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Watch the Throne Tour

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Watch the Throne Tour
Tour by Jay-Z and Kanye West
Associated albumWatch the Throne
Start dateOctober 29, 2011 (2011-10-29)
End dateJune 22, 2012 (2012-06-22)
Legs2
No. of shows57
Box office$75.4 million ($100.07 million in 2023 dollars)[1]
Jay-Z tour chronology
The Home & Home Tour
(2010) 		Watch the Throne Tour
(2011–12) 		Legends of the Summer
(2013)
Kanye West tour chronology
Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga
(2009–10; cancelled) 		Watch the Throne Tour
(2011–12) 		The Yeezus Tour
(2013–14)

The Watch the Throne Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West[2] that began on October 28, 2011 in Atlanta and continued until June 22, 2012 with its final show scheduled in Birmingham.[3] Originally scheduled for 23 performances, the tour was expanded to 34 performances in North America due to heavy demand for tickets; 29 shows were confirmed in the United States with 5 shows in Canada. Following massive success in the United States and Canada, Jay-Z & Kanye West announced the European leg of the tour on February 21, 2012 which featured 23 performances, bringing the number of shows to 57 at the time.[4]

Following the Glow in the Dark Tour, it marks West's first concert tour after four years, excluding his ultimately cancelled tour, Fame Kills with Lady Gaga. It follows Jay-Z's opening act for U2 at the U2 360° Tour and his The Home & Home Tour with Eminem. The concert, which has no opening act of its own, is in support of West and Jay-Z's 2011 album, Watch the Throne, with most of the album's track-list performed, such as singles "Otis", "Lift Off", "Niggas in Paris" and concert opener "H•A•M". Additional West singles like "Gold Digger", "Stronger", "Heartless" and "All of the Lights" and Jay-Z singles like "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "99 Problems", "Run This Town", and "Empire State of Mind" are also performed.[5][6]

The critical and box office performance of the tour received rave reviews, with critics praising the production value, the elaborate stage design, and the large string of successful singles featured. The tour had very little promotion before its premiere, with the exception being behind-the-scene concert footage sponsored by Voyr.[7] It grossed $48.3 million in North America in 2011[8] and $25.4 million in Europe in 2012.[9]

Synopsis

The show begins with West and Jay-Z "emerging on two cube-shaped mini stages to the operatic sounds of "H•A•M".[10] Following that, "Who Gon Stop Me" is the next song, with "Otis" being performed with "a Givenchy – designed American flag flashing on the stage's main screens" after an extended introduction using "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding.[11] Afterwards, Kanye leaves the stage, and Jay-Z performs songs like "Where I'm From" and "Empire State of Mind", encouraging the audience to sing along.[11][12] Kanye returns to the stage afterwards, performing his own songs like "Power", "Touch the Sky", and "Gold Digger", eventually with the two of them performing songs together, like "Run This Town", "Monster" and the remix of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", where Jay-Z repeatedly told the crowd to "put your diamonds up", the sign for Roc Nation.[11][12]

Mixing hits from both artists discographies, like "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Good Life", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "99 Problems", the show then segues into West performing "Runaway" and "Heartless", which has been described as "emotional highlight of the show".[10][11] The most energetic part of the show has been reported to be during "Niggas in Paris", with "the track's Will Ferrell intro ("We're gonna skate to one song and one song only") brought on the moment that everyone was waiting for."[11] "Niggas in Paris" was originally performed three times in a row, but as the tour progressed, the song was regularly performed up to ten times in succession, with the record being 11 times in Paris, France.[13] Following other Watch the Throne tracks like "No Church in the Wild" and "Lift Off", the show ends with "Encore" and an inspirational rendition of "Made in America", complete with images of Martin Luther King Jr. and "sweet brother" Malcolm X flashing on the big screen.[11] USA Today described the stage design:

This show was visually spectacular. There was a main, T-shaped stage where both entertainers performed together, and also two cube-shaped mini stages, one at each end of the arena, that rose and lowered at various points during the show. West and Jay-Z performed separately on these cubes, which showed various images (a snarling Rottweiler, a swimming shark) at different points of the show. Fireballs the size of car tires shot from the floor toward the ceiling during some performances. Two large video screens behind the main stage showed appropriate images during the performances; a virtually non-stop laser light show added to the oomph factor.[12]

Reception

West and Jay-Z on in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Critical reception towards the tour was positive. MTV News gave the opening show a good review, writing "While the WTT album has been noted for its opulent displays of wealth, Hov and Yeezy's show will be marked by the duo's overabundance of hit records."[11] USA Today praised the duo's ability to get the audience excited, stating "at one point, as Jay-Z and West performed Niggas in Paris from their new hit CD, "Watch the Throne", West exhorted the audience to "Bounce! Bounce!" The resulting stomping had Philips Arena rocking and shaking in a way that it hasn't for the Hawks in a long time."[12] Rap-Up mused "it was a crowning moment for Jay-Z and Kanye West as they kicked off the Watch the Throne tour to a packed house at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The hip-hop kings, collectively known as The Throne, opened the most anticipated hip-hop tour of the year with a bang."[10] Idolator stated that the tour featured "an epic set list that featured selections from each artist's own behemoth catalog of hits as well as their Watch The Throne collaborations."[14] The tour has grossed $48.3 million so far by the end of 2011, making it the highest grossing hip-hop tour and the eighth highest-grossing tour of 2011.[15] In 2017, Rolling Stone listed it in its list of "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years".[16] In 2019, Consequence of Sound named it the third best tour of the 2010s.[17] The tour won best live stage show at the 2012 International Laser Display Association Awards [18]

In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, comedian Chris Rock said;

"This might be the greatest show I ever saw. It's the equivalent of the Billy Joel-Elton John tour, but if they did it in 1979, when the songs were hot!"[19]

Setlists

Kanye West singles like "Jesus Walks", "Gold Digger", "Stronger", "Good Life", "Heartless", "All of the Lights", and "Runaway" were performed during the tour.
Jay-Z singles like "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)", "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "99 Problems", "Dirt off Your Shoulder", "Run This Town", and "Empire State of Mind" were performed during the tour.

North America

  1. "H•A•M"
  2. "Who Gon Stop Me"
  3. "Otis"
  4. "Welcome to the Jungle"
  5. "Gotta Have It"
  6. "Where I'm From"
  7. "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)"
  8. "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
  9. "Jesus Walks"
  10. "All Falls Down"
  11. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
  12. "Public Service Announcement"
  13. "U Don't Know"
  14. "Run This Town"
  15. "Monster"
  16. "Power"
  17. "Murder to Excellence"
  18. "New Day"
  19. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
  20. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
  21. "Good Life"
  22. "Empire State of Mind"
  23. "Runaway"
  24. "Heartless"
  25. "Stronger"
  26. "On to the Next One"
  27. "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
  28. "Touch the Sky"
  29. "All of the Lights"
  30. "Big Pimpin'"
  31. "Gold Digger"
  32. "99 Problems"
  33. "No Church in the Wild"
  34. "Lift Off"
  35. "Niggas in Paris" (several times)
Encore
  1. "Encore"
  2. "Made in America"
  3. "Why I Love You"

[5]

Europe

  1. "H•A•M"
  2. "Who Gon Stop Me"
  3. "Otis"
  4. "Welcome to the Jungle"
  5. "Gotta Have It"
  6. "Where I'm From"
  7. "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)"
  8. "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
  9. "All Falls Down"
  10. "Flashing Lights"
  11. "Jesus Walks"
  12. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"(Remix)
  13. "Public Service Announcement"
  14. "U Don't Know"
  15. "Run This Town"
  16. "Monster"
  17. "Power"
  18. "New Day"
  19. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
  20. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
  21. "Empire State of Mind"
  22. "Runaway"
  23. "Heartless"
  24. "Stronger"
  25. "On to the Next One"
  26. "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
  27. "I Just Wanna Love U"
  28. "That's My Bitch"
  29. "Good Life"
  30. "Touch the Sky"
  31. "All of the Lights"
  32. "Big Pimpin'"
  33. "Gold Digger"
  34. "99 Problems"
  35. "No Church in the Wild"
  36. "Lift Off"
  37. Niggas in Paris
Encore
  1. "Niggas in Paris" (several times)

[6]

Tour dates

The duo performed two shows at the historic Madison Square Garden on November 7 and 8.
Two Canadian shows of the tour took place at the Air Canada Centre
Date City Country Venue[20]
North America
October 28, 2011 Atlanta United States Philips Arena
October 29, 2011
October 30, 2011 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum Complex
November 1, 2011 Baltimore 1st Mariner Arena
November 2, 2011 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
November 3, 2011 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
November 5, 2011 East Rutherford Izod Center
November 6, 2011
November 7, 2011 New York City Madison Square Garden
November 8, 2011
November 14, 2011 Sunrise BankAtlantic Center
November 15, 2011 Miami American Airlines Arena
November 18, 2011 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
November 19, 2011 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
November 21, 2011 Boston TD Garden
November 22, 2011 Montreal Canada Bell Centre
November 23, 2011 Toronto Air Canada Centre
November 24, 2011
November 26, 2011 Auburn Hills United States The Palace of Auburn Hills
November 27, 2011 Pittsburgh Consol Energy Center
November 29, 2011 Kansas City Sprint Center
November 30, 2011 Chicago United Center
December 1, 2011
December 3, 2011 New Orleans New Orleans Arena
December 5, 2011 Houston Toyota Center
December 6, 2011 Dallas American Airlines Center
December 9, 2011 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena
December 11, 2011 Los Angeles Staples Center
December 12, 2011
December 13, 2011
December 14, 2011 San Jose HP Pavilion
December 16, 2011 Tacoma Tacoma Dome
December 17, 2011 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena
December 18, 2011
Europe
May 18, 2012 London England The O2 Arena
May 19, 2012
May 20, 2012
May 21, 2012
May 22, 2012
May 24, 2012 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
May 26, 2012 Herning Denmark Jyske Bank Boxen
May 28, 2012 Oslo Norway Telenor Arena
May 29, 2012 Stockholm Sweden Ericsson Globe
May 30, 2012 Malmö Malmö Arena
June 1, 2012 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
June 2, 2012
June 3, 2012 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis
June 5, 2012 Frankfurt Germany Festhalle Frankfurt
June 8, 2012 Dublin Ireland The O2
June 9, 2012
June 11, 2012 Manchester England Manchester Arena
June 12, 2012
June 13, 2012 Birmingham LG Arena
June 15, 2012 Arnhem Netherlands GelreDome
June 16, 2012 Cologne Germany Lanxess Arena
June 18, 2012 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
June 21, 2012 Sheffield England Motorpoint Arena
June 22, 2012 Birmingham LG Arena

Box office score data

Venue City Tickets sold / available Gross revenue
Philips Arena Atlanta 27,330 / 27,330 (100%) $2,888,792[21]
1st Mariner Arena Baltimore 10,758 / 10,758 (100%) $961,108[22][failed verification]
Verizon Center Washington, D.C. 14,085 / 14,085 (100%) $1,927,601[23]
Madison Square Garden New York City 27,649 / 27,649 (100%) $4,330,393[24]
BankAtlantic Center Sunrise 11,826 / 11,837 (~100%) $1,217,610[25]
Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville 3,894 / 4,468 (87%) $686,510[23]
Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City 12,746 / 12,746 (100%) $1,601,216[26]
Bell Centre Montreal 10,856 / 10,856 (100%) $1,458,070[26]
Air Canada Centre Toronto 30,503 / 30,503 (100%) $4,109,270[22]
The Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills 14,097 / 14,097 (100%) $1,365,830[27]
Consol Energy Center Pittsburgh 11,957 / 11,957 (100%) $902,105[24]
American Airlines Center Dallas 14,608 / 14,608 (100%) $1,336,187[28]
Staples Center Los Angeles 42,332 / 42,332 (100%) $5,104,455[25]
Tacoma Dome Tacoma 10,861 / 11,443 (94%) $1,088,898[22]
The O2 Arena London 77,117 / 81,955 (94%) $6,705,970[29]
Sportpaleis Antwerp 16,831 / 16,847 (~100%) $982,923[29]
TOTAL 386,445 / 401,244 (96%) $40,079,477

Members

The following individuals were members of the Watch The Throne tour:

Credits

  • Creative Direction & Set Design: Kanye West & Es Devlin[41]
  • Additional Set Design: Bruce Rodgers [41]
  • Lighting Designer: Nick Whitehouse & John McGuire [41]
  • Video Designer: Geodezik [41]

Notes

  • London hosted the most Watch the Throne concerts (5), followed by Los Angeles and Paris (both 3).
  • Rihanna made a special guest appearance on the third date (20 May) in London, performing her vocals on "Run This Town" and "All of the Lights". She is the only artist to have made a guest appearance on the tour.
  • During the last date in London (22 May), Kanye West performed "Mercy" live for the first time.
  • During the last date in Paris (18 June), at the 'Palais Omnisports de Bercy', they set a record, performing "Niggas in Paris" 12 times during approximately one hour.
  • During the last date in Birmingham (22 June), Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian participated in the crowd mosh pit during the performance of "Niggas in Paris".

References

  1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Markman, Rob (July 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West Announce Watch The Throne Release Date, Tour". MTV News. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  3. ^ "Kanye West and Jay-Z Confirm New North American Watch the Throne Tour Schedule with an Overwhelming Response to Presale Tickets" (Press release). PR Newswire. August 3, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  4. ^ "Jay-Z & Kanye West announce 'Watch the Throne' European tour dates". Hypetrak. February 21, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Bretbaf (October 17, 2011). "Kanye West & Jay-Z Concert Setlist at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA, USA on October 28, 2011". Setlist.fm. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Bretbaf (May 21, 2012). "Kanye West & Jay-Z Concert Setlist at the O2 Arena, London, UK on May 21, 2012". The Independent. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  7. ^ Raymondo, Oscar (October 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  8. ^ "Top 200 North American Tours 2011" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Top 100 Worldwide Tours 2012" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Staff (October 29, 2011). "JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST KICK OFF 'WATCH THE THRONE' TOUR IN ATLANTA". Rap-Up. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Markman, Rob (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". MTV News. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d Copeland, Larry (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye's joint tour opens in Atlanta". USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  13. ^ BET Staff (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West Kick Off Tour". Black Entertainment Television news. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  14. ^ Idolator Staff (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z And Kanye West Kick Off Their Watch The Throne Tour In Atlanta". Idolator. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  15. ^ "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years". Rolling Stone. June 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  17. ^ Tyler Clark (November 8, 2019). "Top 25 Tours of the 2010s". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  18. ^ "2012 ILDA Awards". ILDA. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Paul Grein (December 14, 2011). "Week Ending Dec. 11, 2011. Songs: Mariah's Christmas Gift". Yahoo. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  20. ^ Battan, Carrie (October 17, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye Expand Tour Again". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  21. ^ "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. November 19, 2011. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  22. ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ^ a b "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 46. New York. December 17, 2011. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
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  25. ^ a b "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 124, no. 1. New York. January 7, 2012. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
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  27. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 47. New York. December 24, 2011. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
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  29. ^ a b "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ Rys, Dan (November 11, 2016). "Russell Simmons' All Def Digital Announces Partnership With Che Pope From Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  31. ^ West, Kanye (April 20, 2015). "Kanye West: In His Own Words". PAPER. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  32. ^ Saponara, Michael (August 29, 2018). "6 Things We Learned From Kanye West's Chicago Radio Interview". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  33. ^ Woolf, Jake (November 15, 2013). "Meet Ibn Jasper, Kanye West's Barber Of 19 Years". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  34. ^ Brooks, Dave (March 28, 2018). "Kanye West Splits With Longtime Manager Izzy Zivkovic: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  35. ^ William Cowen, Trace (March 4, 2019). "Virgil Abloh Reflects on DONDA, Off-White, and Been Trill Legacies in Revealing Interview". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
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  37. ^ Leach, Alec (April 19, 2017). "Ex-DONDA and Been Trill Designer Matthew Williams Speaks on Alyx Studio". Highsnobiety. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  38. ^ Penrose, Nerisha (September 28, 2016). "Kanye West Collaborator Elon Rutberg Talks Yeezus Tour Narrative Inspiration". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  39. ^ Pasori, Cedar (November 3, 2014). "How Kanye West's Creative Company DONDA Is Making Its Own Brand of Cool". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  40. ^ Bray, Arthur (May 5, 2017). "Justin Saunders on JJJJound's Vans Collaboration & His Internet Moodboard". Hypebeast. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  41. ^ a b c d "Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne Arena Tour". Es Devlin. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
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