Country Profile: UAE
Once an island of entertainment in an otherwise quiet Middle East, the UAE these days represents a healthy fixed point in a busy wider region that takes in the broader Gulf, parts of the Caucasus, North Africa, and even India. If it’s east of Europe and west of China, there’s a chance it will route with the UAE somehow.
“In the earlier days, if we talked regional, we would probably have thought of the Levant as our northern borders,” says Thomas Ovesen, CEO of Dubai-based regional promoter All Things Live Middle East.
“So back then, ‘regional’ would have meant Lebanon and Egypt. But now, with Saudi being active, but also India routing really easily with us, and some shows in Türkiye, we’re looking at a much bigger region.”
Plenty of artists have explored that region in the past couple of years, from lengthy runs by the Backstreet Boys and Bryan Adams to large-scale single-city stands by Coldplay – a record-breaking stint at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium in January – and other major Western tourers. Live Nation Middle East has been…
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