| Tour by Susan Boyle | |
 | |
| Associated album | Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage |
|---|---|
| Start date | 2 July 2013 |
| End date | 6 November 2014 |
| Legs | 3 |
| No. of shows | 26 in Europe 21 in North America 47 Total |
| Susan Boyle concert chronology | |
Susan Boyle in Concert is the first concert tour by singer Susan Boyle. The tour promoted Boyle's fourth album, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage . [1]
Boyle chose to launch her tour in Scotland as a thank you to her country for their support and hopes to take the tour global in 2014. The sell-out tour ran for seven nights with appearances in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Boyle said, "This is the year that I feel that I would be able to give an audience what they want. I’ve always wanted to do my own show and now I feel confident enough to give it a go." [2]
Lance Ellington, a regular vocalist on Strictly Come Dancing , opened the concert with a couple of songs, before Boyle appeared and launched into a 24-song set. Other performers included Ashleigh Gray and Annie Skates as back-up singers, plus a 7-piece orchestra and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland choir. Andrew Panton was the creative director and Kennedy Aitchison was the musical director. The entire show ran for 135 minutes. [3]
The second leg of Boyle's tour was 19 dates across the UK in March and April 2014. Boyle said, "I’m really looking forward to getting back on tour. I’m ready to take the next step and take my show to a whole host of towns and cities I have never played in before." [4] In May 2014, Boyle announced the third leg of the tour, to plays theatres and concert halls in the United States. [5] The leg will begin in San Diego, California, playing 21 shows throughout October and November, ending in Jacksonville, Florida. [6]
For her entrance, Boyle appeared in silhouette at the back of the stage giving her famous wiggle while an audio from her Britain's Got Talent audition played. The audience responded immediately by giving her a standing ovation before she even sang a single note. It was a reminder to people from where she started and how far she has come.
For the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Boyle said, "This song is about a wee lassie who goes on an incredible journey." "I hope tonight to take you all on a journey". Some of the Jazz numbers, such as "That Ole Devil Called Love" and "Cry Me a River", Boyle sang while seated beside the piano. The first half ended with a rendition of "You Raise Me Up" accompanied by a choir from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Second half included the song "Ae Fond Kiss" which Boyle dedicated to everyone who had lost someone in their lives. "River Deep, Mountain High", a duet with Lance Ellington, had the audience on their feet and dancing. The second half ended with "I Dreamed A Dream", which Boyle jokingly said, "has got me into a lot of trouble."
Throughout the concert, Boyle showed her sense of humor with jokes about her cat Pebbles and her boss Simon Cowell. She gave her impersonation of the judges from BGT which had the audience in stitches. The concert itself moved quickly, in which Boyle had several wardrobe changes appearing in different glamorous gowns. [7]
Boyle received rave reviews for her first solo tour with several standing ovations throughout each night. The Herald Scotland, giving 4 stars, reported, "There was lot riding on this appearance, the first night of her first ever live solo tour, but the phenomenon/riddle that is Susan Boyle proved equal to her task in the Highland Capital. Truth be told she blew Eden Court Theatre away." [8] The Edinburgh Guide, also giving 4 stars, reported, "Cynics of TV reality shows may dismiss the notion that media-created pop singers have any real talent. But to witness Susan Boyle live on stage proves beyond doubt that this performance is no gimmick. Susan has a natural purity in her voice combined with genuine emotion and the effortless art of a true Diva in glamorous style." [3]
The following songs were performed during the concert at the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, Scotland. It does not represent all songs performed on tour. [9]
Intermission
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress.
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show Pop Idol in 2003. In January 2004, McManus made history when she became the first Scottish female artist to debut atop the UK Singles Chart with a debut single.
Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Lonely Symphony ", finishing 10th. The song became a UK Top 30 hit.
World Tour of Scotland is a six-part television series – the first of Billy Connolly's "world tours" – originally broadcast by the BBC in July and August 1994. It involves his touring around his homeland for 54 nights during early 1994, beginning in Greenock and visiting cities and towns and performing live on stage to audiences. However, this, like all his other tours, involves more than just shows: he visits numerous places of historic and scenic value, as well as some places that resonate with his own upbringing.
"Wild Horses" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was first released in 1970 by the Flying Burrito Brothers as the Stones didn't think the demo was worth recording fully. It was subsequently recorded by the Stones for their 1971 album Sticky Fingers when they felt it was worth reconsideration. It was also released on 12 June 1971 as a single, with "Sway" as its B-side.
Alexandria "Sandi" Thom is a Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Banff, Scotland. She became widely known in 2006 after her debut single, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ", topped the UK Singles Chart in June of that year, as well as in Australia and Ireland. The single became the biggest-selling single of 2006 in Australia, where it spent ten weeks at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart.
Stephen John Anderson is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his work with Kylie Minogue on her tours and albums, and as part of the production group Brothers in Rhythm. He has also worked on songs and albums for many recording artists such as Britney Spears, Westlife, Christophe Willem, Judie Tzuke and Susan Boyle.
"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel from the original French production.
"Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" is a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. The song touches upon emotions surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Originally recorded by Solomon Burke in 2006 and Griffin herself in 2007, it has found greater prominence in performances and recordings since then by Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck, Susan Boyle, Crystal Bowersox, Kree Harrison, and Morgan.
Ashleigh Gray is a Scottish actress and musical theatre performer best known for playing Elphaba in the London and UK & Ireland touring productions of Wicked.
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 million records. Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and it was the best-selling album internationally in 2009. In 2011, Boyle made UK music history by becoming the first female artist to achieve three successive albums debut at No.1 in less than two years.
I Dreamed a Dream is the debut studio album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 23 November 2009 by Syco Music in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records in the United States one day later. In the standard edition, 11 out of the 12 songs that appear on the album are cover songs, plus the original composition "Who I Was Born to Be". It quickly became the world's biggest selling album of 2009, according to IFPI. The album had sold around 10 million copies worldwide since its debut.
The discography of Susan Boyle, a Scottish singer, contains seven studio albums and sixteen singles, thirteen as a solo artist, and three as a featured artist. Boyle achieved global attention after auditioning for Series 3 of Britain's Got Talent in 2009. After much attention, Boyle signed a record deal with British record producer Simon Cowell, releasing her worldwide multi-platinum selling début album I Dreamed a Dream. The album's first two singles, "Wild Horses" and "I Dreamed a Dream" were successful, both reaching the top forty of the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, Boyle's album charted at number one on the Billboard 200 album charts. The singles were a success in the United States, with "Wild Horses" making ninety-eight and "I Dreamed a Dream" making sixty-two.
Jai McDowall is a Scottish singer–songwriter, who won the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent in June 2011. As the winner, he received £100,000 and performed at the 2011 Royal Variety Performance. McDowall was signed to Syco Music, a subdivision of record label giant, Sony Music. His debut album Believe was released on 9 December 2011. The lead single "With or Without You" was released the same day.
I Dreamed a Dream is a jukebox musical with the book co-written by Alan McHugh and Elaine C. Smith and produced by Michael Harrison. It is based on the life of Susan Boyle and her 2010 autobiography, The Woman I Was Born to Be. The score features songs recorded by Boyle, hymns, traditional songs and popular songs, mostly from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli, known collectively as Jonathan and Charlotte, were an English classical crossover duo from Essex. They finished as runners-up in the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2012, being beaten by dancing dog act Ashleigh and Pudsey. At the time, they were aged 17 and 16 respectively. Despite not winning, the young duo were offered a £1 million record deal by Simon Cowell on his record label Syco. They released two albums, Together in 2012 and Perhaps Love in 2013. In February 2014, the duo decided to split and embark on solo careers.
Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart.
Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage is the fourth studio album by Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 13 November 2012. The album features renditions of songs from prominent musical theatre shows and films. It also includes duets with American singer Donny Osmond and The Phantom of the Opera star Michael Crawford.
"Who I Was Born to Be" is the first original song recorded by Susan Boyle. Appearing on her multi-platinum debut album I Dreamed a Dream, the song has become a staple in Boyle's repertoire. This song's lyrics describe Boyle's decades-long dream of becoming a professional singer. The lyrics have become associated with Boyle, who titled her autobiography "The Woman I Was Born to Be".
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