July 29, 2025 • 7 mins
Drake has officially canceled his postponed 2025 Australia and New Zealand tour dates, citing ongoing scheduling issues. Originally announced in November 2024 as part of his Anita Max Win Tour, the Oceania leg was first delayed in February 2025. Despite efforts to reschedule, promoters confirmed no viable window could be found. Drake recently resumed performances across the U.K. and Europe, following a strong fan showing in his earlier Australian appearances.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, let's unpack a story that really captures the
(00:03):
roller coaster of modern live music. You know, that feeling
a massive artist announces a tour, tickets sell out like crazy,
you're already picturing it. But what happens when that excitement
turns into this like frustrating waiting game and then poof canceled.
That's pretty much the story with Drake's big Australia and
New Zealand tour, the one that got postponed for ages.
(00:24):
So yeah, today, yeah, we're going to peel back layers
on that.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And what's really fascinating here, I think, is tracing the
whole thing, you know, from the absolute hype at the
start right through to the final kind of disappointing news.
Our mission really for this deep dive is to look
at the reasons they gave, see how it connects to
what Drake's doing now, and figure out what it all means,
you know, for the fans who waited, and maybe for
artists trying to manage these huge global schedules. And just
(00:50):
so you know, we're basing this on a really detailed
Billboard article that just came out July twenty eighth, twenty
twenty five so fresh info.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, and it's quite the story. The initial buzz for
this Anita max Win tour, I mean it was huge.
It's supposed to be his first trip back to Australia
and New Zealand since what twenty seventeen, that's a long
time in music touring. They announced it back in November
twenty twenty four, and yeah, tickets just flew off the
shelves instantly, gone.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Oh absolutely. And the name itself, Anita max Win. It's
kind of classic Drake, right, taking a small moment and
making it big. It came from one of his streams
on kick Back in December twenty twenty three. He sort
of jokingly introduced it as this new alter ego. It's
basically a pun like I need a max Win, you know,
from gambling, hitting the jackpot. It just perfectly blends his
(01:35):
personal brand with that internet meme culture.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
He's definitely got a knack for that, turning a freeze
into a whole tour brand. But okay, with that kind
of branding and sixteen sold out shows across two countries,
that's immense pressure right on the logistics. How bad is
it when something that big just falls apart? This thing
was said to be massive, kicking off in Australia Feb
twenty twenty five, multiple shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,
(01:57):
then wrapping in Auckland, New Zealand early March. Super ambitious.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really was ambitious. And the fact that early shows
sold out so fast it really shows how dedicated that
fan base is down there.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
But here's where it gets like really interesting and maybe
a bit confusing too. Amidst all the planning and what
eventually happened, there were these moments during the shows that
did happen in Australia, these really incredible acts of generosity
from Drake himself. It adds a whole other.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Layer, it absolutely does. It's quite the contrast the concerts
that went ahead. Yeah, they had these really personal moments.
We saw reports him handing out twenty thousand dollars cash
to some fans in Perth. Then I think it was
forty five thousand dollars in Melbourne to some like dedicated
OVO fans.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Wow, just handing out cash.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and maybe the most touching one he spotted a
pregnant fan in Sydney, upgraded her to VIP and gave
her thirty thousand dollars for the baby.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And then in Brisbane, towards the end of the shows
that happened, he apparently promised to help cover cancer treatment
for a fan's mother. You've got this really personal connection,
this generosity, and then you contrast it with the later
very impersonal, kind of vague scheduling conflict reason for pulling
the plug. It really highlights this gap, you know, between
(03:12):
the artists connecting with fans one on one and the
big cold machine of tour logistics. It's a real tension point.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, it's a huge disconnect. Showering fans with money, making
these promises and then sorry, scheduling conflict. How does that
even land with fans? So walk us through how it
actually unravel How did this massive schedule just crumble?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Right? Well, the first sign of trouble was February twenty six,
twenty twenty five. That's when they announced the remaining dates
were postponed, not canceled yet, just postponed, and the reason
given was that scheduling conflict. At that point, his rep said,
you know, team was actively working on rescheduling and even
maybe adding more shows.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Okay, so initially there was hope.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Initially yeah, but then nothing for months, just silence. Fans
were left hanging holding these tickets, wondering what was going
going on. Then finally, Tuesday July twenty ninth, twenty twenty
five Australian time, the official cancelation came through Live Nation
Australia put out a statement saying something like, despite extensive efforts,
(04:12):
rescheduling wasn't possible in.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
The timeframe extensive efforts.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Exactly, and they added that line Drake remains committed to
returning when his schedule permits. What this kind of suggests,
I think is that scheduling conflict is often a catch
all phrase. It could cover so many things, other commitments,
venue problems, just the sheer difficulty of piecing together a
global tour. Even with extensive efforts, sometimes the puzzle just
doesn't fit, especially with the Superstars calendar.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
That phrase scheduling conflict does sound quite mild, doesn't it
for something this big? When you look at what Drake
was actually doing around the time of the cancelation, does
it give any clues like was he genuinely double booked
or was it maybe more about shifting priorities? What can
we learn about how these huge tours are juggled.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, that's the key question. And for context, Drake was
actually bad on stage pretty soon after. Earlier in July
twenty twenty five, he started his Home Special House for
UK tour with Party Nextdoor that was supporting their joint
album Home Sexy Hongs for You. So that tour kicked
off in England and it's actually running through Europe until
the end of September, so.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
He is touring, just not in Australia or New Zealand exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And interestingly, even that tour hit a snag. A show
planned for Manchester just on Monday July twenty eighth got
postponed to August fifth, and the reason given an unseen
fairy schedule.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
A fairy schedule seriously.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Which I mean it sounds minor, which just shows how
incredibly tight these schedules are. One little thing like a
fairy being rough can mess things up and cause delays,
So it kind of underlines how complex these massive international
tours are. Maybe the scheduling conflict for Oceana wasn't just
one thing but part of this constant intense juggling act.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Okay, so stepping back a bit from just this one tour.
What does this whole anitamax win saga from the huge
launch and the generosity to the long wait and final
cancelation tell us what are the bigger lessons here about
how global touring works now and maybe about that artist
fan relationship.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Well, I think it's a really powerful case study. Actually,
it shows the sheer complexity you've got, the massive success side,
the sold out shows Drake's personal gestures, that clear fan
connection that's real. But then you slam into the logistical
brick wall, whether it's actual scheduling conflicts or weird stuff
like faery schedules, or just the fundamental difficulty of coordinating
(06:29):
everything and everyone across contents for a global star. It's
incredibly hard. So the key takeaway maybe is that an
artist can be totally genuine and wanting to perform for fans,
but the reality of making these huge tours happen is
just fragile. It can break, and it really highlights the
impact on fans, doesn't it Holding tickets for months hoping.
It puts that whole dance between the artists, the promoters
and the fans and a sharp focus.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, what a ride for everyone involved with this Anedamac's
Win tour. From that massive anticipation and those really surprising
moments of generosity to the confusion, the long delay, and
the final cancelation, it's definitely a stark reminder of well,
both the amazing highs and the tough realities of live
music these days.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It really does spotlight a central challenge I think in
how live music is evolving. It makes you wonder how
do artists balance that real commitment they feel to fans,
those promises they make, against the messy, unpredictable practicalities of
their packed global schedules. Ultimately, maybe this whole episode teaches
us something about, you know, patients and expectations and just
how complicated that whole world of entertainment logistics really. Is
(07:32):
definitely something to think about long after you've got your refund.
All right, let's unpack a story that really captures the
(00:03):
roller coaster of modern live music. You know, that feeling
a massive artist announces a tour, tickets sell out like crazy,
you're already picturing it. But what happens when that excitement
turns into this like frustrating waiting game and then poof canceled.
That's pretty much the story with Drake's big Australia and
New Zealand tour, the one that got postponed for ages.
(00:24):
So yeah, today, yeah, we're going to peel back layers
on that.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
And what's really fascinating here, I think, is tracing the
whole thing, you know, from the absolute hype at the
start right through to the final kind of disappointing news.
Our mission really for this deep dive is to look
at the reasons they gave, see how it connects to
what Drake's doing now, and figure out what it all means,
you know, for the fans who waited, and maybe for
artists trying to manage these huge global schedules. And just
(00:50):
so you know, we're basing this on a really detailed
Billboard article that just came out July twenty eighth, twenty
twenty five so fresh info.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, and it's quite the story. The initial buzz for
this Anita max Win tour, I mean it was huge.
It's supposed to be his first trip back to Australia
and New Zealand since what twenty seventeen, that's a long
time in music touring. They announced it back in November
twenty twenty four, and yeah, tickets just flew off the
shelves instantly, gone.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Oh absolutely. And the name itself, Anita max Win. It's
kind of classic Drake, right, taking a small moment and
making it big. It came from one of his streams
on kick Back in December twenty twenty three. He sort
of jokingly introduced it as this new alter ego. It's
basically a pun like I need a max Win, you know,
from gambling, hitting the jackpot. It just perfectly blends his
(01:35):
personal brand with that internet meme culture.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
He's definitely got a knack for that, turning a freeze
into a whole tour brand. But okay, with that kind
of branding and sixteen sold out shows across two countries,
that's immense pressure right on the logistics. How bad is
it when something that big just falls apart? This thing
was said to be massive, kicking off in Australia Feb
twenty twenty five, multiple shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,
(01:57):
then wrapping in Auckland, New Zealand early March. Super ambitious.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really was ambitious. And the fact that early shows
sold out so fast it really shows how dedicated that
fan base is down there.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
But here's where it gets like really interesting and maybe
a bit confusing too. Amidst all the planning and what
eventually happened, there were these moments during the shows that
did happen in Australia, these really incredible acts of generosity
from Drake himself. It adds a whole other.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Layer, it absolutely does. It's quite the contrast the concerts
that went ahead. Yeah, they had these really personal moments.
We saw reports him handing out twenty thousand dollars cash
to some fans in Perth. Then I think it was
forty five thousand dollars in Melbourne to some like dedicated
OVO fans.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Wow, just handing out cash.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and maybe the most touching one he spotted a
pregnant fan in Sydney, upgraded her to VIP and gave
her thirty thousand dollars for the baby.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And then in Brisbane, towards the end of the shows
that happened, he apparently promised to help cover cancer treatment
for a fan's mother. You've got this really personal connection,
this generosity, and then you contrast it with the later
very impersonal, kind of vague scheduling conflict reason for pulling
the plug. It really highlights this gap, you know, between
(03:12):
the artists connecting with fans one on one and the
big cold machine of tour logistics. It's a real tension point.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, it's a huge disconnect. Showering fans with money, making
these promises and then sorry, scheduling conflict. How does that
even land with fans? So walk us through how it
actually unravel How did this massive schedule just crumble?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Right? Well, the first sign of trouble was February twenty six,
twenty twenty five. That's when they announced the remaining dates
were postponed, not canceled yet, just postponed, and the reason
given was that scheduling conflict. At that point, his rep said,
you know, team was actively working on rescheduling and even
maybe adding more shows.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Okay, so initially there was hope.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Initially yeah, but then nothing for months, just silence. Fans
were left hanging holding these tickets, wondering what was going
going on. Then finally, Tuesday July twenty ninth, twenty twenty
five Australian time, the official cancelation came through Live Nation
Australia put out a statement saying something like, despite extensive efforts,
(04:12):
rescheduling wasn't possible in.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
The timeframe extensive efforts.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Exactly, and they added that line Drake remains committed to
returning when his schedule permits. What this kind of suggests,
I think is that scheduling conflict is often a catch
all phrase. It could cover so many things, other commitments,
venue problems, just the sheer difficulty of piecing together a
global tour. Even with extensive efforts, sometimes the puzzle just
doesn't fit, especially with the Superstars calendar.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
That phrase scheduling conflict does sound quite mild, doesn't it
for something this big? When you look at what Drake
was actually doing around the time of the cancelation, does
it give any clues like was he genuinely double booked
or was it maybe more about shifting priorities? What can
we learn about how these huge tours are juggled.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, that's the key question. And for context, Drake was
actually bad on stage pretty soon after. Earlier in July
twenty twenty five, he started his Home Special House for
UK tour with Party Nextdoor that was supporting their joint
album Home Sexy Hongs for You. So that tour kicked
off in England and it's actually running through Europe until
the end of September, so.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
He is touring, just not in Australia or New Zealand exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And interestingly, even that tour hit a snag. A show
planned for Manchester just on Monday July twenty eighth got
postponed to August fifth, and the reason given an unseen
fairy schedule.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
A fairy schedule seriously.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Which I mean it sounds minor, which just shows how
incredibly tight these schedules are. One little thing like a
fairy being rough can mess things up and cause delays,
So it kind of underlines how complex these massive international
tours are. Maybe the scheduling conflict for Oceana wasn't just
one thing but part of this constant intense juggling act.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Okay, so stepping back a bit from just this one tour.
What does this whole anitamax win saga from the huge
launch and the generosity to the long wait and final
cancelation tell us what are the bigger lessons here about
how global touring works now and maybe about that artist
fan relationship.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Well, I think it's a really powerful case study. Actually,
it shows the sheer complexity you've got, the massive success side,
the sold out shows Drake's personal gestures, that clear fan
connection that's real. But then you slam into the logistical
brick wall, whether it's actual scheduling conflicts or weird stuff
like faery schedules, or just the fundamental difficulty of coordinating
(06:29):
everything and everyone across contents for a global star. It's
incredibly hard. So the key takeaway maybe is that an
artist can be totally genuine and wanting to perform for fans,
but the reality of making these huge tours happen is
just fragile. It can break, and it really highlights the
impact on fans, doesn't it Holding tickets for months hoping.
It puts that whole dance between the artists, the promoters
and the fans and a sharp focus.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, what a ride for everyone involved with this Anedamac's
Win tour. From that massive anticipation and those really surprising
moments of generosity to the confusion, the long delay, and
the final cancelation, it's definitely a stark reminder of well,
both the amazing highs and the tough realities of live
music these days.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It really does spotlight a central challenge I think in
how live music is evolving. It makes you wonder how
do artists balance that real commitment they feel to fans,
those promises they make, against the messy, unpredictable practicalities of
their packed global schedules. Ultimately, maybe this whole episode teaches
us something about, you know, patients and expectations and just
how complicated that whole world of entertainment logistics really. Is
(07:32):
definitely something to think about long after you've got your refund.
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