Whamamerica!

Whamamerica! (also promoted as Make It Big Tour ‘85) was a concert tour by English musical duo Wham!.[4] The tour was launched following the success of their 1984 certified multi-platinum studio album Make It Big, which sold four million copies in the United States by the end of the year.[5] The tour spanned nineteen days between August and September 1985, comprising nine shows across the United States and Canada.[6]

Whamamerica!
Tour by Wham!
Tour programme cover
LocationUnited States, Canada
Associated albumMake It Big
Start dateAugust 23, 1985 (1985-08-23)
End dateSeptember 10, 1985 (1985-09-10)
No. of shows9
Supporting actsThe Pointer Sisters, Chaka Khan, Katrina & the Waves
Attendance200,000[1] - 302,568[2]
Box officeUS $8.6 million[2] ($20.44 in 2019 dollars)[3]
Wham! concert chronology
The Big Tour
(1984-85)
Whamamerica!
(1985)
The Final
(1986)

Overview

The Whamamerica! tour began in late August 1985. It travelled around the United States, opening at Poplar Creek Music Theater in Illinois in the Midwest, then heading across the border to Canada and all the way down the West Coast to northern and Southern California, south to Texas and then back east to Philadelphia and Detroit. Michael’s look had changed with his hair cut to a shorter length and the colour being close to his natural darker shade. He also had a new designer stubble and larger earrings, a leather jacket and fingerless gloves. Their last ever live US performance was at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit.[7] They had played to over 302,568 fans.[2][1]

Opening acts

Set list

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Attendance
/ Capacity
Gross Ref(s)
North America[9][10]
Fri 23 August 1985 Hoffman Estates United States Poplar Creek Music Theater [11]
Sun 25 August 1985
Wed 28 August 1985 Toronto Canada CNE 50,098 / sellout $1,042,059 (CA$1,302,548) [12]
Fri 30 August 1985 Los Angeles United States Hollywood Park [13][14]
Sun 1 September 1985 Oakland Alameda County Stadium 46,737 / sellout $817,897 [12]
Wed 4 September 1985 Houston Southern Star Amphitheater [15]
Fri 6 September 1985 Miami Miami Baseball Stadium 36,390 / sellout $545,855 [16]
Sun 8 September 1985 Philadelphia Vets Stadium 43,000 / 50,000 $698,000 [16]
Tue 10 September 1985 Pontiac Pontiac Silverdome

Personnel

See also

References

  1. Wham! On the Edge of Heaven - No 1 Magazine, September 28th 1985
  2. Billboard - 28 Sep 1985
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. Wham by Years - Houston, Texas 1985
  5. American album certifications – Wham – Make It Big". - Recording Industry Association of America
  6. Wham! On the Edge of Heaven - No 1 Magazine article, September 28th 1985
  7. Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated By Robert Steele
  8. Wham! On the Edge of Heaven - Number one music magazine - September 28th 1985
  9. Tour dates as printed in the official Whamamerica ‘85 tour programme. Whamamerica! 1985 - Official programme dates.
  10. Whamamerica! - Tour Dates
  11. Wham!`s Brand Of Blue-eyed Soul Makes It Big With Young Chicago fans - August 25, 1985|By Lynn Van Matre, Pop music critic.
  12. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, September 14, 1985 (P. 54)
  13. Pop Review - Wham! specks In A Spectacle September 02, 1985
  14. They're your men..No 1, - November 23rd 1985
  15. Wham by Years - 1985
  16. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, September 28, 1985 (P. 52)
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