2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Omar Al-joulani

OMAR AL-JOULANI
President, Touring
Live Nation

THREE WORDS TO LIVE BY: “Get shit done.”
BY THE NUMBER: 22,690,347. Tickets sold by Live Nation on Pollstar‘s 2026 Mid-Year Promoter Chart.

One hallmark of 2026 is the increased public scrutiny of the live business and an overreaction to normal industry patterns, driven by a loud pundit class that cosplays as “industry experts” and makes misinformed pronouncements about falling skies.

On one hand, it’s a positive sign of just how much society values live music; on the other, the Greek chorus erroneously predicting doom and gloom for the live biz does nothing to make life easier for artists, fans, or the industry.

“Just hype,” Omar Al-joulani succinctly says when asked about “Blue Dot Fever,” the name given to the media circus surrounding unsold inventory for artists who, for the most part, weren’t at the peak of their careers. The phenomenon led to erroneous conclusions that the bottom was falling out of the concert business.

“Cancellation rates are consistent with where they’ve historically been,” Al-joulani says. “There will always be a few high-profile tours that draw attention. I’m more focused on the broader macro trends across the business, and overall ticket sales are ahead of where they were at this point last year.”

A proud Canadian, Al-joulani is encouraged by global trends: “I’m looking forward to The Weeknd bringing his record-breaking ‘After Hours til Dawn Tour’ to Asia this fall. We initially announced 11 dates and have already added a second show in Kuala Lumpur, second and third shows in Bangkok, and expanded Hong Kong to four nights. Sales have been massive.”

Al-joulani is also bullish on the rest of the year overall, particularly one historic run later this summer, that of Jay-Z, with three nights at Yankee Stadium celebrating the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint.

“It’s incredible to see so many female artists continuing to break records and expand globally,” he says. “From Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams to KATSEYE, Rosalía, and Charli xcx. I’m equally excited by the next generation of emerging female artists like Slayyyter, ADELA, Bella Kay, and Stella Lefty, who are building momentum quickly.