Brightman's Harem Tour a Welcome Surprise

04/05/2004 1:41 PM, Reuters
Susanne Ault

Sarah Brightman 's Harem world tour has turned into an unexpected ray of sunshine for organizers.

The 46-date North American arena leg wrapped March 18 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. It sold 225,000 tickets and grossed $15 million. Clear Channel has nationally promoted the concert series since its kickoff Jan. 13 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

In the spotlight since her Broadway turns in "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera" in the 1980s, Brightman has an established fan base. Yet current Nemo Studio/Angel release "Harem" has sold 333,000 copies since its May 2003 bow, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That is about one-third of the total sales for Brightman's "La Luna," which she supported on her last major tour in 2000.

In terms of radio airplay, "she hardly gets any at all," says Nat Farnham, Brightman's booking agent at Evolution Talent Agency. A few remixed "Harem" tracks appeared this year on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart, but "that's such an obscure format," he says.

FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

Still, Farnham adds, the North American trek "has dramatically exceeded everyone's expectations ... and turned out to quietly be a very successful tour."

Granted, relatively high-scaled $35, $55 and $125 tickets likely contributed to the tour's dollar haul. Those prices are about 30% higher than Brightman's previous shows, venue managers say. But Farnham reports that the average 6,600-per-show ticket sales at arenas are a 65% spike from the 4,000 average on her 2000 theater trek.

"We were really selling these tickets in a context where we were not firing on all the cylinders that we should have been," Farnham says regarding the limited exposure for the "Harem" album.

But Farnham and Clear Channel insist the tour bounty is not a fluke. The company aggressively courted its theater subscribers, which is "because a lot of these customers don't experience concerts in arenas very well," said Brad Wavra, VP of touring at Clear Channel Entertainment.

Additionally, Clear Channel stuck Brightman fliers inside Broadway's Playbill and Show People magazines. It also tapped its outdoor division for Brightman tour posters on billboards in Los Angeles and New York's Times Square.

Adding zip to Brightman's tour, Wavra says, was the sale of $750 VIP tickets. About 1,000 of these tickets were sold across the span of tour dates.

Clear Channel has previously been part of tours by such acts as Britney Spears , Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones that have sold similar elite fan packages.

But according to Wavra, Brightman actively engaged herself in the process. Instead of handing VIP buyers front-of-house seats plus autographed memorabilia as usual, she sat the ticket holders onstage as she performed.

"That production design is so different from what has been out there in recent memory," Wavra says, noting that "it added to the overall thrill." Post-concert, Brightman also sat down and talked to each person one on one.

A number of venue managers say they were taken aback by the number of VIP tickets selling at a premium.

"We sold about 50 of them. That was surprising," says Steve Kirsner, director of booking and events at HP Pavilion, which moved about 6,000 tickets overall for its March 18 show.

Brightman will next play 14 European dates April 21 to May 13 and 21 Asian and Australian shows May 28 to July 8.

Reuters/Billboard