After a recent rash of tour cancellations in the wake of weak ticket sales, concert industry observers were predicting the next shoe would drop for the Pussycat Dolls‘ poor-selling reunion tour. That high heel hit the floor Monday afternoon, as the group announced that its U.S. outing was being called off “after taking an honest look at the North American run.” Shows in other parts of the world will proceed as planned.
Although the Dolls did not specifically cite ticket sales as the reason for bowing out of the dates, there were no other excuses offered — in contrast to other recent cancellations where alternate explanations have been given for pulling the plug on arena or stadium tours, with some rationales more credible than others.
“Dolls: We want to share an important update with you,” the group’s social media message began. “When we announced the PCD Forever Tour, we hoped to bring the show to fans across the world. After taking an honest look at the North American run, we’ve made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to cancel all but one of the North America dates.”
The lone U.S. gig that is saying on the agenda is a WeHo Pride appearance in the L.A. area June 6. “We could not think of a more meaningful place to celebrate with our fans,” the statement said, referring to their appearance at Outloud, the high-profile festival that takes place during WeHo Pride. “The LGBTQ+ community has shown us so much love and support throughout our career, and we’re honored to be part of a weekend rooted in joy, pride, music, and chosen family.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the world will not go Doll-less.
“Our U.K. and European dates are still moving forward as planned, and the response has been incredible, with several shows already sold out,” said the group’s statement. “We are putting everything into making this show a true celebration of the music and the memories, for the fans who have been with us from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time. We’re working hard to create the kind of show we’ve always dreamed of bringing to you. We cannot wait to bring this reunion to Europe and make these nights unforgettable.
The group immediate drew praise on social media for not ascribing the cancellation to anything beyond the most obvious factors. Some fans were quick to chime in that they believe a Dolls tour would do well if it were booked into theaters instead of arenas, and/or if ticket prices were lower… though some said they had refrained from buying because the reunion only includes three out of six members.
Nicole Scherzinger, who is returning to the pop arena after her Tony-winning run as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Blvd.” on Broadway, is participating in the tour along with Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts. A live TV interview on “Today” where Scherzinger was speechless in being asked to address the absence of other former members went viral. (In March, ex-member Jessica Sutta alleged that her MAGA political alliances were one of the reasons she was not asked to return for the tour.)
Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster (or, for the Nashville show alone, AXS) will be automatically refunded. Resale tickets will have to be refunded from the third-party vendor.
The cancellation follows in the wake of Meghan Trainor and Zayn canceling their entire U.S. arena tours, plus Post Malone and Jelly Roll canceling the first third of their stadium tour. Trainor blamed her cancellation on wanting to spend more time with her young children, while Zayn (who is keeping his U.K. dates, as the Pussycat Dolls are) alluded to unspecified health concerns. Malone, meanwhile, said needing more time to finish an upcoming album was the reason for pushing back the start of his tour by three and a half weeks, though he is maintaining a handful of festival dates during that same time period.
Sales for all of the aforementioned artists were notably weak, judging from a look at seating charts for those tours up to the point they were canceled, although Malone’s sales for his stadium gigs did not look as dire as some of the other scotched tours.
Also canceling Monday was Dolly Parton, who announced that her Las Vegas residency for later this year was being called off entirely after being postponed earlier. In her case, shows were sold out and going for high prices on the secondary market, so her explanation of health issues was one case in which fans were not second-guessing commercial reasons.
OutLoud at WeHo Pride was quick to issue its own press release trumpeting that festival as the one place for U.S. fans to still see the Dolls this summer.
“Seeing the Pussycat Dolls demonstrate a genuine commitment to LGBTQ+ visibility and pride in their confirmation of their headline show at Outloud at WeHo Pride is something we’re truly proud of,” OutLoud founder/executive producer Jeff Consoletti said in a statement. “For us, this continues a legacy of creating standout cultural moments alongside artists like Grace Jones, Kylie Minogue and Lizzo that celebrate inclusivity and connection in a way that feels both authentic and impactful.”
In-between “Sunset Blvd.” and the upcoming tour, Scherzinger did a well-reviewed series of solo shows mixing cabaret and show-tune standards with her Dolls hits. In March, when the tour was being announced, the reconsituted group issued their first single since 2020, “Club Song.”
The Pussycat Dolls’ tour was to have started June 5 at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, where a recent look at a seating chart revealed few tickets had been sold. There were 32 shows on the books altogether for North America, not including the West Hollywood festival appearance, including a July 20 booking at Madison Square Garden. Lil Kim and Mya were advertised as the tour’s opening acts.
The still-scheduled European dates begin Sept. 9 in Copenhagen and continue through an October. 13 date at the O2 in London. Lil Kim is set to open all those shows.
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