The Pussycat Dolls Tour
Tour by the Pussycat Dolls
The second promotional poster for the tour, adapted for the new dates after initial dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
the Pussycat Dolls concert chronology

The Pussycat Dolls Tour (also informally known as The Unfinished Business Tour) was the planned third concert tour by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls. It was announced in 2019, when Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Carmit Bachar, Kimberly Wyatt and Jessica Sutta revealed that they were reforming for new music and a brand new concert tour. Former member Melody Thornton declined to reunite but decided to continue with her career as a solo recording artist. The announcement followed the release of "React", the first new song by the group in more than a decade.

The tour was due to begin in April 2020 with 10 arena dates around the UK and Ireland, but these were postponed until the Autumn and then Spring-Summer 2021 due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It was then scheduled to begin on May 21, 2021, with ten dates across the UK and Ireland. A number of festival dates were cancelled all together including a headline slot at Brighton Pride (UK), So Pop Festival (Australia and New Zealand), Untold Festival (Romania), and Superbloom Festival (Germany), while some international dates in Japan, Brazil, and the Philippines were postponed pending further confirmation. Following further delays which were down to the pandemic, breach of contracts and logistics, the tour was ultimately cancelled in January 2022 with the fate of the Pussycat Dolls unknown pending the legal dispute between Scherzinger and Antin regarding the terms of the group's business ventures.

Background

Pussycat Dolls members reuniting for the tour
A woman with red lipstick and long black hair
Nicole Scherzinger
A woman on stage with a microphone
Ashley Roberts
A woman with red hair and lipstick
Carmit Bachar
A woman with brunette hair on stage singing into a microphone
Kimberly Wyatt
A woman with red hair in front of a sign that says Hard Rock cafe
Jessica Sutta

The Pussycat Dolls reunited in November 2019 for a performance on the finale of UK reality tv competition The X Factor: Celebrity, where alongside previous singles, they also performed a new song "React". Following the performance, it was confirmed that new music was in production alongside a UK and Ireland concert tour.[1][2] The tour would be the group's first since 2009's Doll Domination Tour, and "React" was the first release by the group in more than a decade.[3] Former member, Melody Thornton decided not to reunite with them in order to focus on her solo career.[4]

Speaking on their decision to tour the UK, Roberts told the BBC, "L.A. was our home, but the U.K. was our second home because the British just scooped us up. So, our lives ended up here as well, some of us, so the fans have just been holding on strong with wanting this reunion and our biggest fanbase is over here."[5] In the same interview, Wyatt noted that the Pussycat Dolls had been talking about a reunion for some years, "it’s been a few years in the making, and the tour was dubbed Unfinished Business, supported by comments made by both Roberts and Wyatt. Wyatt said "I think ultimately there’s some unfinished business with The Pussycat Dolls"[5] and Roberts agreed, noting that it had "been 10 years ... we just all were ready to do it".[6] The tour was also known as the Unfinished Business Tour.[7] As part of the tour, the group was confirmed to be headlining the second day of Fabuloso Pride in the Park, Brighton's Pride celebrations on August 2, 2020.[8][9]

Changes to scheduling

The Pussycat Doll Tour's first leg was supposed to begin in April 2020, visiting nine venues around the UK and Ireland, plus an appearance at Fabuloso Pride in the Park (Brighton) in August.[9] However, by March 2020 the UK was being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to social restrictions making the tour impossible to go ahead; new dates were planned for October.[10] Following the same guidance regarding social restrictions, organisers of Pride in the Park announced the event was being delayed 2021, with the Pussycat Dolls returning to headline.[11]

The tour was then scheduled to begin in July 2020 with a number of festival and racecourse events through the UK and Ireland,[12][13][14][15][16] as well as the Untold Festival in Romania, and Superbloom Festival in Germany.[17][18] The arena dates for the UK and Ireland would then follow in October, beginning with Newcastle on October 19 and ending in Dublin, Ireland on November 2.[10] However, on July 2, 2020, the tour was confirmed to have been pushed back into 2021, with dates now spanning May and June.[19] Other previously announced 2020 international appearances including in the Philippines, Japan, and Brazil were either postponed or cancelled all together.[20][21][22] A third announcement came in March 2021, several months ahead of the new scheduled dates. Ticketmaster informed customers that the tour was being rescheduled once again at the request of the organisers. No new dates were announced but there was the promise of further announcements to follow in due course.[23]

Legal dispute and cancellation

"There's some fighting going on between the creator Robin and Nicole. And so I have no idea what's going to happen but I'm trying to stay optimistic. I feel like we've built such an epic moment of this comeback performance and this comeback tour and all the fans are so excited around the world right along with us."

— Wyatt during an interview with Loose Women.[24]

In September 2021, it was reported that Scherzinger was refusing to take part in the tour and had been subsequently sued by Robin Antin, founder of the Pussycat Dolls. The media reported that Scherzinger had originally agreed to 49% of the tour's earnings but was now refusing to take part unless this rose to 75% and included overall creative control.[25] Documents filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court found that the basis of the agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding that Scherzinger had committed to 45 shows, under terms that she would receive 32.5% of earnings from the tour, with Sutta, Roberts, Wyatt and Antin also receiving 12.5% and Bachar receiving 5%, reflecting that she left before the release of the group's second album, Doll Domination (2008). The legal dispute came from Scherzinger wanting to negotiate the terms of PCD Worldwide, a new business venture that would handle future earning from the group and brand from existing terms of 49% to an increased 75%, to reflect "opportunities she would have to forego to continue to engage in "the partnership with Antin".[26]

Scherzinger's lawyer released a counter-statement to Antin's claims. Amongst the response was details of $600,000 advance from Live Nation that Antin had received to support the tour and now "won't or can't repay", as well as accusing her of "trading on Nicole's name without her consent" and public release of the group's financial arrangements for the tour. Scherzinger concluded that the lawsuit was "ludicrous and false", and that under those circumstances, the tour cannot happen.[27] In January 2022, Scherzinger officially confirmed the tour's cancellation on an Instagram stories post. The official reasons cited "evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic". Not long after, group members Sutta and Bachar confirmed that they had only learnt about the tour's cancellation from Scherzinger's Instagram post, writing their own statement, saying: "We want to say how incredibly disappointed we are to learn of an announcement made on Instagram that The Pussycat Dolls reunion tour is canceled. As of now, there has been no official notification of that."[28] Antin also confirmed the tour's cancellation stating that "all of us have made personal & financial sacrifices" and later confirming that there were "truths to this situation" which may see the light of day one day.[28] Despite referring to the tour cancellation as "the end of a chapter", Sutta and Bachar remained optimistic about the future of the group, stating that "[it] is not the end of the Dolls story, [we have] created a sisterhood that will live on"."[28] Wyatt has expressed she has "done all [she] can", as she was the motivator for the reunion for years. She confirmed that both she and Roberts still want the tour to happen.[29]

Reception

When the tour was announced for April 2020, the group were only intending to play one date at The O2 Arena. However, due to strong demand an additional date was added for April 19, 2020.[30]

Tour dates

Arena shows

List of postponed concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for postponement
Date City Country Venue Cancellation reason(s)[a] Ref.
May 9, 2020 Pasay Philippines Mall of Asia Arena COVID-19 pandemic [20][32]
May 14, 2020 Osaka Japan Namba Hatch [21]
May 15, 2020 Tokyo Tokyo Garden Theatre
June 13, 2020 São Paulo Brazil Unimed Hall [22]
June 16, 2020 Uberlândia Arena Sabiazinho
June 18, 2020 Ribeirão Preto Arena Eurobike
July 26, 2020 Dundee Scotland Slessor Gardens [33][34]
May 21, 2021 Cardiff Wales Motorpoint Arena [19][31]
May 22, 2021 Nottingham England Motorpoint Arena
May 23, 2021 Birmingham Resorts World Arena
May 25, 2021 Leeds First Direct Arena
May 26, 2021 Manchester AO Arena
May 28, 2021 London The O2 Arena
May 29, 2021[b]
May 30, 2021 Dublin Ireland 3Arena
June 1, 2021 Newcastle England Utilita Arena Newcastle
June 2, 2021 Glasgow Scotland SSE Hydro

Festival and international shows

List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Cancellation Reason(s) Note(s) Ref.
April 24, 2020 Brisbane Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre COVID-19 pandemic Part of So Pop Festival [36][37]
April 25, 2020 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena
April 28, 2020 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre Scheduling issues [38]
April 29, 2020 Perth HBF Stadium COVID-19 pandemic [36]
May 1, 2020[c] Melbourne Melbourne Arena
May 2, 2020 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena
May 3, 2020 Christchurch Horncastle Arena
July 4, 2020 Llanelli Wales Parc y Scarlets Scheduling issues A suitable date could not be found for a rescheduled show [40][41]
July 5, 2020 Northampton England Franklin's Gardens COVID-19 pandemic – [12][31]
July 17, 2020 Suffolk Newmarket Racecourse – [13][31]
July 18, 2020 Merseyside Haydock Park Racecourse – [14][31]
July 22, 2020 Esher Sandown Park Racecourse – [15][31]
July 24, 2020 York York Racecourse – [16]
July 25, 2020 Newcastle Newcastle Racecourse – [31][42]
July 30, 2020 Cluj-Napoca Romania Cluj Arena Part of the Untold Festival [17][43]
August 1, 2020 Lingfield England Lingfield Park Resort – [44]
August 2, 2020 Brighton Preston Park Part of Fabuloso Pride in the Park [11]
August 21, 2020 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Racecourse – [45]
September 5, 2020 Munich Germany Olympic Park Part of the Superbloom festival [18][46]

Notes

  1. ^ All UK and Ireland arena dates were rescheduled from their original dates in April 2020 to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] Dates were then pushed back again into April and May 2021.[19]
  2. ^ Before the tour was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this show was originally due to take place on April 19, 2020 but in February 2020, it was brought forward by one day due to scheduling conflicts.[35]
  3. ^ Prior to the cancellation of the So Pop Festival, the Melbourne Arena in Melbourne was originally scheduled to take place on April 30, 2020 before being resceduled to the following day.[39]

References

  1. ^ Kreps, Daniel (December 12, 2019). "Watch Pussycat Dolls Reunite for First Performance in Nearly 10 Years". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pussycat Dolls promise new album". Emirates 24|7. Dubai: Dubai Media Incorporated. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Copsey, Robert (January 27, 2020). "Pussycat Dolls confirm comeback song React release date". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Dosani, Rishma (November 28, 2020). "Why Melody Thornton isn't joining 'nightmare' Pussycat Dolls reunion after needing therapy for split". Metro. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "'Wait a Minute!' The Pussycat Dolls announce reunion tour". Entertainment Weekly. November 28, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Gumuchian, Marie-Louise (November 28, 2019). "Pussycat Dolls announce reunion tour 10 years after split". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  7. ^ Murphy, Lauren (November 28, 2019). "The Pussycat Dolls announce Irish date on their first tour in ten years". Entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  8. ^ McGerry, Daniel (February 13, 2020). "Pussycat Dolls announced as first headliner for Brighton Pride 2020". Gay Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Embley, Jochan (February 13, 2020). "Pussycat Dolls to play Brighton Pride 2020: How to get tickets". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Ross, Alex (March 19, 2020). "The Pussycat Dolls postpone their April tour with rescheduled dates". Planetradio.co.uk. UK: Hits Radio (Bauer Media Audio UK). Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Brighton Pride 2020 Postponed – Information for Ticket Holders". Brighton-pride.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Pussycat Dolls – Cancelled – Franklin Gardens". AXS. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "The Jockey Club Live Presents Pussycat Dolls at Newmarket Racecourses 17 July 2020". The Jockey Club. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Murphy, Catherine (June 11, 2020). "Pussycat Dolls cancel Merseyside show completely due to coronavirus". The Echo. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Pussycat Dolls – Cancelled – Sandown Park Racecourse". AXS. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  16. ^ a b York Race Date:
  17. ^ a b Curtis-Horsfall, Thomas (February 20, 2020). "EDM and Pop Superstars Are Heading To Untold Festival 2020". Festicket.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Superbloom Festival in München: Diese Stars sind dabei (Superbloom Festival in Munich: These stars are there)". muenchen.de (in German). Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  19. ^ a b c Bains, Huw (July 2, 2020). "The Pussycat Dolls Reschedule UK And Ireland Arena Tour For 2021". Stereoboard. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "The Pussycat Dolls' concert in Manila postponed". News-ABS-CBN. April 8, 2020. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "The Pussycat Dolls Japan Tour 2020" (in Japanese). Creativeman. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Brazil tour dates:
  23. ^ "Pussycat Dolls – First Direct Arena, Leeds". Ticketmaster. March 10, 2021. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  24. ^ Griffin, Louise (November 3, 2021). "Kimberly Wyatt pleads with Nicole Scherzinger and Pussycat Dolls founder to 'end the drama' amid lawsuit". Metro. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  25. ^ Flannery, Amanda (September 9, 2021). "Nicole Scherzinger sued by Pussycat Dolls founder". FM104. Dublin, Ireland. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  26. ^ McIntosh, Steven (September 6, 2021). "Nicole Scherzinger sued by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  27. ^ Schnurr, Samantha (September 7, 2021). "Nicole Scherzinger's Lawyer Slams Pussycat Dolls Founder Robin Antin's 'Ludicrous and False' Lawsuit". E!. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  28. ^ a b c Welsh, Daniel (January 9, 2022). "Pussycat Dolls Stars Claim They Weren't Informed Before Nicole Scherzinger Announced Tour Cancellation". HuffPost. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Alexandrou, Chloe (January 10, 2022). "Kimberly Wyatt says she's 'done all she can' for Pussycat Dolls amid Nicole Scherzinger conflict". OK!. London: Reach plc. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  30. ^ Milligan, Kaitlin (December 6, 2019). "Pussycat Dolls Announce Second London Date Due to Demand". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g McCreesh, Louis (November 28, 2019). "Pussycat Dolls officially announce reunion tour 9 years after split". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  32. ^ "The Pussycat Dolls are returning to Manila this 2020". GMA Network. February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  33. ^ Brady, Jon (February 25, 2020). "The Pussycat Dolls announce summer show at Dundee's Slessor Gardens". The Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  34. ^ "Rock / Pop – Pussycat Dolls Tickets at Slessor Gardens". Ticketmaster. July 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  35. ^ Stickler, Jon (February 14, 2020). "The Pussycat Dolls Reschedule London O2 Arena Show". Stereoboard. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  36. ^ a b "Coronavirus: So Pop concert cancelled". The New Zealand Herald. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  37. ^ Bond, Nick (December 2, 2019). "So Pop Festival's 2020 line-up is a cheesy pop lover's dream". news.com.au. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  38. ^ "Adelaide show update". So Pop. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  39. ^ Curran, Libby. "So Pop 2020 — Cancelled". Concrete Playground. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  40. ^ Bannon, Christie (February 3, 2021). "Pussycat Dolls gig in Llanelli hoped to be rearranged for 2021 is cancelled permanently". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  41. ^ "Pussycat Dolls – Postponed – Parc y Scarlets (Llanelli, Wales)". AXS. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  42. ^ "Rock/Pop – Pussycat Dolls Tickets at Newcastle Racecourse". Ticketmaster. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  43. ^ "Untold Festival – Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania". untold.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  44. ^ "The Pussycat Dolls – Live After Racing – Lingfield Park Racecourse, Lingfield". Gigantic. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  45. ^ "The Pussycat Dolls – Live After Racing – Wolverhampton Racecourse, Wolverhampton". Gigantic. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  46. ^ "Lolla Berlin, Superbloom cancelled as September events fall". IQ. London: International Live Music Conference (ILMC). April 22, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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