Here Come the Girls (concert tour) explained
Here Come the Girls was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Anastacia and Chaka Khan and Scottish recording artist Lulu. Their UK tour began in November 2009.[1] Described as a music extravaganza that mixes high octane, high camp, get up and dance songs, against a backdrop of glamour and fun, the trek became a hit, selling out all 20 dates in 2009. Due to demand, the tour continued into 2010, with English singer Heather Small replacing Chaka Khan.[2] The tour became praised by both critics and spectators alike. The tour being initially confined to the UK, concert promoters spoke of extending it in 2011 into Continental Europe and North America, though this never materialized.[3]
The show consisted mostly of covering songs because (collectively) the girls wanted to sing the music that inspired them versus singing only original material. The singers did solo selections but sang a majority of the songs as a trio.[4]
Singer Anastacia described the show as,"[...] an amazing, fun party like atmosphere!!! We want everyone standing, dancing and singing along!!! We are sure to make you laugh lots and may even draw a tear or two."[5] To promote the tour, the girls appeared on Good Morning Television,[6] BBC Breakfast,[7] Loose Women,[8] Afternoon Live with Kay Burley,[9] London Tonight[10] and Live from Studio Five. Additionally they opened the Royal Variety Performance at the Opera House Theatre, Blackpool with a performance of "Relight My Fire".
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|
| Leg I[11] [12] |
| November 21, 2009 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Usher Hall |
| November 23, 2009 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall |
| November 24, 2009 | Liverpool | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall |
| November 26, 2009 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall |
| November 27, 2009 | Oasis Leisure Centre |
| November 28, 2009 | Bristol | Colston Hall |
| November 30, 2009 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff International Arena |
| December 2, 2009 | London | England | HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
| December 4, 2009 | Oxford | New Theatre Oxford |
| December 8, 2009 | Nottingham | Nottingham Royal Concert Hall |
| December 10, 2009 | Glasgow | Scotland | Glasgow Royal Concert Hall |
| December 12, 2009 | Bournemouth | England | Windsor Hall |
| December 13, 2009 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions |
| December 14, 2009 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth Guildhall |
| December 16, 2009 | Manchester | Carling Apollo Manchester |
| December 17, 2009 | Birmingham | Symphony Hall |
| December 18, 2009 | Kingston upon Hull | Hull City Hall |
| December 20, 2009 | Blackpool | Opera House Theatre |
| December 21, 2009 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | Waterfront Hall |
| Leg II[13] [14] |
| November 22, 2010 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Edinburgh Playhouse |
| November 23, 2010 | Glasgow | Clyde Auditorium |
| November 25, 2010 | Liverpool | England | Echo Arena Liverpool |
| November 26, 2010 | Birmingham | National Indoor Arena |
| November 27, 2010 | Brighton | Brighton Centre |
| November 29, 2010 | London | HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
| November 30, 2010 |
| December 2, 2010 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff International Arena |
| December 3, 2010 | Portsmouth | England | Portsmouth Guildhall |
| December 4, 2010 | Bournemouth | Windsor Hall |
| December 6, 2010 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall |
| December 7, 2010 | Manchester | Manchester Evening News Arena |
| December 8, 2010 | Newcastle | Metro Radio Arena |
| December 10, 2010 | Nottingham | Trent FM Arena Nottingham |
| December 12, 2010 | Dublin | Ireland | The O2 | |
- Cancellations and rescheduled shows
| < | --Date--> | < | --City, (State or Country)--> | < | --Venue--> | < | --Reason/Additional Info--> |
|---|
| December 3, 2009 | Brighton, England | Brighton Centre | Cancelled |
| December 21, 2009 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Waterfront Hall | This concert was originally rescheduled to December 23, 2009 due to weather but ultimately cancelled[15] |
| December 13, 2010 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Odyssey Arena | Cancelled due to illness | |
Box office
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|
| Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester | 2,077 / 3,400 (61%) | $121,985[16] |
| The O2 | Dublin | 1,559 / 2,000 (78%) | $102,362 [17] |
|
Critical reception
The tour received high praise from spectators of the performance by the girls, however, music critics gave the tour mixed reviews.
- Stephen Dalton (The Times) gave the performance at Colston Hall three out of five stars remarking, "Familiar fare or not, there is no substitute for the rowdy excitement of hearing evergreen anthems belted out by a great singer — or three great singers, in this case. At 61, Lulu's gravelled growl can still level entire Glaswegian tenement blocks, while 56-year-old Chaka's voluptuous contralto makes your ears feel as if they are drowning in warm treacle. Vocally, the 41-year-old Anastacia is the blandest, but she still packs a punch."[18]
- Nik Brear (Sheffield Star) thought highly of the trio's performance at the Sheffield City Hall stating, "An incredible version of Relight My Fire closed a night where three incredible divas worked the stage from the second they stepped onto it. Each shone in their own right; no egos, not a competition – just a party."[19]
- Matthew Hemly (The Stage) enjoyed the performance at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo but was not pleased with veteran Chaka Kahn's performance saying, "Less impressive, sadly, is Chaka Khan, who seems to stumble over her words and forget lyrics, and who, on the whole, appears to be enjoying herself far less than her fellow performers."[20]
- Jade Wright (Liverpool Echo) gave the trio's performance at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall eight out of ten stars stating, "The highlights were many – Lulu's fantastic voice was per fectly suited to Mercy, Chaka Khan's to Aretha Franklin's Respect and Anastacia's, unsurprisingly, to I'm Outta Love. Played out on a stunning split level illuminated stage, these were songs to live life by."[21]
- Edward Gleave (South Wales Evening Post) enjoyed the performance at the Cardiff International Arena remarking, "Seeing three polished performers all in the same show was a real treat. It really felt like it was three shows in one as each of the trio had their own musical style and fashion sense."[22]
- Mike Caulfield (City Life) gave the trio's performance at the Manchester Evening News Arena four out of five stars stating, "Anastasia managed to reach every corner of the arena with her soulful voice, while Lulu shows no sign of aging – particularly apparent on her passionate cover of Duffy's retro-sounding hit Mercy."[23]
- Aranda Rahbarkouhi (Evening Chronicle) was not impressed with the performance at the Metro Radio Arena stating, "Lulu's solo performance of Mercy had me praying for just that – and it was nothing to Shout about! It was torture and can only be described as watching a worn-out Miss Whiplash. Relight My Fire also turned into a bit of a damp squib for the diva. [..] If nothing else, these feisty females did remind me that a trip to the gym is long overdue. Either they work out or have discovered new bum-and- tum tuck pants."[24]
- Judi Killon (The News) enjoyed the performance at the Portsmouth Guildhall stating, "The evening proved a mix of old and new, including Mercy from Lulu, Amy Winehouse's Valerie from Heather, and a terrific I'm Outta Love from Anastasia. Although all of small stature, there were no timid voices here! A terrific celebration of sisterhood."[25]
Notes and References
- Web site: Here Come the Girls: Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia for Winter 2009 UK tour . O'Connell, Daniel . 2009-09-15 . All Gigs . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Heather Small joins Here Come The Girls tour . 2010-09-07 . BBC News Online. . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come the Girls featuring Lulu, Anastacia and Heather Small heads to Echo Arena . Smith, Mark . 2010-09-23 . . . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: 'Here come the girls' watch out . 2009-09-17 . BBC News Online . British Broadcasting Corporation . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Thank You!! . Newkirk, Anastacia . 2009-09-21 . Anastacia's Official Website . The Island Def Jam Music Group . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Find out what's on GMTV – Britain's biggest breakfast show | What's on . GMTV . 15 September 2009 . 1 October 2009.
- News: Programmes | Breakfast . BBC News . 1 October 2009.
- Web site: Loose Women – ITV Lifestyle . Itv.com . 1 October 2009.
- Web site: Lulu, Chaka Khan And Anastacia Set For 'Here Come The Girls' Tour | Showbiz News | Sky News . News.sky.com . 1 October 2009.
- Web site: Bleakley . George . ITV London Tonight . Itv.com . 25 September 2009 . 1 September 2009.
- Web site: Tour dates . Here Come the Girls' Official Website . TCB Group . 29 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110911020520/http://www.herecomethegirls.org/tour_dates.htm . 11 September 2011 .
- Web site: Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia's Here Come the Girls Tour & Tickets . Saard, M. . 2009-09-15 . Stereoboard . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come The Girls returns with Lulu, Anastacia and Heather Small for Winter 2010 tour . News Deck . 2010-09-07 . Music News . Publishing Group Network . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Lulu & Anastacia Return With Heather Small For 'Here Come The Girls' 2010 Tour & Tickets . Stickler, Jon . 2010-09-10 . Stereoboard . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Concert cancelled due to weather . BBC News Staff . 2009-12-22 . Brighton Wired . 29 December 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120316152915/http://www.brightonwired.co.uk/news.php/6135-Concert-cancelled-due-to-weather . 16 March 2012 . dead .
- Billboard Boxscore: Current Scores . 25 June 2011 . 15 June 2011 . Billboard . https://web.archive.org/web/20110616012936/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/currentboxscore.jsp . 16 June 2011 . dead .
- Billboard Boxscore. 5 March 2011. 25 February 2011. Billboard.
- Web site: Here Come the Girls, at Colston Hall, Bristol . Dalton, Stephen . 2009-12-01 . The Times . News Corporation . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: REVIEW: Here Come The Girls, Sheffield City Hall . Brear, Nik . 2009-11-28 . Sheffield Star . Johnston Press . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come the Girls . Hemley, Matthew . 2009-12-03 . The Stage . The Stage Newspaper Limited . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come The Girls at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall . Wright, Jade . 2009-11-25 . Liverpool Echo . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Concert review: Here Come The Girls at the CIA . Gleaves, Edward . 2009-12-02 . South Wales Evening Post . South West Wales Publications . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come The Girls . Caulfield, Mike . 2010-12-08 . City Life . Guardian Media Group . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Review: Here Come The Girls, Newcastle . Rahbarkouhi, Aranda . 2010-12-09 . Evening Chronicle . Trinity Mirror . 29 December 2010.
- Web site: Here Come The Girls . Killon, Judi . 2010-12-06 . Portsmouth News . Portsmouth Publishing & Printing. 29 December 2010.
