Sale of Diana Ross concert tickets far from supreme

By GINA VIVINETTO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 8, 2000

Diana Ross' world really is empty without you, babe.

Fans of the mercurial singing diva appear to be less than thrilled to shell out $39.50 to an astounding $250 for tickets to her Return To Love tour, which comes to Tampa on June 24.

Billed as a reunion for Diana Ross and the Supremes, the 1960s Motown trio whose string of No. 1 hits included Stop! In The Name of Love and Where Did Our Love Go?, the Return to Love tour seems to be generating more scorn and confusion than enthusiasm.

The problem?

Well, for starters, it's not the Supremes. Ross, who is being paid $15-million (plus a percentage of the box office take), offered a paltry $2-million to Mary Wilson, the other surviving original member of the act, to participate in the tour. When Wilson balked, Ross raised it to $4-million. The superstar offered just $1-million to longtime Supreme substitute Cindy Birdsong.

Both Wilson and Birdsong declined. So Ross fetched Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne, members of later incarnations of the act. Neither have ever performed with Ross before, but they'll be singing back-up on the tour, which kicks off Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Another factor in sluggish sales could be the ticket price. The most expensive Supremes tickets are costlier than top tier seats for Bruce Springsteen's or Tina Turner's current tours, both of which are selling out consistently.

How slowly are Supremes tickets selling?

As of a week ago, the June 17 concert at Cleveland's Gund Arena had sold only 5,000 of its 14,000 seats. Similarly, Boston's FleetCenter has reportedly sold a scant 5,000 of its 19,600 tickets.

Even Ross' hometown of Detroit -- Motown, for goodness' sake -- isn't all that interested in the faux Supremes. A spokesman at the 17,000-capacity Palace said there are "plenty of tickets at all prices" available for the June 19 show.

How are tickets moving in Tampa?

"We're tracking a little bit better than those other cities," said Sean Flynn, vice president of Ice Palace marketing, who declined to give specifics. But plenty of good seats are still available.

Rumors have been circulating that Ross may cancel the "reunion" tour before it even begins. And a lackluster performance by the three on Monday's Today show probably didn't help matters.

Rick Gomes, the tour's promoter, says the show will go on. Gomes says he is not disappointed by ticket sales and assures fans the show is spectacular. "It's all about the music," Gomes said.

"We're not canceling any performances. And, we're definitely coming to Tampa."

-- Information from Times wires was used in this report. Contact Gina Vivinetto at gina@sptimes.com.