Sources confirm a sequel to the On The Run stadium tour is in the works for 2018.
JAY-Z and Beyonce are indeed touring this summer, two sources tell Billboard, despite the swift, mysterious removal of an announcement on Ticketmaster and Facebook (March 5) for their On The Run 2 tour.
A hold for the tour had been placed at a number of North American stadiums, one of the sources said.
Speculation about a Bey + Jay tour had been rampant since Feb. 22 when a fan spotted U.K. and North American landing pages for a 2018 stadium tour on Ticketmaster, which were also quickly erased after being publicized. The famous couple last toured together in 2014 for the On The Run tour and their 2018 outing is being billed as a sequel to that 19-show jaunt. Tuesday’s revelation comes via screen grab of Beyonce’s Facebook page from Complex, showing a July 30 concert in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. Once discovered by Complex, both the Ticketmaster and Facebook information was deleted.
Jay-Z and Beyonce pose backstage at the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on Feb. 12, 2015 in New York City.
Billboard has reached out to Live Nation but the concert promoter did not comment. Last year JAY-Z renewed his contract with Live Nation, which is likely promoting the On The Run 2 tour.
One of the delays behind the On The Run 2 tour announcement could be Beyonce’s upcoming appearance at Coachella, April 14 and 21. In the past, Coachella organizer Goldenvoice has required headliner artists to hold off until after the festival to announce new tour dates.
Waiting until April 22 (the Monday after Coachella) would give her 98 days to announce, sell tickets and market the Philadelphia show, which would be shorter than the window needed for most stadium tours, but would probably be enough time since there is likely to be strong demand for the co-headlining show. There’s also the possibility the leak was a planned marketing stunt to generate buzz for the event and remind fans to set aside a few dollars, especially with a busy 2018 summer taking shape with stadium jaunts for Dead and Company, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran and Def Leppard with Journey. A July 30 show will come two days after back-to-back shows at nearby Citizens Bank Park for Billy Joel and Eagles, and two weeks after Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour stops at Lincoln Financial Field.
Beyonce and JAY-Z’s 2014 On The Run tour grossed an impressive $95.9 million, averaging $5 million per show, according to Billboard Boxscore, making it the eighth largest tour of 2014. Beyonce also did a solo tour that year that grossed $67 million, while JAY-Z’s tour netted $48 million for the “Hard Knock Life” rapper in 2017.