State of the World Tour

State of the World Tour
Tour by Janet Jackson
Location
  • Asia
  • North America
Associated albumUnbreakable
Start dateSeptember 7, 2017 (2017-09-07)
End dateApril 7, 2019 (2019-04-07)
Legs3
No. of shows79
Attendance456,633 (first leg, with 56 shows)
Box officeUS$44.6 million ($55.5 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Janet Jackson concert chronology

The State of the World Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Janet Jackson. Launched in promotion of her eleventh studio album Unbreakable (2015), the tour is produced by Live Nation and is under the creative direction of Gil Duldulao.[2] Announced in May 2017 as a 56-city North American trek visiting the United States and Canada, it is a continuation of the Unbreakable World Tour, which was postponed in 2016 due to Jackson's pregnancy. Tickets originally purchased for the Unbreakable World Tour were honored with new concert dates under the revamped State of the World Tour.

The theme of the tour was altered to reflect socially conscious messages from Jackson's entire music catalog. The revised name of the tour is taken from her 1991 single "State of the World", released from her fourth studio album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). The tour was advertised on social media with socially conscious lyrics quoted from studio albums Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet (1993), The Velvet Rope (1997) and Unbreakable. A number of songs selected for the concert set list, along with corresponding imagery depicted on stage, address racism, white supremacy, homophobia, fascism, xenophobia, domestic violence, and police brutality.[3]

The first concert took place on September 7, 2017, in Lafayette, Louisiana at the Cajundome arena. Proceeds from the September 9, 2017 concert at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas were donated to relief efforts supporting evacuees of Hurricane Harvey; Jackson met with Houston mayor Sylvester Turner and evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center prior to the performance.[4] The first leg of the tour concluded with a concert at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on December 17, 2017.

Background

On May 1, 2017, Jackson announced a massive North American trek to reschedule her Unbreakable World Tour that was postponed due to the singer's pregnancy, with Jackson set to embark on a rebranded trek starting in September. Tickets from the postponed Unbreakable Tour gigs will be honored at the new dates, while newly scheduled stops going on sale, beginning May 5, 2017, at Live Nation.

Concert synopsis

The concert opens with a video reel denouncing white supremacy, right-wing extremism, domestic terrorism and police brutality. Names of unarmed black men killed by police which drew national attention with the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the deadly violence surrounding the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia were depicted in the video.[5] As Jordan Darville of The Fader observes: "The one-minute video introduction starts by naming unarmed black men who were killed by police officers: Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Jonathan Ferrell. Then, we hear audio clips of television personalities and protestors explaining the threats of white supremacy, privilege, and inequality. The message is a vital one: The Center for Investigative reporting has shared an analysis of domestic terrorism in the United States spanning nine years, and found that right-wing extremists were responsible for twice as many violent attacks compared to Islamic extremists."[6]

The tour marks the first time non-single songs from earlier albums such as "The Body That Loves You" (from the Janet album), "Spending Time With You", and "Island Life" (both from the Damita Jo album) were performed live, alongside the first performance of 1995 single "Twenty Foreplay" (from the Design of a Decade: 1986–1996 album) and the first time "Where Are You Now", "New Agenda", "What About", "The Knowledge", "State of the World", and "Someone To Call My Lover" were performed since their respective album's tours. Also, songs from the "Unbreakable" album were performed for the first time, such as "Black Eagle", "Dammn Baby", and "Well Travelled". On October 8, 2017, Jackson welcomed back several former dancers to appear during the performance of "Rhythm Nation" at the Hollywood Bowl.[7][8]

The 2018 leg of the show also saw another revision to the setlist, adding first-ever performances of "The Skin Game (Part 1)" (a B-side to the "Come Back To Me" single), Feels So Right and Truth (from All for You), and her 1998 collaboration with Busta Rhymes, "What It's Gonna Be". Additionally, songs Jackson left out of her shows for years, such as "Runaway", "When We Oooo", "Doesn't Really Matter", "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)", "So Much Betta", and "You Ain't Right", are part of the setlist.

Commercial reception

According to StubHub, the State of the World Tour ranks as one of the top 10 most in-demand concert tours for the fall of 2017.[9]

At the end of 2017, the tour placed at number 62 on Pollstar's "2017 Year-End Top 100 Worldwide Tours" list, grossing $33.4 million from 56 shows with a total attendance of 456,633.[10] At the end of 2018, the tour placed at number 108 on Pollstar's "2018 Year-End Top 200 North American Tours" list, grossing $11.2 million from 14 shows (not including her festival appearances) with an average gross of $448,030.[11] Also, Jackson co-headlined Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco, California, it was the highest grossing music festival of 2018, grossing over $27.7 million.[12]

Critical reception

The tour opened to positive critical reception, with several commentators praising Jackson's post-pregnancy physical fitness, showmanship and socially conscious messages.[13] Her emotional rendition of "What About", a song concerning domestic violence originally recorded for The Velvet Rope, drew media attention highlighting her recent separation from her third husband Wissam Al Mana; Jackson's brother Randy alleges she suffered verbal abuse by Al Mana which contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.[14][15]

In his review for the Houston Chronicle, Joey Guerra wrote that "Janet Jackson is at her absolute best, and largely unparalleled in pop music, when she funnels direct, declarative messages into her songs", citing numerous hits from her catalog. He considered "Rhythm Nation" a highlight of the show, which "resonates even more today in a world seemingly gone mad[.]"[5] Brandon Caldwell of the Houston Press reported that Jackson's denouncement of police brutality and white supremacy, as well as her dance-driven classic hits elated the crowd. "For two hours on Saturday night," he wrote, "it felt right to go through the eras with Janet. The liberating janet. years, the rhythm-driven arcs of Control and even the current Unbreakable album."[16]

Set list

This set list is representative of the show on September 7, 2017, in Lafayette, Louisiana.[17] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "The Knowledge"
  2. "State of the World"
  3. "Burnitup!"
  4. "Nasty"
  5. "Feedback"
  6. "Miss You Much"
  7. "Alright"
  8. "You Want This"
  9. "Control"
  10. "What Have You Done for Me Lately"
  11. "The Pleasure Principle"
  12. "Escapade"
  13. "When I Think of You"
  14. "All for You"
  15. "All Nite (Don't Stop)"
  16. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
  17. "Again" (video interlude)
  18. "Twenty Foreplay"
  19. "Where Are You Now"
  20. "Come Back to Me"
  21. "The Body That Loves You"
  22. "Spending Time with You"
  23. "No Sleeep"
  24. "Got 'til It's Gone"
  25. "That's the Way Love Goes"
  26. "Island Life"
  27. "Throb"
  28. "Together Again"
  29. "What About"
  30. "If"
  31. "Rhythm Nation"
  32. "Black Eagle"
  33. "New Agenda"
  34. "Dammn Baby"
  35. "I Get Lonely"
  36. "Well Traveled"

Notes

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
North America[23][24][25]
September 7, 2017 Lafayette United States Cajundome 3,992 / 9,668 $248,203
September 9, 2017 Houston Toyota Center 10,789 / 11,872 $879,536
September 10, 2017 Austin Frank Erwin Center 4,973 / 10,560 $438,010
September 13, 2017 San Antonio AT&T Center 6,773 / 13,539 $508,536
September 14, 2017 Dallas American Airlines Center 11,255 / 13,808 $878,887
September 16, 2017 North Little Rock Verizon Arena 4,997 / 13,900 $264,966
September 17, 2017 Tulsa BOK Center 4,315 / 11,146 $358,156
September 19, 2017 Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater 12,295 / 15,003 $478,130
September 21, 2017 Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Arena 7,504 / 12,386 $513,976
September 23, 2017 Anaheim Honda Center 10,706 / 13,594 $828,894
September 24, 2017 Fresno Save Mart Center 7,002 / 11,688 $626,357
September 26, 2017 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena 7,077 / 8,063 $326,808
September 27, 2017 Seattle United States KeyArena 10,355 / 11,747 $675,461
September 29, 2017 Portland Moda Center 8,017 / 9,455 $511,238
October 1, 2017 Reno Grand Theatre — —
October 3, 2017 Sacramento Golden 1 Center 10,768 / 11,774 $696,058
October 5, 2017 Concord Concord Pavilion 11,062 / 11,988 $659,180
October 7, 2017 San Diego Valley View Casino Center 8,004 / 9,636 $620,967
October 8, 2017 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl 17,500 / 17,500 $1,778,376
October 14, 2017 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center 7,583 / 8,077 $931,996
October 16, 2017 Salt Lake City NuSkin Theater 4,320 / 6,264 $264,366
October 17, 2017 Denver Pepsi Center 5,748 / 12,103 $401,516
October 19, 2017 Kansas City Sprint Center 7,544 / 7,544 $472,714
October 21, 2017 St. Louis Chaifetz Arena 6,894 / 7,440 $436,425
October 22, 2017 Milwaukee BMO Harris Bradley Center 6,005 / 7,670 $372,840
October 25, 2017 Moline TaxSlayer Center 3,318 / 8,125 $207,002
October 26, 2017 Rosemont Allstate Arena 12,363 / 12,363 $898,295
October 28, 2017 Toledo Huntington Center 5,031 / 7,030 $391,129
October 29, 2017 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 12,744 / 13,485 $841,583
November 1, 2017 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena 5,168 / 7,116 $300,870
November 2, 2017 Toronto Canada Scotiabank Arena 12,178 / 12,178 $681,652
November 4, 2017 Buffalo United States KeyBank Center 8,244 / 9,249 $521,050
November 5, 2017 Boston TD Garden 9,956 / 12,545 $798,339
November 7, 2017 Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center 4,976 / 7,988 $316,301
November 8, 2017 Manchester SNHU Arena 4,203 / 5,500 $218,658
November 10, 2017 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall 8,912 / 11,295 $657,693
November 11, 2017 Bethlehem Sands Bethlehem Event Center 1,913 / 1,913 $247,362
November 13, 2017 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 9,480 / 13,327 $761,938
November 15, 2017 Brooklyn Barclays Center 13,165 / 13,165 $1,515,353
November 16, 2017 Washington, D.C. Capital One Arena 13,562 / 13,562 $1,156,681
November 18, 2017 Baltimore Royal Farms Arena 11,228 / 12,043 $833,685
November 19, 2017 Newark Prudential Center 12,862 / 12,862 $1,059,230
November 26, 2017 Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse 9,436 / 9,436 $593,224
November 28, 2017 Columbus Value City Arena 7,851 / 9,632 $546,075
November 29, 2017 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 8,831 / 10,963 $478,152
December 1, 2017 Louisville KFC Yum! Center 7,693 / 8,198 $521,846
December 3, 2017 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena 6,226 / 7,689 $505,580
December 4, 2017 Lexington Rupp Arena 3,004 / 5,661 $213,782
December 6, 2017 Memphis FedExForum 5,586 / 9,548 $350,517
December 7, 2017 Nashville Bridgestone Arena 8,815 / 8,815 $516,269
December 9, 2017 Birmingham Legacy Arena 5,910 / 12,703 $458,354
December 11, 2017 Sunrise BB&T Center 7,140 / 9,673 $553,528
December 12, 2017 Jacksonville Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 6,953 / 8,659 $510,021
December 14, 2017 Norfolk Norfolk Scope Arena 7,373 / 7,597 $558,749
December 16, 2017 Columbia Colonial Life Arena 9,638 / 11,745 $616,305
December 17, 2017 Atlanta Philips Arena 11,823 / 11,823 $800,052
July 8, 2018[a] New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome — —
July 11, 2018 Austin Austin360 Amphitheater 5,824 / 5,824 $299,605
July 13, 2018 Rogers Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion 5,000 / 5,000 —
July 15, 2018 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center 6,000 / 6,000 —
July 18, 2018 Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheater 7,207 / 7,207 $291,687
July 20, 2018 Hershey Hersheypark Stadium 6,985 / 6,985 $391,499
July 26, 2018 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center 6,656 / 6,656 $355,397
July 28, 2018[b] New York City Randall's Island Park — —
July 29, 2018 Virginia Beach Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater 9,279 / 9,279 $372,132
August 1, 2018 Raleigh Coastal Credit Union Music Park 8,241 / 8,241 $328,498
August 3, 2018 Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion 10,691 / 10,691 $453,554
August 5, 2018 Miami American Airlines Arena 5,237 / 5,237 $445,565
August 7, 2018 Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre 7,367 / 7,367 $356,436
August 10, 2018 Stateline Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena 5,482 / 5,482 $580,475
August 12, 2018[c] San Francisco Golden Gate Park 67,159 / 67,159 $9,247,836
September 26, 2018[d] Bill Graham Civic Auditorium — —
September 29, 2018[e] New York City Great Lawn
September 30, 2018 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena 3,738 / 3,738 $339,351
October 2, 2018 Atlantic City Mark G. Etess Arena 3,500 / 3,500 —
January 30, 2019[f] Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena — —
Asia[31]
February 10, 2019 Tokyo Japan Nippon Budokan 18,000 / 18,000 $2,160,000
February 11, 2019
North America[32]
April 7, 2019[g] Miami United States Carnival Breeze — —
Total 548,878 / 641,160 (85%) $39,645,693

Cancelled shows

List of cancelled concerts
Date City Country Venue Reason
July 22, 2018[h] Los Angeles United States Exposition Park Cancellation of Festival

References

Notes

  1. ^ The July 8, 2018, concert in New Orleans, United States at Mercedes-Benz Superdome was a part of the Essence Music Festival.[26]
  2. ^ The July 28, 2018, concert in New York, United States at Randall's Island Park was a part of the Panorama Music Festival.[27]
  3. ^ The August 12, 2018, concert in San Francisco, United States at Golden Gate Park was a part of the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.[28]
  4. ^ The September 26, 2018, concert in San Francisco, United States at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was a part of the Dreamfest.[29]
  5. ^ The September 29, 2018, concert in New York City, United States at Central Park was a part of the Global Citizen Festival.[30]
  6. ^ The January 30, 2019, concert in Las Vegas, United States at MGM Grand Garden Arena was a part of the Choreographer's Carnival Ball.
  7. ^ The April 7, 2019, concert in Miami, United States at Carnival Breeze was a part of the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage.
  8. ^ The July 22, 2018, concert in Los Angeles, United States at Exposition Park was going to be a part of the FYF Fest.[33]

Citations

  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. ^ Desiree Murphy (August 17, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Janet Jackson's Creative Director Gil Duldulao Talks Tour Secrets & Singer's Enviable Post-Baby Bod". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Danielle Kwateng-Clark (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson 'Snatched Wigs' At First State Of The World Tour". Essence. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  4. ^ Joi-Marie McKenzie (September 10, 2017). "Janet Jackson breaks down in tears at Houston tour stop". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Joey Guerra (September 9, 2017). "Janet Jackson addresses State of the World in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Jordan Darville (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Opens Show With Video Denouncing White Supremacy And Domestic Terrorism". The Fader. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Mallenbaum, Carly (October 9, 2017). "Janet Jackson brings former dancers onstage for 'Rhythm Nation'". USA Today. United States: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Barker, Andrew (October 9, 2017). "Concert Review: Janet Jackson at the Hollywood Bowl". Variety. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "Fall's Most In-Demand Concerts Revealed (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  10. ^ "Year-End Top 100 Worldwide Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. January 5, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  11. ^ "Year-End Top 200 North American Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. December 17, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Year End Special Features: Top Tours, Ticket Sales Charts, Industry Pros Weigh In On 2018". Pollstar. December 17, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  13. ^ Desire Thompson (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Returns With Political Message On "State Of The World" Tour". Vibe. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  14. ^ Gil Kaufman (September 11, 2017). "Janet Jackson Gets Emotional While Performing Song About Abuse For the First Time in 18 Years". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  15. ^ Janine Rubenstien (September 12, 2017). "Janet Jackson Was 'Verbally Abused' by Ex, Randy Claims". People. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  16. ^ Brandon Caldwell (September 10, 2017). "Janet Jackson Reminds Houston Why She's an Icon". Houston Press. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  17. ^ Nied, Mike (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Returns With Her State Of The World Tour". Idolator. United States: Hive Media. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Stafford, Leon (December 18, 2017). "Concert review: Janet Jackson "Controls" Atlanta at Philips Arena". myAJC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  19. ^ A., Sam (December 18, 2017). "Janet Jackson Closes 'State Of The World Tour' With A Bang / Brings Missy Elliott, 'So Excited,' & More To ATL". That Grape Juice. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  20. ^ Wallace, Emanuel (December 4, 2017). "Janet Jackson Delivers a Message of Love at Quicken Loans Arena Concert". Scene. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  21. ^ Mehr, Bob (December 7, 2017). "Review: Janet Jackson offers spectacle and intimacy at FedExForum concert". Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  22. ^ Herbert, Geoff (July 18, 2018). "Janet Jackson turns Syracuse into dance party with a message (review, photos)". Scene. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  23. ^ "Tour". Janet Jackson's Official Website. United States. May 1, 2017. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  24. ^ Reed, Ryan (April 23, 2018). "Janet Jackson Extends 'State of the World' Tour With New U.S. Dates". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  25. ^ North American box score:
  26. ^ "When to see Janet Jackson: Essence Fest 2018 announces schedule". Nola. April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  27. ^ Braca, Nina. "The Weeknd, Janet Jackson & The Killers to Headline Panorama NYC 2018". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  28. ^ Wicks, Amanda (April 3, 2018). "Outside Lands 2018: Janet Jackson, Weeknd, Jamie xx, Florence, Bon Iver, More". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  29. ^ "What are Metallica and Janet Jackson doing in San Francisco tonight?". September 26, 2018. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  30. ^ "Janet Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B and More Slated to Headline 2018 Global Citizen Festival". Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  31. ^ Jackson, Janet (January 12, 2019). "Janet Jackson on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On sale today #SOTWJapan Can't wait to see u
  32. ^ "Janet Jackson To Headline Tom Joyner Foundation's 20th Fantastic Voyage". Grammy. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Reed, Ryan (March 30, 2018). "Florence and the Machine, Janet Jackson to Headline 2018 FYF Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 25, 2018.