*Nicki Minaj has pushed back the start of her upcoming tour with Future, citing the need for more time to “reevaluate elements of production,” but the announcement comes as the New York Post reports of the rapper “spiraling out of control” amid disastrous ticket sales.
We’re told stubs for her upcoming tour — to begin next month — aren’t flying off the shelves.
A Live Nation source told us, “Nicki’s tour could be the most disappointing ticket sales of the year for any artist. These are big arenas with up to 20,000 capacities. Sales for opening night in Baltimore is 2,000 tickets. LA is 3,400, New Orleans 1,000, Denver 1,300, Chicago 3,900. Even her hometown Brooklyn is only 5,050.”
Sources even said the tour is in danger of being canceled.
Live Nation’s official announcement on Tuesday revealed a five-month postponement for the tour launch: “Following her unforgettable VMA performance, Nicki Minaj has decided to reevaluate elements of production on the NickiHndrxx Tour. … [and] to contribute more time to rehearsal ahead of the tour’s launch to make certain her fans get the absolute best quality show that they deserve.”
Due to kick off Sept. 23 in Washington D.C., the tour will now start in Europe on February 21, 2019 in Munich, Germany as planned. It continues through March 28, when Minaj is scheduled to hit Geneva, Switzerland. New North American dates, to be announced at a later date, will follow.
The re-routing also means that Future will not join Minaj for the North American leg.
Live Nation is offering refunds to those who purchased tickets for the NickiHndrxx Tour’s rescheduled dates.
Earlier this week, Minaj lashed out at Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner, accusing them of using their baby Stormi to boost sales of his new album “Astroworld,” which has sold more in its second week than Minaj’s week-old “Queen.”
Minaj also accused Scott of manipulating the sales of his No. 1 album by using a well-known industry cheat of bundling free albums with cheap merchandise — like clothing and so-called tour passes — to bump up sales figures.
During her Beats 1 show, “Queen Radio,” (listen above) she fumed that Scott was “selling f - - king sweaters [and] tour passes” and parading daughter Stormi “for publicity.”
She called Scott “ho n - - - a of the week,” ranting the alleged maneuver had put “Astroworld” at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while “Queen,” debuted at No. 2.
An industry insider tells the New York Post’s Page Six: “Nicki has gone off the rails. She can’t take it that she sold less records than Cardi B (who’s stealing her thunder big time) in her first week; she can’t take it that Travis beat her to No. 1. Her ticket sales for her tour are in the toilet, and it’s making her even more crazy.”
This comes after a major Minaj meltdown on Twitter, when she caused a stir by comparing herself to abolitionist Harriet Tubman. And at the Video Music Awards Monday, show organizers moved Scott and Jenner to seats farther away from her. Get all of that tea, plus Nicki’s ex Safaree talking about his run-in with the rapper at the VMAs below, via HollywoodLife:
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