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The Sweet Escape Tour

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The Sweet Escape Tour
Tour by Gwen Stefani
Promotional poster for the tour
Associated albumThe Sweet Escape
Start dateApril 21, 2007
End dateNovember 3, 2007
Legs5
No. of shows54 in North America
4 in South America
8 in Australasia
6 in Asia
26 in Europe
98 total
Gwen Stefani concert chronology

The Sweet Escape Tour was the second concert tour by American recording artist Gwen Stefani. The tour began in April 2007 in support of her second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006). Performing for nearly a hundred concerts, the tour traveled to the Americas, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

The shows in North America ranked 23rd on Billboard "Top 25 Tours". The 55 reported shows grossed $30.6 million with 648,529 tickets sold.[1]

Background

Stefani performing her hit, "Hollaback Girl" in The Woodlands, Texas

The tour was Stefani's follow up to her previous 2005 tour. It went worldwide as compared to her previous tour which was constricted only to North America and had more than double the number of shows. It was Stefani's last solo effort as she rejoined her band No Doubt after the tour ended.[2] The main feature were usage of various props such as a prison for Stefani's opening act, a six-piece band and a large multimedia screen in the backdrop showing videos and animations.[3]

On her June 22 and June 23 concerts in Irvine, California, Stefani was joined onstage by her No Doubt bandmates. They performed: "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", "Sunday Morning", "Hella Good" and their cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life".[4]

In response to the 2007 California wildfires, Stefani donated $166,000 from her October 30 concert in San Diego to "The San Diego Foundation" fire relief fund.[5]

The tour had its own set of controversies. A group known as "The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students" wanted to ban Stefani's concert that was slated to take place on August 21 at Putra Indoor Stadium. The union's vice president, Abdul Muntaqim said, "Her performance and her attire are not suitable for our culture. It promotes a certain degree of obscenity and will encourage youth to emulate the western lifestyle. The concert should be stopped." The organizer of the vent, Maxis Communications later responded, "Stefani has confirmed that her concert will not feature any revealing costumes. She will abide by the Malaysian authorities' guidelines to ensure that her show will not be offensive to local sensitivities."[6]

In April, Akon drew criticism for having on-stage dirty dancing with a fifteen-year-old preacher's daughter, at a club in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a fake contest.[7] As a result, the tour's sponsor Verizon Wireless decided not to sponsor the tour.[8]

Critical reception

The Sweet Escape tour was generally well-received by critics. Ricardo Baca (The Denver Post) stated the concert in Denver showed Stefani had the tact to become a solo pop star. He continues, "Wednesday's show was proof of Stefani the rock star. While she's still better suited for the sneering pop-ska of her band No Doubt, she does all right with the glittery, hip-hop-fueled Top 40-loving music on which she has built her solo career."[9] For the concert in Mansfield, Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe stated, "Ironically, for a performer so enamored of artifice, Stefani perpetually comes off as one of the more genuine chart-toppers. Her voice was built for amped-up cheers like "Hollaback Girl," not slow jams like "Luxurious," but her bad notes were hers, part of a real personality rather than a standard-issue pop star."[10]

Ross Raihala (St. Paul Pioneer Press) described her performance in Saint Paul as a "high spirited, energetic sugar rush". He goes on to say, "Yet it was the fresh stuff that made the night work. The high-tech stage and carefully choreographed dance numbers rarely felt canned, and just when they started to get overwhelming, Stefani sprinted to the back of the auditorium and up into the seats to perform a stripped-down 'Cool' [,] surrounded by awestruck fans."[11] Chris Macias of The Sacramento Bee stated her show in Wheatland had a natural sweetness. He says, "Stefani certainly doesn't skimp on her shows. It's part pep rally (the "b-a-n-a-n-a-s" chant in 'Hollaback Girl'), part Broadway musical (the bit from 'The Sound of Music' in 'Wind it Up' that turns Stefani into a yodel-back girl), plus a whole lot of breakdancing from Stefani's sidekicks. [...] With a five-piece band perched high on a riser, and a giant 'G' that descended occasionally from the top of the stage, this concert had plenty of eye and ear candy."[12]

At the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Neva Chonin (San Francisco Chronicle) affirmed the show was stiff and robotic. She says, "Stefani gave back to them with a show in which every line, every move and every gesture was carbon-copied from every other show on the tour, excepting the usual local shout-outs. This doesn't mean she's not sincere when she rhapsodizes over the charms of the Bay Area, or gushes about how amazed she is to be a star and how grateful she is to her fans for helping her become one. It simply means she's gone so far into the star-making machinery she's forgotten how to convey that sincerity in anything besides packaged sound bites."[13]

Derek Paiva of The Honolulu Advertiser described Stefani's show in Honolulu as "infectiously energetic". He states, "In times like these, Stefani showed the fun, endearing and still very grateful side of her that all the costume changes, unnecessary stage production, slickly dumb songs and accompanying bling can't bury. Until she returns to Hawai'i with No Doubt — writer crosses his fingers here — this would have to do."[14]

For the concert in San Diego, T. Michael Crowell (San Diego Union-Tribune) said "Stefani is not the best singer in the biz. Her vocal range is narrow, and her pitch is not always dead-on. But that misses the point of her performance. Her art is the imagery she brings to the stage, the Stefani style, her personal fashion statement, her brand. [...] Not bad for the skater-girl next door, now all grown-up and ready for a little fun."[15]

Opening acts

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the April 28, 2007 concert, at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona.[21] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "The Sweet Escape" (performed with Akon)
  2. "Rich Girl" (contains elements of the "James Bond Theme")
  3. "Yummy"
  4. "4 in the Morning"
  5. "Luxurious"
  6. "Early Winter"
  7. "Wind It Up"
  8. "Fluorescent"
  9. "Danger Zone"
  10. "Hollaback Girl"
  11. "Now That You Got It"
  12. "Don't Get It Twisted" / "Breakin' Up
  13. "Cool"
  14. "Wonderful Life"
  15. "Orange County Girl"
Encore
  2. "The Real Thing"
  3. "U Started It"
  4. "What You Waiting For?"


Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
North America[22]
April 21, 2007 Las Vegas United States Pearl Concert Theater
April 22, 2007 Chula Vista Coors Amphitheatre
April 24, 2007 Fresno Save Mart Center
April 25, 2007 Bakersfield Rabobank Arena
April 27, 2007 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre
April 28, 2007 Phoenix Cricket Wireless Pavilion
April 30, 2007 West Valley City E Center
May 2, 2007 Denver Pepsi Center
May 3, 2007 Albuquerque ABQ Journal Pavilion
May 5, 2007 Dallas Smirnoff Music Centre
May 6, 2007 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 8, 2007 Tampa Ford Amphitheatre
May 9, 2007 West Palm Beach Sound Advice Amphitheatre
May 11, 2007 Atlanta HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
May 12, 2007 Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 14, 2007 Raleigh Alltel Pavilion
May 15, 2007 Virginia Beach Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 17, 2007 Bristow Nissan Pavilion
May 18, 2007 Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center
May 20, 2007 Wantagh Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
May 21, 2007 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
May 23, 2007 Mansfield Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
May 24, 2007 Camden Tweeter Center
May 27, 2007 Atlantic City Borgata Events Center
May 29, 2007 Montreal Canada Bell Centre
May 30, 2007 Toronto Air Canada Centre
June 1, 2007 Auburn Hills United States The Palace of Auburn Hills
June 2, 2007 Noblesville Verizon Wireless Music Center
June 4, 2007 Omaha Qwest Center Arena
June 5, 2007 Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center
June 7, 2007 London Canada John Labatt Centre
June 8, 2007 Tinley Park United States First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
June 10, 2007 Winnipeg Canada MTS Centre
June 12, 2007 Edmonton Rexall Place
June 13, 2007 Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome
June 15, 2007 Vancouver General Motors Place
June 16, 2007 Auburn United States White River Amphitheatre
June 18, 2007 Wheatland Sleep Train Amphitheatre
June 19, 2007 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 22, 2007 Irvine Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June 23, 2007
June 26, 2007 Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Bowl
June 27, 2007
June 29, 2007 Reno Reno Events Center
June 30, 2007 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena
Latin America[23]
July 13, 2007 Monterrey Mexico Arena Monterrey
July 15, 2007 Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes
July 18, 2007 San Juan Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
July 21, 2007 Bogotá Colombia Plaza de Eventos
Oceania[24]
July 26, 2007 Auckland New Zealand Vector Arena
July 28, 2007 Brisbane Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre
July 30, 2007 Sydney Acer Arena
July 31, 2007
August 2, 2007 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
August 3, 2007
August 5, 2007 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre
August 7, 2007 Perth Burswood Dome
Asia[25]
August 11, 2007[A] Chiba Japan Chiba Marine Stadium
August 12, 2007[A] Osaka Maishima Sports Island
August 14, 2007 Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium
August 16, 2007 Hong Kong AsiaWorld–Arena
August 19, 2007 Bangkok Thailand Impact Arena
August 21, 2007 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Putra Indoor Stadium
North America[26]
August 24, 2007 Honolulu United States Blaisdell Arena
August 25, 2007
Europe[27]
September 10, 2007 Hamburg Germany Color Line Arena
September 12, 2007 Munich Zenith
September 14, 2007 Berlin Velodrom
September 15, 2007 Cologne Kölnarena
September 17, 2007 Paris France Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
September 18, 2007 Rotterdam Netherlands Sportpaleis van Ahoy
September 20, 2007 Glasgow Scotland Scottish Exhibition Hall 4
September 22, 2007 Manchester England Manchester Evening News Arena
September 23, 2007 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
September 25, 2007 Birmingham National Indoor Arena
September 26, 2007 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena
September 28, 2007 London England Wembley Arena
September 29, 2007
October 1, 2007 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
October 2, 2007 Dublin Ireland RDS Simmonscourt
October 4, 2007 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis
October 6, 2007 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
October 7, 2007 Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg Rockhal
October 9, 2007 Oslo Norway Oslo Spektrum
October 10, 2007 Stockholm Sweden Stockholm Globe Arena
October 12, 2007 Helsinki Finland Hartwall Areena
October 14, 2007 Copenhagen Denmark Forum Copenhagen
October 16, 2007 Milan Italy Datch Forum
October 17, 2007 Vienna Austria Wiener Stadthalle
October 19, 2007 Budapest Hungary László Papp Budapest Sports Arena
October 20, 2007 Prague Czech Republic Sazka Arena
North America[28]
October 26, 2007 Las Vegas United States Pearl Concert Theater
October 27, 2007[B] Anaheim Honda Center
October 29, 2007 Tucson Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheater
October 30, 2007 San Diego Cox Arena
November 1, 2007 Stockton Stockton Arena
November 2, 2007 Oakland Oracle Arena
November 3, 2007 Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Bowl


Music festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A This concerts was a part of the Summer Sonic Festival[29]
B This concert was a part of the Homecoming Concert[30]
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
April 21, 2007 Phoenix, Arizona Cricket Wireless Pavilion Moved to April 28, 2007
April 28, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada Pearl Concert Theater Moved to April 21, 2007
June 7, 2007 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bradley Center Cancelled
November 8, 2007 Phoenix, Arizona Dodge Theatre Cancelled
November 9, 2007 Phoenix, Arizona Dodge Theatre Cancelled

Box office score data

Venue City Tickets sold / Available Gross revenue
Coors Amphitheatre Chula Vista 14,415 / 19,392 (74%) $628,109[31]
Save Mart Center Fresno 9,418 / 11,558 (81%) $516,726[31]
Rabobank Arena Bakersfield 8,008 / 8,888 (90%) $478,171[31]
Gibson Amphitheatre Los Angeles 6,047 / 6,123 (99%) $429,825[32]
Cricket Wireless Pavilion Phoenix 20,101 / 20,101 (100%) $637,247[33]
E Center West Valley City 8,947 / 9,749 (92%) $433,820[34]
PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel Township 16,905 / 16,905 (100%) $667,460[35]
Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Wantagh 13,417 / 13,842 (97%) $753,637[36]
Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts Mansfield 13,309 / 19,067 (70%) $632,915[35]
Bell Centre Montreal 12,540 / 13,265 (95%) $826,489[36]
The Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills 13,071 / 14,424 (91%) $657,504[35]
Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul 11,692 / 15,482 (76%) $512,698[37]
John Labatt Centre London 9,048 / 9,214 (98%) $711,714[36]
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Tinley Park 21,229 / 28,630 (74%) $573,567[38]
MTS Centre Winnipeg 8,893 / 11,274 (79%) $594,843[39]
Rexall Place Edmonton 12,637 / 13,115 (96%) $874,964[36]
Pengrowth Saddledome Calgary 13,957 / 13,957 (100%) $939,298[36]
General Motors Place Vancouver 14,503 / 15,496 (94%) $996,582[36]
White River Amphitheatre Auburn 14,588 / 19,532 (75%) $528,040[37]
Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View 19,349 / 22,000 (88%) $712,381[35]
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Irvine 32,276 / 32,276 (100%) $1,456,215[40]
Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara 9,597 / 9,597 (100%) $695,476[40]
MGM Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas 8,885 / 9,477 (94%) $902,029[37]
Palacio de los Deportes Mexico City 10,676 / 18,345 (58%) $542,426[41]
Brisbane Entertainment Centre Brisbane 10,348 / 10,435 (99%) $870,819[42]
Acer Arena Sydney 25,468 / 25,468 (100%) $1,952,763[42]
Blaisdell Arena Honolulu 13,661 / 13,661 (100%) $904,998[43]
TOTAL 372,985 / 421,273 (89%) $20,430,716
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Sweet Escape Tour.

References

  1. ^ "Top 25 Tours" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 51. Nashville, Tennessee: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 22, 2007. p. 138. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Greene, Andy (June 7, 2007). "No Doubt Hit the Studio; Gwen Stefani Oversees Proceedings From Afar". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  3. ^ Davis, Aaron (November 2, 2007). "Gwen Stefani puts on pop performance at arena". The Record. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  4. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 25, 2007). "Gwen Stefani And No Doubt Surprise Fans With Hometown Reunion". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  5. ^ "GWEN STEFANI CREATES WILDFIRE SCHOLARSHIP FUND". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Television Distribution. December 11, 2007. Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  6. ^ "Malaysian group urges ban on Gwen Stefani concert". Reuters. Reuters Group. July 31, 2007. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  7. ^ Sources for Akon controversy:
  8. ^ Leeds, Jeff (May 10, 2007). "Verizon Drops Pop Singer From Ads". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  9. ^ Baca, Ricardo (May 2, 2007). "Gwen Stefani stands tall alone". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Anderman, Joan. "A sweet escape with Stefani". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  11. ^ Raihala, Ross (June 5, 2007). "Gwen Stefani's supersized show brings the fun". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Macias, Chris (June 19, 2007). "Stefani's sweet escape to Sleep Train". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  13. ^ Chonin, Neva (June 21, 2007). "Gwen Stefani met by roaring crowd although her show is steeped in routine". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Paiva, Derek (August 25, 2007). "Gwen Stefani gets up close with fans at Blaisdell show". The Honolulu Advertiser. Black Press Group Ltd. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Crowell, T. Michael (April 24, 2007). "Energy, glitz of Gwen a hit with faithful fans". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  16. ^ "Shed Tours to Watch". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 20. Nashville, Tennessee: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 19, 2007. p. 46. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  17. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (June 15, 2007). "Sweet. Silly. Sexy. Stefani". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "Gym Class Heroes to the rescue". Orange County Register. Freedom Communications. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  19. ^ Romero Rey, Sandro (December 12, 2011). Clock around the rock: Crónicas de un fan fatal. Madrid, Spain: Aguilar. p. 4C. ISBN 9789587582772.
  20. ^ "A PERFECT SHOW". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Black Press Group Ltd. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  21. ^ Fuoco-Karasinski, Christina. "Live Review: Gwen Stefani in Phoenix". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  22. ^ Sources for tour dates in North America, April-July 2007:
  23. ^ Barrero, Margarita (July 22, 2007). "Nueva reina del pop, Gwen Stefani, brilló durante su presentación en Bogotá" [New pop queen, Gwen Stefani, shined during her presentation in Bogotá] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  24. ^ Sources for tour dates in Australasia:
  25. ^ Sources for tour dates in Asia:
  26. ^ Paiva, Derek (August 24, 2007). "Ten things you may not know about Gwen Stefani". The Honolulu Advertiser. Black Press Group Ltd. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  27. ^ Sources for tour dates in Europe:
  28. ^ Kilgore, Kym (August 13, 2007). "Gwen Stefani adds West Coast run". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  29. ^ Melia, Daniel (March 16, 2007). "Line Up For Summer Sonic Festival Announced". Gigwise. Giant Digital. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "KIIS-FM's Homecoming concert misses more than it hits". Orange County Register. Freedom Communications. October 28, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
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