In case you haven't noticed, One Direction is big outside of the UK. They're big just about everywhere. That doesn't mean that it wasn't surprising when they broke the record for most tickets sold during a multiday event for Sydney's Allphones Arena.
The pop group managed to sell out seven straight shows at the arena , totaling more than 81,542 tickets, beating the previous record by around 7,000 attendees. Metallica previously held the record, during its 2010 tour (when the venue was still called the Acer Arena).
Selling out concerts isn't anything new to the British group, but seven in a row is impressive for most artists. The city and arena were appreciative for the attention and/or business, and they rewarded the group with a "gold" microphone signifying the broken record, as well as a star in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. The star is the first of its kind in the park, looking to emulate the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California.
The hoopla regarding the record might be exciting for us commonwealth, but it's not exactly something that the band doesn't experience on a regular basis. The group just wrapped up its 26-show run throughout Australia and New Zealand with a three-gig stop at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, three more sellouts. In fact, the entire tour was sold out. Double in fact, the entire stock of tickets for the group's 2012 through the region tour in support of Take Me Home was sold out within three minutes of going on sale.
