Chris Brown’s upcoming tour of the UK, including a stop in Manchester, has been the subject of much speculation after the star pleaded guilty to assault charges in 2014. Many fans are wondering if the shows will still go ahead as planned or if they will be postponed or cancelled.
What were the assault charges against Chris Brown?
In 2014, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault after an incident in Washington DC in which he punched a man who was trying to photobomb a picture Brown was taking with two women. Brown was sentenced to time served after spending two days in jail, was given probation, and had to complete an anger management course. This was not Brown’s first run-in with the law – he was previously convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. However, it was the latest in a string of legal issues and outbursts that have dogged the controversial singer.
What upcoming UK shows were scheduled?
Prior to the 2014 charges, Chris Brown had announced a number of UK shows as part of his ‘One Hell of a Nite’ European tour. The tour was originally scheduled to kick off in Dublin on September 18, 2014 before heading to Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, and London. Brown’s website initially listed tour dates up to the end of October 2014 across Europe. The Manchester show was scheduled to take place at Phones 4u Arena on September 30. Here are the original UK dates that were planned:
- September 18 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
- September 19 – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro Arena
- September 22 – Birmingham, UK – LG Arena
- September 30 – Manchester, UK – Phones 4u Arena
- October 6 – London, UK – O2 Arena
How did Brown react to the charges?
After Brown pleaded guilty to the assault in September 2014, the star took to Twitter to apologize for disappointing his fans: “I’m very disappointed in myself for letting my frustration get the best of me. I am working every day to channel that energy into something positive.” However, Brown continued to spark controversy when just one day after the guilty plea, he tweeted “I ain’t looking at no more jail time. Probation is the best thing for me right now.” He later deleted the tweet and wrote “Part of growing up and maturing is learning how to diffuse situations.” Still, Brown’s management faced backlash and calls to cancel the tour.
Did the tour go ahead as planned?
In the end, Chris Brown’s management decided to postpone the entire UK arena tour just days before it was supposed to start. A statement posted on Brown’s website in September 2014 read: “Chris Brown has unfortunately been forced to postpone his UK Arena Tour originally scheduled for this September. An announcement with details of the rescheduled dates will be made available in due course.” No specific reasons were given at the time, but the postponement came after several petitions circulated calling for a boycott of the shows and venues due to Brown’s legal troubles. Several major sponsors also dropped out.
When will the shows be rescheduled for?
Since first announcing the postponement of the UK tour in 2014, there has been radio silence from Chris Brown’s team about exact rescheduled dates. Brown has toured extensively since then, including multiple trips to Europe, but has not returned to the UK. There has been much speculation among fans, but no official word on if or when the tour will be rescheduled. Some key points:
- Brown’s website no longer lists any info about a UK tour
- There were rumors of a 2015 UK tour, but nothing materialized
- Brown has now completed probation stemming from the Rihanna case
- He has not announced any new UK dates linked to recent album releases or tours
Based on the lack of any concrete details from Brown’s camp about rescheduling the postponed 2014 UK tour, it seems unlikely that these specific shows will still take place. The original dates have long since passed. While petitioners urged venues at the time to blacklist Brown, it remains possible the singer could schedule new UK performances separate from the scrapped tour. However, his team has not indicated if or when that might happen. UK fans hoping to catch Chris Brown live have largely given up hope of seeing the original postponed shows come to fruition.
Has Brown been able to tour in other countries?
While unable to enter the UK in recent years, Chris Brown has still performed in various locations globally. Highlights of his touring schedule over the past several years include:
- 2015 – Completed Canadian leg of ‘Between the Sheets’ tour
- 2016 – Embarked on ‘One Hell of a Nite’ European tour, skipping UK
- 2017 – Toured Australia & New Zealand for the first time in 5 years
- 2018 – ‘Heartbreak On A Full Moon’ tour hit 40+ cities across North America
- 2019 – Performed throughout Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore
- 2022 – Recent ‘Under The Influence’ tour stopped in the Middle East and Africa
So while unable to gain access to the UK, Chris Brown has still managed to book concerts in most other regions of the world in the years since having to postpone his planned arena shows in Britain. Unless a deal is worked out in the future, it seems Brown is content continuing to tour globally while skipping over the UK entirely for the time being.
What reception has Brown received in recent European shows?
Looking at Chris Brown’s recent shows across Europe provides some indication of how he might be received should he ever make his return to stages in the UK. Here are some examples:
- In Hamburg in 2016, petitions called for a boycott and protestors demonstrated outside his concert
- A woman’s rights group also criticized his Vienna show in 2016 and called for a boycott
- In Norway in 2017, his concert proceeded despite calls from an anti-violence group asking for cancellation
- Brown performed without major incident in the Netherlands, France, and Italy on the same 2017 tour
- Protests also failed to stop his concert in Helsinki in 2019
Based on these recent experiences across Europe, Chris Brown can expect to generate controversy and provoke protest if he returns to the UK stage. While some groups will call for boycotts, that may not necessarily prevent shows from going ahead as seen in other cities. Promoters would certainly take a financial risk in booking Brown for a UK tour given his history. However Brown still retains a strong fanbase that would likely snap up tickets amidst any backlash.
Could new UK dates be promoted under a different tour name?
If Chris Brown attempts to return to touring in the UK, one strategy his management could possibly utilize is renaming the tour or promoting it completely separately from the originally planned 2014 dates. By starting fresh rather than trying to resurrect the ‘One Hell of a Nite’ tour, they may hope to avoid any direct association with the scrapped shows. However, the singer remains a divisive figure in Britain, making a tour announcement unlikely to happen quietly. Venues and promoters would still have to weigh the risks of backlash and protests tied to Brown’s criminal record regardless of how new UK dates are branded. But naming a theoretical tour after one of his more recent albums or leaving out explicit mention of the postponed 2014 shows could perhaps be one way to distance upcoming shows from past postponements. It seems unlikely UK fans would be confused – any new tour announcement would surely still spark intense debate about Brown’s suitability to perform in Britain.
How have other artists with legal issues toured the UK?
While Chris Brown has been unable to resume touring the UK, there are examples of some other artists who faced controversy but eventually returned to the stage:
- Justin Bieber – After legal issues including DUI, vandalism and assault, Bieber successfully toured the UK in 2016-2017.
- Ozzy Osbourne – Had UK shows postponed after being arrested for assaulting his wife Sharon in 1989, but eventually resumed touring.
- Axl Rose – After arrests for assault and property damage, the Guns N’ Roses singer still completed a UK tour in 2017.
- Chris Brown – Toured the UK without issue in 2007 before his arrest for assaulting Rihanna.
These examples show performers with troubling records can rebuild their reputations over time. However, the level of backlash against Brown in the UK remains uniquely intense. An effective PR campaign explaining how Brown has changed could possibly pave the way for future shows. But unlike Bieber and others, he has struggled to shift the public narrative and perceptions of his character. Until that changes, the chances of Brown completing a successful arena tour of the UK appear remote at best.
Conclusion
In summary, Chris Brown’s planned UK arena tour was indefinitely postponed in 2014 and has still not been rescheduled over 9 years later. The chances of the original tour happening seem almost non-existent now. Brown could theoretically announce a brand new UK tour separately, but would likely face intense scrutiny and protests from groups citing his criminal record. Promoters may be wary to book such shows given the backlash even if some fans still wish to see him in concert. While Brown has performed in various countries around the world since 2014, he has not yet been able to overcome the uniquely negative reception he faces in Britain. Unless the public narrative surrounding Brown significantly improves, it appears unlikely he will tour the UK any time in the foreseeable future.