| Concert Tour Name: | Waking Up Laughing Tour |
| Artist: | Martina McBride |
| Album: | Waking Up Laughing |
| Number Of Legs: | 3 |
| Number Of Shows: | 120 in North America |
| Last Tour: | Timeless Tour (2005-06) |
| This Tour: | Waking Up Laughing Tour (2007-08) |
| Next Tour: | Shine All Night Tour (2009-10) |
The Waking Up Laughing Tour was the second headlining tour by American recording artist Martina McBride. Primarily visiting the United States and Canada, the tour supported her ninth studio album, Waking Up Laughing. The tour played over a hundred shows in 2007 and 2008, becoming one of the biggest tours by a country music artist - earning over eight million dollars and seen by over 250,000 spectators. Additionally, the tour placed 47th and 88th on Pollstar's Top 100 Tours in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
The tour was announced through various media outlets on January 18, 2007, as McBride was promoting Anyway, the second single from her album.[1] The tour marks the second time the singer has headlined a tour since her 2005 "Timeless Tour". Joining McBride on the road was Little Big Town and Rodney Atkins. Commenting on the tour, McBride stated:[2]
As exciting as it is to create a new album, there's nothing quite as thrilling as getting the immediate feedback from a live crowd. I'm especially happy about being joined by Little Big Town and Rodney Atkins. We put a lot of thought into which artists to include on this tour, and I really feel like this show is going to be a treat for my fans from beginning to end. I can't wait to get out there on the road."For the first time in the artist's career, McBride was joined on tour by her family. Her husband, John McBride was the sound engineer[3] and her brothers Marty and Steve along with her three daughters. Although McBride competed against country music heavy hitters, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, McBride's tour was named by Pollstar as the number one solo female country act for 2007.[4] The success of the first leg lead to an expansion in 2008 with McBride playing arenas. This time around, McBride was joined by Lady Antebellum and Jack Ingram. The second leg saw McBride performing in Canada, her first performances since 2003. The tour received further accolades from Pollstar, becoming the 88th biggest tour in North America. The tour was expanded for a final time during the summer of 2008, with McBride playing amphitheaters and festivals in the United States. The tour ended at the Island Events Center (located at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino) in Red Wing, Minnesota with 120 performances.
The staging for McBride's tour was one of the most state of art for a country artist. The stage was created by Atomic Design, who created the stage for the singer's Timeless Tour. The stage featured the "Mitrix module". These were several video screens that mimicked louvers. Each screen as capable of "opening" and "closing" to reveal graphics and video content. The 12 video screens were positioned about a central screening, alluding the shape of a honeycomb. McBride was the very first artist to use this technology. When the screens were not in use, they became transparent allowing light to shine through. The stage contained a proscenium arch that extended to a lifts on each side of the stage.[5]
| Date | City | Country | Venue | width=“250” | Opening Acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America - Leg 1[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | |||||
| April 12, 2007 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena | ||
| April 13, 2007 | Rosemont | Rosemont Theatre | |||
| April 15, 2007 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | |||
| April 20, 2007 | Uncasville | ||||
| April 21, 2007 | Lowell | Tsongas Arena | |||
| April 22, 2007 | Albany | Times Union Center | |||
| April 27, 2007 | Saginaw | Dow Event Center | |||
| April 28, 2007 | Rochester | Blue Cross Arena | |||
| April 29, 2007 | Toledo | SeaGate Convention Centre | |||
| May 4, 2007 | Birmingham | BJCC Arena | |||
| May 5, 2007 | Duluth | Arena at Gwinnett Center | |||
| May 6, 2007 | Pensacola | Pensacola Civic Center | |||
| May 11, 2007 | Pittsburgh | Petersen Events Center | |||
| May 12, 2007 | Columbia | Merriweather Post Pavilion | |||
| May 18, 2007 | New York City | Radio City Music Hall | |||
| May 25, 2007 | Colorado Springs | World Arena | |||
| May 26, 2007 | Loveland | Budweiser Events Center | |||
| May 27, 2007 | Valley Center | Britt Brown Arena | |||
| May 31, 2007 | Richmond | Richmond Coliseum | |||
| June 1, 2007 | North Charleston | North Charleston Coliseum | |||
| June 2, 2007 | Winston-Salem | ||||
| June 3, 2007 | Asheville | Asheville Civic Center | |||
| June 7, 2007 | Cape Girardeau | Show Me Center | |||
| June 8, 2007 | Jackson | Mississippi Coliseum | |||
| June 9, 2007 | Nashville | LP Field | |||
| June 14, 2007 | Sauk Centre | Saukinac Campgrounds | Little Big Town | ||
| June 15, 2007 | Sioux City | Gateway Arena | |||
| June 16, 2007 | Burlington | Miller Outdoor State | |||
| June 17, 2007 | Fairborn | Nutter Center | |||
| June 21, 2007 | Cedar Falls | McLeod Center | |||
| June 22, 2007 | Fort Wayne | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | |||
| June 23, 2007 | Erie | Tullio Arena | |||
| June 24, 2007 | Springfield | MassMutual Center | |||
| June 28, 2007 | Charleston | Charleston Civic Center | |||
| June 29, 2007 | Wilkes-Barre | Wachovia Arena | |||
| June 30, 2007 | Hershey | Giant Center | |||
| July 1, 2007 | Manchester | Verizon Wireless Arena | |||
| July 12, 2007 | Oklahoma City | Ford Center | |||
| July 13, 2007 | Grand Prairie | Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie | |||
| July 14, 2007 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | |||
| July 15, 2007 | Bossier City | CenturyTel Center | |||
| July 19, 2007 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | |||
| July 20, 2007 | Twin Lakes | Shadow Hill Ranch | |||
| July 21, 2007 | Hinckley | Hinckley Amphitheater | |||
| July 22, 2007 | Grand Forks | ||||
| July 26, 2007 | Glendale | Jobing.com Arena | |||
| July 27, 2007 | Las Vegas | Mandalay Bay Events Center | |||
| July 28, 2007 | Costa Mesa | Pacific Amphitheatre | |||
| July 29, 2007 | Stateline | Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater | |||
| July 31, 2007 | Paso Robles | Main Grandstand Arena | |||
| August 1, 2007 | Oakland | Oracle Arena | |||
| August 3, 2007 | Portland | Rose Garden | |||
| August 4, 2007 | Everett | Comcast Arena | |||
| August 5, 2007 | Nampa | Idaho Center | |||
| August 7, 2007 | Kennewick | ||||
| August 17, 2007 | Springfield | State Fair Grandstand | |||
| September 7, 2007 | Harris Township | Island Showroom | |||
| September 8, 2007 | |||||
| September 20, 2007 | Niagara Falls | Canada | |||
| September 21, 2007 | |||||
| September 29, 2007 | Moline | United States | |||
| September 30, 2007 | La Crosse | ||||
| November 10, 2007 | Washington, D.C. | ||||
| December 2, 2007 | Friant | TMC Indoor Event Center | |||
| North America - Leg 2[16] [17] | |||||
| January 18, 2008 | Evansville | United States | Jack Ingram Lady Antebellum | ||
| January 19, 2008 | Cincinnati | ||||
| January 20, 2008 | Grand Rapids | ||||
| January 25, 2008 | Ashwaubenon | ||||
| January 26, 2008 | Minneapolis | ||||
| January 27, 2008 | Ames | ||||
| February 1, 2008 | Columbus | ||||
| February 2, 2008 | Cleveland | ||||
| February 22, 2008 | Champaign | ||||
| February 23, 2008 | Council Bluffs | ||||
| February 24, 2008 | Columbia | ||||
| February 29, 2008 | Reading | ||||
| March 1, 2008 | Atlantic City | ||||
| March 2, 2008 | Syracuse | ||||
| March 17, 2008 | Calgary | Canada | |||
| March 19, 2008 | Edmonton | ||||
| March 20, 2008 | Saskatoon | ||||
| March 21, 2008 | Winnipeg | ||||
| March 28, 2008 | Hamilton | ||||
| March 29, 2008 | Kanata | ||||
| March 30, 2008 | London | ||||
| April 5, 2008 | Hot Springs | United States | |||
| April 6, 2008 | Columbia | ||||
| April 18, 2008 | Estero | ||||
| April 19, 2008 | Jacksonville | ||||
| April 20, 2008 | Huntsville | ||||
| North America - Leg 3[18] | |||||
| July 11, 2008 | Clarkston | United States | Jack Ingram Chris Young | ||
| July 12, 2008 | Darien | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center | |||
| July 13, 2008 | Gilford | Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion | Jack Ingram Chris Young | ||
| July 17, 2008 | Selma | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | |||
| July 18, 2008 | Dallas | ||||
| July 19, 2008 | The Woodlands | ||||
| July 24, 2008 | Harrington | Chris Young | |||
| July 25, 2008 | Wantagh | ||||
| July 31, 2008 | Missoula | ||||
| August 1, 2008 | West Valley City | ||||
| August 2, 2008 | Greenwood Village | ||||
| August 8, 2008 | Concord | ||||
| August 9, 2008 | Wheatland | Sleep Train Amphitheatre | |||
| August 10, 2008 | Kelseyville | Konocti Field Amphitheatre | |||
| August 12, 2008 | Bakersfield | Buck Owens' Crystal Palace | None | ||
| August 14, 2008 | Albuquerque | Journal Pavilion | Jack Ingram Chris Young | ||
| August 15, 2008 | Phoenix | ||||
| August 16, 2008 | Irvine | ||||
| August 29, 2008 | Maryland Heights | ||||
| August 30, 2008 | Tinley Park | ||||
| September 19, 2008 | Hartford | Jack Ingram Jason Michael Carroll | |||
| September 20, 2008 | Camden | Susquehanna Bank Center | |||
| September 26, 2008 | Burgettstown | ||||
| September 27, 2008 | Bristow | ||||
| October 3, 2008 | Charlotte | ||||
| October 4, 2008 | Raleigh | Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion | |||
| October 5, 2008 | Virginia Beach | ||||
| October 10, 2008 | Tampa | ||||
| October 11, 2008 | West Palm Beach | Cruzan Amphitheatre | |||
| October 18, 2008 | Red Wing | Island Event Center | None | ||
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville | 7,583 / 7,583 (100%) | $343,605[28] | |
| Dow Event Center | Saginaw | 4,545 / 5,451 (83%) | $157,418[29] | |
| Blue Cross Arena | Rochester | 6,570 / 9,785 (67%) | $280,454[30] | |
| SeaGate Convention Centre | Toledo | 4,603 / 5,765 (80%) | $218,402 | |
| BJCC Arena | Birmingham | 5,689 / 6,797 (84%) | $241,507 | |
| Arena at Gwinnett Center | Duluth | 10,302 / 10,302 (100%) | $460,893 | |
| Pensacola Civic Center | Pensacola | 5,251 / 7,309 (72%) | $225,505 | |
| Petersen Events Center | Pittsburgh | 6,117 / 8,458 (72%) | $235,542[31] | |
| Merriweather Post Pavilion | Columbia | 4,796 / 10,000 (48%) | $301,175[32] | |
| Radio City Music Hall | New York City | 5,832 / 5,832 (100%) | $369,581 | |
| World Arena | Colorado Springs | 5,691 / 6,127 (93%) | $265,647 | |
| Budweiser Events Center | Loveland | 5,351 / 5,917 (90%) | $253,680 | |
| Britt Brown Arena | Valley Center | 7,823 / 8,479 (92%) | $325,276 | |
| Richmond Coliseum | Richmond | 5,803 / 7,485 (77%) | $206,242 | |
| North Charleston Coliseum | North Charleston | 5,440 / 6,840 (79%) | $231,144 | |
| Mississippi Coliseum | Jackson | 5,496 / 6,151 (89%) | $145,790[33] | |
| Gateway Arena | Sioux City | 6,601 / 7,575 (87%) | $213,651 | |
| Nutter Center | Fairborn | 5,886 / 7,636 (77%) | $215,930 | |
| Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | Fort Wayne | 6,088 / 8,097 (75%) | $189,962 | |
| Ford Center | Oklahoma City | 6,335 / 6,979 (91%) | $273,029[34] | |
| Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie | Grand Prairie | 3,915 / 4,353 (90%) | $245,553[35] | |
| Frank Erwin Center | Austin | 4,996 / 6,794 (73%) | $201,287 | |
| CenturyTel Center | Bossier City | 7,021 / 7,816 (90%) | $243,962 | |
| Freedom Hall | Louisville | 5,101 / 5,101 (100%) | $232,295[36] | |
| Jobing.com Arena | Glendale | 2,693 / 3,976 (68%) | $165,465[37] | |
| Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas | 4,360 / 4,749 (92%) | $216,027 | |
| Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater | Stateline | 3,419 / 4,169 (82%) | $270,574 | |
| Main Grandstand Arena | Paso Robles | 6,186 / 14,661 (42%) | $258,468 | |
| Comcast Arena | Everett | 4,086 / 4,986 (82%) | $211,042[38] | |
| Van Andel Arena | Grand Rapids | 5,576 / 5,869 (95%) | $194,896[39] | |
| Assembly Hall | Champaign | 3,062 / 9,170 (33%) | $147,992[40] | |
| Sovereign Center | Reading | 4,780 / 6,015 (79%) | $203,549[41] | |
| John Labatt Centre | London | 7,410 / 8,017 (92%) | $420,219[42] | |
| Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | Jacksonville | 2,649 / 6,095 (43%) | $155,010[43] | |
| DTE Energy Music Theatre | Clarkston | 7,652 / 15,214 (50%) | $178,933[44] | |
| Darien Lake Performing Arts Center | Darien | 8,535 / 21,800 (39%) | $171,184 | |
| Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | Selma | 3,786 / 8,369 (45%) | $63,779 | |
| Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | Irvine | 5,375 / 15,938 (34%) | $137,456[45] | |
| TOTAL | 212,404 / 301,660 (70%) | $8,872,124 | ||
See main article: Martina McBride: Live in Concert. While on tour, McBride was asked to do a concert special for PBS. McBride previously participated in the station's Soundstage series in 2005. The concert would be a part of the Great Performances series in 2007. Filmed on September 29 at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, McBride performed her standard setlist, including a performance of "Over the Rainbow". Titled Martina McBride: Live in Concert, the special aired on PBS in March 2008 to correlate with the station's quarterly pledge drive. A CD/DVD package was released later in April 2008 including a CD with highlights of the concert along with a DVD of the full show. The album peaked at the #19 position on Billboard's Country Albums chart.
Along with the tour's final success, the shows received further accolades from music critics. Timothy Finn (The Kansas City Star) was vowed by the premiere concert at Kemper Arena. He comments, "McBride has earned her fame and made her fortune singing slicked-up modern country, but she is a traditionalist at heart, and she showed it resoundingly during those numbers; 'Stand By Your Man' was especially spectacular. But most of the feminine mystique came courtesy of country queen Martina McBride, the Kansas-born beauty whose crystalline vocal chords have earned her the nickname 'the Celine Dion of the CMT set.'" Brian Dugger (The Blade) viewed the performance at the SeaGate Convention Centre as "girl power" recalling, "But the night was mostly about McBride, who won points with the crowd by pointing out that she hasn’t been to Toledo in a while and promised that it won’t be as long for her return trip. At one point, after an extended ovation, she got a little emotional and had to take a short break until the crowd quieted down."[46]
For the concert at the BJCC Arena, Mary Colurso (The Birmingham News) felt McBride gave a crowd pleasing performance. He furthers writes, "Fans expected no less. The lovely singer radiates a wholesome, friendly charm that makes her seem safe and utterly approachable -- the superstar next door, we might say. McBride was at her best while singing two vintage covers: Loretta Lynn's 'You Ain't Woman Enough" and Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night.'"[47] Additional acclaim continue with the concert at the Radio City Music Hall. Mac Randall (Newsday) answered, "McBride's voice is honey-sweet and stunningly pure, and when she leaps into her upper register and milks a note for every possible ounce of emotion - as she did on "Where Would You Be" and "A Broken Wing" - it's guaranteed to get a crowd on its feet. There's more than a little Celine Dion in those big climactic sustained notes. Although McBride began her solo career in the early '90s as a country singer, newer songs such as "How I Feel", from her latest album Waking Up Laughing, have more in common with Benatar than Lynn."[48]
It was McBride's range that won over Marie P. Grady (The Republican) during the concert at the MassMutual Center. She explains, "As McBride raised her right hand high in the air - conjuring her vocal chords to reach the sky on a song called 'Where Would You Be' - it was clear this entertainer had the vocal range to match her star billing.[49] Van Rose (Times Leader) recalls McBride's voice being the highlight of the show at the Wachovia Arena. He continues, "Besides her amazing voice, one of the things that sets McBride apart from the rest of the country music singers is that she still possesses the enthusiasm of a newcomer. She put her heart and soul into every song and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. She also showed that she hasn’t lost her sense of humor. Before singing a duet with her younger brother on 'Trying to Find a Reason', a song off her new album in which she is joined by Keith Urban, she was able to make fun of herself. 'I feel kind of weird singing with my little brother' […] It's sort of an Angelina Jolie thing'."[50]
As the tour began its second and final jaunt in 2008, McBride received more accolades for her concerts. Kate Darby (Evansville Courier & Press) thought highly of McBride for her concert at Roberts Municipal Stadium. She further comments, "The most striking thing about the performance was how different audience members reacted to her music. McBride is so natural that she seems to be addressing each person as an individual, which is a rare trait in a performer. Every person in the stadium was having an intensely personal experience while still feeding off of the energy of the people around them."[51] Jack Leaver (The Grand Rapids Press) continues the vocal praise for McBride for her performance at the VanAndel Arena. He writes, "Throughout the evening, McBride gave a powerhouse vocal demonstration, her Titanic-sized voice belying her petite 5-foot-4 frame. She also exhibited a great sense of humor, such as when she introduced her cover of Kris Kristofferson's classic "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which is featured on McBride's 2005 platinum-selling album Timeless."[52]
Gary Budzak (The Columbus Dispatch) found the performance at the Nationwide Arena to be nothing short of "moving". He states, "There were other moving songs. On 'In My Daughter's Eyes', pictures of McBride's three daughters filled the back of her stage, and many mothers and their daughters held each other as she sang. The video for 'Concrete Angel' was shown as McBride sang about a child who was beaten to death, and many an eye filled with tears. Other anthem-like songs included 'Independence Day' and 'Anyway'."[53] For one of her first shows in Canada in years, Theresa Taylor (Jam!) gave McBride's show at the Pengrowth Saddledome three and a half out of five stars. She composed, "It was a diverse concert for fans who got their money's worth out of the three-act bill."[54]
The same rating was shared by David Schmeichel (Jam!) for the singer's show at the MTS Centre. He explains, "Partly, the illusion could be chalked up to an abundance of female fans in the stands (and on the concourse, where the lines snaking out of the women's washrooms were at least three times as long as those for the merch tables)."[55] Mario Tarradell (Guide Live) commended McBride's show at the SuperPages.com Center. He elucidates, "But Ms. McBride is always the consummate entertainer on the platform. She's comfortable, vibrant, personable and a vocalist to respect."[56]