Blue Dot Fever Leads to Tour Cancellations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn the public that Blue Dot Fever (BDF ) is spreading like herpes among North American touring artists. BDF occurs when unsold concert seats accumulate on digital ticketing platforms until the seating map resembles a Petri dish in overdrive. The blue dots, indicating unsold seats, are visible to anyone with a phone, unfortunately. At fever’s outbreak the afflicted artist scales back or cancels the tour and rushes out a statement about focusing on quality time with family, working on new music, personal issues, or his missing dog.
Clinicians assess the severity of BDF on a five-point scale. Stage one presents as scattered dots; the artist responds by posting inspirational content, hoping to goose ticket sales. By Stage three, clusters have formed and management is drafting language around creative growth.
Stage four is majorly blue, and that typically produces a statement from the artist referencing family time. In stage five the venue itself quietly cancels the show, which requires no statement. Everyone knows already.
The Black Keys are often cited as “Patient Zero” for BDF syndrome. They canceled their 2004 North American arena tour and moved into smaller, more intimate, easier-to-fill theaters after having vastly overrated their appeal.
Among the several types of BDF excuses that CDC researchers have identified, the most popular is creative pivot, which claims that the artist needs to focus on new music, a position Post Malone hid behind when he bailed on the opening weeks of his ill-advised stadium tour this year.
The domestic emergency, recently claimed by Meghan Trainor, cited the competing demands of a new album, a nationwide tour, and an expanding family. This whopper might have seemed legit were it not for the sea of blue dots her Ticketmaster display.
The principled retreat is, perhaps, the most elegant of all BDF excuses. Using this dodge, The Pussycat Dolls announced recently that they had taken “an honest look at the North American run” before canceling it. The word honest is working hard in that expression.
In each case, the BDF statement makesno mention of the seating map.
The prognosis for BDF is cautiously optimistic. Europe appears unaffected. Las Vegas residencies are reporting full immunity. Several acts are hoping to make recoveries upon relocating to theaters or small clubs.
The CDC, meanwhile, recommends that artists consider venue capacity relative to actual demand before confirming dates, a precaution so obvious that it apparently required a disease named after it before anybody paid attention.
Lend an ear to more noteworthy musical features here.
Find Us Elsewhere
Instagram
X (Twitter)