A Second Opinion on Blue Dot Fever; Plus: Ambushed by Vegas Elvis
A Second Opinion on Blue Dot Fever; Plus: Ambushed by Vegas Elvis
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Analysis
We Are Unconvinced by the Blue Dot Fever Scare of 2026
Google’s Nano Banana image generator was one of the few winners in the Blue Dot Fever brouhaha.
The wires have lit up this week with stories of “blue dot fever” — an outbreak of tour cancellations epitomized by Ticketmaster venue maps covered in blue dots.
Are the Pussycat Dolls heralding a massive collapse? Does Live Nation have a monopoly on a crumbling concert business edifice? Does Post Malone need to be quarantined?
The answer is not really. (Ok, maybe yes on Post Malone.) There are plenty of issues with the concert biz these days, particularly for small and mid-level artists: indie venues going out of business, rising insurance costs, inflation across the board. But at the shed, arena and stadium level, there is a lot of money being made. “If Live Nation hadn’t paid $400 million in a legal settlement,” says my sage friend Andy Gensler, executive editor of Pollstar, “they would have had their most profitable year ever.”
If you look at the tours that have had to cancel dates, you can see some of the usual reasons: an artist had an unrealistic idea of what size venues they can play after a long layoff (Pussycat Dolls) or overbooked themselves without releasing any new music (Post Malone, who toured stadiums last year and hasn’t released an album since 2024).
To test our thinking, we did a spot check of Ticketmaster sales for more than 60 shows — checking the dreaded blue dots on venue maps — for 18 artists touring over the next couple of months:
Stems · Blue Dot Fever Spot Check v8
BLUE DOT FEVER SPOT CHECK
ROBUST HEALTH
Strong demand
01
Morgan Wallen
Wallen is a stadium juggernaut, playing multiple dates in cities like Chicago and Indianapolis, and very few seats unsold.
Based on 3 shows
02
ROSALIA
Every date we checked was utterly sold out; secondary market tickets for one MSG date started at $337 for nosebleed seats with obstructed views.
Based on 3 shows
03
Ariana Grande
Major market dates sold out.
Based on 2 shows
04
Megan Moroney
Sold out dates in cities such as Greensboro, NC, as well as Brooklyn's Barclays Center, LA's Crypto.com Arena, and multiple dates at Chicago's United Center.
Based on 6 shows
05
KAROL G
Multiple stadium dates at Soldier Field in Chicago, one sold out; second and third tier seats still available for second date, but still 2 months from show.
Based on 2 shows
06
RUSH
Sold out, secondary market tickets start at $276 for nosebleed seats.
Based on 3 shows
07
The Strokes
Some, mostly second tier, seats available in small markets like Gilford, NH and Cuyahoga Falls, OH, but large market arena shows sold out.
Based on 5 shows
08
Alex Warren
Some upper mezzanine tickets available for Crypto.com Arena in LA; United Center in Chicago sold out.
Based on 2 shows
09
Don Toliver
Behind the stage tickets available at MSG and United Center; otherwise sold out.
Based on 4 shows
10
A$AP Rocky
Some floor seats available at United Center; otherwise sold out.
Based on 3 shows
STABLE BUT UNDER OBSERVATION
A couple bumps, but solid trajectory
11
JOJI
Best seats sold for Barclays Center date, still many 1st and 2nd level seats available.
Based on 2 shows
12
Summer Walker
Mostly upper level seats still available at Barclays Center.
Based on 2 shows
13
Kid Rock
Some weakness at dates such as Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheatre, but other dates — such as, strangely, New Jersey's PNC Arts Center — sold out.
Based on 6 shows
14
Lionel Richie
Patchy sales at Chicago's United Center, but show still 6 weeks away, and other dates close to sold out.
Based on 5 shows
15
Bleachers
Patchy sales for upper level and side seats at some dates roughly one month out, best seats sold.
Based on 3 shows
16
Weird Al Yankovic
Patchy sales six weeks out for side and upper tier seats at Philadelphia arena date, best seats mostly sold.
Based on 3 shows
FLATLINE RISK
Reasons for concern
17
Kid Cudi
Cancelled Birmingham, AL show because of poor sales. Majority of seats at Xfinity Center date in Mansfield, MA unsold; close to 50% unsold at St. Louis area amphitheatre show.
Based on 5 shows
18
Kesha
Patchy sales at Jones Beach and Mohegan Sun arena; sea of blue dots at Virginia Beach shed show later this month.
Based on 5 shows
METHODOLOGY
For this analysis we reviewed 65 Ticketmaster seat maps on May 6, 2026. Rankings were based on publicly available information such as quantity of available seats (not including secondary market tickets), size of venue, number of shows per city, price of tickets and days before concert.
There are many possible reasons that the two artists in the red zone, Kid Cudi and Kesha, might need to cancel some dates, and I wouldn’t put “signs of touring business collapse” in the top ten. Both have booked optimistically-routed amphitheater/arena tours with many small-market dates, without a strong album cycle or other moment to back them up. (Cudi has been saying that is winding down his music career for a few years, and Kesha’s last album was self-released.)
Of course, we might be looking at a different picture next year, or even this year if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for another three months. But until then, I’m paying more attention to hantavirus.
MUSIC • MEDIA • TECH
