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The Greatest Hits Tour (Girls Aloud)

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The Greatest Hits Tour
Tour by Girls Aloud
Cover of tour programme
Associated albumThe Sound of Girls Aloud
Start date14 May 2007
End date1 September 2007
Legs2
No. of shows22
Girls Aloud concert chronology

The Greatest Hits Tour was the third concert tour by Irish and British girl group Girls Aloud, in support of their first greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits. Girls Aloud returned to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, having not performed there on 2006's Chemistry Tour. The band performed sixteen dates in various arenas across the United Kingdom and Ireland, making it their second arena tour. The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour kicked off in Cheryl Cole's hometown of Newcastle on 14 May 2007 and concluding in near Nadine Coyle's home in Belfast on 2 June 2007.

The show was divided into five unique sections with distinct costumes, including the encore. Girls Aloud descended onto the stage from the ceiling as they performed "Something Kinda Ooooh". They performed fourteen of the fifteen singles they had released at the time, as well as a couple of album tracks and a Dirty Dancing medley. A number of songs were also remixed or reworked.

Girls Aloud received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, who praised Girls Aloud's original songs but criticized the number of cover versions and the show's lack of budget. Critics also noted Girls Aloud's provocative attire. Much like the greatest hits album, The Greatest Hits Tour was a commercial success. Girls Aloud released another studio album and announced an accompanying tour for the following year. The Greatest Hits Tour remains Girls Aloud's only tour not to receive a video release.

Background and development

The initial tour dates were announced towards the end of November 2006. Tickets went on sale on 10 November 2006, although pre-sale started two days earlier. Due to the demand, extra dates in Newcastle and Glasgow and a date in Aberdeen were added. The group made a return to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, after failing to perform in either country on the Chemistry Tour. The announcement of the tour and the recording of their fourth album helped to stop rumours that the band were splitting up, which had surfaced due to the release of their greatest hits album.[1]

Girls Aloud also performed festival and summer open air dates at Liverpool Summer Pops and T4 on the Beach.[2][3]

Concert synopsis

The show began with the dancers wearing military style outfits performing a choreography routine before Girls Aloud lower down to the stage, wearing Black Leather GA Police costumes and open the show with Something Kinda Ooooh. They reach the actual stage after Cheryl's opening verse is repeated, and the first chorus. This is then followed by Wake Me Up, before they welcome to audience to the show. Their 2007 comic Relief single Walk This Way, sees a battle between Girls Aloud and the dancers, both teams remaining on each side of the stage, opposite to each other. The first section is then complete with a performance of Jump which has an extended outro as they girls and dancers lower off the stage at the top of the staircase.

After the costume change interlude is over, Girls Aloud return to the stage wearing Summer style tops with shorts, hot pants or skirts and commence the concert with their second single No Good Advice. Long Hot Summer sees the girls dance the routine holding fans. Whole Lotta History has them suspended above the stage sat on the platform used for their entrance, but covered with a pink sheet. Once back on the stage, they perform a Medledy of songs from the Dirty Dancing Movie. Sarah Harding and Nadine Coyle take lead in Do You Love Me?. Kimberley Walsh sings She's Like The Wind with Nicola Roberts as back up, and Cheryl Cole and Nicola Roberts take lead vocals in (I've Had) The Time of my Life. The girls do the signature lift from the movie during Time Of My Life. This ends the summer themed second act.

The 3rd section takes a gangsta theme and the girls return to the stage wearing Black & White Gangsta suits, singing their #1 debut single Sound Of The Underground, performing the signature choreography with microphone stands. This is then followed by a reggae remix of Life Got Cold as the girls sit on the staircase. They perform two songs from their What Will The Neighbours Say? album: Graffiti My Soul, which has choreography performed with black canes and Real Life.

The penultimate section of the concert takes a cabaret theme as the girls return to the stage wearing cabaret dresses and sing their single "I Think We're Alone Now" which received a Big Band remix. They perform "I'll Stand By You" at the top of the staircase rotating on a large circular platform. The album track "Money" is then performed followed by "Love Machine". "Love Machine" featured a dance break. Cheryl Cole shouts STOP! and everyone else on stage freezes as Cheryl walks to a bar placed on stage, drinks some alcohol, belches, returns to her place and then restarts the song. Girls Aloud then say goodbye, implying that the concert is over.

The encore begins with Girls Aloud lying in beds to commence the concert with "The Show". The base of the beds on one side is hollow which hides the dancers until they are revealed by Girls Aloud pulling back the sheets and the dancers sitting up. Girls Aloud wore Purple silk dressing gowns with black ties, which are taken off to reveal black dresses with purple belts. The concert is then completed by an extended version of "Biology" before Girls Aloud say goodbye and leave the stage.

Opening acts

Setlist

The following set list is representative of the show in May 2007. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Something Kinda Ooooh"
  2. "Wake Me Up"
  3. "Walk This Way"
  4. "Jump"
  5. "No Good Advice"
  6. "Long Hot Summer"
  7. "Whole Lotta History"
  8. "Medley: "Do You Love Me" / "She's Like the Wind" / "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
  9. "Sound of the Underground
  10. "Life Got Cold"
  11. "Graffiti My Soul"
  12. "Real Life"
  13. "I Think We're Alone Now"
  14. "Money"
  15. "I'll Stand by You"
  16. "Love Machine"
  17. "The Show"
  18. "Biology"

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
Leg 1 - Indoor arenas
14 May 2007 Newcastle England Metro Radio Arena
15 May 2007 Aberdeen Scotland Press & Journal Arena
16 May 2007 Glasgow Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
18 May 2007 Newcastle England Metro Radio Arena
19 May 2007 Glasgow Scotland Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
20 May 2007 Manchester England Manchester Evening News Arena
22 May 2007 Sheffield Sheffield Arena
23 May 2007 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena
25 May 2007 Birmingham England National Indoor Arena
26 May 2007 London Wembley Arena
27 May 2007 Nottingham Trent FM Arena Nottingham
29 May 2007 Brighton Brighton Centre
30 May 2007 Bournemouth Windsor Hall
1 June 2007 Dublin Ireland Point Theatre
2 June 2007 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
Leg 2 - Open air festivals
3 July 2007 Liverpool England Liverpool Summer Pops
7 July 2007 Beaulieu National Motor Museum
21 July 2007 Narberth Wales Oakwood Theme Park
24 August 2007 Vaynol Faenol Festival
27 August 2007 Arundel England Arundel Castle
31 August 2007 Holkham Holkham Hall
1 September 2007 Skegness Fantasy Island

Critical response

The show received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Dave Simpson of The Guardian gave the show three stars out of five. He chastised the covers, saying Girls Aloud "fare best when they are playing their own songs."[5] Lisa Verrico of The Times also awarded the concert three stars out of five and shared a similar point of view to Simpson. She wrote, "The band's smartest, sassiest, least conventional songs struggled to ignite the Newcastle crowd, while tacky covers and tawdry ballads went down a storm." Verrico also felt "big idea after big idea was let down by its budget."[6]

Girls Aloud's provocative attire received attention. "They are wearing the shortest shorts in pop", wrote The Guardian's Simpson. "There are also eye-watering glittery dresses, vaguely S&M leather get-ups and gangster's moll clobber for a fabulous Sound of the Underground."[5]

References

  1. ^ "Girls Aloud: "We're Not Splitting!"". MTV News. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. ^ Michelle Fiddler (16 March 2007). "Girls Aloud sign up for Summer Pops". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  3. ^ Nick Levine (21 June 2007). "Girls Aloud to play T4 on the Beach". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Aussie rockers' UK deal". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 11 February 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b Dave Simpson (18 May 2007). "Girls Aloud at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  6. ^ Lisa Verrico (18 May 2007). "Girls Aloud". The Times. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
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