| Concert Tour Name: | Moment of Truth World Tour |
| Landscape: | no |
| Type: | World |
| Location: | North America • Europe • Oceania • Asia |
| Artist: | Whitney Houston |
| Album: | Whitney |
| Start Date: | July 4, 1987 |
| End Date: | November 20, 1988 |
| Number Of Legs: | 4 |
| Gross: | $20 million ($ in dollars) (North America leg) |
| Last Tour: | The Greatest Love World Tour (1986) |
| This Tour: | Moment of Truth World Tour (1987–88) |
| Next Tour: | I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour (1991) |
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.
PollstarMagazine's reported that it was the seventh-highest grossing tours in 1987, and the highest grossing tour by a female artist that year. The North American leg tour alone grossed over $20.1 million.[1]
The name of the tour, Moment of Truth, was a track that was to be on the Whitney album and subsequently left off and was replaced with "You're Still My Man". The song "Moment of Truth" was featured on the B-side to the US 7" single for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)". It was also released on the CD single for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".
Following the release of Whitney, Houston began promoting the album with a world tour. She began on July 4 in Tampa, Florida, where she played to over 70,000 people. She returned to Florida, ending the North American leg of the tour at Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, on December 8, 1987.
In Europe, Houston visited 12 countries, playing to over half a million fans. Houston played nine consecutive nights at Wembley Arena in London. She also broke The Beatles' record of seven consecutive number one singles in the U.S., which she celebrated with a party including Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, and Clive Davis. Houston cancelled an Italian concert date after agreeing to fly back to London to pay tribute to a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela, who was celebrating his birthday. Houston performed a set at Wembley Stadium, playing to over 72,000 fans during the event.[2] Following this, Houston resumed her tour in Italy. In 1988, Houston returned from the European leg to perform a benefit concert for the United Negro College Fund on August 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was Houston's only North American date during 1988 after playing 89 dates the previous year. The concert raised over $300,000 for the UNCF.[3]
The tour was one of the top ten highest-grossing tours of 1987.[4] The North American leg of the tour alone grossed over $24 million, helping make Houston the second highest-earning female entertainer of the year, according to Forbes.[5] Every date of the European leg of the tour was sold out.[3]
Like her previous tour, Houston again performed on a round stage in the center of the arena or auditorium so that everyone could see her. The seven-piece band was situated below her. There were two outfit changes; no stage props. However, unlike her previous tour, Houston called upon three backup dancers during the uptempo songs. The dance routines were choreographed by Damita Jo Freeman and Khandi Alexander. Jonathan Butler opened for select dates, and Kenny G was featured as the main opening act the North American leg.[6]
With two albums under her belt, the singer had more material to choose from. She included most of the songs from Whitney, the biggest hits from her debut, as well as the gospel song "He/I Believe". Houston also performed songs from her peers during various concerts, interpreting Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, and Janet Jackson.[7] Like her debut tour, Houston proved herself to be a creative musician. She rearranged most of the songs into soulful jazzy numbers and did a lot of improvisation. The Montreal Gazette said, "Whatever faults the 24-year-old singer has, she is first and foremost a creative musician."[8] The pop hit "How Will I Know" was given a jazzy beginning and gospel-like ending. "You Give Good Love" was slowed down into a steamy and sensual slow jam. Houston often scatted with sax player Jay Davidson on "Just the Lonely Talking Again".[7] Most critics noted "He/I Believe" and "Greatest Love of All" as being the show's highlights.
Despite the praise for her voice and arrangements, many critics noted her lack of dancing and movements. The Richmond Times said "she is about as stiff as a cardboard box."[9] Some noted that she lacked a true personality. Others complained that despite the name of the tour, she followed the same formula as her previous tour.[7] Jon Pareles of the New York Times reviewed her Madison Square Garden concert and said, "Ms. Houston may be a new kind of pop singer for the video era: an encyclopedic, restless virtuoso. She has absorbed the soul and pop styles of everyone from Aretha Franklin to Barbra Streisand to Diana Ross to Al Green; she can deliver a gospel rasp, a velvety coo, a floating soprano and a cheerleader's whoop."[10]
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America[11] | ||||||
| July 4, 1987 | Tampa | United States | Tampa Stadium | 49,659 / 55,000 | $883,551 | |
| July 5, 1987 | Milwaukee | Marcus Amphitheater | 23,178 / 23,178 | |||
| July 7, 1987 | Canandaigua | Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center | 12,500 / 12,500 | $186,280 | ||
| July 8, 1987 | Lake Placid | Olympic Center Complex Arena | 8,000 / 8,000 | $131,291 | ||
| July 9, 1987 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | 13,342 / 13,342 | $240,546 | ||
| July 11, 1987 | Columbia | Merriweather Post Pavilion | rowspan=2 | |||
| July 12, 1987 | ||||||
| July 14, 1987 | Cuyahoga Falls | Blossom Music Center | 18,723 / 18,723 | $254,101 | ||
| July 17, 1987 | Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | 14,000 / 14,000 | $231,682 | ||
| July 18, 1987 | Saint Paul | Harriet Island Pavilion | rowspan=2 | |||
| July 19, 1987 | ||||||
| July 21, 1987 | Hoffman Estates | Poplar Creek Music Theater | rowspan=2 | |||
| July 22, 1987 | ||||||
| July 24, 1987 | Peoria | Peoria Civic Center | 11,206 / 11,206 | $196,105 | ||
| July 25, 1987 | St. Louis | St. Louis Arena | 10,491 / 19,398 | $194,084 | ||
| July 26, 1987 | Cincinnati | Riverbend Music Center | rowspan=2 | |||
| July 27, 1987 | ||||||
| July 30, 1987 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | 16,908 / 16,908 | $317,153 | ||
| July 31, 1987 | Clarkston | Pine Knob Music Theatre | 28,287 / 28,287 | $481,680 | ||
| August 1, 1987 | ||||||
| August 2, 1987 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | ||||
| August 5, 1987 | Charlotte | Charlotte Coliseum | 11,737 / 11,737 | $198,783 | ||
| August 7, 1987 | Birmingham | Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center | 16,000 / 16,000 | $255,658 | ||
| August 8, 1987 | Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | 16,062 / 16,062 | $305,185 | ||
| August 9, 1987 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | 12,624 / 15,781 | $219,981 | ||
| August 12, 1987 | Richmond | Richmond Coliseum | 10,386 / 10,386 | $175,945 | ||
| August 13, 1987 | Hershey | Hersheypark Stadium | 22,000 / 22,000 | $377,055 | ||
| August 14, 1987 | Philadelphia | The Spectrum | 18,800 / 18,800 | $348,674 | ||
| August 16, 1987 | Wantagh | Jones Beach Marine Theater | 20,480 / 20,480 | $409,600 | ||
| August 17, 1987 | ||||||
| August 19, 1987 | Holmdel Township | Garden State Arts Center | 21,356 / 21,356 | $366,276 | ||
| August 20, 1987 | ||||||
| August 21, 1987 | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | 30,613 / 30,613 | $561,088 | ||
| August 22, 1987 | ||||||
| August 24, 1987 | Boston | Boston Common | 36,000 / 36,000 | $732,478 | ||
| August 25, 1987 | ||||||
| August 26, 1987 | ||||||
| August 28, 1987 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum | 16,348 / 16,348 | $287,395 | |
| August 29, 1987 | Ottawa | Lansdowne Park | ||||
| August 30, 1987 | Toronto | CNE Grandstand | 24,568 / 24,568 | $436,315 | ||
| September 2, 1987 | Saratoga Springs | United States | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | |||
| September 3, 1987 | Syracuse | Onondaga War Memorial | 15,000 / 15,000 | $217,146 | ||
| September 5, 1987 | Providence | Providence Civic Center | 13,415 / 13,415 | $240,934 | ||
| September 8, 1987 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | 58,800 / 58,800 | $862,000 | ||
| September 9, 1987 | ||||||
| September 12, 1987 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | 16,625 / 16,625 | $290,938 | ||
| September 13, 1987 | Champaign | Assembly Hall | ||||
| September 18, 1987 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | 16,966 / 16,966 | $281,731 | ||
| September 19, 1987 | Houston | The Summit | 17,000 / 17,000 | $294,591 | ||
| September 20, 1987 | Dallas | Reunion Arena | 15,984 / 15,984 | $292,863 | ||
| September 23, 1987 | Albuquerque | Tingley Coliseum | 10,626 / 10,626 | $189,583 | ||
| September 26, 1987 | Irvine | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre | 14,555 / 14,555 | $281,453 | ||
| September 27, 1987 | Mountain View | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 16,113 / 16,113 | $280,089 | ||
| September 29, 1987 | Las Vegas | Thomas & Mack Center | 11,787 / 14,000 | $224,071 | ||
| October 1, 1987 | Oakland | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 14,803 / 14,803 | $273,856 | ||
| October 2, 1987 | Inglewood | The Forum | 15,600 / 15,600 | $289,192 | ||
| October 9, 1987 | Seattle | Seattle Center Coliseum | 29,417 / 29,417 | $535,249 | ||
| October 10, 1987 | ||||||
| October 11, 1987 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | 16,500 / 16,500 | $279,720 | |
| October 12, 1987 | Portland | United States | Memorial Coliseum Complex | 12,725 / 12,725 | $231,270 | |
| October 27, 1987 | Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | 13,673 / 16,000 | $262,277 | ||
| October 29, 1987 | Kansas City | Kemper Arena | 12,799 / 13,105 | $206,316 | ||
| October 30, 1987 | Ames | Hilton Coliseum | 12,500 / 12,500 | $212,853 | ||
| October 31, 1987 | Iowa City | Carver–Hawkeye Arena | 14,000 / 14,000 | $243,828 | ||
| November 3, 1987 | Omaha | Omaha Civic Auditorium | 10,859 / 10,859 | $197,118 | ||
| November 4, 1987 | Myriad Convention Center Arena | 9,530 / 9,530 | $160,738 | |||
| November 9, 1987 | Worcester | Centrum in Worcester | 12,430 / 12,430 | $264,319 | ||
| November 10, 1987 | East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena | 17,257 / 17,257 | $335,818 | ||
| November 14, 1987 | Morgantown | WVU Coliseum | 14,060 / 14,060 | $224,174 | ||
| November 17, 1987 | Charleston | Charleston Civic Center | ||||
| November 20, 1987 | Knoxville | Stokely Athletic Center | 13,478 / 13,478 | $207,553 | ||
| November 21, 1987 | Chapel Hill | Smith Center | 9,633 / 20,991 | $168,578 | ||
| November 23, 1987 | Murfreesboro | Murphy Center | rowspan=3 | |||
| November 27, 1987 | New Orleans | Louisiana Superdome | ||||
| December 2, 1987 | Jacksonville | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||||
| December 4, 1987 | Tampa | USF Sun Dome | 6,492 / 8,400 | $103,950 | ||
| December 5, 1987 | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood Sportatorium | rowspan=2 | |||
| December 8, 1987 | Orlando | Orange County Civic Center | ||||
| Oceania | ||||||
| January 7, 1988 | Gold Coast | Australia | Village Theatre Sanctuary Cove | |||
| Europe[12] | ||||||
| April 17, 1988 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | rowspan=42 | ||
| April 19, 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | |||
| April 21, 1988 | ||||||
| April 23, 1988 | ||||||
| April 24, 1988 | ||||||
| April 27, 1988 | Birmingham | England | NEC Arena | |||
| April 28, 1988 | ||||||
| April 30, 1988 | ||||||
| May 1, 1988 | ||||||
| May 2, 1988 | ||||||
| May 4, 1988 | London | Wembley Arena | ||||
| May 5, 1988 | ||||||
| May 7, 1988 | ||||||
| May 10, 1988 | ||||||
| May 11, 1988 | ||||||
| May 12, 1988 | ||||||
| May 15, 1988 | ||||||
| May 16, 1988 | ||||||
| May 18, 1988 | Paris | France | Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy | |||
| May 20, 1988 | Frankfurt | West Germany | Festhalle Frankfurt | |||
| May 21, 1988 | ||||||
| May 24, 1988 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Valby-Hallen | |||
| May 25, 1988 | Drammen | Norway | Drammenshallen | |||
| May 27, 1988 | Stockholm | Sweden | Johanneshovs Isstadion | |||
| May 28, 1988 | ||||||
| May 29, 1988 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | 14,606 / 14,606 | |||
| June 2, 1988 | West Berlin | West Germany | Waldbühne | rowspan=16 | ||
| June 4, 1988 | Dortmund | Westfalenhallen | ||||
| June 8, 1988 | Rome | Italy | Palazzo dello Sport | |||
| June 9, 1988 | ||||||
| June 12, 1988 | Milan | Palatrussardi | ||||
| June 13, 1988 | ||||||
| June 16, 1988 | Vienna | Austria | Wiener Stadthalle | |||
| June 18, 1988 | Basel | Switzerland | St. Jakobshalle | |||
| June 19, 1988 | ||||||
| June 21, 1988 | ||||||
| June 23, 1988 | Munich | West Germany | Olympiahalle | |||
| June 24, 1988 | ||||||
| June 26, 1988 | ||||||
| June 28, 1988 | Barcelona | Spain | Plaça de Toros La Monumental | |||
| June 29, 1988 | Madrid | Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas | ||||
| North America[13] | ||||||
| August 27, 1988 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | 17,702 / 17,702 | $482,681 | |
| Asia | ||||||
| September 21, 1988 | Hiroshima | Japan | Hiroshima Green Arena | rowspan=15 | ||
| September 22, 1988 | Fukuoka | Fukuoka Kokusai Center | ||||
| September 26, 1988 | Tokyo | Nippon Budokan | ||||
| September 27, 1988 | ||||||
| September 28, 1988 | ||||||
| October 1, 1988 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall | ||||
| October 2, 1988 | ||||||
| October 5, 1988 | Nagoya | Nagoya Rainbow Hall | ||||
| October 6, 1988 | ||||||
| October 7, 1988 | Shizuoka | Kusanagi Athletic Stadium | ||||
| October 11, 1988 | Sapporo | Makomanai Indoor Stadium | ||||
| October 13, 1988 | Sendai | Sendai Gymnasium | ||||
| October 15, 1988 | Yokohama | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium | ||||
| October 16, 1988 | Tokyo | Nippon Budokan | ||||
| October 17, 1988 | ||||||
| Oceania | ||||||
| October 22, 1988 | Melbourne | Australia | National Tennis Centre | rowspan=6 | ||
| October 25, 1988 | Canberra | National Indoor Sports Centre | ||||
| October 31, 1988 | Perth | Perth Entertainment Centre | ||||
| November 7, 1988 | Sydney | Sydney Entertainment Centre | ||||
| November 8, 1988 | ||||||
| November 11, 1988 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | ||||
| Asia | ||||||
| November 18, 1988 | Kowloon | British Hong Kong | Hong Kong Coliseum | rowspan=3 | ||
| November 19, 1988 | ||||||
| November 20, 1988 | ||||||
| Total | 900,419 / 935,936 | $15,925,795 | ||||