| Concert Tour Name: | The Greatest Love World Tour |
| Type: | World |
| Location: | North America • Europe • Asia • Oceania |
| Artist: | Whitney Houston |
| Album: | Whitney Houston |
| Start Date: | July 26, 1986 |
| End Date: | December 1, 1986 |
| Number Of Legs: | 4 |
| Gross: | $5 million ($ in dollars) (North America leg) |
| Last Tour: | US Summer Tour (1985) |
| This Tour: | The Greatest Love World Tour (1986) |
| Next Tour: | Moment of Truth World Tour (1987–88) |
The Greatest Love World Tour was the debut worldwide concert tour by American singer Whitney Houston, in support of her debut studio album Whitney Houston. The four-month tour began in North America on July 26, 1986 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion with an itinerary that included visits in Europe, Japan and Australia.
See main article: US Summer Tour.
Houston's debut album was released in early 1985 and she performed at various clubs to promote the album. Following the success of the US #1 R&B hit single "You Give Good Love", Houston became the opening act for singers' Luther Vandross and Jeffrey Osborne on their individual 1985 US tours.[1] After the next single, "Saving All My Love For You" became Houston's first #1 on the US Hot 100, she began headlining her own shows, playing at various American theaters, festivals, and clubs throughout the summer and fall of 1985.[2] With more #1 hits on the way, and Houston's album at the top of the album charts, she would become a household name. She then embarked on her first worldwide tour, the successful The Greatest Love Tour. The tour started in North America during the summer of 1986, before heading to Europe, Japan, Australia and back to USA for a final show in Hawaii during the fall.
The show consisted of Houston on a fringed round stage in the center of the arena/theater with a 9-piece band playing and four backup vocalists behind her.[1] There were no costume changes or background dancers. Brother Gary Garland would replace Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass on the duets. Comedian Sylvia Traymore served as the opening act.
While on her first global tour, Houston revealed she was a creative musician; rearranging most of the songs during her shows and sometimes deviating from the album's version. In "You Give Good Love", Houston would slow it down and emphasize the soulful elements of the song, treating it like a gospel number while breaking it down with her background singers.[3] During "Saving All My Love", Houston arranged the song into a bluesy jazz number that recalled Billie Holiday. Houston often scatted with sax player Josh Harris during the end of the song.[3] Many critics noted "He/I Believe" and "I Am Changing" as the show's highlights. The former is a song she learned from her mother which joins the gospel songs "He Is" with "I Believe". The latter is a cover of the show Jennifer Holliday's show stopping Dreamgirls song.[3] After opening the show with a tease of the anthemic "Greatest Love of All", Houston closed out the show with a slowed down soulful version of the song.
Billboard magazine's Carlo Wolff said the following on his column for her show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 28, 1986.
Sylvia Morrison from Washington, DC, is the first black female impressionist/comedian.[4]
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America[6] [7] [8] | ||||||
| July 26, 1986 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion | 13,000 / 13,000 | $176,267 | |
| July 28, 1986 | Saratoga Springs | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | 20,000 / 20,000 | $218,735 | ||
| July 29, 1986 | Boston | Boston Common | 37,000 / 37,000 | $667,065 | ||
| July 31, 1986 | ||||||
| August 1, 1986 | ||||||
| August 2, 1986 | Wantagh | Jones Beach Marine Theater | 20,600 / 20,600 | $376,326 | ||
| August 4, 1986 | Holmdel Township | Garden State Arts Center | 10,600 / 10,600 | $156,647 | ||
| August 6, 1986 | Wantagh | Jones Beach Marine Theater | ||||
| August 10, 1986 | Atlanta | Chastain Park Amphitheater | 12,702 / 12,702 | $259,545 | ||
| August 11, 1986 | ||||||
| August 12, 1986 | Nashville | Starwood Amphitheatre | ||||
| August 14, 1986 | Cincinnati | Riverbend Music Center | 16,289 / 16,289 | $251,000 | ||
| August 15, 1986 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 15,600 / 15,600 | $156,310 | ||
| August 16, 1986 | Indianapolis | Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum | 16,287 / 16,287 | $225,965 | ||
| August 18, 1986 | Cuyahoga Falls | Blossom Music Center | ||||
| August 19, 1986 | Pine Knob Music Theatre | rowspan=2 | ||||
| August 20, 1986 | ||||||
| August 22, 1986 | Toronto | Canada | CNE Grandstand | 25,370 / 25,370 | $465,286 | |
| August 24, 1986 | Ottawa | Lansdowne Park | rowspan=5 | |||
| August 26, 1986 | Montreal | Montreal Forum | ||||
| August 27, 1986 | Philadelphia | United States | Mann Music Center | |||
| August 30, 1986 | Hoffman Estates | Poplar Creek Music Theater | ||||
| August 31, 1986 | ||||||
| September 1, 1986 | St. Louis | Municipal Theatre of St. Louis | 9,846 / 9,846 | $189,980 | ||
| September 7, 1986 | Syracuse | New York State Fairgrounds | ||||
| September 8, 1986 | Morrison | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | 8,950 / 8,950 | $203,854 | ||
| September 12, 1986 | Sacramento | Cal Expo Amphitheatre | 8,273 / 8,500 | $144,778 | ||
| September 13, 1986 | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 15,211 / 15,211 | $256,782 | |||
| September 14, 1986 | Concord | Concord Pavilion | 8,333 / 8,333 | $152,485 | ||
| September 16, 1986 | Fresno | Selland Arena | 5,908 / 5,908 | $99,715 | ||
| September 18, 1986 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | 9,051 / 9,051 | $172,092 | ||
| September 19, 1986 | Costa Mesa | Pacific Amphitheatre | 13,946 / 18,764 | $294,954 | ||
| September 21, 1986 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | rowspan=2 | |||
| September 23, 1986 | ||||||
| Europe | ||||||
| October 10, 1986 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | rowspan=6 | ||
| October 11, 1986 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | |||
| October 17, 1986 | London | England | Wembley Arena | |||
| October 19, 1986 | ||||||
| October 20, 1986 | ||||||
| October 25, 1986 | Glasgow | Scotland | SECC | |||
| Asia | ||||||
| November 4, 1986 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Festival Hall | rowspan=7 | ||
| November 5, 1986 | Osaka-jō Hall | |||||
| November 6, 1986 | Nagoya | |||||
| November 8, 1986 | Yokohama | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium | ||||
| November 10, 1986 | Tokyo | Nippon Budokan | ||||
| November 11, 1986 | ||||||
| November 12, 1986 | ||||||
| Oceania | ||||||
| November 15, 1986 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre | rowspan=4 | ||
| November 16, 1986 | ||||||
| November 17, 1986 | ||||||
| November 25, 1986 | Melbourne | Melbourne Entertainment Centre | ||||
| North America[9] | ||||||
| November 30, 1986 | Honolulu | United States | Blaisdell Arena | 17,600 / 17,600 | $362,313 | |
| December 1, 1986 | ||||||
| Total | 285,066 / 290,011 | $4,830,072 | ||||
| < | --Date--> | < | --Location--> | < | --Venue--> | < | --Reason/Additional Info--> |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28, 1986 | Geddes, New York | State Fair Grandstand | Rescheduled for September 7, 1986[10] | ||||
| November 19, 1986 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Cancelled[11] | ||||
| November 20, 1986 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Cancelled | ||||
| November 23, 1986 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | Cancelled | ||||
| November 24, 1986 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | |||||
| November 26, 1986 | Perth, Australia | Perth Entertainment Centre | Cancelled | ||||
| November 27, 1986 | Sydney, Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre | Cancelled | ||||
Houston and John Simmons were friends from their church in New Jersey. While Houston was trying to get a recording contract, she would perform sets as part of her mother's nightclub act in New York City. Simmons was her musical director. Houston asked Simmons to put together a band that would back her during her nightclub act and record label showcases.[12] The tour manager was Tony Bulluck, who remained her tour manager on several of her tours later, including the Nothing but Love Tour. Rickey Minor and Whitney's brother Gary Houston remained band members throughout her touring career.
| < | --Ticket price--> | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| July 26, 1986 | Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD | $16.50 / $11.50 | |
| July 28, 1986 | Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY | $15 / $10 | |
| July 29, 31, August 1, 1986 | Boston Common, Boston, MA | $19.50 / $17.50 | |
| August 2, 6, 1986 | Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, New York | $22 / $20.50 / $17.50 | |
| August 4, 1986 | Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ | $18.50 / $11 | |
| August 10, 11, 1986 | Chastain Park, Atlanta, GA | $22 / $20.50 / $17.50 | |
| August 14, 1986 | Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH | $20 / $11.50 | |
| August 15, 1986 | Freedom Hall | Freedom Hall Arena, Louisville, KY | $10 |
| August 16, 1986 | Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, IN | $14.50 / $12.50 | |
| August 22, 1986 | CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario | $23.50 / $19.50 | |
| September 1, 1986 | The Muny, St. Louis, MO | $20.50 / $18.50 / $16.50 | |
| September 8, 1986 | Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO | $24.40 / $22 / $19.80 | |
| September 12, 1986[13] | California Exposition & State Fair, Sacramento, CA | $17.50 | |
| September 13, 1986 | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA | $18.50 / $15.50 | |
| September 14, 1986 | Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA | $22.50 / $15.50 | |
| September 16, 1986 | Fresno Convention Center, Fresno, CA | $17.50 | |
| September 18, 1986 | San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA | $25 / $18.50 | |
| September 19, 1986 | Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA | $24.75 / $15 | |
| November 30, December 1, 1986 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, HI | $22.50 / $17.50 | |