By Mark Lewis
Tickets to the Backstreet Boys’ early 2000 tour sold out at many mid-size arenas around the
country on Saturday (12/12), showing a fan response that nearly equaled last summer’s
record-setting on-sale. Sales at large stadiums were also brisk, but didn’t result in sell-outs.
Check for Backstreet Boys tickets:
February
March
Second round of ticket sales set to begin Saturday
(12/18).
Confirmed sell-outs include shows at the Pepsi Arena in Albany
(both shows), the Charlotte Coliseum, the Raleigh Sports and
Entertainment Arena, Reunion Arena in Dallas, Gund Arena in
Cleveland, Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (both shows),
Breslin Events Center in East Lansing and Copps Coliseum in
Hamilton, Ontario.
Many shows at these venues, which generally hold 15,000 to
20,000, sold out in three to four hours, according to box office
managers. But at some venues, the pace was even faster. The
newly built Raleigh Arena reported its first sell-out, selling 18,773
tickets in less than an hour. In Indianapolis, the Conseco
Fieldhouse sold out its first show in six minutes and its second
show in under twenty minutes. At the Dallas Reunion Arena, the
19,021 seats at both shows sold out in less than thirty minutes.
Cleveland’s Gund Arena sold its 20,750 seats in thirty minutes
(which didn’t beat the box-office record set by the World Wrestling
Federation).
The quick sales impressed some industry observers, who noted
that local markets had only a few days to announce the concerts
in the local media before tickets went on sale. On Wednesday
(12/8), many venues reported that they were waiting for contracts
to close and hadn’t established on-sale dates. By mid-Thursday, most onsale dates were set for
Saturday and word-of-mouth began to circulate. Promoters working on the shows which haven’t
yet gone on sale will take advantage of the extra week, which could lead to fast sell-outs in those
cities.
Sales activity was strong at larger venues--venues which hold more than 50,000--but there were
no confirmed sell-outs. St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Arena, which seats 40,000, didn’t sell out, but
would not release sales figures. The Georgia Dome in Atlanta reported that it sold everything put
on sale. The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans sold 40,000 tickets; the Superdome holds
73,000 and could potentially be the largest show on the upcoming tour, if the venue configures
the house to capacity.
Four cities have not yet gone on sale: Houston (two shows on Feb. 28 and 29), San Antonio
(March 1), Greenville, SC (Feb. 22) and Oklahoma City (March 4). Tickets for Houston and San
Antonio go on sale Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. On-sale dates have not been set for the other two cities.
Backstreet Boys will also auction off up to 500 premium seats per show in selected cities through
the Tickets.com website. Auction revenues, minus service charges, will go to five charities
selected by the group, according the group’s managers.
Late last week, Tickets.com said that all of the venues with February shows would participate, but
the Raleigh Sports and Entertainment Arena said that its show will not be part of the auction.
Starting dates for the other auctions have not been announced.
[Note: The following tour itinerary has been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of 12/13/99. Changes
may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist web sites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
11, 12 - University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Center (Feb. 12 is tentative)
14, 15 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena (sold out)
17 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Coliseum (sold out)
18 - Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Sports and Entertainment Arena (sold out)
19 - Atlanta, GA - Georgia Dome
20 - Greensboro, NC - Coliseum
22 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center (on-sale date TBA)
24 - St. Petersburg, FL - Tropicana Field
26 - New Orleans, LA - Louisiana Superdome
28, 29 - Houston, TX - Compaq Center (Feb. 29 is tentative; on sale Dec. 18)
1 - San Antonio, TX - Alamodome (on sale Dec. 18)
3, 4 - Dallas, TX - Reunion Arena (sold out)
5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Myriad Convention Center (on-sale date TBA)
7 - St. Louis, MO - Transworld Dome
9 - Cleveland, OH - Gund Arena (sold out)
10,11 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse (sold out)
13 - East Lansing, MI - Breslin Events Center (sold out)
14 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum (sold out)
15 - Toronto, ON - Skydome