Pussycat Dolls Cancel Several U.S. Tour Dates, Citing Weak Ticket Sales

U.S. ” The term refers to the blue dots that represent unsold seats on Ticketmaster’s website. Only the Pussycat Dolls publicly blamed poor sales for canceling.

U.S. arena dates. S. arena dates. S. stadium tour. Those venues had more open seats than a 4pm Friday work meeting.

The average concert ticket price in 2026 is $144. That is up from $115 in 2025 and $82 in 2020. The cost of gas has exploded since the start of the Iran war and hurt the profit margins of tours that rely on transportation to get between locations.

The FIFA World Cup is being hosted in North America this summer, creating stiff entertainment competition. Three weeks ago, a jury found Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation guilty of acting as a monopoly. Some experts believe that the Live Nation monopoly verdict may not lead to a long-term decline in ticket prices.

Fortune reported that the cancellations reflect broader pressure on touring economics as prices have climbed sharply since 2020 while external costs have risen. The music industry has watched unsold seats multiply across multiple artists’ maps in recent weeks. Only one act has directly attributed its decision to poor sales.

The Pussycat Dolls’ public statement stands apart from the decisions by Meghan Trainor, Zayn, Post Malone and Jelly Roll, none of whom cited ticket sales when pulling dates. Post Malone and Jelly Roll limited their pullback to one-third of the tour, preserving the remaining shows.

U.S. Arena appearances. Ticket prices have nearly doubled since 2020, according to the data. The jump from $82 in 2020 to $115 last year and now $144 this year has coincided with rising transportation expenses driven by higher gas prices since the Iran war began.

Those cost increases have squeezed margins for productions that move equipment and personnel between cities. This summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America has drawn entertainment dollars that might otherwise have gone to concerts, further pressuring ticket sales. The timing overlaps with the wave of cancellations and leaves fewer discretionary spending options for fans.

The monopoly verdict against Live Nation came at a moment when the industry was already confronting softer demand. The jury’s finding three weeks ago determined that Live Nation acted as a monopoly.

The combination of higher prices, elevated operating costs and competing events has produced visible gaps across Ticketmaster’s seating maps. Fortune reported the details in a story originally published by Morning Brew. The blue dot phenomenon has become shorthand inside the music business for the unsold inventory now common at arena and stadium shows.

Artists continue to weigh whether to proceed with dates that risk playing to half-empty venues.