The Faith Tour

The Faith Tour was the first solo concert tour by English recording artist George Michael, launched in support of his multi-million selling debut solo album Faith. The tour spanned nine months between February and October 1988 with three final shows in the summer of 1989 comprising 109 shows across sixteen countries.[3][4] It was choreographed by Paula Abdul.

The Faith Tour
World tour by George Michael
Faith Tour book cover
Image taken by photographer Chris Cuffaro.
LocationNorth America (47), Europe (37), Oceania (17), Asia (8)
Associated albumFaith
Start date19 February 1988
End date6 July 1989
Legs4
No. of shows109 (135 scheduled)
GuestsDeon Estus, Aretha Franklin
Box officeUS tour dates: US $15 million[1] ($32.43 in 2019 dollars)[2]
George Michael concert chronology

Overview
The Faith Tour began in Tokyo, Japan at the Budokan arena.

On 30 October 1987, Michael released his debut solo studio album, Faith.[5] After receiving a 1988 Brit Award for "Best British Male" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, George Michael embarked on a massive sold out world tour which would occupy most of that year.[6] It started in Tokyo's Budokan indoor arena in February and ended at Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida.[7] Most of the set list was based on the Faith track listing with a couple of songs from Wham! ("Everything She Wants" and "I'm Your Man"). Michael also paid a tribute to artists that he had been influenced by such as "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle, Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" and Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today". When Michael performed at Birmingham's Genting Arena, Andrew Ridgeley joined him briefly onstage for a performance of "I'm Your Man".[8] With already two U.S. number ones, new singles continued to be released while on tour with "One More Try" and "Monkey" also reaching No. 1 in late May and August 1988 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[9][10]

On Saturday 11 June, Michael performed three songs including Gladys Knight's "If You Were My Woman" for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium. Michael used the concert as preparation for a show later the same day at London's Earls Court.[11]

For the first five months, Michael had consulted eight doctors in a variety of countries for throat pain which had caused some concert cancellations. Eventually in London he was diagnosed with a cyst in the throat. The demanding schedule took a pause for Michael to recuperate.[12]

In August 1988, Michael toured the United States beginning in Landover, Maryland and closing late October in Pensacola, Florida. In Los Angeles, George was joined on stage by Aretha Franklin for a duet on "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The 43-date American tour alone grossed a total of $15 million (about $32.4 million in today's dollars[2]), performing to over 750,000 fans.[13] Michael also topped the Billboard Year-End of 1988 charts in the U.S. with his album Faith and single of the same title. According to RIAA, he was the top-selling artist of the year 1988 in the United States.

Last shows (1989)

In early July 1989, nine months after the tour ended, Michael performed three special concerts (shows in Spain had been previously cancelled) at Madrid's Las Ventas, La Rosaleda Stadium, Málaga and Sarrià Stadium in Barcelona.[14][15][16]

Broadcast and recordings

The concert on 16 April 1988 in Rotterdam was professionally recorded for a commercial release.[17] No DVD has been released.

The concert on 31 May 1988 in Paris was officially recorded as audio and 11 tracks from that show were broadcast on several radio stations in several countries.[18]

The show on 1 July 1989 in Madrid was recorded and broadcast live on the television channel TVE1 in Spain and various European and Latin American countries.[19][20]

Opening acts

The opening act for the tour varied from country to country; in North America some dates of the tour were supported by Deon Estus, The Bangles or Johnny Clegg & Savuka.

Numerous shows with Deon Estus began with a performance at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.[21] The Bangles played venues in New Orleans, Louisiana and Orlando, Miami, Florida.[22][23] Savuka played in Toronto's Exhibition Stadium.[24]

Set list

Shows 1989
1–6 July 1989

Madrid

  1. "Faith (intro)"
  2. "I Want Your Sex"
  3. "Hard Day"
  4. "Father Figure"
  5. "Calling You"
  6. "Everything She Wants"
  7. "Faith"
  8. "I'm Your Man"
  9. "A Different Corner"
  10. "Love's in Need of Love Today"
  11. "One More Try"
  12. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
  13. "Lady Marmalade"
  14. "Careless Whisper"

Barcelona

  1. "I Want Your Sex" Parts I & II
  2. "Hard Day"
  3. "Calling You"
  4. "Everything She Wants"
  5. "Father Figure"
  6. "I'm Your Man"
  7. "Pastime Paradise"
  8. "Faith"
  9. "Monkey"
  10. "One More Try"
  11. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
  12. "Careless Whisper"
  13. "Lady Marmalade"
  14. "I Want Your Sex (Part I, II & III)"
Source: Set list[25]

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue Attendance / Capacity Gross
Asia[26]
19 February 1988 Tokyo Japan Nippon Budokan
20 February 1988
21 February 1988
23 February 1988 Osaka Osaka-jō Hall
24 February 1988
26 February 1988 Nagoya Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
28 February 1988 Tokyo NHK Hall
29 February 1988 Yokohama Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Oceania
4 March 1988 Auckland New Zealand Western Springs Stadium
8 March 1988 Perth Australia Perth Entertainment Centre
9 March 1988
11 March 1988 Adelaide Memorial Drive Park
12 March 1988
13 March 1988 Canberra Bruce Stadium
14 March 1988
17 March 1988 Sydney Sydney Entertainment Centre
18 March 1988
19 March 1988
24 March 1988 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
26 March 1988 Melbourne Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre
27 March 1988
28 March 1988
2 April 1988
5 April 1988 Honolulu United States Neal S. Blaisdell Center 14,799 / sellout $320,108[27]
6 April 1988
Europe
12 April 1988 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy
13 April 1988
14 April 1988
16 April 1988
18 April 1988 Paris France Zénith de Paris
21 April 1988 Oslo Norway Drammenshallen
22 April 1988 Gothenburg Sweden Scandinavium
23 April 1988
9 May 1988 Frankfurt Germany Festhalle
11 May 1988 Munich Olympiahalle
12 May 1988 Vienna Austria Wiener Stadthalle
16 May 1988 Milan Italy Milan Arena
17 May 1988
20 May 1988 Rome Palazzo dello Sport
21 May 1988 Verona Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
23 May 1988 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
24 May 1988
26 May 1988 Lyon France Palais des Sports de Gerland
27 May 1988 Montpellier Le Zénith
30 May 1988 Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy
31 May 1988
2 June 1988 Hamburg Germany Sporthalle Hamburg
3 June 1988
10 June 1988 London England Earls Court
11 June 1988
12 June 1988
14 June 1988
15 June 1988
16 June 1988
18 June 1988 Glasgow Scotland Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
19 June 1988
23 June 1988 Birmingham England NEC Arena
24 June 1988
25 June 1988
North America
6 August 1988 Landover United States Capital Centre 29,331 / sellout $586,620[28]
7 August 1988
9 August 1988 Philadelphia The Spectrum 31,725 / sellout $611,612[29]
10 August 1988
11 August 1988 Hartford Hartford Civic Center
14 August 1988 New York City Madison Square Garden 51,312 / sellout $1,129,905[30]
15 August 1988
16 August 1988
19 August 1988 Mansfield Great Woods Center
20 August 1988
21 August 1988 East Rutherford Meadowlands Arena 18,704 / sellout $360,961[31]
23 August 1988 Montreal Canada Olympic Stadium 21,640 / 35,000 $520,701
25 August 1988 Ottawa CCE
27 August 1988 Toronto CNE Stadium 45,289 / sellout $996,287[32]
29 August 1988 Auburn Hills United States The Palace of Auburn Hills 33,822 / sellout $676,440[33]
30 August 1988
1 September 1988 Pittsburgh Civic Arena 14,189 / sellout $252,001[34]
2 September 1988 Richfield Richfield Coliseum 23,984 / sellout $479,680[35]
3 September 1988
6 September 1988 Rosemont Rosemont Horizon 28,724 / sellout $646,290[36]
7 September 1988
9 September 1988 East Troy Alpine Valley Music Theatre 20,302 / sellout $388,944[37]
11 September 1988 Lexington Rupp Arena 17,674 / sellout $353,480[38]
13 September 1988 Saint Paul St. Paul Civic Center 15,678 / sellout $305,721[39]
17 September 1988 Greenwood Village Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre 28,386 / 36,000 $515,607[40]
18 September 1988
22 September 1988 Tacoma Tacoma Dome 45,240 / sellout $891,900[41]
23 September 1988
25 September 1988 Vancouver Canada Pacific Coliseum 13,596 / sellout $320,403[42]
27 September 1988 Mountain View United States Shoreline Amphitheatre 40,606 / 42,952 $735,710[43]
28 September 1988
29 September 1988
2 October 1988 Inglewood Great Western Forum 42,382 / sellout $902,768[44]
3 October 1988
4 October 1988
7 October 1988 Irvine Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre 43,936 / 45,000 $1,007,600[45]
8 October 1988
9 October 1988
11 October 1988 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena 11,700 / sellout $247,659[46]
14 October 1988 Irving Texas Stadium 38,564 / 41,000 $846,923
16 October 1988 Houston The Summit 13,256 / 15,000 $308,893[47]
18 October 1988 New Orleans Louisiana Superdome 24,000 / 30,000 $450,555[48]
20 October 1988 Atlanta Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
23 October 1988 Orlando Citrus Bowl 34,547 / 35,000 $667,840[49]
26 October 1988 Tampa Expo Hall 10,288 / sellout $223,322[50]
29 October 1988 Miami Orange Bowl 34,439 / 35,000 $663,400[51]
31 October 1988 Pensacola Pensacola Civic Center 9,274 / sellout $178,386[52]
Europe
1 July 1989 Madrid Spain Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
4 July 1989 Málaga Estadio La Rosaleda
6 July 1989 Barcelona Estadi de Sarrià
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
21 March 1988 Sydney, Australia Sydney Entertainment Centre Cancelled
23 March 1988 Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre Cancelled
30, 31 March 1988 Melbourne, Australia Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre Cancelled
25 April 1988 Helsinki, Finland Jäähalli Cancelled
27, 28 April 1988 Copenhagen, Denmark Valby-Hallen Cancelled
29, 30 April 1988 Hamburg, Germany Sporthalle Hamburg Cancelled
2 May 1988 Berlin, Germany Deutschlandhalle Cancelled
4 May 1988 Dortmund, Germany Westfalenhalle Cancelled
6 May 1988 Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle Cancelled
7 May 1988 Stuttgart, Germany Schleyer-Halle Cancelled
14 May 1988 Verona, Italy Verona Arena Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 21 May 1988
18 May 1988 Genova, Italy PalaSport Cancelled
1 June 1988 Paris, France La Palais des Sport Cancelled
5 June 1988 Dortmund, Germany Westfalenhalle Cancelled
6 June 1988 Stuttgart, Germany Schleyer-Halle Cancelled
29 June 1988 Belfast, Northern Ireland King's Hall Cancelled
1 July 1988 Dublin, Ireland Royal Dublin Society Canceled
8 July 1988 Copenhagen, Denmark Valby-Hallen Cancelled
10 July 1988 Leysin, Switzerland Leysin Rock Festival Cancelled
12 July 1988 Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis Cancelled
15 July 1988 Rotterdam, Netherlands Feijenoord Stadion Cancelled
18 July 1988 Viareggio, Italy Sports Stadium Cancelled
20, 21 July 1988 Fréjus, France Arènes de Fréjus Cancelled
23 July 1988 Barcelona, Spain Estadi de Sarrià Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 6 July 1989
27, 28 July 1988 Madrid, Spain Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas Cancelled. Concert rescheduled to 1 July 1989

Personnel

As printed in the official tour programme.[53]

References
  1. THE SELLING OF ROCK ON THE MEGABUCKS MUSIC CIRCUIT - By Richard Harrington 24 September 1989
  2. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  3. YouTube - George Michael "I Want Your Sex", Barcelona, Spain (Last show 6 July 1989)
  4. George Michael - The Life: 1963-2016: The Man, The Legend, The Music - By Emily Herbert
  5. TRIBUTE: Celebrating 30 Years of George Michael’s Debut Album ‘Faith’ - 27 October 2017
  6. 1988 BRIT Awards - Award ceremony Date: 8 February 1988
  7. Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated - By Robert Steele
  8. Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated - By Robert Steele
  9. GEORGE MICHAEL | CHART HISTORY - Billboard Hot 100
  10. Celebrity Biographies - The Amazing Life of George Michael - Famous Stars - By Matt Green
  11. Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated - By Robert Steele
  12. Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated - By Robert Steele
  13. Billboard - 22 Jul 1995
  14. Careless Whispers: - The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated By Robert Steele
  15. George Michael volvió a convertirse en el ídolo de la juventud madrileña El Festival Europa Joven - ABC (Madrid) - 2 July 1989, p. 101 - ABC.es
  16. What George left behind on the Costa del Sol - surinenglish.com
  17. George Michael (April, 1988)
  18. George Michael (May, 1988)
  19. Elvis del siglo XXI - 3 JUL 1989
  20. George Michael actuará en Madrid el 1 de julio Será la presentación del cantante en España - Madrid 13 JUN 1989
  21. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 27 August 1988 (P. 34)
  22. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 12 November 1988 (P. 27)
  23. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 December 1988 (P. 20)
  24. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 10 September 1988 (P. 30)
  25. George Michael Setlist - at Estadi de Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain
  26. Faith Tour schedule - George Michael concerts
  27. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 23 April 1988 (P. 23)
  28. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 27 August 1988 (P. 34)
  29. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 27 August 1988 (P. 34)
  30. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 September 1988 (P. 22)
  31. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 September 1988 (P. 22)
  32. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 10 September 1988 (P. 30)
  33. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100 no. 39. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 September 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  34. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 17 September 1988 (P. 26)
  35. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100 no. 39. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 September 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  36. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100 no. 39. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 September 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  37. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 1 October 1988 (P. 24)
  38. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100 no. 39. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 September 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  39. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 1 October 1988 (P. 24)
  40. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 8 October 1988 (P. 34)
  41. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 8 October 1988 (P. 34)
  42. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 15 October 1988 (P. 24)
  43. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 22 October 1988 (P. 46)
  44. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 22 October 1988 (P. 46)
  45. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 29 October 1988 (P. 28)
  46. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 29 October 1988 (P. 28)
  47. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 29 October 1988 (P. 28)
  48. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 12 November 1988 (P. 27)
  49. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 December 1988 (P. 20)
  50. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 December 1988 (P. 20)
  51. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 December 1988 (P. 20)
  52. Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses - Billboard, 3 December 1988 (P. 20)
  53. As printed in the official ‘THE FAITH TOUR’ programme.
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