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Madonna changes her Brisbane dates to cut her tour down under in March short by six days

MADONNA has changed her Australian tour dates, angering some fans and fuelling speculation about poor ticket sales.

In this Dec. 12, 2015 picture US singer Madonna performs one stage during a concert as part of her Rebel Heart Tour in Zurich, Switzerland. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)
In this Dec. 12, 2015 picture US singer Madonna performs one stage during a concert as part of her Rebel Heart Tour in Zurich, Switzerland. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)

MADONNA has changed the routing of her Australian tour next year to cut her time spent down under.

Due to unexplained “scheduling issues” Madonna has moved her Brisbane shows forward by ten days.

It means Madonna will now play six shows in just nine days, ending the tour six days earlier than originally planned.

Her Australian tour starts in Melbourne on March 12 and 13 and the singer will now play Brisbane Entertainment Centre on March 16 and 17 then her entire Rebel Heart world tour ends with shows in Sydney on March 19 and 20.

Those with Brisbane tickets for March 26 must now attend the March 16 show, March 27 tickets are valid for the March 17 show.

New dates: Brisbane Madonna fans will have to change their plans in March. Picture: Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP
New dates: Brisbane Madonna fans will have to change their plans in March. Picture: Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP

Anyone who cannot attend the new dates in Brisbane can get a refund before February 1.

In remarkable news Qantas and Jetstar will waive the change fees for fans flying to Brisbane from interstate who need to change their flights to make the new dates.

The airlines are partners with tour promoter Live Nation.

However it will cause grief for others on different airlines or those with non-refundable accommodation booked when the shows went on sale earlier this year.

The scheduling changes will fuel speculation the superstar’s Australian tour is not selling as well as expected.

The original routing of the tour saw Madonna play the three eastern states over three consecutive weekends, with ten week days off in-between.

Fans in Adelaide and Perth were hoping the blank schedule would be filled with Madonna playing shows in their states. That would have angered those fans who’d already spent a large amount of money buying tickets, flights and accommodation for the shows in the Eastern States.

With no new dates being added, promoters would have had to pay to keep the expensive production on ground in Australia without more shows to offset the cost. The new routing means the staging will have to be shipped around the country immediately after Madonna leaves each venue.

Madge busting out Burning Up live
Madge busting out Burning Up live
Madge on stage during the Rebel Heart tour
Madge on stage during the Rebel Heart tour

Many are grumbling online about the expensive ticket prices for the Madonna shows, where the majority of seats are priced at either $305 or $510 before fees, with a small amount of $99 tickets selling out instantly.

Also snapped up straight away were $2000 guaranteed front row ticket packages.

Some VIP packages, none of which include a meet and greet but do offer seats closer to the stage, are still available, priced between $300 and $800.

Brisbane is still the place to get the widest range of ticket options, with some seats for around $200 still available as well as a $3000 VIP package which includes a seat alongside the runway as well as merchandise and other items.

Harbour Cruise parties in Sydney will still go ahead.

Madonna will visit New Zealand for the first time on March 5 and 6.

The 2015 leg of her Rebel Heart tour ends in Scotland on Sunday before spending January and February on the road in South America, North America and Asia before heading down under for the first time since 1993.

Exclusive: Madonna tells Australian fans she’s definitely coming down under and plans to spank Molly Meldrum on stage.

Originally published as Madonna changes her Brisbane dates to cut her tour down under in March short by six days

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/entertainment/music/madonna-changes-her-brisbane-dates-to-cut-her-tour-down-under-in-march-short-by-six-days/news-story/0faea4d2af2b3b2f486266488d9da421