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Off the back of his surprise Glastonbury return, Lewis Capaldi has announced a UK & Ireland arena run for September.
The Scottish singer, who has Tourette’s Syndrome, will return to the arena circuit after taking a two-year break from touring in 2023 to prioritise his mental and physical health.
Capaldi’s forthcoming 10-show run kicks off on 7 September at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena (cap. 13,600), continuing through Aberdeen’s P&J Live (15,000) and Glasgow’s OVO Hydro (14,300).
He’ll then perform two nights at London’s The O2 (20,000), followed by a stop at Manchester’s Co-op Live (23,500). Birmingham’s Utilita Arena (15,800), Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena (10,000), and Cardiff’s Utilita Arena (7,500) are then on tap, with the trek closing at Dublin’s 3Arena (13,000).
“My name’s Lewis Capaldi and I’m f**king back, baby,” the singer affirmed.
Elsewhere, Kendrick Lamar will bring the ongoing Grand National Tour to Mexico and South America later this year. The run will see Lamar perform five solo shows in soccer stadiums throughout the region.
The Grand National Tour has netted over $100m so far
Following the closure of the Lamar/SZA double-headliner bill — which has netted over $100m so far this year — in Stockholm this August, Lamar will begin his run at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros (65,000) on 23 September.
He’ll continue through Bogotá’s Vive Claro (40,000), São Paulo’s Allianz Parque (55,000), Buenos Aires’ Estadio River Plate (84,567), before concluding at South America’s largest stadium, Santiago’s Estadio Monumental (85,018), on 7 October.
From there, Lamar will head down under to close the year with a show at Melbourne’s AAMI Park (30,500) and another at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (42,500) in December.
Argentine hip-hop artists CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso will support all Latin American shows.
American hardcore band Turnstile have also revealed a UK & Europe tour this year, beginning 31 October at Dublin’s National Stadium (2,000).
The 14-show outing will see the band play through Glasgow, Manchester, and London before traversing Europe.
Hamburg, Amsterdam, Milan, Berlin, Paris, Munich, Dusseldorf, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Madrid are all on tap for the leg, which follows their headline North American trek kicking off in September. The Garden and High Vis will support.
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As stadiums swing open their doors to welcome hordes of fans this summer, some may have paid much more than their neighbours to get through the gate, depending on which country they are in.
IQ research into key upcoming international tours shows how audiences in some countries are shelling out more for virtually the same experience.
The upcoming Oasis shows, which will see the Mancunian brothers traverse the UK/IE, North America, Asia, Australia, and South America before the year is out, offer a stark insight into the impact on fans of different regulatory regimes.
For the UK leg, standing pitch tickets were initially priced at £135 but now can be found on StubHub for up to £3,500 — a near 2,500% markup.
But for their dual Dublin shows at Croke Park, resale tickets for the in-demand shows are almost nowhere to be found.
Ireland’s Sale of Tickets Act from 2021 prohibits the sale of tickets above face value, while the UK currently does not have similar legislation. The UK Government has signalled that it intends to bring forward legislation which would add a cap to resale, with a consultation on the issue recently completed.
“In an unregulated market, we see resale prices set at whatever the reseller decides. This leads to extensive harvesting at on sale and extortionate price gouging for resale – preventing genuine fans from buying tickets in the first place and forcing them to pay over the odds,” Sam Shemtob, director of the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), tells IQ.
“The disjointed approach to ticket resale regulation is one of the biggest problems we face”
Following their North American run, co-headliners Kendrick Lamar & SZA are bringing the Grand National Tour to Europe next month. The chart-topping duo’s stadium run will include stops in the UK, Portugal, Italy, and Poland.
In places where ticket resale above face value is banned — the latter three countries — marked-up tickets are almost non-existent, with only very small numbers seeking to flout the regulations.
British fans are not offered that same protection, with dozens of touted tickets available and a £255.25 lower bowl seat currently listed for £773 on StubHub (a 203% hike).
“The disjointed approach to ticket resale regulation you describe is one of the biggest problems we face across the EU. We are seeing an increase in music tourism, driven by people’s desire to watch their favourite global superstar live,” Shemtob says. “Yet, in the EU, we still have a patchwork approach to ticket resale legislation, despite the EU stating publicly it wants to avoid differing consumer protection laws in neighbouring member states.”
Across the pond, the situation in the US — tremendous demand coupled with limited federal regulation — can lead to eye-watering mark-ups for fans on the resale market.
K-pop megagroup Blackpink reforms to hit the road next month, starting in South Korea. The Live Nation-backed World Tour will take the quartet across North America, the UK/EU, and Asia before wrapping up early 2026.
Resale across the group’s US dates is plentiful and priced at a premium. In LA, standard primary tickets are listed for $451 with resale for the same section available for $3,392 — a 652% hike. For their Chicago stop, a $950 front-seated section can be found for double the price on secondary sites.
Consumers in the US pay an average of 203% of the original price for tickets on the secondary market
“Resellers often list tickets at ridiculous prices to help create a price ceiling for the resale market for that show. Then, when a less pricey ticket becomes available, it looks like a bargain,” explains Shemtob.
“As well as serving to gouge consumers, the sacrificing of some tickets in this way to create a false picture of the market leads to empty seats in venues.”
Country superstar Zach Bryan is also hitting stadiums across the US this year. After stints at Dublin’s Phoenix Park and London’s BST Hyde Park, Bryan will headline venues in New Jersey, West Virginia, and Indiana before closing at Michigan Stadium (cap. 107,601), reportedly poised to be the biggest ticketed concert in US history.
For the historic show, promoted by AEG Presents, multiple resale tickets are currently available for $10,040 each — a remarkable 900% surge from comparable face-value prices.
Consumers in the US pay an average of 203% of the original price for tickets on the secondary market, according to a 2024 study by the US’s National Independent Talent Organisation, a coalition that represents hundreds of independent music managers, booking agencies, and artists.
Despite this, the study found differences between states reflected state-level regulation — California’s resellers made 95% less than in unregulated states like New York and Illinois.
“Ticket resales are driven by the customer, so there is no inherent solution as the customer will either find a way or pay the price to get a ticket, or sell it themselves,” said Maureen Andersen, president and CEO of the US-based International Ticket Association (INTIX), to IQ for the International Ticketing Report 2024.
“Laws, legislation, policies, and regulations only work so far and only if there is enough oversight, culpability, and ramification for the activity.”
That sentiment is echoed by those looking across markets.
Looking at countries that have had success clamping down on inflated secondary resale Shemtob concludes: “These markets have a straightforward law on ticket resale, which is easy for the consumer, reseller and resale platform to understand. This is coupled with (usually) strong enforcement of the law – something which is essential for ticket resale legislation to actually work.”
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American boy band Backstreet Boys are the latest act to announce a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Produced by Live Nation, the Into The Millenium stint will comprise nine performances on 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 July.
The five-piece will perform tracks from their best-selling album Millennium, alongside a selection of their greatest hits.
The iconic boy band will join a select group of artists – Kenny Chesney, U2, Dead & Company, Eagles, Phish and Afterlife Presents Anyma – in headlining the 17,600-seat Sphere, which launched in September 2023.
Beyoncé has added a fifth stadium show in both Los Angeles and New Jersey on Cowboy Carter Tour. With the newly added dates, she now holds the record for most shows of any artist on a single run at NJ’s MetLife Stadium and most overall performances at LA’s SoFi Stadium.
Produced and directed by Parkwood Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation, the outing will also visit London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Paris’s Stade de France, Chicago’s Soldier Field, Houston’s NRG Stadium, Washington D.C.’s Northwest Stadium and Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. See the full list of dates here.
Sam Fender has extended his 2025 UK summer tour with the addition of three new dates.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have added an additional London show to their Grand National Tour
The first of the new shows will be held in Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park on 16 August, before he takes to the Royal Highland Showgrounds in Edinburgh the following week 22 August as part of the Scottish capital’s Summer Sessions series. On 28 August, Fender will headline the VITAL Festival at Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast.
Support comes from Olivia Dean in Manchester and Edinburgh, with CMAT in Belfast. Further opening acts are yet to be announced.
These shows will follow Fender’s previously announced European and US tours through the spring, plus three sold-out stadium gigs at Newcastle’s St. James Park (June 12-15) and London Stadium (June 6). He will also appear at Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival in Sefton Park, Liverpool, on May 24 – bringing his UK summer line-up to eight dates.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have added an additional London show to their Grand National Tour, on 23 July at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
After their record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance, the tour—presented by Live Nation, pgLang, and Top Dawg Entertainment—will feature over 14 stadium shows across Europe and the United Kingdom this summer.
The Smashing Pumpkins have announced a series of major UK headline shows as part of their Aghori tour this August.
The American alternative rock band will perform in Gunnersbury Park, London (10 August), The Piece Hall, Halifax (12 August), Scarborough Open Air Theatre (13 August), and Colchester Castle (14 August).
Morrissey has also announced a string of 2025 tour dates in the UK and Ireland which will kick off later this summer.
The former Smiths frontman will head over to Dublin on 31 May for a gig at the 3Arena. From there, he will play two nights at the O2 Academy in Glasgow on 4 and 5 June respectively before wrapping up with a homecoming show at Manchester’s Co-Op Live on 7 June.
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Kendrick Lamar became the first-ever solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime show during last night’s championship game at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
A week after his sweep at the Grammy Awards, the American rapper delivered a 13-minute medley of greatest hits including Humble, Squabble Up and the smash Drake diss track Not Like Us to cap the halftime show, sponsored by Apple Music.
Lamar was expected to have reached more than 120 million TV viewers who had tuned in to see the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, denying them an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.
Emceed by actor Samuel L Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, Lamar’s performance featured special guests SZA on tracks Luther and All The Stars, and tennis star Serena Williams, who performed the Crip Walk – a notorious Los Angeles dance move.
Not Like Us, the Drake diss track which has earned Lamar one billion streams on Spotify and five Grammy Awards, was deemed the pinnacle of the performance by critics. It comes as Drake’s lawyers sue Lamar’s record label Universal Music Group over the track, accusing it of trying to “create a viral hit” out of a song that made “false factual allegations” about the star.
Lamar was expected to have reached more than 120 million TV viewers
Another talking point of the performance was at the climax of the 13-minute set, when a protester climbed on top of Lamar’s black Buick GNX car and unfurled a combined Palestinian and Sudanese flag, before being tackled by security officers. The NFL later said in a statement that the protester was part of the 400-member cast who took part in the show.
Since 2020, the Super Bowl halftime show has been produced in collaboration with Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation, which has brought headliners including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Eminem, Rihanna and Usher.
Super Bowl LIX also featured artists including Lady Gaga, who kicked off the championship game with a special tribute to New Orleans, Jon Baptiste, who performed the National Anthem, and Post Malone who headlined the Super Bowl 2025 Tailgate Concert.
Following their Super Bowl halftime performance, Kendrick Lamar and SZA today announced a UK and Europe leg of their Grand National Tour.
The outing, presented by Live Nation, pgLang and Top Dawg Entertainment, will take over 13 stadiums across Europe and the United Kingdom this summer. The list of fresh tour dates includes:
Jun 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
Jun 12 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
Jun 16 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Jun 18 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium
Jul 2 – Cologne, Germany – RheinEnergieSTADION
Jul 4 – Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park
Jul 8 – Glasgow, UK – Hampden Park
Jul 10 – Birmingham, UK – Villa Park
Jul 13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Johan Cruijff ArenA
Jul 15 – Paris, France – Paris La Défense Arena
Jul 19 – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium
Jul 22 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Jul 27 – Lisbon, Portugal – Estadio do Restelo
Jul 30 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Aug 2 – Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico
Aug 6 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy
Aug 9 – Stockholm, Sweden – 3Arena
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Live Nation has forged a groundbreaking multi-year partnership with the NFL to produce the post-game ceremony of the Super Bowl for the next three years.
The “milestone” deal begins this year after Super Bowl LIX, which takes place on Sunday (9 February) at the Superdome in New Orleans. Kendrick Lamar and SZA are set to deliver this year’s halftime show, on which Jay-Z’s Roc Nation consults with NFL.
An official press release states that the partnership “reflects both Live Nation and NFL’s commitment to delivering the best fan experiences and to raising the bar for live entertainment”.
Building on the excitement of the Super Bowl’s pre-game and halftime shows, Live Nation aims to deliver a “spectacular” trophy ceremony that captures the NFL and its global presence. Redefining the post-game experience, the ceremony is set to become a key feature of the Super Bowl.
“The Super Bowl is such an iconic event – we jumped at the opportunity to partner with the NFL for the post-game ceremony”
“The Super Bowl is such an iconic event – we jumped at the opportunity to partner with the NFL for the post-game ceremony,” says SVP special operations at Live Nation, James Massing. “Continually innovating the fan experience and game presentation is what makes the NFL best in class and we are proud to play our part in this legendary moment.”
Tim Tubito, NFL’s senior director of event presentation & content, adds: “The post-game ceremony is a celebration for the winning team, their fans and the culmination of an unforgettable NFL season. We are excited for Live Nation to bring their expertise and passion to this tradition over the next three years.”
The partnership builds on the success of Live Nation’s production of Machine Gun Kelly at the half-time show during the NFL’s game in Munich last year, celebrating the league’s final international game of the 2024 regular season.
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American balladeer John Legend will headline this year’s Move Afrika, the multi-country tour bidding to change the face of live entertainment in Africa.
Created by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, the pan-African touring circuit debuted in 2023 in Rwanda with a headline performance by Kendrick Lamar at the sold-out BK Arena in Kigali. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s creative imprint pgLang will serve as curator of Move Afrika up to 2028.
Each year, more countries will be added to the tour schedule, with Nigeria being the new addition for 2025.
Legend will kick off this year’s tour on 21 February at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, before moving to The Palms in Lagos, Nigeria, on 25 February.
“I’m honoured and excited to perform in Kigali and Lagos as part of the Move Afrika tour – an initiative that not only brings unforgettable shows, but also creates entrepreneurship and job opportunities, empowering young people to engage with Africa’s growing music and creative industries,” says Legend. “Africa has always been a global cultural powerhouse, and it’s an honour to be part of the future of live music on the continent.”
The 2025 edition will spotlight a citizen-led advocacy campaign championing sustainable development and economic growth, with a focus on strengthening health systems across the continent.
“Investing in [Africa’s] future with lasting infrastructure will mean the continent no longer needs to be excluded from the international touring circuit”
A limited number of tickets for Move Afrika: Kigali and Move Afrika: Lagos are available for purchase. Additional details about how to earn free tickets by taking action with Global Citizen will be announced.
“We’re thrilled to have John Legend, our longtime Global Citizen Ambassador and friend, headline Move Afrika, as we expand the tour from Rwanda to Nigeria,” says Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans. “As Move Afrika grows year over year, our goal is to equip and inspire Africa’s dynamic, young population to participate in the live music and creative industries, while investing in its future with lasting infrastructure that will mean the continent no longer needs to be excluded from the international touring circuit.”
Move Afrika’s 2025 instalment was initially due to include Ghana, but organisers said “the timeline needed to make an Accra show possible was not achievable for this next edition”.
“We remain committed to Ghana and its people and look forward to bringing Move Afrika to Ghana as soon as possible,” they added.
Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. Its previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018 and Global Citizen Festival: Accra in 2022, which featured performances from Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, TEMS and Uncle Waffles.
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Dead & Company are set to return to the Las Vegas Sphere for an 18-show residency celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary.
The group drew close to 500,000 fans to their 30-show run at the venue earlier this year, and will be back for a second stint in 2025 from March 20-22 & 27-29, April 17-19 & 24-26 and May 9-11 & 15-17. Tickets start at $145.
Comprising John Mayer, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, Dead & Company play Grateful Dead covers and have played to almost five million attendees across 300 shows since forming in 2015.
In other tour news, the Black Keys have announced a European tour of large-scale outdoor headline shows and festival dates for next summer. Kicking off at Denmark’s Tinderbox on 26 June, the tour will stop at Luxembourg’s Rockhal (29 June), Zitadelle Spandau in Berlin, Germany (1 July), The Hall in Zurich, Switzerland (2 July) and France’s Garorock (4 July), Beauregard Festival (5 July) and La Nuit De L’Erdre (6 July).
The US duo will also visit the UK, with shows at Millennium Square, Leeds (8 July), Castlefield Bowl, Manchester (9 July) and Alexandra Palace Park in London (11 July), plus Belgium’s Cactus Festival (12 July), Bospop Festival in the Netherlands (13 July), Italy’s AMA Music Festival (15 July) and Rock In Roma (16 July) and Benicassim, Spain (19 July).
AC/DC will hit the road in North America for the first time in nine years for 13 stadiums coast-to-coast next spring. This run launches on 10 April 10 at Minneapolis’ US Bank Stadium, stopping off at venues such as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, BC Place, Vancouver, Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and Soldier Field in Chicago, before concluding at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on 28 May.
Drake will tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2017
Also in North America, Kendrick Lamar and SZA will take over 19 stadiums between April and June. Stops include MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (8-9 May), SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (21 & 23 May) and Toronto’s Rogers Centre (12 June).
Meanwhile, The Weeknd has announced that tickets for his one-night-only stadium show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, sold out in under an hour, having attracted over 300,000 fans in the ticket queue. The 25 January concert, produced by Live Nation, will feature an in-the-round stage setup, taking over the entire stadium floor.
Elsewhere, Drake will tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 2017, taking in Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (9-10 February), Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena (16-17 February), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (24 February) and Spark Arena in Auckland (28 February-1 March).
After announcing their biggest headline show to date at London’s Finsbury Park on 5 July, plus a date at Cardiff Castle on 30 July, Fontaines D.C. have added further outdoor gigs at Exhibition Park, Newcastle (13 July) and Wythenshawe Park, Manchester (15 August).
And fresh from supporting Blink-182, Pierce the Veil have revealed a 46-date tour spanning North America, Europe and Latin America. Beginning in Charlotte on 13 May, the band’s biggest headline tour so far will include stops at venues like Madison Square Garden in New York, Kia Forum in Los Angeles, OVO Arena Wembley in London, UK, and Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Ghana has been announced as the latest destination for Move Afrika – the new annual, multi-country tour bidding to change the face of live entertainment in Africa.
Created by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, the pan-African touring circuit debuted last month in Rwanda with a headline performance by Kendrick Lamar at the sold-out BK Arena in Kigali. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s creative imprint pgLang will serve as curator of Move Afrika up to 2028.
Each year, additional countries will be added to the tour schedule, which aims to expand to three countries in 2024, and five countries by 2025. Its return to Rwanda has already been confirmed, with Accra, Ghana now also coming on board as a host city this year.
“We are delighted to join Rwanda in becoming the next destination for Global Citizen’s multi-year, multi-market pan-African tour and expect continued impact in the years ahead,” says H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana. “Today, we celebrate this milestone for Ghana. We look forward to future announcements on this growing cohort of Move Afrika destinations.”
Further details, including event dates and lineups, will be announced in the coming months.
“We are honoured to bring Move Afrika to Ghana,” says Global Citizen’s chief vision officer Kweku Mandela. “Our partnership with the Ghanaian and Rwandan governments will showcase the best of African creative talent to the world, while generating economic investment into the local creative economy, which will have a lasting impact across the continent for years to come.”
“We visited Accra for the first time in 2022 and really connected with the people and the culture”
The events are designed to increase demand from international and regional artists to tour the region, and build local capacity, create jobs and scale the live entertainment sector within host cities.
Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. Its previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018 and Global Citizen Festival: Accra in 2022, which featured performances from Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, TEMS and Uncle Waffles.
“We visited Accra for the first time in 2022 and really connected with the people and the culture,” says a statement by pgLang. “Accra will always be a special place for us and we are excited to work with Move Afrika and expand our efforts to Ghana.”
Liz Agbor-Tabi, VP of global policy for Global Citizen, says the organisation is pairing experts with local technical partners to develop expertise in the region.
“We’re doing a lot of work to upskill the talent on the ground,” Agbor-Tani tells Semafor. “We’re showing to the world and investors that there is talent on the continent.”
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Kendrick Lamar served as the star turn at the inaugural Move Afrika event, designed as a launchpad for the first pan-African touring circuit for international artists.
Created by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen and Lamar’s creative imprint pgLang alongside the Rwanda Development Board, Move Afrika: Rwanda debuted last night (6 December) before 8,000 people at the sold-out BK Arena in Kigali.
Headlined by Lamar, the event was held in association with global production company Done and Dusted and the Rwanda Events Group. In addition to showcasing leading African artists, creators and entertainers, it employed more than 1,000 Rwandans, engaging 75% local crew and production staff, with a focus on creating opportunities for skill development and international event training. More than 4,000 free tickets were provided to young people.
“We know what it’s like to not have access, so we wanted to ensure that young people from across Rwanda had the opportunity to experience the first Move Afrika event in Kigali,” says pgLang.
The initiative is aiming to build on the collaborations to generate long-term opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and foster long-term partnerships that pave the way for more international artists to perform in Rwanda.
“We see this event as just the start of a promising journey for our industry”
Each year, additional countries will be added to the Move Afrika tour schedule, which aims to expand to five countries by 2025.
“We see this event as just the start of a promising journey for our industry,” says Rwanda Events Group CEO Christian Gakwaya. “With our talented crew and creative minds, coupled with increased international shows and further investments in equipment and skills, we can for sure take our rightful place as global leader in events.”
Show highlights and performances will form part of a broadcast special, to be released worldwide in early 2024.
Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. The organisation’s previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018.
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Kendrick Lamar is teaming with international advocacy organisation Global Citizen on a “pioneering” new concert series aiming to establish a “first-of-its-kind” touring circuit throughout Africa.
The American rapper’s creative imprint pgLang will serve as the curator of Move Afrika up to 2028, with plans to expand the “long term, large scale effort” to five countries over the next two years.
Lamar will headline its debut major music event at the 10,000-cap BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on 6 December. Tickets are priced from 50,000-85,000 Rwandan francs (€38-65).
“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity,” says a statement from pgLang. “We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime.”
Rwanda will host Move Afrika for the next five years in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board. Further countries will then be added to the tour schedule each year.
“Move Afrika will drive transformative investments across Africa through the pioneering of a world-class touring circuit”
Move Afrika is bidding to set “a new gold-standard for entertainment touring events”, while increasing demand from international and regional artists to tour in the region and building local capacity within host cities. It is designed to drive transformative investments within local communities, engage local artists, vendors, agencies and crews, and provide opportunities for on-the-job skill development and training.
“Africa is driving culture and creativity globally, but the continent has been left out of the global music touring circuit for too long,” says Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans. “By moving from one-off events to the sustained commitment of an annual tour, Move Afrika will drive transformative investments across Africa through the pioneering of a world-class touring circuit.
“Move Afrika will pave the way for many more artists to tour the continent, while generating new economic opportunities within the entertainment industry for Africa’s booming youth generation. We are incredibly excited to bring this vision to life with pgLang and Kendrick Lamar, and are grateful for our partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, who share our belief in this vision.”
Move Afrika is Global Citizen’s latest effort to address the world’s inequities by creating job and entrepreneurship opportunities through live events. The organisation’s previous events in Africa include: Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, which brought Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Eddie Vedder and Chris Martin to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018.
In addition, Global Citizen Live: Lagos featured Davido, Femi Kuti, and Tiwa Savage at Fela Kuti’s New Afrika Shrine in 2021, while Global Citizen Festival: Accra brought Usher, SZA, Stormzy and TEMS to Black Star Square in 2022.
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