Australia’s crammed concerts calendar just got a whole lot busier with news today that Lady Gaga and Robbie Williams would tour the country within weeks of one another.
Gaga’s ARTPOP Ball will bounce into Australia this August for four arena dates, starting Aug. 20 at Perth Arena, then visiting Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (Aug. 23), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (Aug. 26), and Sydney’s Allphones Arena (Aug. 30).
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Mother Monster’s latest trek Down Under follows her 2012 Born This Way Ball, a visit that was also promoted by Michael Coppel (now president of Live Nation Australasia). Her most recent set, “ARTPOP,” opened at No. 2 on the Australian albums chart on its release in 2013.
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Gaga’s global ARTPOP Ball tour will begin on May 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Last month, the pop star extended her upcoming arena trek to include a fall European leg.
On Tuesday, she appeared as just the second musical guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Meanwhile, Robbie Williams has announced a September arena tour in support of his latest album “Swings Both Ways,” which opened at No. 3 on the Australian albums chart last year. It’ll be his first tour of these parts for nearly eight years, and his fourth tour here in total — all of them helmed by promoter Michael Chugg.
The British pop star appeared for more than 30 minutes on free-to-air network Channel Nine’s “Today” show this morning to promote the tour.
The visit begins at Perth Arena on Sept. 11, then moves to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (Sept. 16), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (Sept. 22) and wraps at Allphones Arena on (Sept. 27). European tour dates start April 25 in Budapest, Hungary.
No matter how successful it proves, the singer’s upcoming Australia tour will still be dwarfed by his stadium run in 2006, which sold almost 500,000 tickets. “The guy is a magnificent entertainer and people love to see is shows,” Chugg tells Billboard.com.
Gaga and Robbie’s tours have noticeable gaps in their Australian itineraries, into which extra dates can be added should ticket sales prove to be brisk.
It’s rare, and borderline ridiculous, for two A-list tours to be announced on the same day. The reality is, this country of 23 million inhabitants has a smorgasbord of concerts to choose from.
Pop stars Pink, Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber have recently been in the country. American giants Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dolly Parton and Eddie Vedder are currently on tour here. Kanye West is coming. And tours from Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry are expected to be announced soon.
Lady Gaga’s artRAVE, The ARTPOP Ball in Australia
Aug. 20, Perth Arena
Aug. 23, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Aug. 26, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Aug. 30, Allphones Arena, Sydney
Robbie Williams’ The Swing Tour of Australia
Sept. 11, Perth Arena
Sept. 16, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sept. 22, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sept. 27, Allphones Arena, Sydney