Harajuku Lovers Tour

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Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005
Tour by Gwen Stefani
Associated album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Start date October 16, 2005
End date December 21, 2005
Legs 1
Shows 42 in North America
Gwen Stefani tour chronology
Harajuku Lovers Tour
(2005)		 The Sweet Escape Tour
(2007)

The Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Gwen Stefani . The tour began in October 2005 in support of her debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. The tour coincided with the launch of her Harajuku Lovers line of accessories.

Contents

[edit] Background

Stefani announced a tour to support her first solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., on June 27, 2005, giving details of sixteen dates from October 16 to November 10.[1][2][3] Although it was her first solo tour, she had previously toured extensively as the lead singer of band No Doubt to support their albums No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn and Rock Steady.[4] The announcement on June 27 also included the fact that hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, who are also signed to Interscope Records, would be the opening act for all the announced dates except November 3.[1][2][3] The group, who were backing their album Monkey Business, ended up touring with Stefani until November 14.[5] On August 8, it was announced that singer-songwriter and rapper M.I.A. would take over as the opening act from November 16 to November 25,[6] although it wasn't until August 17 that the extra dates from November 11 to November 25 were officially added to the tour.[7] M.I.A. toured with Stefani, backing her album Arular, until December 1.[5] On September 29, the final set of dates, November 26 to December 21, were added to the tour and it was announced that the third and final opening act for Stefani's tour would be singer Ciara, backing her album Goodies, from December 3 to December 21.[5][8]

Stefani initially did not intend to tour to support the album, responding "What tour?" to a question from MTV News in December 2004 regarding a possible tour.[1] She later mentioned several times that she had not originally intended to tour in support of the album, referring to her "illegal tour" and apologising for her breaking her promise not to tour on stage at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota on November 14[9] and admitting "I just wanted to make a record. I didn't want to tour, I was too tired, then you guys kept buying the record, and I had to come out and see you guys" on stage at Winnipeg on November 16.[10] In a September interview with MTV News,[11] Stefani said of the tour:

I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be unbelievable. [...] I would love to try to roll a little bit of 'Orange County Girl' in there. We'll see. Anything can happen in rehearsals. I don't even know how long the show can be right now.
—Gwen Stefani, Interview with MTV News, September 21, 2005

[edit] Concert synopsis

Stefani opened the show with the song "Harajuku Girls", an ode to Harajuku, the fashion district of Tokyo, Japan.[12][10][13][14] She appeared on stage wearing a tiara and baby doll outfit,[10] sitting in the red velvet and gold throne from the cover of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.[12] and surrounded by her backing dancers, also called the Harajuku Girls, while video images of Harajuku itself played on screens behind her.[15] Her second song was the first single from the album, "What You Waiting For?",[10] which she began as a ballad before bringing it up to its usual pace.[12] Stefani and the Harajuku Girls then left the stage to change into one-piece bathing suits while her band continued to play, before returning to perform "The Real Thing".[10][14] A group of four breakdancers came on stage to perform while Stefani left the stage again to change into a black-and-white leather tracksuit.[10] For the next song, the album's sixth single "Crash", the audience were then dived into male and female halves and, as images of a car hood bouncing to the beat were broadcast, each half took turns to sing the lyric "back it up, back it up".[14][12] Stefani then performed the fourth single from the album, "Luxurious".[14]

Stefani changed outfits again into a pair of black hot pants to perform "Rich Girl", the album's second single,[13] while walking along a catwalk into the crowd and giving fans high-fives.[12] She then sang "Danger Zone" and "Long Way To Go", both intimate songs,[12] before performing two new songs back-to-back: "Wind It Up", which would become the first single from her second album The Sweet Escape, and "Orange County Girl".[14] "Wind It Up" was performed with a carnival vibe and "Orange County Girl" was accompanied by a video montage of childhood photos of Stefani and images of items mentioned in the song.[12] She changed into a silver sequinned cocktail dress for the fourth single from her first album, "Cool".[12][13]

In early performances of the show, Stefani's next song was "Hollaback Girl", the album's third and best-selling single, performed in a drumming costume and singing with the audience. This was followed by an encore of "Serious" and "Bubble Pop Electric", for which Stefani was brought out in a stretcher by the Harajuku Girls.[12] However, in later performances, "Hollaback Girl" was saved for the encore and preceded by the two other songs.[10][14][16]

[edit] Critical reception

Patrick MacDonald of the Seattle Times gave the concert a mixed review. While he praised Stefani's song-writing skills and described the show as "frothy fun" and "[the controversy regarding Stefani's backing dancers] the only serious aspect connected to the show", he criticising Stefani's lack of material, in that she performed only twelve songs from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and two from The Sweet Escape but none from previous work with her band No Doubt, and described half the songs as "eminently forgettable", as well as criticising her perceived inability to dance. He also noted that Stefani changed clothes between every song and said her "performance is as much a fashion show as it is a concert".[17] Rob Williams of the Winnipeg Sun also criticised Stefani's lack of material, calling some of the album tracks "filler", and described her performance as "more style than substance" but admitted that "sometimes the music didn't matter". He complimented Stefani's wide range of costumes, although noting that she left the stage to change her clothes frequently, and praised the "spectacle" of "the choreography, light show, backup dancers and frequent costume changes". He gave the concert three-and-a-half out of five stars.[10]

Mike Ross of the Edmonton Sun gave the concert a positive review, praising Stefani's ability to "engage" and calling her an "effervescent hostess". He called the music "swell" and the dancing "amazing" and a "choreographic tour-de-force". Stefani's different outfits and set pieces won praise and Ross said "you could have enjoyed last night's concert as a fashion show. Or a music video". He gave the concert four stars out of five.[13] Jane Stevenson of the Toronto Sun gave the concert a mixed review. She called Stefani "the new princess of pop" and a "charismatic presence on stage" and praised the way she "commanded the audience". However, she called the performance "definitely of the lightweight variety in the music department" and noted that, although Stefani models herself after Madonna, she is "no real threat". She gave the concert three-and-a-half stars out of five.[14]

Corey Moss of MTV gave the concert a positive review, comparing Stefani's performance to Madonna with regard to "the eight costume changes to the dancers to the theatrics to, hell, even the music itself" and noting that she sounded completely different from how she did with No Doubt. Ross described Stefani's performance as "most captivating thing onstage" "with her confident strut and dead-on vocals".[12] Jon Pareles of The New York Times also gave a positive review for the concert, describing the "glamour and groove" of the show and how Stefani "flaunt[ed] the perks of stardom". He noted her wide variety outfits and how she used the stage as a "catwalk". He praised her music, describing the album "a smart [record], with honed rhythm tracks that flit from funk to pop, electronics to rock", although calling most tracks "superficial", being about "style", "success", "shopping" and "sex".[15]

Jim Harrison of LiveDaily gave the concert a negative review, criticising Stefani's lack of both strong musical material and stage presence. He said that she "doesn't have many songs that translate well in a live setting" from her album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and suggested that she should have included songs by No Doubt for "much-needed shots of adrenaline" for the audience, who were, according to Harrison, "figuratively sitting on their hands and literally yawning four songs into the set". He described Stefani as "truly seemed lost on stage without a band", calling her performance "[lacking in] energy", "lukewarm" and seemingly "on autopilot". He described the concert as a "Britney Spears-worthy extravaganza" with the dancers, music videos, costume changes and stage sets, calling it "utterly unsuitable for both the song selection and her style". However, he did praise the rendition of "Hollaback Girl", calling it "great" and "Gwen being all Gwen can be", and called the breakdancing "pretty cool".[16]

[edit] Opening acts

[edit] Set list

[edit] Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
With opening act The Black Eyed Peas[1][5]
October 16, 2005 Phoenix United States America West Arena
October 18, 2005 San Jose HP Pavilion at San Jose
October 20, 2005 San Diego Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl
October 21, 2005 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl
October 23, 2005 Sacramento ARCO Arena
October 25, 2005 West Valley City E Center
October 26, 2005 Denver Magness Arena
October 28, 2005 Rosemont Allstate Arena
October 29, 2005 Detroit The Palace of Auburn Hills
October 31, 2005 Boston TD Banknorth Garden
November 1, 2005 New York City Madison Square Garden
November 3, 2005 Atlantic City Borgata Events Center
November 5, 2005 Fairfax Patriot Center
November 6, 2005 Philadelphia Wachovia Center
November 8, 2005 Duluth Arena at Gwinnett Center
November 10, 2005 Houston Toyota Center
November 11, 2005 Dallas Reunion Arena
November 13, 2005 Milwaukee Bradley Center
November 14, 2005 St. Paul Xcel Energy Center
With opening act M.I.A.[5][6]
November 16, 2005 Winnipeg Canada MTS Centre
November 18, 2005 Edmonton Rexall Place
November 20, 2005 Vancouver GM Place
November 21, 2005 Seattle United States Key Arena
November 23, 2005 Portland Memorial Coliseum
November 25, 2005 Fresno Save Mart Center
November 26, 2005 Anaheim Honda Center
November 28, 2005
November 29, 2005 Bakersfield Rabobank Arena
December 1, 2005 Oakland Oracle Arena
With opening act Ciara[8]
December 3, 2005 Las Vegas United States Aladdin Hotel & Casino
December 4, 2005 San Diego Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl
December 8, 2005 Cleveland Wolstein Center
December 9, 2005 Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre
December 11, 2005 Montreal Bell Centre
December 12, 2005 Uncasville United States Mohegan Sun Arena
December 14, 2005 Verona Turning Stone Resort & Casino
December 15, 2005 New York City Madison Square Garden
December 17, 2005 Columbus, Ohio Jerome Schottenstein Center
December 18, 2005 Nashville Gaylord Entertainment Center
December 20, 2005 Orlando TD Waterhouse Centre
December 21, 2005 Ft. Lauderdale BankAtlantic Center

[edit] DVD recording

Main article: Harajuku Lovers Live

Gwen Stefani's performance in late November 2005 in her home town of Anaheim, California was recorded and released on DVD as a video album Harajuku Lovers Live.[18] It was released on December 5, 2006, the same release date as Stefani's second album, The Sweet Escape.[19] The DVD was directed by Sophie Muller[20] and produced by Oil Factory Productions.[21] The concert features performances of all twelve songs from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and two new songs from her second studio album, The Sweet Escape, as well as interviews with the musicians and dancers and a documentary of tour preparation.[22][23] The DVD received similar mixed reviews to the concerts themselves. Reviewers praised Stefani's musical performances and stage presence, but criticizing the lack of material and the long costume changes.[24][25][26][27] The DVD was certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association and platinum in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[28][29]

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harajuku Lovers Tour
  1. ^ a b c d e Vineyard, Jennifer (June 27, 2005). "Gwen Stefani To Launch Tour In October, With Black Eyed Peas In Tow". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504735/gwen-stefani-black-eyed-peas-tour.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b United Press International (June 27, 2005). "Stefani announces first solo U.S. tour". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Tribute-Review Publishing Company). http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_347989.html. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Zahlaway, Jon (June 27, 2005). "Gwen Stefani maps fall tour with Black Eyed Peas". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster. http://www.soundspike.com/story2/8343/gwen-stefani-maps-fall-tour-with-black-eyed-peas/. Retrieved December 25, 2011.  Archived at SoundSpike.
  4. ^ "Timeline". No Doubt's official website. http://www.nodoubt.com/band/. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Zahlaway, Jon (September 29, 2005). "Gwen Stefani adds more shows to inaugural solo tour". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster. http://www.soundspike.com/story2/8869/gwen-stefani-adds-more-shows-to-inaugural-solo-tour/. Retrieved December 25, 2011.  Archived at SoundSpike.
  6. ^ a b c Tecson, Brandee J. (August 8, 2005). "M.I.A. Lines Up Tour, Will Open Several Gwen Stefani Shows". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1507137/mia-heading-out-on-tour.jhtml. Retrieved February 2, 2011. 
  7. ^ Madison, Tjames (August 17, 2005). "Gwen Stefani adds dates to fall tour". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster. http://www.soundspike.com/story2/8627/gwen-stefani-adds-dates-to-fall-tour/. Retrieved December 25, 2011.  Archived at SoundSpike.
  8. ^ a b c Tecson, Brandee J.; Moss, Corey (December 2, 2005). "Tours With Gwen, Bow Wow Cap Off A Banner Year For Ciara". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1517307/ciaras-december-tours-with-gwen-bow-wow.jhtml. Retrieved February 2, 2011. 
  9. ^ Raihala, Ross (November 15, 2005). "Stefani offers more style than substance". St. Paul Pioneer Press (Saint Paul, Minnesota). Archived from the original on 15 November 2005. http://www.concertfan.com/gr/2747_Gwen_Stefani_concert_review_Saint_Paul_MN. Retrieved December 26, 2011. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Rob (November 16, 2005). "Clothes minded singer offers more style than substance". Winnipeg Sun (Sun Media). http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Stefani_Gwen/ConcertReviews/2005/11/17/1310654.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011.  Archived at Jam! on November 17, 2005.
  11. ^ MTV News staff report (September 21, 2005). "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen And Pharrell, Metallica, Lindsay Lohan, Beastie Boys, Irv Gotti & More". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510071/gwen-stefani-pops-up-new-pharrell-video.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moss, Corey (October 24, 2005). "Gwen Stefani Brings Solo Show To Hollywood 'Hometown' Crowd". MTV. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1512089/gwen-stefani-brings-solo-show-hollywood.jhtml. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  13. ^ a b c d Ross, Mike (November 18, 2005). "Gwen gone wild". Edmonton Sun (Sun Media). http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Stefani_Gwen/ConcertReviews/2005/11/19/1313627.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011.  Archived at Jam! on November 19, 2005.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Stevenson, Jane (December 9, 2005). "Meet the new princess of pop". Toronto Sun (Sun Media). http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Stefani_Gwen/ConcertReviews/2005/12/10/1346779.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011.  Archived at Jam! on December 10, 2005.
  15. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (November 3, 2005). "A Fashionista Singing About (What Else?) Style". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/arts/music/03gwen.html?_r=1. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  16. ^ a b Harrison, Jim (October 19, 2005). "Live Review: Gwen Stefani in San Jose, CA". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster. http://www.soundspike.com/story2/8976/live-review-gwen-stefani-in-san-jose-ca/. Retrieved December 25, 2011.  Archived at SoundSpike.
  17. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (November 18, 2005). "Gwen Stefani: She sings! She designs! She dances ... uh, um, no". Seattle Times (The Seattle Times Company). http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2002629786_gwen18.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
  18. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (October 23, 2006). "Gwen Stefani's New LP, The Sweet Escape, Set For December". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1543813/20061023/stefani_gwen.jhtml. Retrieved October 5, 2009. 
  19. ^ "Discography". Gwen Stefani's official website. Universal Music Group. http://www.gwenstefani.com/discography/. Retrieved December 26, 2011. 
  20. ^ "Gwen Stefani Unveils New Single". Spin (United States). October 30, 2006. http://www.spin.com/articles/gwen-stefani-unveils-new-single. Retrieved October 5, 2009. 
  21. ^ "Gwen Stefani: Harajuku Lovers Live - Company credits". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188701/companycredits. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  22. ^ "Harajuku Lovers Live". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r936329. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
  23. ^ "Harajuku Lovers Live - Chapters". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/gwen-stefani-harajuku-lovers-live-147222/chapters. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
  24. ^ Goulart, Jodi (December 5, 2006). "Gwen Stefani - Harajuku Lovers Live". Chart Attack. http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/73041/gwen-stefani-harajuku-lovers-live. Retrieved September 24, 2009. 
  25. ^ Revelle, Shawn (December 22, 2006). "Q Media Reviews" (PDF). EXP Magazine (Delaware). http://www.villagelighthouse.com/firstout/documents/first_out_reviews.pdf. Retrieved October 5, 2009.  Note: The source contains a scanned copy of the review in EXP Magazine at villagelighthouse.com.
  26. ^ Mead, Glenn (November 27, 2006). "DVD Review: Gwen Stefani - Harajuku Lovers Live". Manchester Evening News (Manchester). http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/229/229316_dvd_review_gwen_stefani__harajuku_lovers_live_e.html. Retrieved September 24, 2009. 
  27. ^ DJ Pusspuss (January 10, 2008). "Music Beyond Boundaries". San Francisco Bay Times (California). http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=7326. Retrieved October 5, 2009. 
  28. ^ "Accreditations - 2006 DVD". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/ARIACharts-Accreditations-2006DVD.htm. Retrieved September 24, 2009. 
  29. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification - Video Certifications". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.cria.ca/gold/1106_g.php. Retrieved September 24, 2009. 
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