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Touch the Sky Tour

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Touch the Sky Tour
Tour by Kanye West
Location
  • North America
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • Hong Kong[a]
Associated albumLate Registration
Start dateOctober 11, 2005 (2005-10-11)
End dateApril 22, 2006 (2006-04-22)
Legs3
No. of shows57
Supporting acts
Box officeUS$8 million[b]
Kanye West concert chronology

The Touch the Sky Tour was the second tour by American rapper Kanye West, in support of his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). Def Jam announced the first tour dates across North America in September 2005, three months before West announced the second leg in the United Kingdom. The rapper explained that he saw his fans as motivation for the tour, while he also detailed his love for performing. The tour's stage design was handled by Es Devlin, who West hired after firing the initial designer. It began on October 11, 2005, at the University of Miami Convocation Center, and finished at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on April 22, 2006, spanning 57 dates. As well as the United States and UK legs, West traveled a third leg across Australia in March 2006.

West was frequently accompanied by Fantasia, Keyshia Cole, and Lupe Fiasco on the tour, with a few additional appearances from originally scheduled support act Common. The Touch the Sky Tour received positive reviews from critics, who generally praised West's performances. Some appreciated the guest performers, while other reviewers complimented the stage lighting. After 46 dates, the tour had reportedly grossed US$8 million. In February 2006, two people were shot at the last concert date in the UK, causing West to cancel a performance in Milan.

Background

[edit]

On September 14, 2005, West's record label Def Jam announced dates across North America for the first leg of the Touch the Sky Tour, titled after his song from Late Registration (2005). The tour dates ran from October to December 2005 and West was set to be supported by fellow rapper Common, American Idol winner Fantasia, and singer Keyshia Cole, who previously sang for the rapper's 2005 sets with R&B singer Usher.[3] It marked West's second tour, though stood as his first major headlining one, with him playing large venues across the United States.[2][4] The tour was sponsored by Verizon.[5] Hours before the first concert was set to take place, Common canceled his involvement because of a demanding schedule for his role in a film with Taraji P. Henson.[6] West was shooting a music video in New York for "Heard 'Em Say" the night before the kickoff show at the University of Miami Convocation Center in Miami on October 11, 2005, and also had a lack of rehearsal time. He went against the notion that the first show would pose a challenge: "Fuck that! We not gonna wait for 10 shows from now, we gonna touch the sky tonight."[7] Common ultimately appeared to perform with West at the concert, declaring that he "couldn't miss Miami" and had "gotta see if Miami is ready to go", though he had officially pulled out of the tour and was only set to support shows when his schedule allowed it.[7] On October 29, 2005, it was reported that West had added a one-off live show on November 28 in Hong Kong to the tour at West Kowloon's Hong Kong Drive In, a newly constructed outdoor venue.[1] The show was presented by Hong Kong-based streetwear and fashion label CLOT, with an opening act from local musician Edison Chen, who was backed by the Hong Kong Orchestra.[8]

On December 3, 2005, West asked fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco to replace Common as a support act, which he accepted.[9] Five dates across the United Kingdom in February 2006 for the tour's second leg were announced by West on December 1, after he had previously said he would play a one-off concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London in February.[10][11] Tickets for the dates were made available a day after the announcement and on December 16, West extended his stop at London's Hammersmith Apollo from one concert to three due to demand.[11][12] In March 2006, it was confirmed by tour promoter Michael Coppel that West would be playing five dates in Australia that month, with the rapper later adding a concert at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney after a "special request".[13][14] West came third in a survey of who University of North Carolina Wilmington students wanted to perform on campus, but he was the only available act from the top three. This led to an additional tour date there on April 22, 2006, with the university paying him over US$100,000 to appear.[15][16]

Inspiration and development

[edit]

After sometimes being vocal about his detractors, West made a statement in September 2005 about his motives for the Touch the Sky Tour, saying things have "never been about the critics or the album sales", rather than "about the fans".[3][17] He said that he loves being able "to bring this music — that I've poured my heart and soul into — to them", recalling considering how audiences will respond to hooks, intros, and specific lines when working on his music.[3][17] West concluded, "Bringing these songs to the stage is the ultimate fulfillment of the creative process."[3][17] The rapper subsequently declared his love of performing, appreciating the feeling of his songs playing, "getting the opportunity to hear them really loud and see what's connecting with people the most".[18] West told an MTV reporter that making "the world better" is one of the missions with the music and visuals, calling his pain "everybody else's pleasure—how I stress, how I was up all last night, how I'm about to kill myself because it's not perfect. Well, maybe people can feel that when they're in the audience, like, 'Yoooooo! [...] He really put a lot of work in this.'"[2][19] He also declared that those who have gone backstage "or seen a lot of shows" are "gonna give this show credit for being so different", while saying he was not captured by any television as a child.[2][19] West explained that he has a "really high bar and low tolerance", admitting his small gauge of good content made him become the artist he is and finalizing, "Basically, I think 99 percent of the shit is wack. I don't want to be in that 99 percent."[2][19]

West fired his first stage designer for the tour two weeks before the first show in Miami, yelling at him over the phone, "The visual...I'm not excited about going on tour. All y'all have is moving lights!"[2][19][20] Despite English artist Es Devlin's lack of experience in staging popular music concerts, West recruited her as a production adviser to revamp the stage design.[2][19][21] The collaboration came about after West's colleague Richard Brown recommended him to work with Devlin, who studied the rapper's previous work and was impressed that he could not speak after his mouth was wired shut due to the near-fatal car accident that created "Through the Wire" (2002).[19][22] Devlin presented West with a few sketches of her ideas, which he disliked and saw as inferior to the content on her website; eventually, they started over because only 10 days remained until the tour. West was intent on the set featuring nature, requesting trees, rocks, and volcanoes, yet the artist struggled to work with replica natural displays.[22] He had first discovered Devlin's work earlier in 2005, viewing images of the installation she created with the Chapman Brothers for English band Wire.[23] After the Touch the Sky Tour, Devlin remained as West's stage designer, designing all of his succeeding tours, as of 2016.[19][20] It was reported by The New Yorker after visiting Devlin in the summer of 2015 that she kept a backstage pass for the tour in her studio.[24]

Concert synopsis

[edit]

On the Touch the Sky Tour, West was accompanied by a six-piece all-female string section on a platform and Canadian DJ A-Trak.[2][20][25][26] The rapper wore six different costume pieces for the tour, such as an outfit consisting of a light-colored shirt and pants, a suit jacket, and white-framed sunglasses at the kickoff show in Miami.[25][7] Prior to the concerts, the lights dimmed and a video reenactment of a Late Registration comedy skit appeared on the screen.[4][26] Negative reviews of West's music and personality were projected onto a scrolling screen behind him as he performed,[20][25][27] including when he collapsed during a performance of "Bring Me Down" at New York City's Madison Square Garden.[4] One of the reviews started with, "The second release by the most obnoxious, egotistical, self-centered hip hop artist in the history of obnoxious..."[20] Also behind the stage, live footage was projected of the concerts.[27] Lighting backed West on stage, such as four large translucent light boxes, featuring his band that included his DJ and an orchestra led by a violinist.[9][27] At certain points, white flood lights shone over the audience.[9] When performing "Roses", West would often kneel down onstage.[4][27]

Reception

[edit]
Fantasia performing at the Air Canada Centre concert in November 2005
Numerous critics praised Fantasia's presence on the tour.

The Touch the Sky Tour was met with positive reviews from critics.[28] The staff of The Oklahoman highlighted Fantasia's "same soulful delivery" that made her "an instant favorite" with American Idol viewers and also commended Cole's appearances during the concerts.[28] Reviewing the Miami kickoff show, MTV writer Shaheem Reid was impressed by West's outfit that made it look like he had "stepped directly out of a photo shoot" and heavily appreciated his ability to captivate the audience.[7] Reid also praised Common's appearance, the lack of audio problems, West's song choices, and the vocal performances from Cole and Fantasia.[7] Nathan Brackett from Rolling Stone applauded West's ability to work the crowd at the concert in Madison Square Garden and commented that "he may be only an average rapper and a spazzy dancer", but he seemingly tried harder than many other acts via actions such as going through four different outfits and "employ[ing] a six-person string section".[4] Brackett focused praise on West's stage acting and the atmosphere created by him performing hit singles, though was uninterested in the performances of some songs.[4] After attending the tour stop at East Lansing's Michigan State University Breslin Center, Chicago music writer Tre G described it as "greatest thing [he] had ever seen at the time", feeling impressed by the lighting and visuals, saying it was clear West had consistently been "all about production".[27] He gladly remembered a part of the show when West "displayed on the screen what critics and magazines were saying about him at the time", and was satisfied with his performance.[27] Jason Allen provided a review of the show at San Jose's HP Pavilion for IGN, appreciating Lupe Fiasco's presence and Cole's passionate vocals that he compared to Mary J. Blige. Allen was taken aback by Fantasia's visual appearance and high energy, while he lauded the stage design's lighting and West's performance, being impressed after having once doubted him.[9]

In a 2016 retrospective piece, the staff of Pigeons & Planes noted the Touch the Sky Tour's "glamorous six-piece string section".[27] After its first 46 dates, the tour was reported to have grossed $8 million.[2]

Controversy

[edit]

During the tour's last stop in the UK at the NEC Arena in Solihull on February 28, 2006, two security guards were shot while people tried to enter without tickets. West Midlands Police were called to the site slightly after 10p.m. (GMT), reaffirming it "involved individuals who had been ejected" due to attempting to enter with no tickets.[10][29] Following the incident, West's performance in Milan two days after the concert was canceled.[29]

Set list

[edit]

The respective set lists given below for West and Cole are representative of the first show on October 11, 2005, in Miami, per MTV.[7] This does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. West often performed "Roses" during his concerts,[4][27][30] as well as "Diamonds from Sierra Leone". In his 2015 book God & Monster, journalist Mark Beaumont recalls West as having performed a 20-song set throughout the tour. During the sets, he would occasionally perform the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" (1966) or Twista's "Overnight Celebrity" (2004).[2]

Kanye West set[c]
  1. "Touch the Sky"
  2. "Late"
  3. "Drive Slow"
  4. "Spaceship"
  5. "Get 'Em High" (performed with Common)
  6. "Go!" (performed with Common)
  7. "All Falls Down"
  8. "Through the Wire"
  9. "Gold Digger"
  10. "Jesus Walks"
  11. "We Major"
Keyshia Cole set
  1. "I Changed My Mind"
  2. "I Should Have Cheated"

Shows

[edit]
List of concerts in North America and Hong Kong[d][e][1][3][9]
Date
(2005) 		Location Country Venue
October 11 Miami United States University of Miami Convocation Center
October 12 Tampa USF Sundome
October 13 Gainesville University of Florida O'Connell Center
October 15 Greenville BI-LO Center
October 16 Knoxville Thompson–Boling Arena
October 18 Columbia Mizzou Arena
October 19 Champaign Assembly Hall
October 21 Buffalo Alumni Arena
October 22 Detroit Fox Theatre
October 23
October 23 Columbus Schottenstein Center
October 26 Kingston University of Rhode Island Ryan Center
October 28 University Park Bryce Jordan Center
October 29 Cleveland CSU Convocation Center
October 30 Fairfax Patriot Center
October 31 Amherst Mullins Center
November 2 New York City Madison Square Garden
November 3
November 4 Baltimore 1st Mariner Arena
November 5 Hampton Hampton Coliseum
November 6 Philadelphia Liacouras Center
November 8 Pittsburgh AJ Palumbo Center
November 9 Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre
November 11 East Lansing United States Michigan State University Breslin Center
November 12 Chicago Rosemont Theatre
November 13 DeKalb NIU Convocation Center
November 13 Minneapolis Excel Center
November 14 Evanston Welsh–Ryan Arena
November 15 Carbondale SIU Arena
November 17 Atlanta Gwinnett Center
November 18 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum
November 19 Statesboro Georgia Southern University
November 20 Birmingham Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Center
November 22 Oklahoma City Ford Center
November 23 Memphis Mid-South Coliseum
November 25 Houston Reliant Arena
November 26 Grand Prairie Nokia Live
November 27 Kansas City Kemper Arena
November 28 West Kowloon Hong Kong Hong Kong Drive In
November 29 Denver United States Magness Arena or Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall
December 1 Phoenix Dodge Theatre
December 2 San Diego Cox Arena or USCD RIMAC Arena
December 3 Universal City Gibson Amphitheatre
December 4
December 6 San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
December 7 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay or Aladdin
December 7 San Jose HP Pavilion
December 9 Portland Memorial Coliseum
December 10 Everett Everett Center
December 11 Vancouver Canada GM Place
List of concerts in the United Kingdom[10][11][12]
Date
(2006) 		Location Country Venue
February 16 Manchester England MEN Arena
February 17 Glasgow Scotland SECC Arena
February 19 London England Hammersmith Apollo
February 20
February 21
February 22 Cardiff Wales Cardiff Arena
February 28 Solihull England NEC Arena
List of concerts in Japan[31]
Date
(2006) 		Location Country Venue
April 4 Yokohama Japan Yokohama Blitz
April 5 Shin-Kiba Studio Coast

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ West played a one-off show in Hong Kong on the tour.[1]
  2. ^ Amount grossed over the first 46 dates.[2]
  3. ^ West was joined on stage by GLC and Consequence for "Late", "Drive Slow", and "Spaceship".[7]
  4. ^ The final concert at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on April 22, 2006, is not listed because it came after the North American leg.[15]
  5. ^ Only one concert was held in Hong Kong, though the date was during the tour's first leg.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Kanye West to play special show". NME. October 29, 2005. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Beaumont, Mark (2015). Kanye West: God & Monster. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783233946. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e Reid, Shaheem (September 14, 2005). "Kanye Announces North American Tour Dates" Archived July 31, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. MTV. Retrieved June 28, 2022
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Live review: Kanye West in New York 2005". Rolling Stone. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Watkins, Grouchy Greg (September 14, 2005). "Kanye West To 'Touch The Sky' On Tour". AllHipHop. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Reid, Shaheem (October 11, 2005). "Common Drops Off Kanye's Touch The Sky Tour Just Hours Before Kickoff". MTV. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Reid, Shaheem (October 12, 2005). "Kanye West Made Sure To Touch The Sky At Tour Launch" Archived December 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. MTV. Retrieved June 30, 2022
  8. ^ "CLOT Presents 'Touch The Sky' Tour with Kanye West". Hypebeast. October 23, 2006. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e Allen, Jason (December 23, 2005). "Kanye West: Touches The Sky Live In San Jose". IGN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Two shot at Kanye West gig". The Guardian. March 1, 2006. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "Kanye West announces UK arena tour". NME. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Kanye West extends UK tour". NME. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "Kanye keeps dates for solo shows". The Age. Australian Associated Press. March 10, 2006. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  14. ^ Tregoning, Jack (September 28, 2020). "Australia's greatest hip-hop tours of all time: Top 25". Red Bull. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Mursch, Bryce (April 20, 2006). "Kanye West's world tour includes stop in Wilmington". Wilmington, North Carolina: WIS. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "Kanye West Comes to UNCW". WECT. April 21, 2006. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Aspringer (September 14, 2005). "Kanye Touches the Sky, Preps North American Tour". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Kanye Confirms Fall Tour With Common, Fantasia". Billboard. September 14, 2005. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Pasori, Cedar; Silver, Leigh; McDonald, Leighton; Sen, Raka; Cheng, Susan (November 15, 2013). "The Design Evolution of Kanye West;s Live Performances". Complex. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e Schwartz, Danny (October 18, 2016). "Kanye West's Stage Designs: A Brief History". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  21. ^ Hass, Nancy (September 18, 2015). "Meet Es Devlin: The Set Designer Who Turns Amphitheaters Into Art". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Andrews, Leigh (February 26, 2018). "#DesignIndaba2018: Es Devlin on moving from thoughts to words to actions, fast". Bizcommunity. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Morby, Alice (September 7, 2017). "12 of the best projects by London Design Medal winner Es Devlin". Dezeen. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  24. ^ O'Hagan, Andrew (March 21, 2016). "Es Devlin's Stages for Shakespeare and Kanye". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c Cheung, HP (October 24, 2016). "Kanye West's Tour Stage Design Timeline". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Kanye West: Hammersmith Apollo, London, Sunday, February 12". NME. March 10, 2006. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "Kanye West Tours". Complex. July 20, 2016. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  28. ^ a b "Kanye West takes show to the Ford Center". The Oklahoman. November 16, 2005. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "2 shot at Kanye West concert". Los Angeles Times. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  30. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Audioslave, Whitney And Bobby, Daddy Yankee, Simple Plan, Avenged Sevenfold & More". MTV. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  31. ^ (in Japanese) 2006年のライブイベント情報 Universal Music Japan. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
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