State of the World Tour

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.[1] 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.

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 office$46,800,000 (in 70 shows, adjusted to 2019 dollars)
Janet Jackson concert chronology

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.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4] 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."[5]

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.[6][7]

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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

Critical reception

The tour opened to positive critical reception, with several commentators praising Jackson's post-pregnancy physical fitness, showmanship and socially conscious messages.[12] 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.[13][14]

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[.]"[4] 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."[15]

Set list

This set list is representative of the show on September 7, 2017, in Lafayette, Louisiana.[16] 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 introduction)
  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
  • Jackson performed "Scream" at several shows, including in Los Angeles,[17] Brooklyn,[18] Washington D.C.,[19] Baltimore,[20] Newark,[21] Pittsburgh,[22][23] Louisville,[24] Lexington[25] and Memphis,[26] with a video screen projections of her brother, Michael performing his parts of the song.
  • Missy Elliott joined Jackson on the Atlanta date of the tour on December 17, 2017, performing "Burnitup!". Additionally, Jackson performed her 2006 single "So Excited".[27][28]
  • Jackson performed "Someone to Call My Lover" in place of "Island Life" at several shows, including shows in Cleveland[29] and Memphis.[26]
  • For the second leg of the tour, "When We Oooo", "Truth", "Doesn't Really Matter", "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" and "Scream" were added to the set list.[30]

Shows
List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, amount of available tickets and gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
North America[31][32][33]
    September 7, 2017 Lafayette United States Cajundome 3,992 / 9,668 (41%) $248,203
    September 9, 2017 Houston Toyota Center 10,789 / 11,872 (91%) $879,536
    September 10, 2017 Austin Frank Erwin Center 4,973 / 10,560 (47%) $438,010
    September 13, 2017 San Antonio AT&T Center 6,773 / 13,539 (50%) $508,536
    September 14, 2017 Dallas American Airlines Center 11,255 / 13,808 (82%) $878,887
    September 16, 2017 North Little Rock Verizon Arena 4,997 / 13,900 (36%) $264,966
    September 17, 2017 Tulsa BOK Center 4,315 / 11,146 (39%) $358,156
    September 19, 2017 Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater 12,295 / 15,003 (82%) $478,130
    September 21, 2017 Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Arena 7,504 / 12,386 (61%) $513,976
    September 23, 2017 Anaheim Honda Center 10,706 / 13,594 (79%) $828,894
    September 24, 2017 Fresno Save Mart Center 7,002 / 11,688 (60%) $626,357
    September 26, 2017 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena 7,077 / 8,063 (88%) $326,808
    September 27, 2017 Seattle United States KeyArena 10,355 / 11,747 (88%) $675,461
    September 29, 2017 Portland Moda Center 8,017 / 9,455 (85%) $511,238
    October 1, 2017 Reno Grand Theatre — —
    October 3, 2017 Sacramento Golden 1 Center 10,768 / 11,774 (92%) $696,058
    October 5, 2017 Concord Concord Pavilion 11,062 / 11,988 (93%) $659,180
    October 7, 2017 San Diego Valley View Casino Center 8,004 / 9,636 (83%) $620,967
    October 8, 2017 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl 17,500 / 17,500 (100%) $1,778,376
    October 14, 2017 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center 7,583 / 8,077 (94%) $931,996
    October 16, 2017 Salt Lake City Vivint Smart Home Arena 4,320 / 6,264 (69%) $264,366
    October 17, 2017 Denver Pepsi Center 5,748 / 12,103 (48%) $401,516
    October 19, 2017 Kansas City Sprint Center 7,544 / 7,544 (100%) $472,714
    October 21, 2017 St. Louis Chaifetz Arena 6,894 / 7,440 (93%) $436,425
    October 22, 2017 Milwaukee BMO Harris Bradley Center 6,005 / 7,670 (79%) $372,840
    October 25, 2017 Moline TaxSlayer Center 3,318 / 8,125 (47%) $207,002
    October 26, 2017 Rosemont Allstate Arena 12,363 / 12,363 (100%) $898,295
    October 28, 2017 Toledo Huntington Center 5,031 / 7,030 (72%) $391,129
    October 29, 2017 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 12,744 / 13,485 (95%) $841,583
    November 1, 2017 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena 5,168 / 7,116 (73%) $300,870
    November 2, 2017 Toronto Canada Scotiabank Arena 12,178 / 12,178 (100%) $681,652
    November 4, 2017 Buffalo United States KeyBank Center 8,244 / 9,249 (89%) $521,050
    November 5, 2017 Boston TD Garden 9,956 / 12,545 (80%) $798,339
    November 7, 2017 Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center 4,976 / 7,988 (62%) $316,301
    November 8, 2017 Manchester SNHU Arena 4,203 / 5,500 (77%) $218,658
    November 10, 2017 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall 8,912 / 11,295 (79%) $657,693
    November 11, 2017 Bethlehem Sands Bethlehem Event Center 1,913 / 1,913 (100%) $247,362
    November 13, 2017 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 9,480 / 13,327 (71%) $761,938
    November 15, 2017 Brooklyn Barclays Center 13,165 / 13,165 (100%) $1,515,353
    November 16, 2017 Washington, D.C. Capital One Arena 13,562 / 13,562 (100%) $1,156,681
    November 18, 2017 Baltimore Royal Farms Arena 11,228 / 12,043 (93%) $833,685
    November 19, 2017 Newark Prudential Center 12,862 / 12,862 (100%) $1,059,230
    November 26, 2017 Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse 9,436 / 9,436 (100%) $593,224
    November 28, 2017 Columbus Value City Arena 7,851 / 9,632 (82%) $546,075
    November 29, 2017 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 8,831 / 10,963 (81%) $478,152
    December 1, 2017 Louisville KFC Yum! Center 7,693 / 8,198 (94%) $521,846
    December 3, 2017 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena 6,226 / 7,689 (81%) $505,580
    December 4, 2017 Lexington Rupp Arena 3,004 / 5,661 (54%) $213,782
    December 6, 2017 Memphis FedExForum 5,586 / 9,548 (59%) $350,517
    December 7, 2017 Nashville Bridgestone Arena 8,815 / 8,815 (100%) $516,269
    December 9, 2017 Birmingham Legacy Arena 5,910 / 12,703 (47%) $458,354
    December 11, 2017 Sunrise BB&T Center 7,140 / 9,673 (74%) $553,528
    December 12, 2017 Jacksonville Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 6,953 / 8,659 (80%) $510,021
    December 14, 2017 Norfolk Norfolk Scope Arena 7,373 / 7,597 (97%) $558,749
    December 16, 2017 Columbia Colonial Life Arena 9,638 / 11,745 (82%) $616,305
    December 17, 2017 Atlanta Philips Arena 11,823 / 11,823 (100%) $800,052
    North America
    July 8, 2018[lower-alpha 1] New Orleans United States Mercedes-Benz Superdome — —
    July 11, 2018 Austin Austin360 Amphitheater — —
    July 13, 2018 Rogers Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion — —
    July 15, 2018 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center — —
    July 18, 2018 Syracuse Lakeview Amphitheater — —
    July 20, 2018 Hershey Hersheypark Stadium — —
    July 26, 2018 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center — —
    July 28, 2018[lower-alpha 2] New York City Randall's Island Park — —
    July 29, 2018 Virginia Beach Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater — —
    August 1, 2018 Raleigh Coastal Credit Union Music Park — —
    August 3, 2018 Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion — —
    August 5, 2018 Miami American Airlines Arena — —
    August 7, 2018 Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre — —
    August 10, 2018 Stateline Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena — —
    August 12, 2018[lower-alpha 3] San Francisco Golden Gate Park 67,159 / 67,159 (100%) $9,247,836
    September 26, 2018[lower-alpha 4] Bill Graham Civic Auditorium — —
    September 29, 2018[lower-alpha 5] New York City Great Lawn — —
    September 30, 2018 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena 3,738 / 3,738 (100%) $339,351
    October 2, 2018 Atlantic City Mark G. Etess Arena — —
    January 30, 2019[lower-alpha 6] Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena — —
    Asia[39]
    February 10, 2019 Tokyo Japan Nippon Budokan — —
    February 11, 2019 — —
    North America
    April 7, 2019[lower-alpha 7] Miami United States Carnival Breeze — —
    Total 521,957 / 643,160 (81%) $46,800,000

    Cancelled shows
    List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
    Date City Country Venue Reason
    July 22, 2018[lower-alpha 8] 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.[34]
    2. The July 28, 2018, concert in New York, United States at Randall's Island Park was a part of the Panorama Music Festival.[35]
    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.[36]
    4. The September 26, 2018, concert in San Francisco, United States at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was a part of the Dreamfest.[37]
    5. The September 29, 2018, concert in New York City, United States at Central Park was a part of the Global Citizen Festival.[38]
    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.[40]
    8. The July 22, 2018, concert in Los Angeles, United States at Exposition Park was going to be a part of the FYF Fest.[41]

    Citations
    1. Desiree Murphy (August 17, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Janet Jackson's Creative Director Gil Duldulao Talks Tour Secrets & Singer's Enviable Post-Baby Bod". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    2. Danielle Kwateng-Clark (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson 'Snatched Wigs' At First State Of The World Tour". Essence. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    3. Joi-Marie McKenzie (September 10, 2017). "Janet Jackson breaks down in tears at Houston tour stop". ABC News. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    4. Joey Guerra (September 9, 2017). "Janet Jackson addresses State of the World in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
    5. Jordan Darville (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Opens Show With Video Denouncing White Supremacy And Domestic Terrorism". The Fader. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. "Fall's Most In-Demand Concerts Revealed (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
    9. "Year-End Top 100 Worldwide Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. January 5, 2018.
    10. "Year-End Top 200 North American Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. December 17, 2018.
    11. "Year End Special Features: Top Tours, Ticket Sales Charts, Industry Pros Weigh In On 2018". Pollstar. December 17, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
    12. Desire Thompson (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Returns With Political Message On "State Of The World" Tour". Vibe. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    13. Gil Kaufman (September 11, 2017). "Janet Jackson Gets Emotional While Performing Song About Abuse For the First Time in 18 Years". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    14. Janine Rubenstien (September 12, 2017). "Janet Jackson Was 'Verbally Abused' by Ex, Randy Claims". People. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
    15. Brandon Caldwell (September 10, 2017). "Janet Jackson Reminds Houston Why She's an Icon". Houston Press. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
    16. Nied, Mike (September 8, 2017). "Janet Jackson Returns With Her State Of The World Tour". Idolator. United States: Hive Media. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
    17. Barker, Andrew (October 9, 2017). "Concert Review: Janet Jackson at the Hollywood Bowl". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    18. Gamboa, Glenn (November 15, 2017). "Janet Jackson at Barclays Center: Artist's timely return to the stage". Newsday. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    19. Dengler, Manuel (November 17, 2017). "Janet Jackson If/Scream/Rhythm Nation LIVE Washington D.C." Youtube. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
    20. Case, Wesley (November 19, 2017). "With 'so many hits,' Janet Jackson delivers pop, R&B excellence at Royal Farms Arena". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    21. Reid, Shaheem (November 21, 2017). "Janet Jackson, 51, proves she hasn't lost on step at Newark 'State of the World' tour stop". Revolt. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    22. Mervis, Scott (November 30, 2017). "Concert review: Janet Jackson thrills fans with first show here in 16 years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    23. Tady, Scott (November 30, 2017). "Janet Jackson returns to form in Pittsburgh". The Times. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    24. Havens, Sara (December 2, 2017). "Janet Jackson treats Louisville to more than two hours of her greatest hits". Insider Louisville. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    25. Tunis, Walter (December 5, 2017). "Janet Jackson's Rupp Arena return: reinvigorating the Rhythm Nation". LexGo. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    26. Mehr, Bob (December 7, 2017). "Review: Janet Jackson offers spectacle and intimacy at FedExForum concert". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    27. Stafford, Leon (December 18, 2017). "Concert review: Janet Jackson "Controls" Atlanta at Philips Arena". myAJC. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    28. 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. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
    29. Wallace, Emanuel (December 4, 2017). "Janet Jackson Delivers a Message of Love at Quicken Loans Arena Concert". Scene. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
    30. Herbert, Geoff (July 18, 2018). "Janet Jackson turns Syracuse into dance party with a message (review, photos)". Scene. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
    31. "Tour". Janet Jackson's Official Website. United States. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
    32. Reed, Ryan. "Janet Jackson Extends 'State of the World' Tour With New U.S. Dates". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
    33. North American box score:
    34. "When to see Janet Jackson: Essence Fest 2018 announces schedule". Nola. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
    35. Braca, Nina. "The Weeknd, Janet Jackson & The Killers to Headline Panorama NYC 2018". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
    36. Wicks, Amanda. "Outside Lands 2018: Janet Jackson, Weeknd, Jamie xx, Florence, Bon Iver, More". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
    37. "What are Metallica and Janet Jackson doing in San Francisco tonight?". Retrieved September 26, 2018.
    38. "Janet Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B and More Slated to Headline 2018 Global Citizen Festival". Retrieved August 7, 2018.
    39. Jackson, Janet (January 12, 2019). "Janet Jackson on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On sale today #SOTWJapan Can’t wait to see u
    40. "Janet Jackson To Headline Tom Joyner Foundation's 20th Fantastic Voyage". Grammy. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
    41. Reed, Ryan. "Florence and the Machine, Janet Jackson to Headline 2018 FYF Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
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