Chris Brown and Usher performing during their R&B Tour. Photo Credit: Travis Colbert/Live Nation
Five months, north of 40 shows, and one rumored backstage fight later, is the R&B Tour going off the rails? Possibly, as Usher and Chris Brown have now pulled the plug on at least two more dates.
Those newest cancellations, impacting a scheduled November 16th show in Inglewood as well as a December 6th concert in Miami, surfaced on the R&B Tour’s Ticketmaster page. Absent from said page – and Usher’s and Brown’s social profiles – is any mention of the reasons for the development.
Similarly, the involved venues (SoFi Stadium and Hard Rock Stadium) don’t appear to have commented publicly on the matter.
On the other hand, when four prior stops were axed, a statement published via Lucas Oil Stadium’s website cited a desire “to prioritize the health and well-being of the touring party and crew.” Technically, the dates surrounded but didn’t directly overlap with Brown’s October 26th sentencing in the UK.
Considered alongside the above-noted backstage fight, this conspicuous silence might point to a wider rift between Brown and Usher.
Enter the rumored dispute between the two, who, per anonymous sources cited by TMZ, delayed the first of their Atlanta concerts (on November 5th) following a “verbal” altercation. Admittedly, unnamed individuals’ comments about purported occurrences should always be taken with a grain of salt.
Nevertheless, we do know that the November 5th show was delayed, featured no opening acts at all, and didn’t see the headliners take the stage until around 10 PM local time, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Their performances were reportedly cut off due to the event’s midnight curfew.
Regarding the plural “performances,” Brown and Usher reportedly entertained attendees separately and didn’t share the stage whatsoever on the 5th. Tank, one of the R&B Tour’s supporting acts, opted against revealing precisely what had transpired – albeit while noting that “there is bound to be conflict” on concert series of this nature, per Complex.
Subsequently, Brown appeared to dismiss the feud rumors as inaccurate; he and Usher performed together during the following Atlanta concerts (the fifth and final of which is scheduled for tonight) as well.
Of course, with R&B Tour dates scheduled into December – and with a number of paying fans set to attend – it’d be ill-advised for the artists to come out and acknowledge a dispute.
Furthermore, it appears safe to conclude that something is happening behind the scenes.
In the first place, the stadium tour expanded from 33 to 59 dates amid seemingly strong demand. Per Pollstar, gross receipts topped $280 million through October 3rd.
And while the remainder of the month only delivered four more R&B Tour shows – the November 5th Atlanta concert marked the series’ return following a three-week break – the figure has presumably blown past $300 million in the interim.
Put differently, lackluster ticket sales don’t appear to be the culprit here. Interestingly, Live Nation formally disclosed eight of the additional dates in mid-August; Usher and Brown have now shelved six of these concerts.
In any event, they’re still scheduled to round out the tour in Inglewood (one date as opposed to two), New Orleans, Houston, Miami, and Tampa. If a dispute is to blame for the fresh cancellations, those close to the clash may well shed light on the situation moving forward.
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