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August 20, 2011
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Preparing for a 100-plus-date international concert tour is daunting for even the most seasoned musical acts.
Doing so after a lengthy absence from the marketplace presents a whole other set of challenges. But unconventional English singerSade Adu, whose similarly named band recently embarked on its first North American tour since 2001, decided it was best to not prepare at all.
"I do the opposite and pretend it's not going to happen, immersing myself in the details of production as a way of distracting myself from reality," Adu says. "When the time comes, I don't test the waters -- I just jump straight in."
The vocalist's instincts served her well. Boasting visually stunning production elements and a strong package with John Legend, who opens all U.S. dates, the critically acclaimed, Live Nation-produced arena tour -- which follows the 2010 release of Sade's sixth studio album, "Soldier of Love" (Epic Records) -- has become one of the biggest success stories of the concert business this summer. This is good news for the touring industry, which looks to be on the rebound after last year's bloodbath: Numerous tours and concerts were postponed, canceled or reconfigured for various reasons.
The North American leg of Sade's tour, which launched June 16 with a sellout at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena, had grossed $31.4 million and drew 345,441 concert-goers to 36 concerts through Aug. 14, according to Billboard Boxscore. Sixteen of those were sellouts. As of June 1, the band ranks as the eighth-highest-grossing tour based on reported boxscores. It trails Glee Live! In Concert! (No. 7), Roger Waters (No. 6) and Bon Jovi (No. 5). English pop group Take That is No. 1. Attendance-wise, Sade ranks No. 7. Ticket prices for the band range from $20 to $180 in various markets.
In addition to performances of such classics as "Smooth Operator," "Is It a Crime?" and "The Sweetest Taboo," Sade's two-hour set features a jumbo-sized LED screen projecting videos and dazzling imagery behind Adu and the eight other musicians onstage. To help achieve the breathtaking atmosphere, Sade brought on longtime collaborator Sophie Muller as creative director and hired Baz Halpin -- known for his work on tours by P!nk and Tina Turner, among others -- to handle production and lighting design.
"The way she has been involved in setting up the show has enabled her to really develop as a performer," says Muller, who's also filming a concert DVD of the tour, which will likely be released next year through Epic. "Normally she's reticent, and a less-is-more performer. This time she's blossomed. You can tell that the audience feels that."
Brad Wavra, senior VP of touring at Live Nation, the world's largest show promoter, estimates that the ambitious 54-date North American outing could gross up to $47 million by the time it wraps Sept. 12 at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
The tour will continue with dates in Europe, South America and Australia, but the North American gross alone should easily secure Sade a respectable ranking on Billboard's year-end list of the top 25 highest-grossing tours of 2011. "Sade is a rare jewel," Wavra says. "It feels like I'm working with Miles Davis, Elvis Presley and the Beatles all rolled into one."
TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING
A decade has passed since Adu, Stuart Matthewman (guitar/saxophone), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul Denman (bass) -- collectively known as Sade -- last gave North American fans a live taste of their flawless blend of R&B, soul, jazz and soft rock. The quartet's 2001 amphitheater trek ranked No. 13 on Billboard's year-end tally, grossing $26.5 million and drawing more than 491,000 fans to 42 concerts.
The tour, produced by Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation), featured R&B singer India.Arie as the opener and supported Sade's fifth studio set, "Lovers Rock," released on Epic in 2000. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 3.9 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In the years that followed, Adu, widely known for avoiding the media spotlight, enjoyed her private life, focusing mostly on raising her teenage daughter. In 2008, the singer decided she again had something to say musically. So the four-piece reconvened for the first time since the Lovers Rock tour at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, located near Adu's home in the countryside of southwest England.
The band jumped at the opportunity to work on a new album. Denman took a break from managing his son's punk band, Orange. Matthewman put his film soundtrack work on hold (2003's "Northfork," 2006's "The Astronaut Farmer"). And Hale set aside his A&R consultancy (it has executive-produced Burt Bacharach's 2005 album "At This Time" and scored music for videogames "The Getaway" and "L.A. Noire").
Sade completed "Soldier of Love" in 2009. The 10-song set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in February 2010 with 502,000 copies sold -- the band's best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. The album has sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, and was last year's seventh-highest-selling album, according to SoundScan.
Video: Sade, "Soldier of Love"
Matthewman notes that Adu operates in a much slower time zone than the rest of the music industry. "She just has a different view of time than the rest of us do," he says. "She'll think that five years ago was just one year."
Since 1992, the band has released only three studio albums, each supported by North American tours. ("Love Deluxe" arrived in 1992, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200; it's sold 3.4 million copies, according to SoundScan.) Sade manager Roger Davies says that he learned a long time ago not to push Adu to work on new material. "Everyone pretty much knows that she makes records when she feels it's the right time and has the creative feeling to do it," says Davies, who also represents P!nk, Turner, Cher and Joe Cocker. "I don't think she'd put out a record in a rush, or if she didn't think it was right."
If album sales are any indicator, Sade fans don't seem to mind the long stretch between releases. Since Sade's 1984 debut, "Diamond Life," the RIAA has certified Sade for 23.5 million albums sold in the United States.
The act has also racked up nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 19 tracks on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The title track from "Soldier of Love" peaked at No. 6 on the latter tally -- Sade's highest-charting single since 1988, when "Nothing Can Come Between Us," from "Stronger Than Pride," hit No. 3.
A SMOOTH OPERATION
Sade's North American tour launched about 18 months after the release of Soldier of Love. Epic executive VP of marketing Lee Stimmel, who serves as the band's product manager, says it would've been ideal for the group to capitalize on the marketing and promotional efforts of the album by mounting a North American tour in the summer following its release. "It definitely elongates the marketing plan to have a band active in the marketplace in some form or fashion," he says.
Without going into detail, Davies cites "personal reasons" and other commitments as the reasons why Sade didn't tour sooner. But the group stayed active in the marketplace during the lengthy gap by engaging fans through Facebook and Twitter. Earlier this year, Sade also received media attention when "Soldier of Love" was named best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.
In late April, following a month-long tour rehearsal in Nice, France, the band returned to play Europe for the first time in 18 years with a 21-date stint of arena performances. The next month, Epic released the band's second greatest-hits album, "The Ultimate Collection," which featured two new tracks and a remix of "Moon and the Sky" featuring Jay-Z. The 28-track set bowed at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 127,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Sade is touring off a hit record that's 18 months old," Stimmel says, noting that there aren't many acts capable of embarking on a successful tour so long after an album release. "That's the unique parallel universe this band lives in."
Sade's North American tour was booked, routed and put on sale 280 days before opening night in Baltimore, according to Live Nation's Wavra. The tour promoter announced the first round of dates last September and tickets were available for purchase the following month. Some wondered why tickets were put on sale so far in advance of the trek's launch date.
"Sade has historically been an artist that sells over time. There was no rush," Wavra says. "The deal was done, the routing was set, and there was a window to go on sale, so we did."
Seven months later, as ticket sales grew from word-of-mouth and the addition of Legend as opening act, Live Nation announced a second round of dates. Davies says he wanted to be sure there was enough demand in the marketplace before adding more shows. In addition to some new territories, the second on-sale added multiple nights in such markets as Atlanta (Philips Arena), Chicago (United Center) and Los Angeles (Staples Center).
"When you haven't toured for 10 years, putting 54 shows up on sale is a little daunting, just given the way the world is going," Davies says, noting that Adu personally requested to play tougher sales markets like Memphis, St. Louis and New Orleans. "When we felt the demand, we made the tour bigger."
But not all cities on the trek have been overly successful. The July 28 stop at St. Louis' Scottrade Center sold 6,868 tickets out of a possible 9,000. And in Nashville, Sade's Aug. 1 show at the Bridgestone Arena sold 5,407 tickets out of a possible 9,094. Davies notes that he advised Adu that some cities could be a tougher sell. "But she said, 'No, we have to play to everyone,'" he says.
Wavra says that Sade concerts will typically sell between 2,000 and 3,000 tickets in the week leading up to the concert. "It will do 400-600 the day of show," he adds. "And it's all full-priced tickets."
CHERISH THE DAY
When it came to selecting tour stops, Wavra researched past ticket sales information and regional data on album sales and radio airplay. "She's got a very solid urban fan base," he says. With that in mind, much of the tour's marketing strategy was focused on buying spots on adult R&B and top 40 radio. "Even though they weren't playing Sade, the demographics of top 40 says that they've got an audience of 16-46 listening," Wavra says, noting that ads were also purchased on NPR and some jazz stations.
Between Sade's exquisite production and Legend's one-hour set, Davies believes concert-goers are getting their money's worth. "We wanted to do a value for money thing; we didn't want to overprice," he says. "We were sensitive to the markets, and I think that's paid off."
Adu made certain that her fans wouldn't be disappointed with the band's return. "We wanted the show to be spectacular, transporting the audience on a surprising, emotional adventure at the polar extremes of dynamics," she says. "So for one moment they believe they are in a huge stadium and the next an intimate club where each note hangs in the air.
"This show is the best thing we have ever done as a band," Adu adds. "We know these are really hard times, so we better be greater than any expectations. It's our way to say 'thank you' to our audience."
When Sade finishes its world trek this December in Australia, where the band hasn't toured in 26 years, Davies estimates the group will have played 107 shows. He says there's "a little talk" about another stateside run. But with Sade, nothing is certain.
"I have absolutely no idea what the future holds," Adu says. "It's a miracle to me we are here now. I just know I will look back on it and feel good.
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