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I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour

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I'm Your Baby Tonight
World Tour
Tour by Whitney Houston
I'm Your Baby Tonight Tour Book
LocationNorth America • Europe • Asia
Associated albumI'm Your Baby Tonight
Start dateMarch 14, 1991 (1991-03-14)
End dateOctober 2, 1991 (1991-10-02)
Legs3
No. of shows66 in North America
2 in Asia
28 in Europe
96 in total
Whitney Houston concert chronology

The I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour was a concert tour by American singer Whitney Houston, in support of her multi-platinum third studio album I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990). Prior to Houston performing two dates in Japan early-March, the official tour started on April 18, in North America. Houston's performed nearly 100 concert dates throughout 1991 in North America and Europe.

Background

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After a successful series of concerts in Japan during March 1991, Houston returned to the United States to prepare for the world tour to support the four-times platinum selling album of the same name. Houston was initially planned to start the tour in the U.K. However, due to the Gulf War, the European leg was rescheduled until the fall.[1] Houston instead started the tour in the US. Houston kicked things off with her "Welcome Home Heroes Concert" on March 31 in Norfolk Virginia. The special, which aired on HBO, was dedicated to the troops who were fighting in the Gulf War. All proceeds went to the Red Cross.[2] Mid-1991 was considered one of the worst touring seasons ever. Many big names were cancelling dates and playing to low capacities. Houston was no exception. The singer played to low attendances and even cancelled some dates due to poor ticket sales. Experts cited the ongoing recession and financial crisis as the main reason.[3][4] In August, Houston also developed a throat ailment. As a result, the singer was forced to cancel the end of her Canadian tour to rest her voice.[5]

The tour resumed in late August when Houston reached the U.K. She played 10 consecutive dates at Wembley Arena in London, surpassing her own record of 9 straight dates at the same arena during the Moment of Truth World Tour, in 1988.

A month and a half after the tour concluded in Paris, October 1991, Houston would begin production on her first feature film, The Bodyguard in December.[6]

The show

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Unlike her previous tours, the shows had more focus on visuals. The stage was lit by 300 lights spinning and flashing in synch with the music. The state of the art system was designed by Mark Fisher and Jonathan Park. The system had only been used previously by Pink Floyd in his "The Wall" show in Berlin and the Rolling Stones' "Urban Jungle Tour".[7] Houston also incorporated costume changes during her sets for the first time. She often wore skin tight jump suits. Houston also took part in choreographed dancing with backup dancers. Unlike her previous tours, the stage was not in the round. She was backed by a seven piece band. After her previous musical director John Simmons died, bass player Rickey Minor became the tour's musical director. R&B group After 7 opened during the North American leg. Dance act Snap! supported her on the European leg.

Houston reworked most of the songs during the show with improvisations and spontaneity, adding funk to the uptempos while slowing down the ballads.[8] According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Saving All My Love for You" was "sultry, taking excursions through the church and jazz world that aren't heard on the recorded version."[9] She incorporated her popular love songs into a "Love Medley", giving her time to try out the newer uptempo/new jack swing numbers on her current album.[8] Midway through the shows, Houston introduced her band while singing the gospel "Revelation". This started the gospel set which included a cappella and solos from her backup singers. Her brother Gary Houston also performed a Marvin Gaye medley. With hip hop music becoming popular during the time, Houston incorporated rappers into the show. Rappers were given verses during "How Will I Know" while shouting "yo Whitney yo" throughout other songs.[8] During some of the shows, Houston incorporated her hit "All The Man That I Need" into a medley with the Billie Holiday classics "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)" and "My Man", which she dedicated to her own man at the time. At the time, Houston was rumored to be dating singer Bobby Brown. The rumor of course turned out to be true.[10] The Holliday cover earned praise from many critics. The Vancouver Sun said "her delivery was achingly soulful" and that the singer should continue towards that direction musically.[11] For some of the US dates, she performed her top ten pop hit "Miracle". Houston ended her show with "I'm Your Baby Tonight" before the encore, "Greatest Love of All", in Europe for some of the London, UK dates included the encore "I Belong to You".

Some criticized Houston for focusing on the MTV trend of relying on dancing and big production lighting. The Sun Sentinel noted that the singer should opt for smaller venues and theaters that are "far more suitable to her sophistication and talent."[12] USA Today praised the singer because she "shakes the confinements of her recordings' calculated productions and gets downright gutsy and soulful"[13]

Opening acts

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Set list

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This set list is representative of the concert on May 11, 1991 at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California.[14] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
  2. "So Emotional"
  3. "Saving All My Love for You"
  4. "How Will I Know"
  5. "All at Once" / "A House Is Not a Home" / "Didn't We Almost Have It All" / "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
  6. "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" / "My Man" / "All the Man That I Need"
  7. "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" / "What's Going On" (performed by Gary Houston)
  8. "My Name Is Not Susan"
  9. "Anymore"
  10. "Miracle"
  11. "Revelation" (contain elements of "He's All Right")
  12. "In Return"[a]
  13. "This Day"[b]
  14. "Who Do You Love"
  15. "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
  16. "I Belong to You"[b]
  17. "Greatest Love of All"

Notes

  1. ^ performed at select dates in North America
  2. ^ a b performed at select dates in Europe

Additional notes

  • March 14 and 15: in Yokohama, Japan, Houston performed a stirring rendition of "In Return".
  • May 11: her performances of "My Name Is Not Susan", "Miracle" and "Greatest Love of All" at her Oakland, California concert were shown during a televised telethon that aired on MTV, May 12, for The Simple Truth: A concert for Kurdish Refugees.
  • September 29: the concert in A Coruña, Spain was recorded and aired on TV in several markets of Spain, and select countries in Europe.

Shows

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List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
Asia
March 14, 1991 Yokohama Japan Yokohama Arena — —
March 15, 1991
North America[15]
March 31, 1991 Norfolk United States Naval Air Station 3,500 / 3,500 —
April 18, 1991 Knoxville Thompson–Boling Arena 6,836 / 16,786 $136,637
April 20, 1991 Lexington Rupp Arena — —
April 21, 1991 Champaign Assembly Hall
April 23, 1991 Columbia Hearnes Center
April 24, 1991 Ames Hilton Coliseum 6,175 / 13,000
April 26, 1991 Iowa City Carver–Hawkeye Arena —
April 27, 1991 Minneapolis Target Center
April 29, 1991 Winnipeg Canada Winnipeg Arena 5,832 / 12,470 $156,624
May 1, 1991 Saskatoon Saskatchewan Place — —
May 3, 1991 Edmonton Northlands Coliseum
May 5, 1991 Calgary Olympic Saddledome 9,736 / 14,114 $238,662
May 7, 1991 Vancouver Pacific Coliseum — —
May 8, 1991 Portland United States Memorial Coliseum 9,387 / 10,000 $218,422
May 9, 1991 Seattle Seattle Center Coliseum 8,807 / 11,993 $203,520
May 11, 1991 Oakland Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena — —
May 12, 1991 Sacramento ARCO Arena 9,031 / 12,786 $208,640
May 16, 1991 Inglewood Great Western Forum — —
May 17, 1991 Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
May 19, 1991 Phoenix Desert Sky Pavilion 10,774 / 12,000 $221,576
May 21, 1991 Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center — —
May 23, 1991 Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum
May 24, 1991 Greenwood Village Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
May 25, 1991 Salt Lake City Salt Palace
May 28, 1991 New Orleans Lakefront Arena
May 30, 1991 Oklahoma City Myriad Convention Center
May 31, 1991 Dallas Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre 8,837 / 20,111 $188,511
June 2, 1991 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — —
June 4, 1991 San Antonio HemisFair Arena
June 5, 1991 Austin Frank Erwin Center
June 7, 1991 Birmingham BJCC Coliseum
June 9, 1991 Pensacola Pensacola Civic Center
June 10, 1991 Orlando Orlando Arena 7,093 / 15,500 $159,593
June 11, 1991 Miami Miami Arena 9,530 / 10,000 $238,250
June 13, 1991 Columbia Carolina Coliseum — —
June 15, 1991 Atlanta Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 16, 1991 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum
June 19, 1991 Chattanooga McKenzie Arena
June 20, 1991 Nashville Starwood Amphitheatre 8,000 / 17,137
June 27, 1991[A] Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheater —
June 28, 1991 Noblesville Deer Creek Music Center 7,746 / 12,000 $157,199
June 30, 1991 Tinley Park World Music Theatre 8,525 / 20,000 $221,965
July 3, 1991 Detroit Joe Louis Arena — —
July 6, 1991 Charlotte Blockbuster Pavilion
July 7, 1991 Raleigh Hardee's Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
July 10, 1991 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center
July 11, 1991 Grove City Capitol Music Center
July 13, 1991 Burgettstown Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheater 10,763 / 20,089 $208,566
July 14, 1991 Richmond Richmond Coliseum — —
July 16, 1991 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 17, 1991 Providence Providence Civic Center 7,012 / 12,000 $164,782
July 19, 1991 Philadelphia The Spectrum — —
July 20, 1991 Hershey Hersheypark Stadium
July 21, 1991 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 23, 1991 New York City Madison Square Garden 13,850 / 14,000 $401,773
July 26, 1991 East Rutherford Brendan Byrne Arena — —
July 27, 1991 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center 8,114 / 17,000
July 29, 1991 Lenox Tanglewood —
July 30, 1991 Hopewell Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center
August 1, 1991 Buffalo Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
August 3, 1991 Hartford Hartford Civic Center
August 4, 1991 Rutland Paramount Theater
August 6, 1991 Mansfield Great Woods Performing Arts Center
August 7, 1991
August 9, 1991 Old Orchard Beach Seashore Performing Arts Center
August 10, 1991 Nashua Holman Stadium
Europe
August 27, 1991 Birmingham England NEC Arena — —
August 28, 1991
August 29, 1991
August 30, 1991
August 31, 1991
September 1, 1991
September 3, 1991 London Wembley Arena
September 4, 1991
September 6, 1991
September 7, 1991
September 9, 1991
September 10, 1991
September 11, 1991
September 13, 1991
September 14, 1991
September 15, 1991
September 17, 1991 Glasgow Scotland Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
September 18, 1991
September 19, 1991
September 21, 1991 Rotterdam Netherlands Ahoy Sportpaleis
September 22, 1991
September 23, 1991
September 25, 1991
September 26, 1991
September 27, 1991
September 29, 1991 A Coruña Spain Coliseum da Coruña
October 1, 1991 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
October 2, 1991
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

[A]Summerfest[16]

Cancellations and rescheduled shows
May 13, 1991 Mountain View, California Shoreline Amphitheatre Cancelled[17]
June 22, 1991 Maryland Heights, Missouri Riverport Amphitheatre Cancelled[18]
June 23, 1991 Kansas City, Missouri Starlight Theatre Cancelled[18]
June 25, 1991 Omaha, Nebraska Omaha Civic Auditorium Cancelled[18]
July 5, 1991 Hampton, Virginia Hampton Coliseum Cancelled[19]
August 11, 1991 Moncton, Canada Magnetic Hill Concert Site Cancelled[20]
August 13, 1991 Halifax, Canada Halifax Metro Centre Cancelled[20]
August 15, 1991 Montreal, Canada Montreal Forum Cancelled[20]
August 16, 1991 Ottawa, Canada Lansdowne Park Cancelled[20]
August 17, 1991 Toronto, Canada CNE Grandstand Cancelled[20]

Personnel

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Band

  • Musical Director – Rickey Minor
  • Bass guitar, bass synthesizer – Ricky Minor
  • Guitar – Ray Fuller
  • Keyboard: Michael Bearden
  • Drums – Ricky Lawson
  • Keyboard – Bette Sussman
  • Saxophone – Kirk Whalum
  • Keyboard – Kevin Lee
  • Percussion – Bashiri Johnson
  • Background vocalists – Gary Houston, Vonchita Rawls, Carmen Rawls, Tiawana Rawls

Choreography Choreographer – Khandi Alexander

Dancers

  • Diesko Boyland, Bryant Cash-Welch, Jonathan Webbe, Luca Tommassini

Tour Management

  • Manager – Tony Bulluck
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I'm Your Baby Tonight Tour | Whitney Houston Official Site

References

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  1. ^ AllWhitney.com
  2. ^ Smith, Patricia. "Mom, apple pie and Whitney Houston in concert for troops". Boston Globe April 1, 1991.
  3. ^ Watrous, Peter. "Pop Life". The New York Times. August 7, 1991. Page C15.
  4. ^ Dafoe, Christopher M. "Rock 'n' Ruin Not just the recession is to blame for the small crowds at rock concerts this summer" The Globe and Mail. August 17, 1991. Page C1.
  5. ^ "Houston cancels rest of tour". The Globe and Mail. August 10, 1991. Page C3.
  6. ^ Dutta, Nishitha (December 26, 2020). "Where Was The Bodyguard Filmed? All The Bodyguard Filming Locations". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Stout, Gene. "Whitney Houston will be Impossible to Ignore when she comes to Seattle." Seattle Post. May 3, 1991. Page 5.
  8. ^ a b c Considine, JD. "Houston gives her hits a new spin, and her fans applaud at every turn". The Baltimore Sun. July 17, 1991. Page 1E.
  9. ^ Bream, Jon. "Whitney (Hit Woman) Houston's concert packs quite a punch." Minneapolis Star Tribune. April 28, 1991. Page 07.B
  10. ^ Racine, Mary. "Whitney love songs". Houston Chronicle. June 4, 1991. Page 1.
  11. ^ Mackie, John. "Houston strikes up the bland: Voice can thrill, but lyrics shallow." The Vancouver Sun. May 8, 1991. Page B5.
  12. ^ Wilker, Deborah. "Whitney Houston: Bigger – but better?" Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. June 13, 1991. Page 3E.
  13. ^ Jones, James T. "Whitney is so emotional, soulful in concert". USA Today. April 19, 1991. Page 01D.
  14. ^ "Whitney Houston concert Setlist at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena". setlist.fm. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  15. ^ North American box score data:
  16. ^ "Summerfest: Gig has had many high notes". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Media Group. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  17. ^ Selvin, Joel. "Whitney Houston Strands fans at Shoreline." The San Francisco Chronicle. May 15, 1991. Page E1.
  18. ^ a b c "Whitney Houston Cancels Omaha Date". Omaha World-Herald. June 26, 1991. Page 47.
  19. ^ Chastain, Sue. "The Latest." The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 4, 1991. Page C2
  20. ^ a b c d e Howell, Peter. "Whitney Houston hits Ex with second major no-show". The Toronto Star. August 9, 1991. Page A1.
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