Glow in the Dark Tour
Tour by Kanye West | |
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Associated albums | Graduation |
---|---|
Start date | November 22, 2007 (United Kingdom) |
End date | December 7, 2008 (Australia) |
Legs | 5 |
No. of shows | 61 |
Box office | $30.8 million |
Kanye West concert chronology |
The Glow in the Dark Tour was the third concert tour by Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D, Santigold and Nas. It began on April 16, 2008 in Seattle, Washington and traveled to Latin America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia through to early December. The tour featured some surprise special guest artists, including Gnarls Barkley and Jay-Z. Chris Brown also appeared at some shows to perform his remix of "Umbrella" with Rihanna, and as a dancer for N.E.R.D. For the New Zealand and Australian leg of the tour special guests Nas and New Zealand rapper Scribe replaced Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D, as N.E.R.D toured these countries separately. Vanness Wu performed as the opening act on the Asian leg of the tour and performed "Good Life" with West during the show. A book named after the tour, authored by Kanye West with photography by Nabil Elderkin, was published by Rizzoli USA in October 2009.
The tour grossed $30.8 million from 49 shows and was by the end of 2008 the second-highest-grossing rap tour that Billboard had ever tracked after the Heart of the City Tour.[1] Direction, production, and lighting design were handled by; Es Devlin, Kanye West, Martin Phillips, John McGuire, and Simon Henwood.[2]
Background[edit]
On September 5, 2007, West announced his Glow in the Dark Tour in promotion of his third studio album Graduation. The tour was set to run from November 21–26, spanning seven dates across the United Kingdom.[3][4] The first show was supposed to be a two-night concert at Hammersmith Apollo in London, until West moved it to the city's 02 Arena on the night of November 22, 2007, as a result of heavy demand.[5] On January 30, 2008, Kanye posted to his blog that he would be embarking on the tour for this year across North America, in the wake of the UK stint's success and the death of his mother Donda West. He announced the support acts of fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco, band N.E.R.D., and Barbadian singer Rihanna.[6][7][8] Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco had previously collaborated on the 2007 song "Us Placers" with Pharrell Williams under the supergroup Child Rebel Soldier, while the two rappers and Rihanna were among the award recipients at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.[8][9] Wesr teased his tour set-up to his US audience at the ceremony by wearing a flashing LED jacket and luminous shades, with neon lighting covering the stage.[8]
Using two blog posts, West revealed the poster for the Glow in the Dark Tour. The first post was titled "Get Ready!" and simply featured portions of a digitally enhanced tour poster, while the second one was named "The End of the World as You Know It!!!" and depicted West as a multi-color robot in the poster's full frame.[7] In February 2008, West's label Def Jam announced the North American tour dates from April 16–May 30.[8][9] The label also issued a statement that Rihanna would be absent from the shows in Las Vegas, Nevada and Albuquerque, New Mexico during April 2008.[8] For the tour's first US show at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington on April 16, 2008, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D. had 30 minute sets each, succeeded by West's 90-minute set.[10]
In February 2008, West made a sponsorship deal with Absolut Vodka for the tour's US stint, dubbed as "The Glow in the Dark Tour Ignited by Absolut 100". The deal was part of the brand's "In an Absolut World" campaign, with them sponsoring after-parties in each city where the rapper performed. West issued a statement honoring how Absolut had collaborated with "the pre-eminent artists of the 20th century", including his inspirations Andy Warhol, Tom Ford, Keith Haring, and Helmut Newton.[11] In July 2008, West and Absolut shared a comedic one-minute commercial entitled "Be Kanye" to bekanyenow.com. Produced by TBWA/Chiat/Day, the video is set in a 1980s retro format with loud colors and humorous sound effects. West promotes the "Be Kanye" tablets that give users the "famous superstar power" to be him for four hours and he asks how often they have told themselves, "I feel famous and powerful on the inside, but nobody sees it that way on the outside?"[12][13] A person also onlooks in confusion as a man in a club takes one and transforms into West while the rapper himself exits a bathroom stall; the ending shows a toll-free number for orders and the price of $19.95.[12][13] A spokeswoman for Absolut said that their logo is shown once in the commercial on purpose for their audience to have their own experience rather than "telling them what it is", while they had the intention of capturing those spending more time online and consuming news media.[13] The tablets were also advertised on bus stops, subways, and websites.[13]
Set list[edit]
This set list is representative of the show on April 16, 2008, at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour [14]
- "Good Morning"
- "I Wonder"
- "Heard 'Em Say"
- "Through the Wire"
- "Champion"
- "Get Em High"
- "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
- "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
- "Flashing Lights"
- "Spaceship"
- "All Falls Down"
- "Gold Digger"
- "Good Life"
- "Jesus Walks"
- "Hey Mama"
- "Don't Stop Believin'"
- "Stronger"
- "Homecoming"
- "Touch the Sky"
Tour dates[edit]
Date | City | Country | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
North America | ||||
April 16, 2008 | Seattle | United States | KeyArena | |
April 18, 2008 | Sacramento | ARCO Arena | ||
April 19, 2008 | San Jose | HP Pavilion at San Jose | ||
April 20, 2008 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | ||
April 21, 2008 | Los Angeles | Nokia Theatre L.A. Live | ||
April 22, 2008 | ||||
April 24, 2008 | Tucson | McKale Center | Lupe Fiasco dressed as Darth Vader onstage during the N.E.R.D set. | |
April 25, 2008 | Las Vegas | Red Rock Casino | ||
April 26, 2008 | Albuquerque | ABQ Journal Pavilion | ||
April 27, 2008 | Denver | Pepsi Center | ||
April 29, 2008 | Oklahoma City | Ford Center | Lupe Fiasco did not perform due to illness. | |
April 30, 2008 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | ||
May 1, 2008 | Dallas | SuperPages.com Center | ||
May 2, 2008 | The Woodlands | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | ||
May 4, 2008 | Duluth | The Arena Gwinnett Center | Chris Brown & rapper Bow Wow appeared as dancers for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 5, 2008 | Tampa | Ford Amphitheatre | ||
May 6, 2008 | Miami | American Airlines Arena | ||
May 8, 2008 | Charlotte | Verizon Wireless Amphitheater | Chris Brown and rapper Lupe Fiasco appeared as dancers for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 9, 2008 | Raleigh | Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion | ||
May 10, 2008 | Bristow | Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 11, 2008 | Virginia Beach | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Virginia Beach | ||
May 13, 2008 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | Chris Brown appeared on stage to sing a duet remix of "Umbrella" with Rihanna. | |
May 15, 2008 | Mansfield | Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 16, 2008 | Hartford | New England Dodge Music Center | ||
May 17, 2008 | Camden | Susquehanna Bank Center | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 18, 2008 | Scranton | Toyota Pavilion | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
May 20, 2008 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." |
May 21, 2008 | Toronto | Molson Amphitheatre | ||
May 22, 2008 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills | |
May 23, 2008 | Chicago | United Center | ||
May 24, 2008 | Chris Brown and rapper Common appeared as dancers for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |||
May 25, 2008 | Fargo | Fargodome | ||
May 26, 2008 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre | Chris Brown appeared as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." |
May 27, 2008 | Saskatoon | Credit Union Centre | ||
May 29, 2008 | Edmonton | Rexall Place | ||
May 30, 2008 | Calgary | Pengrowth Saddledome | Chris Brown appeared on stage to sing a duet remix of "Umbrella" with Rihanna and as a dancer for N.E.R.D's "Spaz." | |
June 1, 2008 | East Rutherford | United States | Giants Stadium | Only Kanye West appeared alone singing seven songs on a modified Glow in the Dark Tour set. |
June 2, 2008 | Vancouver | Canada | General Motors Place | |
June 3, 2008 | Portland | United States | Rose Garden | |
June 5, 2008 | Reno | Reno Events Center | ||
June 6, 2008 | San Jose | HP Pavilion at San Jose | ||
June 7, 2008 | Los Angeles | Staples Center | ||
June 8, 2008 | Glendale | Jobing.com Arena | ||
June 9, 2008 | West Valley City | E Center | ||
June 11, 2008 | Minneapolis | Target Center | ||
June 12, 2008 | Moline | iWireless Center | ||
June 14, 2008 | Manchester | Bonnaroo Music Festival | Kanye West appeared alone, and took the stage two hours after the posted time, using a modified Glow in the Dark Tour set. | |
July 25, 2008 | Stratford-upon-Avon | United Kingdom | Global Gathering Festival | |
August 1, 2008 | Cincinnati | United States | U.S. Bank Arena | |
August 2, 2008 | Chicago | Grant Park | Lupe Fiasco appeared only, performing a one-hour set before Rage Against the Machine. | |
August 3, 2008 | Kanye West and Nine Inch Nails headlined the final night of Lollapalooza. | |||
August 5, 2008 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | Only N.E.R.D and Lupe Fiasco appeared for this show. | |
August 6, 2008 | Lupe Fiasco was the only guest scheduled for this show, however N.E.R.D performed anyway. Also Jay-Z made a special on-stage appearance singing "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dopeboy Fresh)."[15] | |||
August 7, 2008 | Ledyard | MGM Grand Theatre | Gnarls Barkley performed as a special guest opener at this show.[16] | |
October 17, 2008 | Mexico City | Mexico | Palacio de los Deportes | |
October 18, 2008 | Monterrey | Arena Monterrey | ||
South America | ||||
October 22, 2008 | São Paulo | Brazil | Ginásio do Ibirapuera | |
October 24, 2008 | Rio de Janeiro | Marina da Glória | ||
Asia | ||||
October 29, 2008 | Singapore | Singapore Indoor Stadium | Performed live recording of ‘Pinocchio Story’ that appeared on 808s & Heartbreak | |
November 1, 2008[17] | Beijing | China | Workers Indoor Arena | |
November 3, 2008 | Shanghai | Shanghai Indoor Stadium | ||
Europe | ||||
November 8, 2008 | Belfast | United Kingdom | Odyssey Centre | Mr Hudson & The Library supported. |
November 9, 2008 | Dublin | Ireland | RDS Simmonscourt | Santogold, Mr Hudson & The Library and Consequence supported. |
November 11, 2008 | London | United Kingdom | The O2 Arena | Mr Hudson & The Library, Santogold and Syren supported. Estelle performed "American Boy" with Kanye West. |
November 12, 2008 | Mr Hudson & The Library, Santogold, Kid Cudi, Consequence and Syren supported. Estelle performed "American Boy" with Kanye West. | |||
November 13, 2008 | Newcastle | Metro Radio Arena | Mr Hudson & The Library, Melanie Fiona, Kid Cudi, Consequence and Tony Williams Supported. | |
November 14, 2008 | Sheffield | Sheffield Arena | ||
November 15, 2008 | Birmingham | LG Arena | Mr Hudson & The Library, Kid Cudi, Consequence, Melanie Fiona and Santogold supported. | |
November 16, 2008 | Glasgow | SECC | ||
November 17, 2008 | Manchester | Manchester Evening News Arena | Kid Cudi, Consequence with Tony Williams, Melanie Fiona, Mr Hudson & The Library and Santogold supported. | |
November 19, 2008 | Oberhausen | Germany | König-Pilsener-Arena | Das Labor, Consequence with Tony Williams, Melanie Fiona and Mr Hudson & The Library supported. |
November 20, 2008 | Paris | France | Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy | The Roots opened, Consequence with Tony Williams, Melanie Fiona and Mr Hudson & The Library supported. |
November 21, 2008 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | Consequence with Tony Williams, Mr Hudson & The Library and Santogold supported. |
November 24, 2008 | Prague | Czech Republic | O2 Arena | Cancelled |
November 26, 2008 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis | Mr Hudson & The Library and Santogold supported. |
November 28, 2008 | Hamburg | Germany | Color Line Arena | |
Australia/New Zealand Leg Support acts for this leg were Nas, Scribe, Kid Cudi and Consequence. | ||||
December 1, 2008 | Auckland | New Zealand | Vector Arena | |
December 2, 2008 | Wellington | TSB Bank Arena | ||
December 5, 2008 | Melbourne | Australia | Rod Laver Arena | |
December 6, 2008 | Sydney | Acer Arena | ||
December 7, 2008 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
Tour controversies[edit]
Sacramento/Seattle mix-up[edit]
A brief controversy emerged when during his performance in Sacramento, West accidentally referred to the city as Seattle, the latter of which he performed in only two days prior. West quickly admitted his mistake and made an apology to fans on his official blog.[18]
Bonnaroo controversy[edit]
West's scheduled time at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was changed from 8:00 pm to 2:45 am to accommodate the light show for the Glow in the Dark Tour. This marked the first ever late night show on the big "What Stage" in Bonnaroo's 7-year history.[19] Pearl Jam ended up playing 50 mins over their allotted time, leaving less time for the setup of West's stage props for the Glow in the Dark Tour. A message on the monitors stated that the show would start at 3:30. When that didn't happen, the crowd grew restless and started chanting "Kanye Sucks". Once West came out on stage at 4:25 am most people quieted down. The delay was reportedly due to complications in the set up of West's elaborate glow in the dark concept concert after the Pearl Jam set. Graffiti was found throughout the festival ranging from "Fuck Kanye"[20] to "Jay-Z Would Have Been on Time". West later wrote an outraged post on his blog, expressing his anger at the crowd's response and at Superfly's mismanagement.[21]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Peters, Mitchell. "Lil Wayne 2008–2009 Tours Gross $42 Million". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- ^ "Kanye West - Glow in the Dark Tour Arena 2008". Es Devlin. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Watkins, "Grouchy" Greg (September 5, 2007). "Kanye West Announces 'Glow in the Dark Tour' Of UK". AllHipHop. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Kanye West announces UK dates". NME. September 5, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Kanye West moves London show due to demand". NME. September 7, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Kanye West announces 'Glow In The Dark' tour". NME. January 30, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Rodriguez, Jayson (January 30, 2008). "Kanye West's Glow In The Dark Tour Will Feature Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D." MTV. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Rodriguez, Jayson (February 14, 2008). "Kanye West's Glow In The Dark Tour Dates Announced". MTV. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Dates announced for Kanye's 'Glow In the Dark tour'". NME. February 12, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (April 17, 2008). "Rihanna, N.E.R.D and Fiasco Shine at Kanye's 'Glow' Tour Opener". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Ayers, Michael D. (February 14, 2008). "Absolut Sponsoring Kanye Spring Tour". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Watkins, "Grouchy" Greg (July 3, 2008). "Kanye West Partners With Absolut For 'Be Kanye' Campaign". AllHipHop. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Ho, Margaret (July 21, 2008). "Close Look Shows Kanye West Ad Is for Absolut". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kanye West Setlist at KeyArena, Seattle". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ Hot right now. "Jay-Z Slams Noel Gallagher In New Album Track With Kanye West". Gigwise. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ "Glow Base".
- ^ "Kanye West hit Beijing". China Daily. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Kanye West". Kanyeuniversecity.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ "Kanye West Late Night Set!". Bonnaroo. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Inside a Kanye West Tour: "Glow in the Dark" Photos, Backstage Tales". RollingStone.com. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ "Delayed Kanye West gig angers Bonnaroo crowd". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
External links[edit]
- Kanye West concert tours
- 2008 concert tours
- Rihanna concert tours
- Concert tours of the United States
- Concert tours of Canada
- Concert tours of the United Kingdom
- Concert tours of Ireland
- Concert tours of Mexico
- Concert tours of Brazil
- Concert tours of Singapore
- Concert tours of China
- Concert tours of Germany
- Concert tours of France
- Concert tours of Belgium
- Concert tours of the Czech Republic
- Concert tours of the Netherlands
- Concert tours of Australia
- Concert tours of New Zealand