1980 World Tour

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1980 World Tour
Tour by Elton John
Associated album 21 at 33
Start date4 September 1980
End date22 December 1980
Legs2
No. of shows
  • 46 in North America
  • 17 in Oceania
  • 63 in total
Elton John concert chronology
  • A Single Man Tour
    (1979)
  • 1980 World Tour
    (1980)
  • Jump Up Tour
    (1982–83)

The 1980 World Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 14th studio album 21 at 33 . the tour included two legs (North America and Oceania) and a total of 63 shows.

Contents

Tour

John's 1980 tour was unique for two reasons: it was the only tour he has ever done that had a guitarist in the band, but did not include Davey Johnstone, and it is the only time a band member (in this case drummer Nigel Olsson) has done songs from his solo career in the middle of a show. Olsson, who had rejoined John's band along with Dee Murray after six years, performed his own releases, "Saturday Night" and "All I Want Is You". And while Johnstone did make a guest appearance at one show (joining in on "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance") at 6 November stop at The Forum in Los Angeles), he primarily was involved with Alice Cooper's career and had been replaced in John's band by two premiere session guitarists: Tim Renwick from England and American Richie Zito.

The new band did a private warm-up gig at the Palomino Club in Los Angeles on 25 August, exactly ten years to the day from his first American show at the nearby Troubadour. Then, with opening act Judie Tzuke, the tour moved across North America before landing with great fanfare at New York City's Central Park. There, on 13 September, John and the band played a free concert in front of an estimated 450,000 people. The show was highlighted by a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" in the shadow of Lennon's apartment, and John's choice of costumes, including the "piano keys" outfit designed by Andre Miripolsky; he dressed as Donald Duck for the encores, in a costume designed by Bob Mackie. [1] The Central Park show was recorded and broadcast as a concert special on HBO, and later released on home video. Clips from the show have been posted on Elton John's official website; however, to date no audio of the soundtrack has ever been officially released.

After the last United States show on 15 November in Honolulu, Hawaii, the tour concluded with 17 concerts in New Zealand and Australia, finishing at the Perth Entertainment Centre (as he had on the 1979 tour) on 22 December. [2] [3]

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
North America
[3] [4]
4 September 1980 Madison United States Dane County Coliseum
5 September 1980 Rosemont Rosemont Horizon
6 September 1980 Detroit Joe Louis Arena
7 September 1980 Toronto Canada Maple Leaf Gardens
8 September 1980
9 September 1980 Montreal Forum de Montréal
11 September 1980 Providence United States Providence Civic Center
12 September 1980 Hartford Hartford Civic Center
13 September 1980New York City Central Park
16 September 1980 Baltimore Baltimore Civic Center
18 September 1980 Charlotte Charlotte Coliseum
19 September 1980 Columbia Carolina Coliseum
20 September 1980 Raleigh Reynolds Coliseum
23 September 1980 Hampton Hampton Coliseum
25 September 1980 Oxford Millett Hall
26 September 1980 Lexington Rupp Arena
27 September 1980 Indianapolis Market Square Arena
28 September 1980 Toledo Centennial Hall
29 September 1980 Richfield Richfield Coliseum
2 October 1980 West Lafayette Elliott Hall of Music
3 October 1980 Carbondale SIU Arena
4 October 1980 Champaign Assembly Hall
5 October 1980 Lincoln Bob Devaney Sports Center
7 October 1980 Tulsa Tulsa Convention Center
9 October 1980 Oklahoma City Myriad Convention Center
10 October 1980 Kansas City Kemper Arena
11 October 1980 Ames Hilton Coliseum
14 October 1980 Houston The Summit
15 October 1980 Austin Special Events Center
16 October 1980 Dallas Reunion Arena
18 October 1980 Denver McNichols Sports Arena
20 October 1980 Portland Portland Memorial Coliseum
21 October 1980 Seattle Seattle Center Coliseum
24 October 1980 Oakland Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
26 October 1980 Tucson Tucson Convention Center
28 October 1980 Tempe ASU Activity Center
29 October 1980 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena
1 November 1980 Anaheim Anaheim Convention Center
2 November 1980
6 November 1980 Inglewood The Forum
7 November 1980
8 November 1980
9 November 1980
14 November 1980 Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell Center
15 November 1980
16 November 1980
Oceania
[5] [6]
22 November 1980 Auckland New Zealand Western Springs Stadium
26 November 1980 Wellington Athletic Park
30 November 1980 Sydney Australia Hordern Pavilion
1 December 1980
2 December 1980
3 December 1980
6 December 1980 Brisbane Brisbane Festival Hall
7 December 1980
8 December 1980
11 December 1980 Melbourne Festival Hall
12 December 1980
13 December 1980
16 December 1980 Adelaide Memorial Drive Park
20 December 1980 Perth Perth Entertainment Centre
21 December 1980
22 December 1980

Set list

  1. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
  2. "Tiny Dancer"
  3. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
  4. "All the Girls Love Alice"
  5. "Rocket Man"
  6. "Sartorial Eloquence"
  7. "Philadelphia Freedom"
  8. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
  9. "Saturday Night" (Nigel Olsson song)
  10. "All I Want Is You" (Nigel Olsson song)
  11. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
  12. "Harmony"
  13. "White Lady, White Powder"
  14. "Little Jeannie"
  15. "Bennie and the Jets"
  16. "Imagine" (John Lennon song)
  17. "Ego"
  18. "Have Mercy on the Criminal"
  19. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"
  20. "Your Song"
  21. "Bite Your Lip"

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>21 at 33</i> 1980 studio album by Elton John

21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1980. It was his 21st album in total, made when John was 33 years old, hence the title. Three singles were released from the album, including "Little Jeannie", his highest-charting U.S. single in 5 years. The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, missing a Platinum certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Olsson</span> English drummer

Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davey Johnstone</span> British guitarist

David William Logan Johnstone is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Murray</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Jeannie</span> 1980 single by Elton John

"Little Jeannie" is a song written by English musician Elton John and Gary Osborne recorded by John, and released as a single in 1980 from John's studio album 21 at 33. It reached number three on the Billboard pop chart in the United States, becoming the singer's biggest U.S. hit since 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", and his highest-charting solo hit since 1975's "Island Girl". In the US, it would be John's highest-charting single co-written with Gary Osborne, while in the UK, where the song only reached number 33, "Blue Eyes" would eventually hold that honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elton John Band</span> Supporting band of the musician Elton John

The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members since 1969, 1971 and 1973 respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both British, American, and European musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.

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References

  1. "Your Style: Elton John's fashion through the years – in pictures". The Guardian. 18 October 2019.
  2. "1980".
  3. 1 2 "Elton John Concerts". eltonography.com.
  4. Terry Bangley (29 December 2015). "ELTON JOHN "PORTLAND,OR" 1980" . Retrieved 19 June 2017 via YouTube.
  5. "1980". eltonjohn.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  6. "Elton John Concerts". www.eltonography.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.

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