She already has sold out the first 17 dates of a 54-city tour that begins Oct. 18 in St. Louis and ends Jan. 9 in Albany, N.Y.; another 17 go on sale Sept. 15, and 17 more go on sale Sept. 29. Promoters expect tickets to be snapped up as soon as they become available.
The arena tour supports her Billboard chart-topping Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus double album, which has sold 1.1 million copies since its release in June.
Cyrus, who will be backed by the Jonas Brothers, will perform as herself and as Montana.
"It's pretty exciting," says Debra Rathwell, senior vice president of tour promoter AEG Live. "It's very fast-selling. She could go around the country for two years and not meet the demand. There is that much pressure from the public for tickets."
Rathwell says it's too early to tell whether her Best of Both Worlds tour is setting any records, but it compares favorably with strong-selling tours by other tween appeal acts, such as the cast of High School Musical and the Cheetah Girls, both of which filled better than 90% of seats. Cyrus' top-priced tickets are going for $55-$65.
Rathwell gives Disney credit for delivering wholesome entertainment that appeals to parents and kids alike.
"She is on every child's lips that watches Disney or just lives in the kid community," Rathwell says. "She's it. She's the real deal."
Billboard touring editor Ray Waddell says Cyrus has the potential to be a big seller. She "has charisma and a very winning personality that's easily conveyed by both television and live performance," he says. "She's totally non-threatening to parents and a must-see for her target audience."
Cyrus also benefits from being the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, her TV co-star, who appeals to parents who watch Montana with their kids. That often means concertgoing becomes a family affair.
"Little girls simply must come, but so do one or both parents and little brother," Waddell says. "So instead of selling one ticket per household, this tour has the potential to sell two, three, four or more."
Contributing: Anthony DeBarros
