Guesting on Andrew Haug Radio, Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén offered his thoughts on how touring in today's economy is a losing proposition for many bands.
Brodén: "A lot of bands have tours with tickets sold a long time ago that have been postponed. Those tickets are sold with a special calculation in mind, that these are our costs, and that's what we need to be able to make. So there's the reason as well for a lot of bands that, even if they sold out a show, they're gonna lose money because of the increased costs. It is a bit of a struggle for a lot of bands. Luckily enough, we're not in danger of becoming bankrupt, so for us it's more of a situation - luckily enough - that we aren't really making much money but we aren't, on the other hand, on the brink of extinction either."
Following the release of their tenth studio album, The War To End All Wars, Sabaton announced that spring 2023 will see the band touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.
Starting in Leeds on April 14, the tour will bring Sabaton to 21 cities in 14 countries. They will present their biggest and most spectacular show to date in Europe's largest arenas. Fans can be assured that the band will write history with the ground-breaking live shows on The Tour To End All Tours.
The band has now confirmed that Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.
"We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023,” says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."
“If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”
Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album, Metal Galaxy, released on October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, Babymetal World Tour 2018 in Japan Extra Show Dark Night Carnival.
Tickets for European shows are available here. Tickets for the UK shows on sale here.
Tour dates:
April
14 - Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
15 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
16 - Cardiff, UK – Motorpoint Arena
18 - Glasgow, UK – The OVO Hydro
21 - Paris, France – Zenith
24 - Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
25 - Esch / Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
28 - Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena
29 - Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
May
2 - Hannover, Germany – ZAG Arena
3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
5 - Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena
6 - Leipzig, Germany – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
7 - Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
12 - Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
13 - Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
15 - Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
18 - Tallinn, Estonia – Saku Arena
19 - Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
20 - Kuopio, Finland – Kuopio Hall
