Announcing the new tour dates, the band said: "Unfortunately, the Bataclan Theatre will not be open again in time for the band's return on this tour." The tour, rescheduled due to the massacre, has been renamed Nos Amis (Our Friends). Fans who were at the Bataclan on the tragic night will be given free tickets.
Power Struggle - Madonna has issued a rebuke after the power was cut during her encore at Glasgow's Hydro venue. The singer left the stage at the end of her Rebel Heart tour concert on Sunday. When she returned for an encore of Holiday, Madonna was forced to lead a crowd singalong after finding the power off and floor lights on. Posting on Instagram, Madonna said, "We don't stop till it's over Glasgow! Don't try to silence the Queen." The Hydro said Madonna's own team cut the power.
A spokeswoman for the venue said, "Madonna finished her agreed set and then chose to come on for another song. By that stage, all the power and control equipment had already been disconnected by her own production engineers. I would stress that this was not a venue decision." The Glasgow gig was the last of 25 sold-out shows on the European leg of the 57-year-old's latest tour. She will perform in Mexico at the start of January.
Theatre 2016 - Booking has opened for next year's Theatre 2016 conference, which is expected to be the largest industry gathering of its kind. First announced in November, the two-day conference aims to bring together 1,000 delegates from across the theatre sector and is backed by organisations including UK Theatre, the Society of London Theatre and the Independent Theatre Council. ITC chief executive Charlotte Jones said that theatre "continues to be one of the UK's biggest success stories".
She added: "Theatre 2016 will celebrate this and the good news about tax relief and smaller national funding cuts than many expected. It will also explore some of the likely challenges ahead in times of rapid change for our industry and society as a whole." The conference will be held on 12 and 13 May in central London across three venues - the Piccadilly, Lyric and Arts theatres.
Ratings Boost - ITV's The Sound of Music Live was watched by an average of 4m viewers, making it the most watched programme on the channel on Sunday night. The live staging on 20 December - which starred Kara Tointon and Julian Ovenden - had a peak audience of 4.5m viewers, according to overnight ratings.
Seventeen cameras were used to film The Sound of Music Live, which was rehearsed for 37 days before being broadcast live in 10 parts, intersected by advert breaks. ITV director of comedy and entertainment Elaine Bedell said, "I'm delighted for the production team, the cast and the crew that this dauntingly ambitious production of the world's most-loved musical came together in such a brilliant way, and we are proud to have offered viewers something truly distinctive and special in our Christmas schedule."
(Jim Evans)
