Justin Bieber's 'Changes' Tour Downgrades to Smaller Venues Amid Slow Sales

Lisa O'Connor/AFP via Getty Images
Justin Bieber arrives for YouTube Originals' "Justin Bieber: Seasons" premiere at the Regency Bruin Theatre in Los Angeles on Jan. 27, 2020.

Justin Bieber is squeezing some of the concerts on his new tour into smaller venues because of slower-than-expected ticket sales.

Some of the larger shows planned on the “Yummy” singer’s upcoming Changes Tour have not been selling well and sources say he and management made the strategic decision to downsize some concerts in smaller markets to avoid heavy losses on the 45-date tour. Eight stadium shows were moved to smaller arenas for his first outing since the 2017 Purpose Tour.

The announced shift came the same day that Austin mayor Steve Adler announced he was canceling South by Southwest amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. Fear of the illness have caused serious nervousness in the live music world, although Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino noted on the company's fourth quarter earnings call on Feb. 27 that sales were up 10% for the first two months of 2020. Virus fears don’t appear to have hurt other big pop tours: BTS' similar-sized 'Map of the Soul' stadium tour is nearly sold out, for example, and tickets for that tour went on sale a week after Bieber's Changes tour went on sale.

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On Friday (March 6), eight arenas posted similar notices on their Twitter accounts letting fans know that the stadium shows were being moved indoors due to "unforeseen circumstances," including this message from American Airlines Center in Dallas:


American Airlines Center 🎟
✔
@AACenter
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the @Justinbieber concert at AT&T Stadium on June 27 is being relocated to America Airlines Center on Sunday, June 28.

Justin Bieber will perform with special guest @Kehlani and Jaden Smith
NEW DATE: Sunday, June 28, 2020
NEW VENUE: AAC

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The changes include moving Bieber's June 27 show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to the American Airlines Arena in Dallas on June 28; a July 2 show at NRG Stadium show being moved to Houston's Toyota Center on June 27; an Aug. 14 show at Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium being moved to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse; an Aug. 21 show at FedEx Field outside of Washington, D.C., being moved to the city's Capitol One Arena; an Aug. 29 show at Ford Field in Detroit moving to Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 30; and downgrades for shows in Nashville, Columbus, Ohio and Glendale, Arizona.

Of course, not all is lost: Bieber is still playing stadium gigs in Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area and a May 29 show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on the tour being supported by Kehlani and Jaden Smith. And there's even better news for fans who want to catch Bieber at the iconic Pasadena stadium but haven't yet bought tickets: Don't worry, there are still plenty more available.