The Buffet Tour Explained

Artist:R. Kelly
Album:The Buffet
Number Of Legs:2
Number Of Shows:37 in North America
Last Tour:Black Panties Tour
(2014-15)
This Tour:The Buffet Tour
(2016)
Next Tour:12 Nights of Christmas Tour
(2016)

The Buffet Tour is the twelfth and final concert tour by American recording artist R. Kelly. The tour supported his thirteenth studio album, The Buffet (2015). The tour played over 30 concerts in the United States.

Background

The tour was announced March 2016 by various music publications, including Billboard.[1] Kelly referred to his tour as his most ambitious production.[2] The tour was quickly met with controversy as the students and faculty of Saint Louis University boycotted Kelly's concert, to be held at the Chaifetz Arena on April 29, 2016. A Change.org petition was created to have the concert cancelled, citing Kelly's troubled career. The concert was quickly moved to the suburb of St. Charles at the Family Arena.

The debut concert featured Kelly performing for nearly four hours and featured various skits making light of his criminal past. Intended to be a 40 city tour, many shows were canceled, citing the elaborate production and Kelly's fear of flying as reasons. The tour is believed to have earned nearly $50 million.[3]

Critical reception

The tour was met with mixed reactions from many music critics. They unanimously cited the shows felt disorganized, with the setlist being too "loose". Kenya Vaughn (The St. Louis American) called this disjointed, stating: "This particular portion of the show was almost an R. Kelly overdose thanks to the lack of focus and the emphasis on quantity instead of a masterful delivery on songs selected for maximum impact. The show had grown boring until he [re-]positioned himself to the middle of the arena for a brief set that included a tribute to Prince. As he continues to shape the show, he should consider narrowing the focus of the show - hopefully into something that looks more like his grown and sexy incarnation that he closed the show with."[4]

In Kansas City, Timothy Finn (The Kansas City Star) found the concert to be odd. He continued to say: "There was a live band onstage, but it was swept into the corner, shrouded by darkness, and its performances sounded secondary to the other music and sounds coming off the stage. They brought to a close a show that, though wandering and reckless at times, sated the appetites of fans who came to indulge in the libidinous sounds of one of pop music's more mercurial, prolific and controversial stars."[5]

The show in Tampa, reviewed by Jay Cridlin (Tampa Bay Times) states: "All of these moments screamed R. Kelly – silly, sexy, soulful and at times very, very strange. Over the course of his two-hour concert, these moments kept right on coming, one after the next, eventually sketching out a portrait of one of R&B's greatest and most mystifying performers, in all his freaktacular glory."[6]

The same sentiments were felt by Liz Tracy (Miami New Times) for the show in Miami. She says: "If it wasn't clear before, Kelly can sing. The crowd was reciting the lyrics all along, writhing in sonic ecstasy, but at the end, they were just in it to win it. [...] It's clear Kelly will never outrun his own demons. They are too thick to sidestep. But he'll take what he can get, rejoicing for now in being purged clean of his sins in his own mind and in the minds of his loyal followers."[7]

Opening acts

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on April 29, 2016, at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[9]

  1. "Video Sequence"
  2. "My Story"
  3. "Make It Rain" / "We Been On" / "Hotel" / "So Sexy" / "Wonderful" / "That's That" / "Go Getta" / "Thoia Thoing" / "Snake" / "Get This Money" / "Gigolo" / "Fuck You Tonight"
  4. "Home Alone"
  5. "Legs Shakin'"
  6. "Video Sequence"
  7. "Sex Me" / "The Zoo" / "Slow Wind" / "Half on a Baby" / "In the Kitchen" / "Strip For You" / "Number One" / "Cookie"
  8. "Ignition (Remix)" / "Fiesta (Remix)" / "I'm a Flirt (Remix)" / "Freaky In The Club"
  9. "Your Body's Callin'" / "It Seems Like You're Ready" / "12 Play"
  10. "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" / "Honey Love"
  11. "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" / "It Seems Like You're Ready" / "You Remind Me of Something" / "Feelin' on Yo Booty" / "Bump N' Grind"
  12. "Video Sequence"
  13. "I Wish" / "When a Woman's Fed Up" / "Contagious"
  14. "Purple Rain"
  15. "I Believe I Can Fly"
  16. "A Change Is Gonna Come"
  17. "When a Woman Loves"
Encore
  2. "Happy People"
  3. "Step in the Name of Love (Remix)"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
North America[10]
April 29, 2016St. CharlesUnited StatesFamily Arena
April 30, 2016Kansas CitySprint Center
May 7, 2016RosemontAllstate Arena
May 26, 2016JacksonvilleJacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
May 27, 2016TampaAmalie Arena
May 28, 2016MiamiAmerican Airlines Arena
June 2, 2016HoustonToyota Center
June 3, 2016Dallas
June 4, 2016Oklahoma CityCox Convention Center Arena
June 9, 2016CharlotteTime Warner Cable Arena
June 10, 2016GreensboroGreensboro Coliseum
June 11, 2016AtlantaPhilips Arena
June 16, 2016ColumbusColumbus Civic Center
June 18, 2016Bossier CityCenturyLink Center
June 19, 2016New OrleansSmoothie King Center
June 23, 2016CincinnatiU.S. Bank Arena
June 24, 2016DetroitJoe Louis Arena
June 25, 2016ClevelandWolstein Center
July 9, 2016DenverBellco Theatre
September 2, 2016South BendMorris Performing Arts Center
September 3, 2016Grand RapidsDeVos Performance Hall
September 8, 2016IndianapolisBankers Life Fieldhouse
September 10, 2016LouisvilleKFC Yum! Center
September 16, 2016BirminghamLegacy Arena
September 17, 2016MemphisFedExForum
September 29, 2016AlbanyPalace Theatre
September 30, 2016PhiladelphiaWells Fargo Center
October 1, 2016BaltimoreRoyal Farms Arena
October 6, 2016BostonTD Garden
October 7, 2016BridgeportWebster Bank Arena
October 8, 2016NewarkPrudential Center
October 21, 2016PhoenixTalking Stick Resort Arena
October 22, 2016Los AngelesMicrosoft Theater
October 27, 2016West Valley CityMaverik Center
October 29, 2016PortlandVeterans Memorial Coliseum
October 30, 2016EverettXfinity Arena
November 13, 2016Washington, D.C.Verizon Center
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
<--Date--><--Location--><--Venue--><--Reason/Additional Info-->
April 21, 2016Cincinnati, OhioU.S. Bank ArenaRescheduled to June 23, 2016[11]
April 22, 2016Detroit, MichiganJoe Louis ArenaRescheduled to June 24, 2016[12]
April 23, 2016Cleveland, OhioWolstein CenterRescheduled to June 25, 2016[13]
April 27, 2016Birmingham, AlabamaLegacy ArenaRescheduled to September 16, 2016[14]
April 29, 2016St. Louis, MissouriChaifetz ArenaMoved to the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri[15]
May 6, 2016Indianapolis, IndianaBankers Life FieldhouseRescheduled to September 8, 2016[16]
May 8, 2016Louisville, KentuckyKFC Yum! CenterRescheduled to September 10, 2016
May 11, 2016West Valley City, UtahMaverik CenterRescheduled to October 27, 2016
May 13, 2016Portland, OregonVeterans Memorial ColiseumRescheduled to October 29, 2016
May 14, 2016Everett, WashingtonXfinity ArenaRescheduled to October 30, 2016
October 16, 2016San Diego, CaliforniaValley View Casino CenterCancelled
October 19, 2016Oakland, CaliforniaOracle ArenaCancelled
October 28, 2016Norfolk, VirginiaChrysler HallCancelled[17]

Box office score data

VenueCityTickets sold / AvailableGross revenue
Amalie ArenaTampa3,576 / 6,796 (53%)$301,379[18]
American Airlines CenterDallas6,430 / 7,957 (81%)$508,778
Philips ArenaAtlanta10,099 / 11,875 (85%)$809,371
Morris Performing Arts CenterSouth Bend1,729 / 2,555 (68%)$145,108[19]
Wells Fargo CenterPhiladelphia5,192 / 8,423 (62%)$317,192[20]
Verizon CenterWashington, D.C.4,899 / 12,791 (38%)$445,101[21]
TOTAL31,925 / 49,797 (64%)$2,526,929

Notes and References

  1. R. Kelly to Embark on Buffet Tour (Exclusive) . Platon . Adelle . March 21, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018.
  2. Web site: R. Kelly to play summer Oklahoma City concert . McDonnell . Brandy . March 21, 2016 . . January 10, 2018.
  3. Web site: 2016 Pollstar Year End: Top 200 North American Tours . . January 2017 . Pollstar . August 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212034114/https://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2016/2016YearEndTop200NorthAmericanTours.pdf . February 12, 2017.
  4. Web site: The Buffet Tour a gluttonous presentation of R. Kelly's greatest hits . Vaughn . Kenya . April 30, 2016 . . January 10, 2018.
  5. Web site: R. Kelly takes KC crowd on a weird and meandering tour of his hit-studded career . Finn . Timothy . May 1, 2016 . . The McClatchy Company . January 10, 2018.
  6. Web site: Review: R. Kelly revels in his strange, silly, sexy genius at Amalie Arena in Tampa . Cridlin . Jay . May 28, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160531183249/http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/soundcheck/review-r-kelly-revels-in-his-strange-silly-sexy-genius-at-amalie-arena-in/2279370 . May 31, 2016.
  7. Web site: R. Kelly Aims for Redemption in Miami Concert . Tracy . Liz . May 31, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018.
  8. Web site: June's Diary delivers a vocally powerful performance at SOB's in NYC . Bowden . TJ . October 7, 2016 . . January 10, 2018.
  9. Web site: R. Kelly's 'Buffet' tour kickoff at Family Arena leaves fans underfed . Johnson . Kevin C. . April 30, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018.
  10. Sources for tour dates:
  11. Web site: R. Kelly Shifts Joe Louis Arena Concert Date . . April 8, 2016 . Broadway World . Wisdom Digital Media . January 10, 2018.
  12. Web site: R. Kelly postpones Joe Louis Arena show until June . Graham . Adam . April 8, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018.
  13. Web site: R. Kelly Pushes Back "Buffet Tour" Date in Cleveland . Davis . Bliss . April 11, 2016 . . Euclid Media Group . January 10, 2018.
  14. Web site: R. Kelly postpones 'Buffet Tour' stop in Birmingham, citing production issues . . April 25, 2016 . . . January 10, 2018.
  15. Web site: Controversial singer R. Kelly heading to Family Arena . Johnson . Kevin C. . June 25, 2018 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Lee Enterprises . January 10, 2018.
  16. Web site: R. Kelly concert rescheduled from May to September . Lindquist . David . April 27, 2018 . . . January 10, 2018.
  17. Web site: R. Kelly postpones Norfolk show from Friday to Feb. 2 . Ollison . Rashod . October 26, 2018 . . . January 10, 2018.
  18. Current Boxscore. Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Nashville, Tennessee. June 25, 2016. 128. June 25, 2016. 0006-2510. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118024625/http://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore. live. January 18, 2017.
  19. Current Boxscore . Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Nashville, Tennessee. September 24, 2016. 128. 24. September 13, 2016. 0006-2510. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916144644/https://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore. September 16, 2016.
  20. Current Boxscore . Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Nashville, Tennessee. November 19, 2016. 128. November 8, 2016. 0006-2510. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916144644/https://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore. September 16, 2016.
  21. Current Boxscore . Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Nashville, Tennessee. January 21, 2017. 129. January 17, 2017. 0006-2510. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118024625/http://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore. live . January 18, 2017.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Buffet Tour".

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