Lily Allen says weak ticket sales forced her to downsize tour venues and reveals why she kept the shows going for her crew. The Lily Allen Explains Why She Keeps Touring Despite Weak Ticket Sales first appeared on The Blast

Lily Allen has admitted that lower-than-expected ticket sales forced her to downsize several venues on the ongoing North American leg of her “West End Girl” tour.

The “Smile” singer also explained that she felt uneasy about touring from the start but pressed on because she didn’t want to let her crew down.

Allen’s marriage to estranged husband David Harbor fell apart last year. She later released “West End Girl,” reflecting on the end of their union. He recently said he “respects” her for turning her experience into art, a comment she called “generous.”

Lily Allen Moves Tour Dates To Smaller Venues

Lily Allen seems to be second-guessing her decision to embark on a tour celebrating her divorce album, “West End Girl.”

Back in July, reports emerged that she had downsized several venues for the North American leg of the tour. She also canceled a Montreal concert scheduled for September 8, per NME.

While the leg kicked off as scheduled at New York’s Madison Square Garden on September 3, the September 6 Philadelphia show was moved from Xfinity Mobile Arena to the TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann.

Similarly, the September 13 Chicago show, originally scheduled for the 23,500-capacity United Center, moved to the 3,500-capacity Chicago Theatre.

Her September 21 performance at the Kia Forum in Inglewood was moved to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The September 22 show at San Francisco’s Chase Center was also relocated to the Paramount Theatre in Oakland.

Lily Allen Admits ‘The Ticket Sales Weren’t There’

Now, the 41-year-old singer and actress has explained in a new interview that she had to scale back because ticket sales fell short of expectations.

“The ticket sales weren’t there,” she told The Cut, before explaining how venue bookings work.

“I think people sometimes have a misconception about artist greed. And, you know, maybe there are artists who are greedy, but let me tell you a little bit about the mechanics of how these things work: I don’t call up MSG and all of these other venues and say, ‘I’d like to book these dates, please. Thank you very much. I think I can fill these arenas,'” she explained.

“The company’s own promoters have data machines that tell them whether they’re going to be able to sell these tickets,” Allen noted. “And they offer artists a certain amount of money and tell them, ‘We would like to put on these events, and we think that we can sell out tickets. And would you like to oblige?'”

• The singer addressed ex-husband David Harbour’s comment about “West End Girl.”
• She hit back at trolls for criticizing her tour.
• Allen sparked “tone deaf” backlash after splurging $50k cash.
• The “Hard Out Here” singer opened up on her daughter’s relationship with Harbour following their split.
• The actor’s alleged mistress called BS on Allen’s “false narrative.”
• Allen thanked fans for “validating” her $ 10k-a-week rehab treatment with the album.

Lily Allen Kept Touring To Protect Her Crew’s Jobs

Allen also said she doubted touring from the start but ultimately kept the shows going out of concern for her crew.

She recalled feeling “uneasy” about the idea. However, her manager reassured her that the information he’d received suggested she could pull it off, per The Cut.

“As time went on, it just looked like it wasn’t gonna happen. And we could’ve canceled all of the shows,” she said. “But I have a crew of about 50 people who all thought they’d be working through October. And I didn’t want to tell them all that they weren’t going to have work.”

“Our other option was to ask the promoters if there were any other available venues that were more suited to the demand,” she explained.

David Harbour Says He ‘Respects’ Lily Allen’s Divorce Album

Allen has also made headlines over the breakdown of her marriage to David Harbour, who recently offered a rare comment on her album.

The pair tied the knot in 2020 but went their separate ways just over four years later. Reports of their split emerged in February last year.

That October, Allen released “West End Girl,” sharing intimate details about their relationship, including allegations that the actor broke their agreed boundaries by having an affair.

The “Stranger Things” star addressed the scathing project in a June interview with Variety, describing it as “weird” but saying he “respects” her for the work.

“I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that,” he said.

Lily Allen Calls David Harbour’s Response ‘Generous’

Allen addressed Harbor’s remarks in her interview with The Cut, describing his response as “generous.”

“I think that was a generous thing for him to say,” she said, before praising his flourishing career, including his success with HBO’s “DTF St. Louis.”

“He’s having a real moment of success as well, right?” she said. “He’s been nominated for an Emmy, and it’s great. We’re all doing our own thing, and we’re all doing what we’re supposed to do. If there’s one thing I know about David Harbour, it’s that he’s an excellent actor.”

The Lily Allen Explains Why She Keeps Touring Despite Weak Ticket Sales first appeared on The Blast