What's With All The Dateless Tour Announcements?

With a single Instagram post, Beyoncé set the internet ablaze earlier this month with the surprise announcement of her Cowboy Carter tour. Although the news spread quickly, both pop-culture reporters and the Beyhive overlooked one detail: She didn’t reveal the actual dates.

A day later (and after a Grammy win for Album of the Year), the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer shared another post finally spelling out the specifics of her global jaunt. This type of dispatch — in which a tour is announced ahead of its stops — is becoming a trend amongst pop’s heavy hitters, with acts like Blackpink and Katy Perry adopting similar approaches. But if, according to a recent study, live music revenue is expected to surpass $50 billion by 2030, why are music’s biggest artists kicking off their tours by burying the lede? We’ve got a few theories.

For one thing, the industry was forever changed by COVID-19. The cost of touring — including logistics, lodging, and crew — has risen exponentially, and according to mid-2024 data from Pollstar, artists are “putting on more shows, charging more for tickets but getting fewer butts in seats and seeing lower average grosses.” In this economy, organizers may be weighing interest before committing to moving many people, equipment, and props around the world, especially as the post-social-distancing, live-music gold rush wanes.

Booking a massive stadium tour could also mean coordinating with the NFL. When Taylor Swift extended her Eras Tour, “the league had to account for [her] in its scheduling” by planning away games during her stays in Miami and New Orleans. Though artists often have tentative holds, confirmation may be pending sign-off from all stakeholders.

Furthermore, Swift’s Eras Tour demonstrated that if you build it, stans will come. Proximity might be a key factor in a casual listener’s purchase but, increasingly, diehard fans seem willing to mobilize their savings accounts to see their faves, regardless of distance. Music tourism was a $6.44 billion market in 2024 and is expected to double in the next decade, thanks in part to Swifties’ record-breaking economic impact across the globe. (And it wasn’t just stans — even my ophthalmologist used The Eras Tour as an excuse to plan a European vacation.)

Location might not be as crucial now that the travel bug has extended to other fandoms. On their last tours, Chappell Roan and Bey even adopted theme nights, incentivizing fans to cross state lines for special shows. (For the Cowboy Carter tour in particular, fans are already drawn to cities perceived to be the singer’s faves, like her hometown Houston.)

Nevertheless, the biggest reason is the simplest: hype, babe. By announcing a tour then following up with dates, artists create a two-story narrative. By gauging that hype, they may avoid situations faced by acts like Jennifer Lopez and The Black Keys, who set dates for expansive 2024 tours, then abandoned them after allegedly poor ticket sales. An excitement-building announcement can also serve as an alert, leading to more tickets in genuine fans’ hands. To combat scalpers, some artists have forgone traditional announcements — take Maggie Rogers and Halsey, who announced recent shows with little warning and required fans to buy physical tickets at the box office.

Still, the more existential question might be, “Do the dates even matter?” For those hoping for an in-person experience, the answer is yes. But thanks to social media update accounts and livestreams, tours don’t feel as ephemeral. And perhaps when you’re Beyoncé or Blackpink, locations and dates are just pesky details compared to the broader pop-culture impact they’re sure to create. Instead, these announcements assure fans that their fave is back and they’ll be seeing them soon — whether nearby, in another country, or on their feeds.