The postponement of the Rolling Stones Australian Tour last week following the sudden and tragic passing of Mick Jagger’s long-term girlfriend L’Wren Scott continues to have repercussions.
While those who purchased tickets for the legendary band’s ’14 On Fire Tour from scalpers may be missing out on refunds and reissued passes, the tour postponement may cost the Stones, promoters Frontier Touring, and those involve with staging the Australian tour up to $US 10 million.
The costs of bringing what is possibly rock and roll’s most iconic bands all the way Down Under is obviously high, but as Billboard reports, industry sources have pointed out that the finances of venue deposits, storage and shipping of tour equipment and gear, travel and accommodation expenses, and other production revenues could amount to multi-million dollar losses.
The Stones 60 truck convoy, ferrying their gear between their six-date Australian run, would have cost as much as $250,000 to charter the equipment, a source tells Billboard.
As Soundwave boss and Big Day Out promoter AJ Maddah told Sydney Morning Herald in the wake of the postponement, the multi-million expenses involved in cancellations create a “nightmare” situation for any concert promoter. The Stones 60 truck convoy, ferrying their gear between their six-date Australian run, would have cost as much as 250,000 dollars…
“We are talking venues that were set up, production that would be in trucks and in motion around the country, crew flights, accommodation, dozens of vehicles and drivers in each city, catering companies in various stages of setting up and pre-production… right down to thousands and thousands of T-shirts printed with cancelled dates on the back,” says the promoter – no stranger to high-profile cancellations himself.
The ’14 On Fire Tour was to kick off last Wednesday 19th March (where drummer Charlie Watts offered a surprise gig at a jazz club instead) before taking in arena shows in Sydney, Melbourne, an outdoor show at Hanging Rock, and the refurbished Adelaide Oval, where it was alleged that the SA Government had used up to $500,000 of taxpayer money to lure the Stones to Adelaide.
Despite the potential $US 10 million figure, most large scale international tours are insured with multiple policies for such cancellations, and the ’14 On Fire Tour would have been no different. Plus, given the tragic circumstances surrounding Jagger and the death of his girlfriend of 13 years, it’s likely that the insurance claims will cover the parties involved given the extreme situation involved.
Or as Billboard puts it “the Stones and their promoters likely had multiple insurers, say industry sources. The exposure each party faces will depend on the type of insurance they carried. It is unclear what any of the specific policies include.”
Regardless of the high insurance payouts on what was to be the Rolling Stones first Australian dates in nearly decade, there’s every chance that the 150,000 tickets sold – according to Frontier Touring and presenters AEG Live – would gross around $40 million, more than enough to pay out the losses and still turn a profit.
In fact, the band’s previous national Australian visit as part of the 2006 A Bigger Bang tour saw a similar situation; The Stones postponed 15 European shows of the tour while Richards recovered from brain surgery after falling out of a tree in Fiji and injuring his head.
The rescheduled dates did little to harm the band’s selling power, with the A Bigger Bang Tour going on to rake in over $US 550 million, making it one of the highest grossing tours of all time – second only to U2′s 360 Tour. Likewise, The Rolling Stones 50 And Counting tour dates grossed over $US 125 million in 2013, performing to just shy of 327,000 people, who paid an average of $376 a ticket.
Frontier Touring have already offered a tentative reschedule for the Stones to return Down Under for “October/November 2014” with new dates to be “announced as soon as possible. If the new dates are not suitable, rest assured you will be able to secure a refund,” say Frontier, who have encouraged ticketholders to hang tight to be reissued with new passes.
No such refund or reissue satisfaction is likely for those who purchased Stones tickets through third party sellers or scalpers, with both consumer group Choice and Frontier Boss Michael Gudinski emphasising that only those who have bought tickets through official vendors will be honoured with refunds and replacements.
Fans looking to get a refund for the postponed Rolling Stones dates can do so by contacting the following vendors:
Perth Arena – 19 March | Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Adelaide Oval – 22 March | Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Sydney Allphones Arena – 25 March | Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Melbourne Rod Laver Arena – 28 March | Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Macedon Ranges Hanging Rock – 30 March | Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100
Brisbane Entertainment Centre – 2 April | Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
