"I am severely disappointed that TNA and SFX have decided to cancel the remainder of Diana Ross & The Supremes [ tickets ]--A Celebration of the Music,” said Ross in a prepared statement issued Monday. “I was very much looking forward to performing for our fans."

Despite Ross’ statement, tickets for the tour’s upcoming, previously scheduled dates were still being sold on Tuesday afternoon (7/11). A box-office employee at Boston’s Fleet Center--where the band is scheduled to perform on Wednesday night (7/12)--said on Tuesday afternoon that the venue was handling the event as if it were going to take place, but added that a cancellation was expected.

At press time on Tuesday (7/11), SFX representatives had not returned phone calls to confirm whether they had, in fact, cancelled the tour. Reports published earlier in the day quoted an SFX representative as saying that, despite Ross’ statement and website announcement, the tour had not yet been cancelled.

An unnamed source from the Ross camp, however, said that the tour's personnel had disbanded and would not be showing up at any of the performances that had not yet been cancelled by the promoter.

As of Monday (7/10), the trio had already cancelled their three most recent concerts due to poor ticket sales, according to published reports and a spokesperson for SFX Promotions. The tour has reportedly been suffering from poor sales since tickets went on sale earlier this year.

The group’s Friday night (7/7) performance in Wantagh, N.Y., Sunday night (7/9) performance in Washington D.C. and Monday night (7/10) performance in Pittsburgh were all cancelled shortly before they were scheduled to take place. SFX spokesperson Howard Schacter confirmed on Monday (7/10) that Sunday’s cancellation was due to a lack of ticket sales, and published reports indicated that the other two shows were cancelled for the same reason.

In April, Ross announced that she would be embarking on her first tour in 30 years with the Supremes, the Motown trio she fronted before becoming a solo artist. The tour has been embroiled in controversy from its inception, however, because of the exclusion of the only other surviving original Supreme, Mary Wilson, and early member Cindy Birdsong.

Ross has been touring instead with Lynda Laurence, who replaced Birdsong in 1971 and was a Supreme until 1973, and Scherrie Payne, who was a Supreme from 1973 to 1977. Payne replaced Jean Terrell, who replaced Ross herself in 1970.

Wilson declined to participate in the tour after reportedly being offered $3 million, compared to Ross’ reported $15-$20 million purse. Birdsong reportedly declined for the same reason. Wilson launched her own Supremes tour of theatres and large clubs in April. That tour is currently booked to continue through early 2001.

In addition to the controversy about the group’s lineup, ticket prices for the tour have also been targeted as a likely reason for the low turnout. The multi-tiered ticket prices for Sunday’s cancelled show in Washington D.C., for example, ranged from $42.50 to $253 per ticket. That price range is characteristic of prices for all of the shows on the group’s tour.