
The "Rhythm Nation 1814 World Tour" is Janet's debut concert tour that was launched in support of her fourth album "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814."
It also contained material from Janet's 1986 album "Control." In the fall of 1989, Janet's record label, A&M Records announced plans for the world tour following the release of the Rhythm Nation album.
The tour was managed by Robert Davies & Rusty Hooker, developed by musical director Chuckii Booker, choreographer Anthony Thomas, stage designer Roy Bennett, stage manager Chris Tervit, production manager Benny Collins and Janet.
Tour Background[]
In the fall of 1989, A&M Records announced plans for Janet's first world tour. Janet was assisted by a team of 11 musicians, backup singers and 6 dancers. Anthony Thomas was selected as the chief choreographer for the tour.
Musician/record producer Chuckii Booker was hired as the musical director for the tour and his band became the tour's opening act. Janet's tour was managed by Roger Davies, stage designer Mark Fisher and Benny Collins. The total production cost of the tour was an estimated $2 million.
Tour Promotion[]
On June 9, 1990, MTV aired a 4-hour television special entitled "Janet Jackson Saturday" which featured interviews & music videos by Janet along with live coverage of her tour.
Tour Reception[]
The majority of all concert tour dates became instant sell-outs. The dress rehearsal for the tour at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida issued 7,600 tickets publicly as a benefit to a local charity which sold out in less than an hour.
The first international concert in Tokyo, Japan sold out the Tokyo Dome within 7 minutes becoming the fastest sellout in the history of the Tokyo Dome. In Salt Lake City, Utah, the concert became the fastest sellout in Salt Palace history as tickets were gone in 1 hour, 20 minutes after the box office opened.
The Rhythm Nation 1814 World Tour grossed $28.1 million in the United States alone, ranking at #5 among the best-selling tours of 1990 within the U.S., making Janet the only female artist to place within the top 10.
The tour had an attendance of over 2 million patrons and remains the most successful debut tour by any recording artist.
Tour Dates[]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
North America | |||
February 27, 1990 | Pensacola, Florida | United States | Pensacola Civic Center (Dress rehearsal) |
March 1, 1990 | Miami, Florida | Miami Arena | |
March 3, 1990 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Dean Smith Center | |
March 4, 1990 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Coliseum | |
March 6, 1990 | Columbia, South Carolina | Carolina Coliseum | |
March 7, 1990 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Thompson–Boling Arena | |
March 9, 1990 | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | |
March 10, 1990 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverfront Coliseum | |
March 12, 1990 | Richfield, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum | |
March 13, 1990 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | |
March 15, 1990 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | |
March 16, 1990 | |||
March 19, 1990 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum |
March 20, 1990 | Toronto | SkyDome | |
March 22, 1990 | Landover, Maryland | United States | Capital Centre |
March 23, 1990 | Hartford, Connecticut | Hartford Civic Center | |
March 25, 1990 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Spectrum | |
March 26, 1990 | Worcester, Massachusetts | The Centrum | |
March 27, 1990 | |||
March 29, 1990 | Landover, Maryland | Capital Centre | |
March 31, 1990 | Hampton, Virginia | Hampton Coliseum | |
April 2, 1990 | Detroit, Michigan | Joe Louis Arena | |
April 3, 1990 | |||
April 5, 1990 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Met Center | |
April 6, 1990 | |||
April 8, 1990 | Rosemont, Illinois | Rosemont Horizon | |
April 9, 1990 | |||
April 11, 1990 | Kansas City, Missouri | Kemper Arena | |
April 13, 1990 | Fort Worth, Texas | Tarrant County Convention Center | |
April 15, 1990 | Houston, Texas | The Summit | |
April 16, 1990 | |||
April 18, 1990 | Phoenix, Arizona | ASU Activity Center | |
April 20, 1990 | Inglewood, California | Great Western Forum | |
April 21, 1990 | |||
April 23, 1990 | San Diego, California | Sports Arena | |
April 25, 1990 | Inglewood, California | Great Western Forum | |
April 26, 1990 | |||
April 28, 1990 | Oakland, California | Oakland Coliseum Arena | |
April 29, 1990 | |||
May 1, 1990 | |||
May 2, 1990 | |||
May 4, 1990 | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | |
May 5, 1990 | |||
Asia | |||
May 17, 1990 | Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo Dome |
May 18, 1990 | |||
May 20, 1990 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall | |
May 21, 1990 | |||
May 23, 1990 | Yokohama | Yokohama Arena | |
North America | |||
June 6, 1990 | Tacoma, Washington | United States | Tacoma Dome |
June 7, 1990 | |||
June 9, 1990 | Vancouver | Canada | BC Place Stadium |
June 11, 1990 | Edmonton | Northlands Coliseum | |
June 12, 1990 | Calgary | Olympic Saddledome | |
June 15, 1990 | Denver, Colorado | United States | McNichols Sports Arena |
June 16, 1990 | |||
June 20, 1990 | Mountain View, California | Shoreline Amphitheatre | |
June 21, 1990 | |||
June 23, 1990 | Costa Mesa, California | Pacific Amphitheatre | |
June 24, 1990 | |||
June 26, 1990 | Inglewood, California | Great Western Forum | |
June 27, 1990 | |||
June 29, 1990 | |||
July 2, 1990 | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena | |
July 3, 1990 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Myriad Convention Center | |
July 5, 1990 | Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center | |
July 6, 1990 | |||
July 8, 1990 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Louisiana Superdome | |
July 10, 1990 | Memphis, Tennessee | Mid-South Coliseum | |
July 12, 1990 | Miami, Florida | Miami Arena | |
July 13, 1990 | Orlando, Florida | Orlando Arena | |
July 14, 1990 | St. Petersburg, Florida | Florida Suncoast Dome | |
July 16, 1990 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Omni | |
July 17, 1990 | |||
July 19, 1990 | |||
July 20, 1990 | |||
July 22, 1990 | Birmingham, Alabama | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex | |
July 24, 1990 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Market Square Arena | |
July 25, 1990 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center | |
July 27, 1990 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Bradley Center | |
July 29, 1990 | Tinley Park, Illinois | World Music Theater | |
July 30, 1990 | |||
August 1, 1990 | |||
August 5, 1990 | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | |
August 10, 1990 | Landover, Maryland | Capital Centre | |
August 11, 1990 | |||
August 13, 1990 | |||
August 14, 1990 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum | |
August 16, 1990 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Spectrum | |
August 17, 1990 | |||
August 19, 1990 | |||
August 21, 1990 | Ottawa | Canada | Frank Clair Stadium |
August 22, 1990 | Auburn Hills, Michigan | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
August 23, 1990 | |||
August 25, 1990 | Albany, New York | Knickerbocker Arena | |
August 27, 1990 | Providence, Rhode Island | Providence Civic Center | |
August 28, 1990 | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Coliseum | |
August 30, 1990 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Meadowlands Arena | |
Europe | |||
October 4, 1990 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Ahoy Rotterdam |
October 8, 1990 | Berlin | Germany | Velodrom |
October 11, 1990 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Valby Hallen |
October 14, 1990 | Paris | France | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
October 16, 1990 | Munich | Germany | Olympiahalle |
October 24, 1990 | Frankfurt | Eissporthalle | |
October 28, 1990 | London | United Kingdom | Wembley Arena |
Asia | |||
November 3, 1990 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka-jo Hall |
November 4, 1990 | |||
November 6, 1990 | Tokyo | Tokyo Dome | |
November 7, 1990 | |||
November 14, 1990 | Nagoya | Nagoya Rainbow Hall | |
November 15, 1990 | |||
November 16, 1990 | Yokohama | Yokohama Arena |
Cancellations[]
- March 25th at The Spectrum in Philadelphia: Postponed due to schedule conflict with WWF.
- August 2nd at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky: Canceled due to Janet experiencing flu-like symptoms and a bad cold.
- August 5th at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa: Canceled due to Janet ill with an inner-ear infection.
- August 5th at the St. Louis Arena St. Louis, Missouri: Canceled due Janet ill with a viral infection (originally August 4th). Janet passed out backstage after performing three songs.
- August 7th and 8th at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan: Postponed due Janet ill with a viral infection.
- September 3rd at the Starlake Amphitheater in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania: Canceled due to Janet becoming ill.
- September 4th at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio: Cancelled due to Janet ill with a viral infection.
- October 11th at the Valby Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark: Cancelled due to Janet becoming ill minutes before the concert began.
Tour Set List[]
- "Control"
- "Nasty"
- "What Have You Done for Me Lately"
- "Let's Wait Awhile"
- "When I Think of You"
- "The Pleasure Principle"
- "T.V." (interlude)
- "State of the World"
- "Race" (interlude)
- "The Knowledge"
- "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" (instrumental interlude)
- "Black Cat"
- "Come Back to Me"
- "Alright"
- "Escapade"
- "Miss You Much"
- "Pledge" (interlude)
- "Rhythm Nation"
Tour Credits[]
- Management: Roger Davies Management, Inc.
- Tour Manager: Rusty Hooker
- Assistant Tour Manager: Nelson Hayes
- Production Manager: Benny Collins
- Assistant Production Manager: Lisa Hoth
- Stage Manager: Chris Tervit
- Musical Director: Chuckii Booker
- Lighting/Design: Roy Bennett
- Automated Lighting: Gary Westcott
- Tour Photography: Eddie Wolfl
Dancers[]
- Choreography: Janet Jackson, Anthony Thomas, Terry Bixler and LaVelle Smith
- Staging: Janet Jackson, Tina Landon, LaVelle Smith, Terry Bixler and Anthony Thomas
Tour Facts[]
- The tour grossed over $28 million in the US only from dates reported, and nearly $65 million worldwide.
- The estimated worldwide attendance was at 2 million, with more than 1.85 million in North America alone coming from 91 shows.
- Rehearsals for the Rhythm Nation Tour were held in Los Angeles. Janet then rehearsed in Pensacola, Florida for two weeks before the tour began. She surprised the people of Pensacola with a concert that was announced only one day ahead of time. The $10 tickets, limited to a four per person, didn't go on sale until the morning of the concert. Within three hours, all 7,600 tickets were sold and another 1,000 tickets were given to local charities.
- Janet's first show for the summer tour starting on Saturday June 7th at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington sold out so fast, she quickly added a second show to be performed the day before on Friday June 6th. This upset many of the fans who waited in line for hours for the Saturday show only to see her second show. Adding insult to injury, at the Saturday show, Janet had the world premiere of the music video for "Black Cat" that had been filmed the night before.
- Janet was scheduled to play Philadelphia in March, but the people who manage the Spectrum Arena doubled-booked Jackson's show and a WWF wrestling match on the same night. The sold-out show was later rescheduled in August.
- Janet's four Los Angeles shows sold out in 48 minutes.
- Janet had to reschedule her appearance at Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey from September 8th to August 30th because of her performance at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
- Janet had to reverse the decision to use a live panther on the show after several incidents, including the panther urinating on stage. Citing concerns from fans and her own love of animals, eventually, she didn't use the panther in the summer leg of the tour.
- Janet spent her 24th birthday at Tokyo Disneyland.
- The May 18th show in Tokyo, Japan was shot in HD and aired on Japanese television in full, spliced with 2 commercial Janet had recorded for JAL Airlines.