Tour by Jessica Simpson | |
Location | North America |
---|---|
Associated album | In This Skin |
Start date | May 14, 2004 |
End date | October 3, 2004 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 56 |
Attendance | 249,471 (41 shows) |
Box office | $7.1 million (41 shows) |
Jessica Simpson concert chronology |
The Reality Tour was the second concert tour by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. Predominately visiting the United States, the tour supported Simpson's third studio album, In This Skin (2003). [1] According to the singer, the title derives from her recent success on the reality TV series, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica , while showcasing her music on a natural level. The tour began in Chula Vista in May and ended in October in West Springfield.
Despite early reports of poor ticket sales, [2] Simpson's tour became one of the biggest summer tours in North America.
To date, the tour serves as Simpson's last major concert tour. The tour ranked number 86 on Pollstar's "Top 100 Tours 2004", earning over seven million dollars out of 41 shows. [3]
While promoting the re-release of her album, Simpson stated in several interviews the possibility of a tour, wanting to break away from filming her TV series and connect with her fans. The tour was officially announced in May 2004 through various media outlets, [4] with sponsorship from Ice Breakers [5] and Proactiv Solution. [6]
During an interview with the Associated Press, the singer says she wanted the concerts to focus on her music and her personality. [7] Onstage, Simpson was joined by a seven-piece band, with no dancers or choreography for the show. Simpson would perform songs from her three current albums, while providing anecdotes about her life and the songs. Unseen footage from her reality series and variety show (entitled The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour) were included in the show as well. Each night, the singer dedicated "I Have Loved You" to the American armed forces and conduct a Q&A session with contest winners. [8]
Before the tour commenced, Simpson performed at several radio-sponsored music festivals including: Your Show, [9] Wango Tango, [10] Summer Music Mania, [11] Zootopia, [12] Kiss Concert, [13] Last Chance Summer Dance, [14] and Play Safe in the Park. [15]
To introduce the tour, Simpson stated:
"This is definitely a big tour for me. I'm a little nervous. It's like you're a little shaky about will I sell tickets to such a big market? […] But it's cool to put together such a huge production. And we're calling it the 'Reality Tour', from the show ['Newlyweds']. And there'll be all kinds of stuff showing never-seen clips and just kind of putting my personality into the tour, which will be a lot of fun." [16]
June 22, 2004 | Providence, Rhode Island | Dunkin' Donuts Center | Cancelled; rescheduled to September 28, 2004 |
June 23, 2004 | Manchester, New Hampshire | Verizon Wireless Arena | Cancelled; rescheduled to September 27, 2004 [28] |
Rehearsals and select performances from the tour were seen on Simpson's MTV show and her sister's show, The Ashlee Simpson Show . The show was filmed at the Universal Amphitheatre for DVD release. The DVD was released in November 2004 and omitted the performances of "A Little Bit", 'She Works Hard for the Money" and "I Wanna Love You Forever". The set featured the music video for "Angels" along with a behind the scenes look at the making of the video. [29] The DVD showed strong sales within its first week [30] and was certified platinum by the RIAA, recognizing shipments exceeding 100,000 copies.
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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US Top Music Videos ( Billboard ) [31] | 8 |
Overall, the tour received mixed reviews from music critics. Many applaud Simpson's onstage persona but felt the show itself felt unfinished. Jim Farber ( New York Daily News ) felt Simpson's vocals during her show at the Radio City Music Hall were "overdramatic". He followed with, "Not that Simpson didn't give it her all as a singer. Pulling a Mariah Carey, she belted every note to the rafters. While she clearly lacks Ms. Carey's pipes, a gross excess of amplification, and some apparently recorded vocal helper, allowed her to simulate diva-status. Too bad the songs from her three CDs all sound like pieces fished out of Britney Spears slush pile". [32] Dustin J. Seibert ( The Cincinnati Enquirer ) felt the singer's concert at the Riverbend Music Center was "honest and warm" He elaborates, "Simpson's reliance on her high-octane voice and bubbly personality set her apart from some of her pop counterparts. Her shows featured no pyrotechnics or funky choreography, just her butter-melting octave range over a smooth six-piece band and two backup singers". [33]
Neva Chonin ( San Francisco Chronicle ) criticized Simpson's vocal performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. She writes, "A rendition of Berlin's 'Take My Breath Away', dedicated to her husband, sounded like an ode to autoerotic asphyxiation. [...] With her band successfully drowning out her tuneful but wispy vocals, Simpson led sing-alongs for anesthetized funk number 'The Sweetest Sin' and an encore of 'With You'". [34] Joey Guerra ( Houston Chronicle ) admired Simpson's personality during her performance at the Toyota Center; but felt the singer's concert was "uneven". He explains, "Her material is also a bit thin to sustain a full concert. Many album tracks began to sound alike after a while, and her few certifiable hits popped up late in the evening. 'Irresistible' came at the end of the show, and the feel-good anthem 'With You' was the expected encore. Even odder was the omission of 'I Wanna Love You Forever', Simpson's breakthrough single." [35]
In This Skin is the third studio album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 19, 2003, by Columbia Records. It was reissued on March 2, 2004, with three new songs. Simpson began taking more creative control of her music with the album, both musically and lyrically, co-writing 10 out of 14 tracks on the album, thus moving away from the teen pop styles of her previous two albums, Sweet Kisses (1999) and Irresistible (2001), as well as including elements of Middle Eastern music, dance, acoustic, and pop rock, while also lyrically talking about more mature subject matters. The album was a huge success in North America, reaching number two on the US Billboard 200 and being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, In This Skin went on to become the thirty-fifth best selling album of 2004. It was ranked number 153 on the list of the top-selling albums of the 2000s by Billboard magazine. As of 2020, In This Skin has sold 7 million copies worldwide.
Ashley Nicolle Ross-Næss, known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as a back-up dancer for her sister and appeared in television commercials at the age of 15. Simpson later pursued a career as an actress and had a main role on the family drama 7th Heaven. She appeared on the reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, broadcast on MTV between 2003 and 2005, which focused on Ashlee's older sister Jessica and Jessica's then-husband Nick Lachey. While working on her debut studio album, Simpson became the star of a spin-off reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show, which was broadcast on MTV between 2004 and 2005. Like her sister before her, Simpson became the center of considerable media attention.
Nicholas Scott Lachey is an American actor, singer-songwriter, producer, TV personality and host. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the multi-platinum-selling boyband 98 Degrees and later starred in the reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released four solo albums: SoulO, What's Left of Me, A Father's Lullaby, and Soundtrack of My Life. He also had a recurring role on the television series Charmed. He hosted NBC's The Sing-Off, co-hosted VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live from 2014 to 2015, and Nickelodeon's America's Most Musical Family, and co-hosts the Netflix shows Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum with his wife Vanessa Lachey. He is also the sole host of Perfect Match for Netflix. In 2021, Lachey won the fifth season of The Masked Singer.
Autobiography is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson. Released in the United States by Geffen Records on July 20, 2004, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Musically, it combines elements of rock and pop. Critical reception for the album by critics was mixed. Autobiography has sold more than five million copies worldwide.
The Ashlee Simpson Show is a reality television series about the life of Ashlee Simpson. The first season, taped from late 2003 to mid-2004, focused on the beginnings of her career as a singer and the recording of her debut album, Autobiography. A second season, taped from late 2004 to early 2005, focused on her career after the album's release.
Ryan Frank Cabrera is an American musician. He began his career as a lead singer for the Dallas band Rubix Groove before pursuing his solo career. Following the 2001 release of independent album Elm St., he released his first major-label album, Take It All Away, on August 17, 2004, which went on to sell over two million copies. Earlier in the year, Cabrera had become known for his up-tempo pop-rock single "On the Way Down". It was then followed by Cabrera's second single, "True"; and his third single "40 Kinds of Sadness".
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic is an American reality television series created and directed by Anthony E. Zuiker. Starring pop singer Britney Spears and her then-husband Kevin Federline, the five-episode series aired on UPN from May 17 to June 14, 2005. The series chronicles the couple's relationship from their courtship, engagement and wedding.
"I Think I'm in Love with You" is a song written and produced by Cory Rooney and Dan Shea for Jessica Simpson's 1999 debut album, Sweet Kisses. It contains a sample of singer-songwriter John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane" (1982) and was released as the album's third and final single in mid-2000; in Japan, it was issued as the album's second single in February 2000. The single reached the top 10 in Australia and Canada and the top 20 in Iceland, New Zealand, Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Irresistible" is a song by American recording artist Jessica Simpson that Columbia Records released in 2001, as the lead single from her second studio album of the same name. Its title and concept were proposed by singer-songwriter Pamela Sheyne, while Arnthor Birgisson, an acquaintance of Sony chief executive officer Tommy Mottola, and his partner Anders Bagge developed the melody and co-wrote the verses with Sheyne. It is more sexually suggestive than Simpson's previous songs.
"Sweetest Sin" is a song by American singer Jessica Simpson. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake for Simpson's third studio album, In This Skin (2003). It was released as the album's first single on July 22, 2003 through Columbia Records. The R&B song, speaks about what would be the sweetest sin between a couple. "Sweetest Sin" received positive reviews from critics, with some calling it a catchy tune and an "ode to booty knocking". Simpson performed the song on her Reality Tour Live (2004). An accompanying music video, directed by Constantine Paraskavopoulos, showed Simpson swaying on a beach and flirting with singer Nick Lachey during the whole video.
"With You" is a song by American recording artist Jessica Simpson from her third studio album, In This Skin. "With You" was released by Columbia Records as the second single from In This Skin on November 3, 2003. Overall, "With You" was Simpson's seventh single in the United States and her fourth single in the United Kingdom. Billy Mann and Andy Marvel produced the song and co-wrote it with Simpson.
American singer Jessica Simpson has released seven studio albums, four compilation albums, three video albums, nineteen singles, and fifteen music videos. Her debut album, Sweet Kisses (1999), was released through Columbia Records, reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, and was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album sold 1.9 million copies in the US and produced three singles. Simpson's debut single, "I Wanna Love You Forever", reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2001, Simpson released her second studio effort, titled Irresistible, which failed to match the success of Sweet Kisses. Irresistible peaked at number 6 in the United States and has sold 755,000 copies. Her third studio album, In This Skin, was released in August 2003. Guided by the publicity of her reality TV show, Newlyweds, that album became the best-selling effort of her career, achieving a peak position of number 2 and triple platinum certification in the US. By 2009, In This Skin had sold 2.9 million copies in the US and produced four singles. In 2004, Simpson released her fourth studio and her first Christmas album, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album. It reached number 14 in the US and was certified gold by the RIAA. As of February 2009, Rejoyce has sold 669,000 copies in the US.
Jessica Ann Johnson is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, Sweet Kisses (1999), sold two million copies in the United States and was led by the Billboard Hot 100-top three single "I Wanna Love You Forever". Simpson adopted a more mature image for her second studio album, Irresistible (2001), and its namesake lead single track peaked within the top 20 of the chart. The album received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Simpson's third studio album, In This Skin (2003), sold three million copies in the United States.
I Am... Tour was the fourth concert tour by American performer and singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, in support of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), consisting of 110 concerts across six continents. Two months of preparations for the tour began eight months prior to its commencement, with daily twelve-hour rehearsals. The tour was announced in October 2008, and began in March 2009 with five preliminary ’rehearsal’ shows in North America. Knowles has described the I Am... World Tour as her best and most theatrical of all of her tours.
The Total Request Live Tour was a co-headlining tour featuring American groups, 3LW, Destiny's Child, Dream, St. Lunatics and American artists Eve and Nelly. Jessica Simpson joined the tour for select dates before venturing off to her own solo tour. Her slot was later taken by City High.
Irresistible is the second studio album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson, released on May 25, 2001, through Columbia Records. Simpson, who began working on the project in July 2000, contacted already established writers and producers to collaborate on the project, including Cory Rooney, Rodney Jerkins, and Walter Afanasieff. In contrast to her debut album Sweet Kisses (1999), which included more ballads, Irresistible explored hip hop and R&B genres of music. Simpson described the material as "Mariah Carey meets Britney Spears", indicating the soulfulness of the songs as well as their contemporary appeal. Lyrical themes addressed in the album include love and heartbreak, sexuality, and self-respect.
American singer Jessica Simpson has released three video albums and been featured in 18 music videos, 6 films, and 11 television programs.
The DreamChaser Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. It supported her second studio album, Irresistible and visited United States.