Madonna puts Aussie tour on hold

The world economic crisis has prompted Madonna to scrap shows in Australia.

Madonna had planned to perform at Sydney’s Anz Stadium and Melbourne’s Docklands in January ’09, according to the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, but the current global financial downturn means the pop superstar can no longer justify high-price tickets, so she has scrapped the dates.

Australian promoter Michael Coppel has confirmed the shows were planned and tickets were due to go on sale in November. And Madonna isn’t the only big name who has pulled out of Aussie tour plans because of the weak dollar — Neil Diamond, Sir Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Green Day and Metallica have also put tours on hold because of the economic crisis, according to the publication.

Coppel says, “Everyone is feeling their way. The risk level has gone up substantially.”