| Concert Tour Name: | Welcome 2 |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Artist: | Prince |
| Album: | 20Ten |
| Number Of Legs: | 7 |
| Last Tour: | Prince 20Ten (2010) |
| This Tour: | Welcome 2 (2010–12) |
| Next Tour: | Live Out Loud Tour (2013) |
Welcome 2 was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince. Playing over 80 shows, the tour reached North America, Europe, and Australia. Each leg of the tour was branded with the "Welcome 2" title followed by the continent in which the leg was located. The tour marked the singer's first performances in North America in over six years. The show was composed of the singer performing his hits with his band The New Power Generation. Alongside Prince, various musicians performed including Janelle Monáe, Esperanza Spalding, and Cassandra Wilson. The tour placed 39th on Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour", earning nearly $20 million.[1]
Prince announced the tour on October 14, 2010 at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City.[2] He stated the tour would begin in Greater New York. He further explained to the audience each show would be different. "Come early, come often. I have a lot of hits... no two shows will be the same". For the tour, Prince played a custom gold Fender Stratocaster (made by the Fender Custom Shop), which was auctioned off at the end of the tour. The proceed benefited the Harlem Children's Zone.[3]
The concerts were staged in the round, with the stage shaped like the singer's iconic love symbol.[4] During shows, Prince invited several celebrities to come onstage and "jam out" with him, including Naomi Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg, Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, Leighton Meester, Questlove, Sherri Shepherd, Whitney Houston, and Cornel West.[5] [6] He also performed duets with specials guests throughout the shows in North America. For "The Beautiful Ones", Prince was joined onstage by ballet dancer Misty Copeland.[7] During the concert at Madison Square Garden on December 29, 2010, Janelle Monáe performed "If I Was Your Girlfriend" with the singer. During the same show, Cyndi Lauper and Egypt Sherrod performed "Jungle Love".[6]
Following his shows in Greater New York, Prince expanded the tour to include the San Francisco Bay Area and The Carolinas. In April, he announced he would perform a twenty-one night residency show at The Forum in Inglewood, California, during an appearance on Lopez Tonight.[8] Dubbed "Welcome 2 America: 21-Night Stands", the singer performed throughout the months of April and May, including stops in Fresno, San Jose, and Sacramento. As the tour continued, Prince performed at several music festivals in Europe. In the fall of 2011, he announced he would bring his tour to Canada, his first performances in the territory in nearly ten years. In 2012, a tour of Australia received a warm response from spectators.[9]
| City | Country | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 15, 2010 | East Rutherford | United States | Izod Center |
| December 17, 2010 | |||
| December 18, 2010 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | |
| December 29, 2010 |
| City | Country | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 18, 2011 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | |
| February 7, 2011 | ||||
| February 21, 2011 | Oakland | Oracle Arena | ||
| February 23, 2011 | ||||
| February 24, 2011 | ||||
| March 21, 2011 | Columbia | Colonial Life Arena | ||
| March 23, 2011 | Raleigh | RBC Center | ||
| March 24, 2011 | Charlotte | Time Warner Cable Arena | ||
| March 26, 2011 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | ||
| March 28, 2011 | Greenville | BI-LO Center | ||
| March 30, 2011 | North Charleston | North Charleston Coliseum | ||
| April 14, 2011 | Inglewood | The Forum | ||
| April 21, 2011 | ||||
| April 22, 2011 | ||||
| April 23, 2011 | ||||
| April 28, 2011 | ||||
| April 29, 2011 | ||||
| April 30, 2011 | ||||
| May 5, 2011 | ||||
| May 6, 2011 | ||||
| May 7, 2011 | ||||
| May 13, 2011 | ||||
| May 14, 2011 | ||||
| May 18, 2011 | Fresno | Save Mart Center | ||
| May 19, 2011 | San Jose | HP Pavilion | ||
| May 21, 2011 | ||||
| May 22, 2011 | Sacramento | Power Balance Pavilion | ||
| May 27, 2011 | Inglewood | The Forum | ||
| May 28, 2011 | ||||
| May 29, 2011 | ||||
| June 24, 2011 | Montreal | Canada | Métropolis | |
| June 25, 2011 | ||||
| June 30, 2011 | Saint-Denis | France | Stade de France | |
| July 2, 2011 | Gdynia | Poland | Babie Doły Airfield | |
| July 3, 2011 | Beltring | England | Hop Farm Country Park | |
| July 5, 2011 | Ghent | Belgium | Sint-Pietersplein | |
| July 6, 2011 | ||||
| July 8, 2011 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | |
| July 9, 2011 | ||||
| July 10, 2011 | ||||
| July 13, 2011 | Esch-sur-Alzette | Luxembourg | Rockhal | |
| July 15, 2011 | Perugia | Italy | Arena Santa Giuliana | |
| July 16, 2011 | Lucca | Piazza Napoleone | ||
| July 21, 2011 | Helsinki | Finland | Hartwall Arena | |
| July 24, 2011 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Melkweg | |
| July 25, 2011 | ||||
| July 26, 2011 | Rotterdam | Rotterdam Ahoy | ||
| July 28, 2011 | Cologne | Germany | Lanxess Arena | |
| July 30, 2011 | Malahide | Ireland | Malahide Castle | |
| August 2, 2011 | Oslo | Norway | Oslo Spektrum | |
| August 3, 2011 | ||||
| August 6, 2011 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 10 Øren | |
| August 7, 2011 | ||||
| August 9, 2011 | Budapest | Hungary | Óbuda Island | |
| August 12, 2011 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Slottsskogen | |
| August 17, 2011 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | |
| November 25, 2011 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | |
| November 26, 2011 | ||||
| November 30, 2011 | Halifax | Scotiabank Centre | ||
| December 2, 2011 | Montreal | Bell Centre | ||
| December 3, 2011 | Ottawa | Canadian Tire Centre | ||
| December 5, 2011 | London | Budweiser Gardens | ||
| December 8, 2011 | Winnipeg | MTS Centre | ||
| December 13, 2011 | Edmonton | Northlands Coliseum | ||
| December 14, 2011 | Calgary | Scotiabank Saddledome | ||
| December 16, 2011 | Vancouver | Rogers Arena | ||
| December 17, 2011 | Victoria | Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre | ||
| December 19, 2011 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome |
| City | Country | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2012 | Sydney | Australia | Qudos Bank Arena |
| May 12, 2012 | |||
| May 14, 2012 | Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena | |
| May 15, 2012 | |||
| May 18, 2012 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |
| May 22, 2012 | Sydney | Qudos Bank Arena | |
| May 26, 2012 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |
| May 30, 2012 | Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena | |
| September 24, 2012 | Chicago | United States | United Center |
| September 25, 2012 | |||
| September 26, 2012 |
| < | --Date--> | < | --City, (State or Country)--> | < | --Venue--> | < | --Reason/Additional Info--> |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 14, 2010 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Izod Center | Cancelled | ||||
| February 4, 2011 | Dallas | theEvent Tent Complex | Cancelled.[15] The concert was to benefit the Goss-Michael Foundation | ||||
| July 23, 2011 | Oslo, Norway | Oslo Spektrum | Rescheduled to August 2, 2011 due to the 2011 Norway attacks | ||||
| July 24, 2011 | Oslo, Norway | Oslo Spektrum | Rescheduled to August 3, 2011 due to the 2011 Norway attacks | ||||
| August 4, 2011 | Berlin, Germany | O2 World | Cancelled | ||||
| December 11, 2011 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | SaskTel Centre | Cancelled | ||||
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Garden | New York City | 70,855 / 72,911 (97%) | $7,592,092[16] |
| Oracle Arena | Oakland | 42,475 / 42,475 (100%) | $4,418,308[17] |
| Save Mart Center | Fresno | 11,918 / 13,028 (91%) | $837,960[18] |
| Bell Centre | Montreal | 8,753 / 10,900 (80%) | $1,113,260[19] |
| John Labatt Centre | London | 8,790 / 9,053 (97%) | $958,695 |
| Halifax Metro Centre | Halifax | 10,039 / 10,039 (100%) | $1,000,320[20] |
| Rexall Place | Edmonton | 10,775 / 16,258 (66%) | $1,119,660[21] |
| Allphones Arena | Sydney | 39,827 / 44,118 (90%) | $7,182,190[22] |
| Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne | 42,086 / 42,900 (98%) | $7,540,270[23] |
| Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Boondall | 17,798 / 20,036 (84%) | $3,212,670[24] |
| TOTAL | 263,316 / 281,718 (93%) | $34,975,425 | |
1.The annual Pollstar ranking of the concert industry's top performing artists is tabulated for all worldwide shows, worked between January 1 and June 30, 2011. All ticket sales figures are calculated in U.S. dollars and are based on reported information and extensive research by Pollstar.