Ciara: Live in Concert

Ciara: Live in Concert
Promotional poster for the Nokia Theatre show
Tour by Ciara
Associated album	Ciara: The Evolution
Start date	October 26, 2006 (2006-10-26)
End date	December 10, 2006 (2006-12-10)
Legs	1
Shows	16
Ciara tour chronology
Ciara: Live in Concert (2006) Screamfest '07 (2007)

Ciara: Live in Concert was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Ciara. It supported her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution (2006) and visited venues in the United States and Canada. The 16-city club tour began on October 26 and ended on December 10, 2006. The tour previewed previously unheard tracks from the then-upcoming Ciara: The Evolution, and Ciara described the tour as an exclusive event for fans to showcase the album's musical direction. Ciara: Live in Concert was accompanied by various radio concerts and a show with The Black Eyed Peas.

The tour's set list consisted of songs from Ciara's albums Goodies (2004) and Ciara: The Evolution, along with three featured singles. The show held at Nokia Theatre in New York City was broadcast via live streaming on AOL Music's website, and later made available on demand. The tour received mixed reviews; critics were divided regarding the pre-recorded backing tracks and remarked that she was slightly under-prepared to host her own headlining tour, but ultimately praised her energetic choreography.

Background

Ciara: Live in Concert was announced by Jive Records on October 10, 2006 via a press release. The tour was Ciara's first headlining tour, following performances as the opening act for Gwen Stefani at the Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005). Ciara: Live in Concert previewed previously unheard tracks from Ciara's then-upcoming second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution. It began on October 26, 2006, at the club Love in Washington, D.C. and ended on December 10 at the Nokia Theatre in New York City. The tour was accompanied by several radio concerts and a show with the The Black Eyed Peas on the Monkey Business Tour in Los Angeles on December 1, 2006. AOL Music LIVE! announced on December 8, 2006 that it would broadcast Ciara's concert at the Nokia Theatre. The concert was available worldwide for free via live streaming on AOL Music's website, and could be accessed via an on demand service when the show had ended. Regarding the tour, Ciara stated:

Previewing the new record in a small setting gives my fans an exclusive experience where they can truly hear and see exactly where I'm going with Ciara: The Evolution. It's about so much more than just my personal growth — it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion. I want to bring a taste of all that to the fans in a one-on-one environment to get them excited for [the album].

Concert synopsis

Ciara performing at the House of Blues in San Diego

The set list consisted of songs from Ciara: The Evolution and her debut studio album Goodies (2004). As featured artists did not appear on the tour, their part of the songs were edited out, namely on "Oh" and "That's Right" and the featured singles "Like You" by Bow Wow and "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott. The show began with Ciara appearing on a platform one story above the stage floor. She started with her debut single "Goodies", which was quickly followed by "Oh". The tempo of "Make It Last Forever" was increased, and the dancers performed "old-school" breakdancing. The performance ended with Ciara and her dancers freezing in "Vogue poses". While performing "Lose Control", she took off her shirt and revealed a silver bra underneath. Her male dancers also took their shirts off. For "Like a Boy", Ciara and her female dancers switched to military-style clothing and performed male-oriented choreography, living up to the song's theme of acting "like a boy". Later in the show came "Promise", for which Ciara recreated dance moves from the song's music video while sporting black pants, a jacket and a hoodie. She ended the song by lying face down while pounding on the stage with her fists. No musicians appeared on stage throughout the show and Ciara wore a headset microphone to fully focus on her dance moves.

Critical reception

"It may have been a 45-minute infomercial for her sophomore release, 'Evolution', but Ciara's explosive display of crunk was a minispectacle in its own right. Assisted by the acrobatics of eight dancers, the 21-year-old singer tirelessly spun out the grooves ..."

—Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Bill White of Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote that due to Ciara's high energy, "it hardly mattered that she was singing to backing tracks". Regarding the pre-recorded vocals, White said: "Usually this type of performance seems cut-rate and dishonest, but Ciara, with the help of slick lighting and sharp choreography, made it work." While reviewing the show in Allentown, Pennsylvania, The Morning Call's Dalondo Moultrie wrote that Ciara "put on one of the best performances I have seen yet at [Crocodile Rock]". Moultrie called her dance steps "incredible", noting that it was in sync with the music, "each pelvic thrust or body-bending twist" and the periodic bursts of lights. In conclusion, Moultrie praised the concert and its "high-energy songs, sexy dance moves, flawless vocals and a top-flight light show".

Vincent Jackson of The Press of Atlantic City wrote that Ciara "exhibited a great deal of self-confidence during the course of the night". Jackson commented that Ciara is a "limited vocalist", stating that she made a "good decision to put most of her energy into her almost nonstop, aerobic dance performance". Newsday critic Glenn Gamboa was more mixed, writing that "Pop concerts require strong personalities and, at 21, Ciara hasn't quite perfected hers yet". Gamboa called the show "as slick as an ice patch and often just as cool", but noted that sometimes Ciara "got dwarfed by her surroundings" of eight dancers and recorded backing vocals. Gamboa ultimately praised the up-tempo songs and "Promise", but criticized the ballad "I'm Just Me" for "nearly halt[ing]" the set. Gamboa ended on a more positive note, writing that "Ciara shows that she is well on her way to becoming a superstar herself". Jon Gilbertson of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was largely critical of the show and criticized Ciara for relying on backing tracks, stating that she failed to stand out as none of the songs "brought forth any recognizable vocal signatures".

Set list

1. "Goodies"
2. "Oh"
3. "Make It Last Forever"
4. "Thug Style"
5. Medley: "So What"/"Like You"/"Lose Control"
6. "Like a Boy"
7. "Hotline"
8. "I'm Just Me"
9. "Promise"
10. "That's Right"
11. "1, 2 Step"
12. "Get Up"

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
North America
October 26, 2006	Washington, D.C.	United States	Love
October 28, 2006	Allentown		Crocodile Rock
November 1, 2006	Toronto	Canada	Guvernment
November 3, 2006	Indianapolis	United States	Vogue
November 4, 2006	Milwaukee		The Rave
November 5, 2006	Chicago		House of Blues
November 7, 2006	Denver		Fillmore Auditorium
November 9, 2006	Park City		Harry O's
November 11, 2006	Claremont		Claremont College
November 12, 2006	San Diego		House of Blues
November 13, 2006	Anaheim
November 15, 2006	Seattle		Moore Theatre
November 18, 2006	Las Vegas		House of Blues
November 19, 2006	Tempe		Marquee Theatre
December 7, 2006	Atlanta		Center Stage
December 10, 2006	New York City		Nokia Theatre