The Bodyguard World Tour Explained

Concert Tour Name:The Bodyguard World Tour
Landscape:no
Artist:Whitney Houston
Location:North America • Europe • Asia • Africa • South America
Type:World
Album:The Bodyguard
Number Of Legs:8
Number Of Shows:58 in North America
16 in Asia
36 in Europe
7 in South America
3 in Africa
in total 120
Gross:$33 million ($ in dollars)
$14 million ($ in dollars) (North America only)
Last Tour:I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour
(1991)
This Tour:The Bodyguard World Tour
(1993–94)
Next Tour:Pacific Rim Tour
(1997)
Next Concert: (1996)

The Bodyguard World Tour is the fifth concert tour by American recording artist, Whitney Houston. The tour was in support of her multi-platinum soundtrack album, The Bodyguard, and also of the movie of the same name. Following the success of the album and worldwide hit singles "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing" and "I'm Every Woman", Houston started the extensive world tour that lasted through the fall of 1994.

Background

With the enormous success of the movie and its soundtrack, Houston went on an extensive world tour to support her projects. Houston began rehearsals two months after giving birth to daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. The opening date was in Miami on July 5, 1993. Houston received a lot of flak for showing up late and then telling a fan who wanted an autograph to sit down. Houston played five nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and then played six nights at the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

Most of the shows during this 1993 US leg were in theaters because Houston wanted an intimate setting. During the US leg, Houston took a break to fly over to Europe to accompany husband Bobby Brown on his tour. Gospel act Angie & Debbie Winans were the opening act for the 1993 US leg. During the second North American leg in 1994, Houston performed at the opening ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the Rose Bowl Stadium.[1]

During that time, the singer had throat ailments and had to cancel eight shows, all of which were rescheduled a month later. Houston also went public concerning having a miscarriage during the tour.[2] The tour was a big success. Many shows were among the highest grossing shows of their week. The grossings helped Houston make Forbes magazine's Richest Entertainers list. Houston earned over $33 million during 1993 and 1994, the third highest for a female entertainer.[3]

Critical reception

During her first Radio City Music Hall performance in New York City, Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote that "her stylistic trademarks -- shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration -- infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."[4] At one of her Atlantic City dates, Kevin L. Carter of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that Houston handled her songs "with subdued emotionalism and the intelligence that only a gifted musician can bring to a song.[5]

"Saving All My Love for You" was turned into a "smoky saloon-style ballad".[6] Many critics noted that the highlight of the show was when Houston took on "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls, and "I Loves You Porgy" from Porgy and Bess. Stephen Holden wrote of the medley that "her voice conveyed authority, power, determination and just enough vulnerability to give a sense of dramatic intention".[4] As always, Houston included gospel songs. She introduced her band while performing 'Revelation.' Houston spoke about the Lord before going into 'Jesus Loves Me' which was often accompanied with complete silence from the mesmerized crowd."[7] During the last couple of years, since her marriage to Brown, the tabloids generated many stories about Houston and Brown. The New York Post created a rumor that the singer had overdosed on diet pills, leading to a lawsuit filed by Houston. During her shows, while performing her love medley, Houston often denied tabloid rumors. Houston often brought her husband and baby to the stage with her to prove that they are a happy family and that the tabloids are wrong.

Many critics felt that these tabloid stories helped her sing with more conviction and emotion. According to some critics, Brown's presence made "All the Man That I Need" a more stirring performance leading up the emotional high of "I Have Nothing",[8] while others felt they were unnecessary, cheesy moments.[9] Many critics praised her Aretha Franklin medley that she performed at certain shows. Houston performed "Ain't No Way", "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". According to Jon Beam of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Aretha Franklin medley was a triumph of substance over style. He wrote that "She seemed a natural instead of a studied singer doing "A Natural Woman", and "Do Right Woman" was a right-on, soulful country-blues song, with a traditional call-and-response between Houston and her backup singers."[10]

Houston's performance at the Pond in Anaheim, Chris William of the Los Angeles Times wrote that, "she approached sheer vocal perfection at virtually every turn". And noted that, "she got to apply that astonishing instrument to some material worthy of it. Watching her progress emotionally through a gospel standard or great ‘60s R&B; ballad made it all the more difficult to see Houston go back and end the show as she began it"[11] Houston returned a year later at Radio City Music Hall, opening a seven-night sold-out engagement in September 1994. Jon Pareles of the New York Times reports, "Houston belted ballads, predictably bringing down the house with songs that moved from aching verses to surging choruses. A medley of hits from Dionne Warwick, Ms. Houston's cousin, lacked Ms. Warwick's lightness, but Ms. Houston made "Alfie" sound like the ethical wrangle it is".[12] Ira Robbins of Newsday wrote, "Houston peaked in the Warwick segment with marvelous adaptions of "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Alfie", and "after the powerful one-two of "I Have Nothing" and a rendition of "Run to You" so compelling it would have been no shock to see Kevin Costner jog out".[13]

Opening acts

Setlist

Notes

Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
DateCityCountryVenueAttendanceRevenue
North America - Leg 1[17]
July 5, 1993MiamiUnited StatesJames L. Knight Center14,200 / 14,200$491,150
July 6, 1993
July 8, 1993
July 11, 1993ViennaFilene Center14,170 / 14,170$360,160
July 12, 1993
July 14, 1993MansfieldGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts19,000 / 19,900 $995,000
July 15, 1993
July 20, 1993New York CityRadio City Music Hall28,720 / 28,720$1,458,025
July 21, 1993
July 23, 1993
July 24, 1993
July 26, 1993
July 28, 1993Atlantic CityCopa Room12,000 / 12,000$791,112
July 30, 1993
July 31, 1993
August 1, 1993
August 3, 1993
August 4, 1993
Europe
August 13, 1993CopenhagenDenmarkParken Stadium38,065 / 38,065$3,806,500
August 15, 1993KoldingKolding Stadion10,000 / 10,000$855,600
North America[18]
August 22, 1993Los AngelesUnited StatesHollywood Bowl17,006 / 17,006$625,030
August 23, 1993San DiegoEmbarcadero Marina Park South4,567 / 4,700$392,762
August 25, 1993CerritosCerritos Center for the Performing Arts5,163 / 5,163$473,275
August 27, 1993
August 28, 1993
Asia
September 1, 1993OsakaJapanOsaka-jō Hall31,897 / 32,000$2,870,730
September 2, 1993
September 6, 1993TokyoNippon Budokan114,056 / 115,768$8,188,381
September 7, 1993
September 9, 1993
September 10, 1993
September 13, 1993
September 14, 1993
September 16, 1993NagoyaNagoya Rainbow Hall10,000 / 10,000$2,500,000
September 17, 1993
September 19, 1993YokohamaYokohama Arena51,000 / 51,000$4,872,710
September 20, 1993
September 22, 1993FukuokaFukuoka Dome38,561 / 38,561$5,784,150
September 24, 1993YokohamaYokohama Arena——
September 27, 1993TokyoNippon Budokan——
September 28, 1993
Europe
October 7, 1993MilanItalyForum di Assagorowspan=34
October 8, 1993
October 10, 1993ZürichSwitzerlandHallenstadion
October 11, 1993
October 13, 1993BerlinGermanyDeutschlandhalle
October 14, 1993
October 16, 1993StockholmSwedenStockholm Globe Arena
October 17, 1993GothenburgScandinavium
October 19, 1993OsloNorwayOslo Spektrum
October 22, 1993HeerenveenNetherlandsThialf
October 23, 1993MaastrichtMECC Maastricht
October 25, 1993FrankfurtGermanyFesthalle Frankfurt
October 27, 1993BirminghamUnited KingdomNEC Arena
October 28, 1993
October 30, 1993
October 31, 1993SheffieldSheffield Arena
November 2, 1993
November 3, 1993
November 5, 1993LondonEarls Court Exhibition Centre
November 6, 1993
November 7, 1993
November 9, 1993DublinIrelandPoint Theatre
November 10, 1993
November 12, 1993GhentBelgiumFlanders Expo
November 15, 1993MadridSpainPalacio de los Deportes
November 18, 1993MetzFranceGalaxie de Metz
November 19, 1993StuttgartGermanyHanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
November 21, 1993LinzAustriaLinzer Sporthalle
November 23, 1993MunichGermanyOlympiahalle
November 24, 1993DortmundWestfalenhalle
November 26, 1993RotterdamNetherlandsRotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis
November 27, 1993
November 29, 1993ParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
November 30, 1993
South America
January 16, 1994São PauloBrazilEstádio do Morumbirowspan=7
January 18, 1994
January 23, 1994Rio de JaneiroPraça da Apoteose
April 14, 1994SantiagoChileEstadio San Carlos de Apoquindo
April 16, 1994Buenos AiresArgentinaEstadio José Amalfitani
April 17, 1994
April 21, 1994CaracasVenezuelaPoliedro de Caracas
North America[19]
April 24, 1994San JuanPuerto RicoHiram Bithorn Stadium14,323 / 20,651$685,845
June 17, 1994HartfordUnited StatesHartford Civic Centerrowspan=7
June 19, 1994UniondaleNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 23, 1994PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum
June 24, 1994ProvidenceProvidence Civic Center
June 26, 1994RichfieldRichfield Coliseum
June 27, 1994Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills
June 29, 1994FairbornNutter Center
July 1, 1994MinneapolisTarget Center12,406 / 14,395$486,645
July 2, 1994RosemontRosemont Horizonrowspan=19
July 5, 1994AtlantaOmni Coliseum
July 7, 1994LafayetteCajundome
July 11, 1994DenverMcNichols Sports Arena
July 13, 1994Las CrucesPan American Center
August 12, 1994Las VegasMGM Grand Garden Arena
August 14, 1994San JoseSan Jose Arena
August 16, 1994PortlandMemorial Coliseum
August 17, 1994Tacoma
August 19, 1994SacramentoARCO Arena
August 21, 1994AnaheimArrowhead Pond of Anaheim
August 23, 1994PhoenixAmerica West Arena
August 25, 1994HoustonThe Summit
September 1, 1994Atlantic CityCopa Room
September 3, 1994
September 4, 1994
September 7, 1994
September 9, 1994
September 10, 1994
September 16, 1994New York CityRadio City Music Hall39,607 / 39,607$2,668,940
September 17, 1994
September 20, 1994
September 21, 1994
September 27, 1994
September 28, 1994
September 30, 1994
Africa
November 8, 1994DurbanSouth AfricaKings Park Stadiumrowspan=3
November 12, 1994JohannesburgEllis Park Stadium
November 19, 1994Cape TownGreen Point Stadium
Total698,671 / 708,520$60,000,000
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
  • Summer Pops Series[20]
  • Hollywood Rock[21]
    Cancellations and rescheduled shows
    <--Date--><--City, (State or Country) --><--Venue--><--Reason/Additional Info-->
    November 16, 1993Barcelona, SpainPalau Sant JordiCancelled[22]
    July 8, 1994Houston, TexasThe SummitRescheduled for August 25, 1994[23]
    July 15, 1994San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego Sports ArenaCancelled
    July 16, 1994Anaheim, CaliforniaArrowhead Pond of AnaheimRescheduled for August 21, 1994[24]
    July 18, 1994Phoenix, ArizonaAmerica West ArenaRescheduled for August 23, 1994
    July 19, 1994Las Vegas, NevadaMGM Grand Garden ArenaRescheduled for August 12, 1994[25]
    July 21, 1994San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose ArenaRescheduled for August 14, 1994
    July 25, 1994Tacoma, WashingtonTacoma DomeRescheduled to August 17, 1994
    July 27, 1994Sacramento, CaliforniaARCO ArenaRescheduled for August 19, 1994
    September 23, 1994New York City, New YorkRadio City Music HallRescheduled to September 28, 1994[26]
    September 24, 1994New York City, New YorkRadio City Music HallRescheduled to September 30, 1994

    1.:Figures reported for the concerts held in New York City, July 1993.

    Touring personnel

    Band:

    Background vocalists:

    Tour management:

    Crew:

    Source:[15] [27]

    Broadcasting and recordings

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: MUSIC REVIEWS; Whitney Houston; Kenny G. . Cox, Dan . July 18, 1994 . Variety. Variety Media, LLC. November 3, 2015.
    2. Web site: Houston Had Miscarriage While On Tour Last Week . July 14, 1994 . . . February 16, 2015.
    3. "List of world's richest entertainers". Reuters News. September 11, 1994.
    4. Holden, Stephen. "For Whitney Houston, Showy Doesn't Count: The Show Is the Voice". New York Times. June 22, 1993. Page C11.
    5. Carter, Kevin L. "Whitney Houston Sings With Passion, Her Voice Has Matured, and She's a Waif No More." Philadelphia Inquirer. June 30, 1993. Page 32.
    6. Peterson, Karla. "Whitney slim, but act expands nicely". San Diego Union – Tribune. August 25, 1993. Page E7.
    7. McCoy, Frank Milton. "Whitney Captivates Bowl Audience". The Sentinel. September 2, 1993. Page B4.
    8. Catlin, Roger. "In Hartford, Whitney Houston is Trouble Free. Hartford Courant. June 18, 1994. Page D4.
    9. Robbins, Ira. "Whitney's Story, And Some of Her Songs, Too". Newsday. July 22, 1993. Page 58.
    10. Beam, Jon. "Whitney's musical personality shines through on stage". Minneapolis Star Tribune. July 2, 1994. Page B3.
    11. News: Chris William. POP MUSIC REVIEW: Houston Finds Voice by Getting Personal. The Los Angeles Times. August 23, 1994. March 10, 2006.
    12. Web site: POP REVIEWS Part Divas, Part Goddesses: 2 Women of Glamour and Music; Whitney Houston At Radio City. . Pareles, Jon . September 19, 1994 . New York Times. New York Times Company. November 2, 2017.
    13. Robbins, Ira. "Whitney's Family Affair". Newsday. September 19, 1994. Page B.02.
    14. News: Smoothe Sylk . Hudson, Alexia . . July 8, 1994 .
    15. Web site: Review: 'Whitney Houston' . August 25, 1993 . . February 16, 2015.
    16. Web site: Whitney Houston Sings With Passion Her Voice Has Matured, and She's A Waif No More . Carter, Kevin L. . July 30, 1993 . . February 16, 2015.
    17. North American 1st Leg Boxcore Data:
    18. North American 2nd Leg Boxcore Data:
    19. North American 3rd Leg Boxscore Data:
    20. Web site: Summer Splash : A Short-Form Guide to the Season's Events . May 30, 1993 . . February 16, 2015.
    21. Paiano, Enor. March 5, 1994. Brazilian Fests Prosper Despite Overlap. Billboard. 106. 10. New York City. BPI Communications. 0006-2510. February 16, 2015. 39.
    22. News: Foxx stands up for substance . Blowman, Michael . . November 18, 1993 . 70.
    23. News: Houston Postpones Eight Concerts . . July 21, 1994 . E3.
    24. Web site: Houston Concert Postponed . July 19, 1994 . . February 16, 2015.
    25. Web site: Throat Problems Forces Whitney Houston to Postpone 8 Shows Until August . APNews . July 18, 1994 . . Associated Press News . February 16, 2015.
    26. Web site: A CASE OF THE FLU FLOORS SINGER AND HER SCHEDULE . September 25, 1994 . . February 16, 2015.
    27. Whitney Houston "The Bodyguard Summer-Fall Tour 1993" Itinerary (July 1993). Smart Art: Santa Monica, CA 1993.

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