Lily Allen’s West End Girl tour hit a few bumps after disappointing ticket sales forced several venue changes. The singer still pushed ahead, despite admitting she had felt uneasy about touring from the beginning.
The North American leg opened at New York’s Madison Square Garden on September 3. Several later dates moved into smaller rooms, while Allen also canceled her Montreal performance.
Lily Allen admits weak ticket sales forced major changes to her US tour
Allen told The Cut, “The ticket sales weren’t there,” while explaining why promoters moved several shows. She also pushed back on the idea that artists simply demand enormous venues. “I think people sometimes have a misconception about artist greed,” Allen said. She explained that promoters use sales data before offering artists particular venues.
“The company’s own promoters have data machines that tell them whether they’re going to be able to sell these tickets,” she told the publication.
The changes affected several major stops. Philadelphia moved from Xfinity Mobile Arena to TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann on September 6. Chicago shifted from the 23,500-seat United Center to the 3,500-seat Chicago Theatre. Her September 21 Inglewood show also moved from Kia Forum to Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre.
The September 22 San Francisco date moved from Chase Center to Oakland’s Paramount Theatre. Allen also canceled her September 8 Montreal concert, according to NME. Still, Allen refused to abandon the tour because of her crew. She said she initially felt “uneasy” about touring, but her manager believed the numbers supported continuing.
“As time went on, it just looked like it wasn’t gonna happen,” Allen told The Cut. She said canceling would have left roughly 50 crew members without expected work.
“Our other option was to ask the promoters if there were any other available venues that were more suited to the demand,” she explained. The tour also carried emotional weight after Allen’s split from David Harbour. They married in 2020 before separating more than four years later.
Allen released West End Girl in October, detailing the marriage’s collapse and alleged broken boundaries. Harbour later called the album “weird” but said he “respects” Allen’s decision to turn experience into art. In her interview, Allen called his response “generous.” She also praised his recent career success, including his Emmy nomination for DTF St. Louis.
“He’s an excellent actor,” Allen said of her estranged husband. “We’re all doing our own thing.”
