World tour by George Michael | |
Location |
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Associated album | Faith |
Start date | 19 February 1988 |
End date | 6 July 1989 |
Legs | 4 |
No. of shows | 109 (135 scheduled) |
Guests | |
Box office | US tour dates: US $15 million [1] ($38.64 in 2023 dollars) [2] |
George Michael concert chronology |
The Faith Tour was the first solo concert tour by English singer-songwriter George Michael, launched in support of his multi-million selling debut solo album Faith . The tour spanned nine months between February and October 1988 with three final shows in the summer of 1989 comprising 109 shows across sixteen countries. [3] It was choreographed by Paula Abdul.
On 30 October 1987, George Michael released his debut solo studio album, Faith . [4] After receiving a 1988 Brit Award for "Best British Male" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, [5] Michael embarked on a massive sold out world tour which would occupy most of that year. It started in Tokyo's Budokan indoor arena in February and ended at Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. [6] Most of the set list was based on the Faith track listing with a couple of songs from Wham! ("Everything She Wants" and "I'm Your Man"). Michael also paid a tribute to artists that he had been influenced by such as "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle, Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" and Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today". When Michael performed at Birmingham's NEC Arena, former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley joined him briefly onstage for a performance of "I'm Your Man". [6] With already two US number ones, new singles continued to be released while on tour, with "One More Try" and "Monkey" reaching number 1 in late May and August 1988 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [7]
On 11 June 1988, Michael performed three songs including Gladys Knight's "If You Were My Woman" for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium. Michael used the concert as preparation for a show later the same day at London's Earls Court. [6]
For the first five months, Michael had consulted eight doctors in a variety of countries for throat pain which had caused some concert cancellations. Eventually in London he was diagnosed with a cyst in the throat. The demanding schedule took a pause for Michael to recuperate. [6] In August 1988, Michael toured the United States beginning in Landover, Maryland and closing late October in Pensacola, Florida. In August, in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Michael was joined on stage by Aretha Franklin for a duet on "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The 43-date American tour alone grossed a total of $15 million (about $38.6 million in today's dollars [2] ), performing to over 750,000 fans. [8] Michael also topped the Billboard Year-End of 1988 charts in the US with Faith and single of the same title. According to RIAA, he was the top-selling artist of the year 1988 in the United States.
In early July 1989, nine months after the tour ended, Michael performed three special concerts (shows in Spain had been previously cancelled) at Madrid's Las Ventas, La Rosaleda Stadium, Málaga and Sarrià Stadium in Barcelona. [9] [10] [11]
The concert on 16 April 1988 in Rotterdam was professionally recorded for a commercial release of the tour. [12] No DVD has been released.
The concert on 31 May 1988 in Paris was officially recorded as audio and 11 tracks from that show were broadcast on several radio stations in several countries. [13]
The concert on 1 July 1989 in Madrid was recorded and broadcast live on the television channel TVE1 in Spain and various European and Latin American countries. [14] [15]
1988
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1989
Madrid
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Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Gross |
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Asia | |||||
19 February 1988 | Tokyo | Japan | Nippon Budokan | ||
20 February 1988 | |||||
21 February 1988 | |||||
23 February 1988 | Osaka | Osaka-Jo Hall | |||
24 February 1988 | |||||
26 February 1988 | Nagoya | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | |||
Oceania | |||||
4 March 1988 | Auckland | New Zealand | Western Springs Stadium | ||
8 March 1988 | |||||
9 March 1988 | Perth | Australia | Perth Entertainment Centre | ||
11 March 1988 | Adelaide | Memorial Drive Park | |||
12 March 1988 | |||||
13 March 1988 | Canberra | Bruce Stadium | |||
14 March 1988 | |||||
17 March 1988 | Sydney | Sydney Entertainment Centre | |||
18 March 1988 | |||||
19 March 1988 | |||||
24 March 1988 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |||
26 March 1988 | Melbourne | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | |||
27 March 1988 | |||||
28 March 1988 | |||||
2 April 1988 | |||||
North America | |||||
5 April 1988 | Honolulu | United States | Blaisdell Arena | 14,799 / 14,799 | $320,108 [20] |
6 April 1988 | |||||
Europe | |||||
12 April 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | ||
13 April 1988 | |||||
14 April 1988 | |||||
16 April 1988 | |||||
18 April 1988 | Paris | France | Zénith de Paris | ||
21 April 1988 | Oslo | Norway | Drammenshallen | ||
22 April 1988 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Scandinavium | ||
23 April 1988 | |||||
9 May 1988 | Frankfurt | West Germany | Festhalle | ||
11 May 1988 | Munich | Olympiahalle | |||
12 May 1988 | Vienna | Austria | Wiener Stadthalle | ||
16 May 1988 | Milan | Italy | Milan Arena | ||
17 May 1988 | |||||
20 May 1988 | Rome | Palazzo dello Sport | |||
21 May 1988 | Verona | Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi | |||
23 May 1988 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | ||
24 May 1988 | |||||
26 May 1988 | Lyon | France | Palais des Sports de Gerland | ||
27 May 1988 | Montpellier | Le Zénith | |||
30 May 1988 | Paris | Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy | |||
31 May 1988 | |||||
2 June 1988 | Hamburg | West Germany | Sporthalle Hamburg | ||
3 June 1988 | |||||
10 June 1988 | London | England | Earls Court | ||
11 June 1988 | |||||
12 June 1988 | |||||
14 June 1988 | |||||
15 June 1988 | |||||
16 June 1988 | |||||
18 June 1988 | Glasgow | Scotland | SECC Hall 4 | ||
19 June 1988 | |||||
23 June 1988 | Birmingham | England | NEC Arena | ||
24 June 1988 | |||||
25 June 1988 | |||||
North America | |||||
6 August 1988 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre | 29,331 / 29,331 | $586,620 [16] |
7 August 1988 | |||||
9 August 1988 | Philadelphia | The Spectrum | 31,725 / 31,725 | $611,612 [16] | |
10 August 1988 | |||||
11 August 1988 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | |||
14 August 1988 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | 51,312 / 51,312 | $1,129,905 [21] | |
15 August 1988 | |||||
16 August 1988 | |||||
19 August 1988 | Mansfield | Great Woods Center | |||
20 August 1988 | |||||
21 August 1988 | East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena | 18,704 / 18,704 | $360,961 [21] | |
23 August 1988 | Montreal | Canada | Stade Olympique | 21,640 / 35,000 | $520,701 |
25 August 1988 | Ottawa | CCE | |||
27 August 1988 | Toronto | CNE Stadium | 45,289 / 45,289 | $996,287 [19] | |
29 August 1988 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 33,822 / 33,822 | $676,440 [22] |
30 August 1988 | |||||
1 September 1988 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | 14,189 / 14,189 | $252,001 [23] | |
2 September 1988 | Richfield | Richfield Coliseum | 23,984 / 23,984 | $479,680 [22] | |
3 September 1988 | |||||
6 September 1988 | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | 28,724 / 28,724 | $646,290 [22] | |
7 September 1988 | |||||
9 September 1988 | East Troy | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | 20,302 / 20,302 | $388,944 [24] | |
11 September 1988 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | 17,674 / 17,674 | $353,480 [22] | |
13 September 1988 | Saint Paul | St. Paul Civic Center | 15,678 / 15,678 | $305,721 [24] | |
17 September 1988 | Greenwood Village | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre | 28,386 / 36,000 | $515,607 [25] | |
18 September 1988 | |||||
22 September 1988 | Tacoma | Tacoma Dome | 45,240 / 45,240 | $891,900 [25] | |
23 September 1988 | |||||
25 September 1988 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | 13,596 / 13,596 | $320,403 [26] |
27 September 1988 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 40,606 / 42,952 | $735,710 [27] |
28 September 1988 | |||||
29 September 1988 | |||||
2 October 1988 | Inglewood | The Forum | 42,382 / 42,382 | $902,768 [27] | |
3 October 1988 | |||||
4 October 1988 | |||||
7 October 1988 | Irvine | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre | 43,936 / 45,000 | $1,007,600 [28] | |
8 October 1988 | |||||
9 October 1988 | |||||
11 October 1988 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | 11,700 / 11,700 | $247,659 [28] | |
14 October 1988 | Irving | Texas Stadium | 38,564 / 41,000 | $846,923 | |
16 October 1988 | Houston | The Summit | 13,256 / 15,000 | $308,893 [28] | |
18 October 1988 | New Orleans | Louisiana Superdome | 24,000 / 30,000 | $450,555 [17] | |
20 October 1988 | Atlanta | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | |||
23 October 1988 | Orlando | Citrus Bowl | 34,547 / 35,000 | $667,840 [18] | |
26 October 1988 | Tampa | Expo Hall | 10,288 / 10,288 | $223,322 [18] | |
29 October 1988 | Miami | Orange Bowl | 34,439 / 35,000 | $663,400 [18] | |
31 October 1988 | Pensacola | Pensacola Civic Center | 9,274 / 9,274 | $178,386 [18] | |
Europe | |||||
1 July 1989 | Madrid | Spain | Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas | ||
4 July 1989 | Málaga | Estadio La Rosaleda | |||
6 July 1989 | Barcelona | Estadi de Sarrià |
29 February 1988 | Yokohama, Japan | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium | Cancelled |
21 March 1988 | Sydney, Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
23 March 1988 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
30, 31 March 1988 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
25 April 1988 | Helsinki, Finland | Jäähalli | Cancelled |
27, 28 April 1988 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Valby-Hallen | Cancelled |
29, 30 April 1988 | Hamburg, West Germany | Sporthalle Hamburg | Cancelled |
2 May 1988 | West Berlin, West Germany | Deutschlandhalle | Cancelled |
4 May 1988 | Dortmund, West Germany | Westfalenhalle | Cancelled |
6 May 1988 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Festhalle | Cancelled |
7 May 1988 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Schleyer-Halle | Cancelled |
14 May 1988 | Verona, Italy | Verona Arena | Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 21 May 1988 |
18 May 1988 | Genova, Italy | PalaSport | Cancelled |
1 June 1988 | Paris, France | Palais des Sports | Cancelled |
5 June 1988 | Dortmund, West Germany | Westfalenhalle | Cancelled |
6 June 1988 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Schleyer-Halle | Cancelled |
29 June 1988 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | King's Hall | Cancelled |
1 July 1988 | Dublin, Ireland | Royal Dublin Society | Cancelled |
8 July 1988 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Valby-Hallen | Cancelled |
10 July 1988 | Leysin, Switzerland | Leysin Rock Festival | Cancelled |
12 July 1988 | Antwerp, Belgium | Sportpaleis | Cancelled |
15 July 1988 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Feijenoord Stadion | Cancelled |
18 July 1988 | Viareggio, Italy | Sports Stadium | Cancelled |
20, 21 July 1988 | Fréjus, France | Arènes de Fréjus | Cancelled |
23 July 1988 | Barcelona, Spain | Estadi de Sarrià | Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 6 July 1989 |
27, 28 July 1988 | Madrid, Spain | Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas | Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 1 July 1989 |
As printed in the official tour programme:
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George Michael was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK singles chart. Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was listed among Billboard's the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and Rolling Stone's the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael, released on 2 November 1987 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. In addition to playing various instruments on the album, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop album with influences of R&B, funk and soul music, Faith's songs include introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.
Bad was the first solo concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson, launched in support of his seventh studio album Bad (1987). The 123-show world tour began on September 12, 1987 in Japan, and concluded on January 27, 1989 in the United States, and sponsored by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi. It grossed a total of $125 million, making it the second highest-grossing tour of the 1980s after Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, and earning two new entries in the Guinness World Records for the largest grossing tour in history and the tour with the largest attended audience. It was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards.
"Everything She Wants" is a single by the British pop duo Wham!, released in 1984 under Epic Records. The song was part of a double A-side release with "Last Christmas". Written and produced by George Michael, a member of the duo, "Everything She Wants" garnered significant acclaim, marking Wham!'s third consecutive million-selling number-one hit in the United States.
"A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael that was released on Epic Records in 1986.
"Kissing a Fool" is a song written and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael, released by Columbia Records in 1988.
The Private Dancer Tour was the fifth concert tour by singer Tina Turner. In support of her fifth studio album, Private Dancer (1984), the tour helped to establish Turner as a major solo artist of the 1980s and a dynamic solo performer, after initially starting out singing with ex-husband Ike Turner's band. The tour is often considered one of the best comebacks in music history. The 180-date, eleven-month world tour traveled across Europe, North America and Australasia. Notably, Turner played a show in Budapest, Hungary, the only show of the tour behind the Iron Curtain. The concerts received many accolades, including the "Most Creative Tour Package" and "Comeback Tour Of The Year" awards from Pollstar.
Jeffery Deon Estus was an American musician and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as the bassist on George Michael's first two solo projects. Estus' single "Heaven Help Me", with additional vocals by Michael, reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989.
Break Every Rule World Tour is the sixth concert tour by singer Tina Turner. The tour supported her sixth solo album Break Every Rule (1986). It was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and broke box office records in 13 different countries: United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Austria, France, Ireland and Denmark. It was the third highest-grossing tour by a female artist in North America in 1987 and the highest-grossing female tour of the 1980s with a total of $11.3 million . Her show in Rio de Janeiro remains the largest paying concert audience by a female artist with 180,000 spectators.
The Jersey Syndicate Tour was the fourth concert tour by American band Bon Jovi, that ran from 1988 to 1990. The massive, highly successful world tour was put on in support of the band's fourth studio album New Jersey (1988).
The Cover to Cover tour was the second solo concert tour by English singer-songwriter George Michael. The tour spanned 9 months between January and October 1991, comprising 29 shows across the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, Canada and the United States.
The Moment of Truth World Tour was the second worldwide tour by American recording artist Whitney Houston and supported her multi-platinum hit album Whitney. The trek started on July 4, 1987 in North America and continued overseas during 1988 in Europe, Asia and Australia.
The US Tour was Paul McCartney's second North American concert tour of the 21st century to promote his 2005 album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. The tour began on 16 September 2005 in Miami, Florida, and concluded on 30 November 2005 in Los Angeles, California. It was a commercial success, grossing $77 million from 37 shows across North America and selling over 565,000 tickets. Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Paul "Wix" Wickens, and Abe Laboriel Jr. returned as the backing band, the first to fully remain intact for more than one solo McCartney tour, following the previous year's summer jaunt in the UK. McCartney's then-wife Heather Mills and their daughter, Beatrice, accompanied him on the tour and were in the audience every night.
The Slippery When Wet Tour, by American hard rock band Bon Jovi, ran from 1986 to 1987. It supported the band's multi-platinum 1986 album Slippery When Wet and was their first major worldwide tour, visiting places such as Australia and Canada for the first time.
The Big Tour was the second concert tour by English pop duo Wham!, launched in support of their multi-platinum second studio album Make It Big, which sold over six million units in the US alone. The tour spanned 4 months between December 1984 and April 1985, comprising 39 shows across the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, United States, Hong Kong and China. Wham! made history in China and achieved worldwide publicity by being the first Western pop act to visit the country.
Whamamerica! was a concert tour by English pop duo Wham!. The tour was launched following the success of their 1984 certified multi-platinum studio album Make It Big, which sold four million copies in the United States by the end of the year. The tour spanned nineteen days between August and September 1985, comprising nine shows across the United States and Canada.