02-10-2009, 20:18
from spin
![[Image: lady-gaga-kanye-wes.jpg]](http://www.spin.com/sites/spin.com/files/imagecache/huge_page_view/sites/spin.com/files/lady-gaga-kanye-wes.jpg)
Kanye West and Lady Gaga's massive co-headlining "Fame Kills" tour, which was scheduled to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix, AZ, has been canceled.
A statement released by the tour promoter, Live Nation, does not give a reason for the cancellation, but says ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase and that tickets bought online and via phone will be refunded automatically. The news arrives just weeks after the tour's full itinerary was announced.
TMZ is reporting that poor ticket sales are responsible, which, at first glance, is odd considering Kanye -- with 15 million albums moved worldwide -- sold out his âGlow in the Darkâ tour in 2008. Plus, Gaga is a huge breakout artist; she's sold 25 million downloads of her singles and sold-out her international âFame Ballâ in early 2009 tour on the strength of hits like "Poker Face." [Via Lady Gaga]
However, despite his emotional apology on The Jay Leno Show, Kanye has become the subject of public backlash for his invasion of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs.
TMZ also claims that "West and Gaga's people were at each others throats⦠[and] when it came down do it, we're told Gaga decided she'd be better off playing smaller venues⦠and far from the headache caused by Kanye's ever present drama."
A Live Nation spokesperson was unavailable at press time.
Fans who did pick up tickets for the "Fame Kills" outing will be missing out on quite a spectacle. Just last week in interviews with Las Vegas radio station KLUC and San Diego's Star 94, Gaga spilled a few details on what she and 'Ye planned for the massive tour. [Via MTV]
"The stage is called a traverse," Gaga said. "It's something that we designed together. Instead of being on just one end of the arena, the stage traverses the entire arena. It's not really in-the-round; it's more of a runway. ... [It extends] from one end to the other so the audience can see everywhere from 360, but it's like a rectangular runway shape."
She added: "We're on each end of the stage, and I want to get to where Kanye is, which is 'the fame.' He wants to get where I am, which is home and humble beginnings. For the whole show, we are battling each other [for their positions]. It's been a really incredible creative experience."
"We did not do this tour for each other," Gaga continued. "We did this tour for everybody else. We wanted to do something that no one has ever seen. We wanted our fans to feel like we were doing something special and we wanted to merge two groups of fans â two different [groups of] music lovers into one room. He's going to play every Kanye West hit, which is a lot, one after the other. I'm going to play all my hit records which, knock on wood, I had a lot this year. And then I'm going to play all my new music and then do a ton of duets."
Even with the cancellation, Lady Gaga fans shouldn't get too bummed out: The singer plans to hit the road on another world tour in March.
Kanye West and Lady Gaga's massive co-headlining "Fame Kills" tour, which was scheduled to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix, AZ, has been canceled.
A statement released by the tour promoter, Live Nation, does not give a reason for the cancellation, but says ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase and that tickets bought online and via phone will be refunded automatically. The news arrives just weeks after the tour's full itinerary was announced.
TMZ is reporting that poor ticket sales are responsible, which, at first glance, is odd considering Kanye -- with 15 million albums moved worldwide -- sold out his âGlow in the Darkâ tour in 2008. Plus, Gaga is a huge breakout artist; she's sold 25 million downloads of her singles and sold-out her international âFame Ballâ in early 2009 tour on the strength of hits like "Poker Face." [Via Lady Gaga]
However, despite his emotional apology on The Jay Leno Show, Kanye has become the subject of public backlash for his invasion of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs.
TMZ also claims that "West and Gaga's people were at each others throats⦠[and] when it came down do it, we're told Gaga decided she'd be better off playing smaller venues⦠and far from the headache caused by Kanye's ever present drama."
A Live Nation spokesperson was unavailable at press time.
Fans who did pick up tickets for the "Fame Kills" outing will be missing out on quite a spectacle. Just last week in interviews with Las Vegas radio station KLUC and San Diego's Star 94, Gaga spilled a few details on what she and 'Ye planned for the massive tour. [Via MTV]
"The stage is called a traverse," Gaga said. "It's something that we designed together. Instead of being on just one end of the arena, the stage traverses the entire arena. It's not really in-the-round; it's more of a runway. ... [It extends] from one end to the other so the audience can see everywhere from 360, but it's like a rectangular runway shape."
She added: "We're on each end of the stage, and I want to get to where Kanye is, which is 'the fame.' He wants to get where I am, which is home and humble beginnings. For the whole show, we are battling each other [for their positions]. It's been a really incredible creative experience."
"We did not do this tour for each other," Gaga continued. "We did this tour for everybody else. We wanted to do something that no one has ever seen. We wanted our fans to feel like we were doing something special and we wanted to merge two groups of fans â two different [groups of] music lovers into one room. He's going to play every Kanye West hit, which is a lot, one after the other. I'm going to play all my hit records which, knock on wood, I had a lot this year. And then I'm going to play all my new music and then do a ton of duets."
Even with the cancellation, Lady Gaga fans shouldn't get too bummed out: The singer plans to hit the road on another world tour in March.
