It’s Not Your Imagination Charlotte Really Is Left Off Of Major Concert Tours More Often Than Other Cities

I'll never forget the moment Taylor Swift announced her Eras Tour just over a year ago, and Charlotte was missing from the schedule. It shouldn't have been a surprise as she hadn't been here on her last tour the reputation Stadium Tour either. But I had heard that it was in the works, especially since David Tepper is all about bringing concerts to Bank of America Stadium. But it wasn't. She isn't the only major touring artist to skip Charlotte on their major concert tours either.

Harry Styles, Eric Church avoided Charlotte for years, Morgan Wallen in 2023, Lady Gaga, and Lionel Richie are just some of the names that immediately come to mind. So if you've ever thought "Geez why does my favorite artist never come here" you're probably not alone. And you're also correct. Our friends Radical Storage conducted a study to see which cities really get excluded from the biggest tours.

To do this they reviewed more than 700 concert dates from 21 of the biggest music artists to see which cities they visited this year, canceled, or plan to visit in 2024. These are the most streamed artists on Spotify who have embarked on a "world tour" since 2015. They compared this list with a list of the largest cities. And the data confirmed that Charlotte is disproportionately left out of concert world tours. Here's what Radical Storage found:

Top 5 most overlooked world tour destinations in the U.S.

On the other end of the spectrum, these were the cities that were seemingly always included:

Top 5 most popular U.S. world tour destinations

There are seemingly new shows being announced daily in Charlotte. Gotta get those tickets on sale before the holidays! But even still Charlotte seems to miss out on some of the biggest concert tours around. Perhaps this changes soon? Taylor I need multiple Charlotte dates and none of this Ticketmaster "verified fan" crap (the worst thing to ever happen to ticket buying and it's not even close). You can read more on the Radical Storage study here.

The past two years saw the return of touring, and many acts have hit the road with a vengeance.  There have been amazing live performances, with some of the biggest artists returning to the road. Some tours were delayed due to COVID-19, while some musicians happened to take a long hiatus from performing altogether. Whatever the reason, in 2023, musicians across all genres of music announced world tours and stadium tours.

Pop legends like Madonna and Janet Jackson are touring on a global scale, as are younger artists like Harry Styles and Morgan Wallen. Popularity with K-pop and Latin artists has brought musicians from both genres to have successful tours in 2023. Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Pink and the Cure have all been on the road this year as well.

There is, of course, massive hype around Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Her shows last three-and-a-half hours as she covers all aspects of her career, from country to pop to indie. With her two “surprise songs” each night, fans are always eager to find out what songs she’ll choose for that segment. On top of that, her timing is impeccable for fans “itching for a post-pandemic live music immersive experience.” Another factor is how much Swifties appreciate Taylor’s dedication to her craft: writing all her songs and reclaiming ownership of all of her music by re-recording her discography. Fans have also been buying and streaming the new versions of her old songs and the bonus tracks on her re-recorded versions of her albums.

Secondary ticket market site Gametime released data showcasing the Top 10 Concert Tours of the year based on average ticket prices on their site. Take a look below at which ten music artists have the hottest concert tickets of 2023 so far, based on the prices of their tickets on Gametime.

The Colombian singer-songwriter has worked with several well-known Latin artists such as J Balvin, Sebastián Yatra, Manuel Turizo, Maluma, Karol G, and Young Miko. Also known as Ferxxo, the artist released 15 singles in 2023 so far. He kicked off his Ferxxo Nitro Jam Underground tour in April, wrapping up his 29-city North American tour in June.

P!nk kicked off the North American leg of her Summer Carnival tour in July in Toronto, Canada. The tour runs through October 9, with her Trustfall Tour starting a few days later, running through November 19 in the US. The "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" singer is known for her acrobatic stage performances, setting her apart from any pop artist, and any other mainstream performer.

The Colombian singer is known for her Reggaeton and Latin trap music, collaborating with fellow popular Latin artists like Shakira, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Ozuna. Karol G's first-ever stadium tour, Mañana Será Bonito Tour kicked off in August 2023, with 15 dates until the final show on September 28 in Boston.

The "King of Country Music" is one of the most successful artists of all time, in any genre.. Setting venue attendance records across seven stadium shows this summer alongside Chris Stapleton, the two will continue touring into 2024 with nine new dates.

Queen Bey embarked on her Renaissance World Tour on May 10, beginning in Stockholm, Sweden. She made her way to the US with a show in Philadelphia on July 12 and finishing up her tour on October 1 in Kansas City. The tour, which supports her latest Renaissance album, is already the highest-grossing tour of hers to date.

The South Korean rapper and singer, who also goes by Agust D, debuted as a member of the boy band BTS in 2013. He embarked on his first worldwide solo tour, performing in the US from April 26 to May 16 before heading over to Asia. The 30-year-old artist is set to begin his mandatory military service in South Korea on September 22 and will return in 2025. He is the third BTS member to enlist, following Jin and J-Hope. Throughout the next few years, all seven members of BTS will enlist.

The country singer's One Night At A Time World stadium tour began in March 2023, performing in the US from April to October. He added additional dates for his 2023 tour, and picks his tour back up in April 2024, with additional dates running through June 7. Wallen, 30, faced intense backlash and criticism in early 2021 after he was captured on camera saying the N-word to one of his friends. He has since apologized and regardless of the controversy, his Dangerous album went on to be the top-performing country album of 2021.

Usher's Vegas residency, titled My Way began in February 2023, running all the way to December. The "Climax" crooner had a bunch of celebrities in the audience and on stage throughout his residency, with many viral moments occurring due to the artist serenading women who are in relationships -- most famously Keke Palmer.

The "Nice For What" rapper began his It's All A Blur tour with 21 Savage in Chicago in July, and will through October 9, with more dates to be announced. Drake has supporting artists J. Cole, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Sexyy Red, and Central Cee, joining him on select dates.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has been so successful, it is expected to [inlink id="taylor-swift-tour-projected-to-pass-the-1-billion-mark" text="pass $1 billion in sales by March 2024"]. If that happens, the singer-songwriter will make history. She has [inlink id="taylor-swift-second-leg-of-north-american-eras-tour" text="extended the North American leg of her Eras Tour"] to pick back up next fall, but before that, has a [inlink id="taylor-swift-eras-concert-film" text="concert film debuting this October"] for fans who were unable to shell out money for tickets.