Eight of the shows on Justin Bieber's upcoming US tour have been downsized from stadium to arena venues following slower-than-expected ticket sales. It's thought Bieber's management team agreed with the tour's promoter that the venue changes should be made now in order to ensure the musician isn't playing to half-empty venues - and running loss-making shows - once the tour is up and running.
Given that the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 on the live sector - especially in the US - became big news last week, you could possibly blame the slower ticket sales on concerns over the spread of the virus Stateside. Which is to say, people are putting off buying tickets for the May shows because of concerns about contracting the virus, or that the concerts may be called off if measures to contain the virus run for months rather than weeks.
That said, ticket sales on other pop tours in the US don't seem to have been affected too much by coronavirus concerns. Suggesting, instead, that while Bieber is still a major act, he is not quite as big a draw as he was in all American markets. Though stadium dates are still planned in some cities.