing to get the band to other corners of the world, but we could have easily added another 10-15 shows in Europe as the demand is so high,” Whitting told Pollstar.. “The band have been consistent in their approach to the European market and it is starting to pay huge dividends. They will be heading back to Europe later on in the summer to headline some festivals and to play their first headline stadium shows.”

Some reports from that run include WiZink Center in Madrid April 7 (16,162, $1.2 million), March 4 at the SSE Hydro in Scotland (12,382, $630,650) and Feb. 16 at Antwerps Sportpaleis in Belgium, which sold 20,272 tickets and grossed $954,137. K.Flay, who also joined the band for U.S. arenas last year, was support on this run as well. The “Thunder” hit-makers hit Australia starting May 12, before kicking off another major North American arena and amphitheatre run in June that runs into August.. 

Hillsong Worship, at No. 45, with an average gross of $110,191 per city, joins a strong Christian presence on the chart this week that also includes TobyMac (No. 32) MercyMe (No. 33) “Winter Jam” / Skillet (37), Casting Crowns (52), Newsboys (58),  and the Gaither Vocal Band (65).  

Hillsong Worship sold out many  recent shows including Santander Arena in Reading, Pa., (4,349, $143,095) April 21, Grace Church In Eden Prairie, Minn., April 12 (3,974, $140,477), and the Shoreline Christian Center in Austin, Texas, which sold 4,303 tickets April 5, grossing $152,803. The tour wrapped April 24, and ticket prices averaged $34.95.

Valentin Flauraud / Keystone via AP –
Danish performer MØ gets comfortable during her set for the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland July 3.

The Cashmere Cat / MØ co-bill known as the “MEØW” tour, hit the chart a couple weeks ago at No. 58 with an average of $38,314 grossed and 1,351 tickets sold, with sellouts at venues including Oakland’s Fox Theatre Feb. 17 ($83,586) and two Brooklyn Steels, according to Paradigm’s Latane Hughes, who represents Cashmere Cat and explained how the tour came together.

“Both acts were looking to crossover into each other’s respective worlds a bit more,” Hughes told Pollstar. “Cashmere wanting to play to more pop/indie fans, and MØ wanting to play to a bit more electronic/hip hop leaning fans.  They both had done solo headline tours earlier in their album cycles, and were looking for a new and interesting touring idea to present to their fans.”  

Maria Jose Govea – Cashmere Cat
“Bestival,” Hanlans Point, Toronto, ON, Canada

The tour remains at No. 72 on this week’s chart. 

“When this idea came up, and we knew the artists were already friends and collaborators, it felt perfect,” Hughes added. “They performed one of their collaborative tracks together each night of the tour, and you could instantly tell that the package was connecting across the board. It didn’t hurt that both artists have managers at TMWRK and that Doug Croy (agent for MØ) and I sit down the hall from each other. And the ‘MEØW’ tour name was the real icing on the cake.”

Other reports submitted to Pollstar include two nights sold out at the 9:30 Club in D.C., which moved 2,122 tickets and grossed $74,270, a sold-out Vic Theatre in Chicago ($41,549) and 1,915 tickets sold to House of Blues Boston Jan. 21, which grossed $56,881.

To co-bill tour leg of the two Scandinavians wrapped at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, Calif., which sold out 1,000 tickets and grossed $28,000.