The Stripped Tour

The Stripped Tour[1] (also known as Stripped Live) was the third concert tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was launched in support of her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). Acting as a continuation of her Justified and Stripped Tour with Justin Timberlake, it reached Europe, Asia and Australia.

The Stripped Tour
Tour by Christina Aguilera
Associated albumStripped
Start dateSeptember 22, 2003 (2003-09-22)
End dateDecember 17, 2003 (2003-12-17)
Legs2
No. of shows37
Christina Aguilera concert chronology

Aguilera was expected to return to North America in summer 2004, however, the 29 dates were canceled at the last minute due to Aguilera suffering vocal cord injuries.

The Tour garnered mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, who were divided on the tour's set list and Aguilera's performances.

North American tour cancellation

After the success of the tour in 2003 which promoted, a US summer tour was scheduled with Chingy to begin in 2004 with a new theme, however, it was scrapped due to vocal cord injuries Aguilera suffered shortly before the opening date.[2][3] Doctors told Aguilera that she should not sing for the next six weeks, cancelling the tour. She said, "I'm extremely disappointed to have to cancel this tour. I was looking forward to being on the road again and spending time with my fans".[3] Service company FansRule had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and had no ability to refund the money to buyers.[3] Aguilera's team then hired legal representation to deal with the designated trustees for FansRule, Joe Baldiga and John Aquino, and the bankruptcy court to help the fans. But it was a slow-going process, punctuated by hearings where the singer's lawyers had to fight motions from FansRule to pay the trustees before paying back the fans. According to Baldiga, $320,000 was due as repayment to the hundreds of Aguilera fans who had bought VIP tickets.[3] Aguilera's publicists said in a statement:

"You should know that Christina has arranged through her attorneys to ensure that consumers would be receiving the maximum return possible, by virtue of the fact that Christina has agreed that any amounts due to her and her company should instead be used to satisfy the claims of the many fans who purchased tickets through FansRule."[4]

Concert synopsis

The Stripped Tour's synopsis is quite similar to Aguilera's part during The Justified and Stripped Tour in 2003. The tour began with the video introduction of "Stripped Intro", featuring Aguilera handcuffed, blindfolded and sitting in a chair as the words "scandal", "gossip" and "lies" flashed across the screen.[5] Then, the curtain dropped, she strutted out singing "Dirrty" and "Get Mine, Get Yours", with big curly black locks, a black and hot-pink halter with belly-baring plunging neckline, pants and spiked heels.[6] She performed "The Voice Within" as the follow-up, with a long black dress. The acoustic version of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" sounded "like a seasoned veteran of decades".[6] During the performance, she gave a speech, "Thank you so much for coming... I'm getting that feeling again and it's a blessing. Yes, I've grown up a little bit. Now I'm 22... I'm so happy you've grown with me".[6] Aguilera took off the stage again, performing the "Egyptian-turned-metal" version "Genie in a Bottle", where she rolled on a giant "X" which portrayed her then newly established alter ego "Xtina".[6][7] Wearing "hot pink straps attached to her outfit", she slowly unraveled herself as the "genie" in the song, provocatively danced her way out of the bottle.[6]

The performance of "Can't Hold Us Down" featured a pink "spark-shooting" motorcycle,[7] with girls dancing around and against boys who tried to poke them. Then, she belted out "Make Over", a "lush", midtempo pop rock song with the "rhythmic trot of a Spanish spaghetti Western",[8] featuring "chain-link fence".[7] During the medley of two Spanish songs from Mi Reflejo, "Contigo en la Distancia" and "Falsas Esperanzas", a male dancer ripped off the skirt she wore, revealing tiny denim boy-cut shorts underneath.[9] Later, she "saucily" replied, "Just because my album is called 'Stripped,' doesn't mean you can take my clothes off".[6][9] Following the video interlude of "Loving Me 4 Me", she performed the ballad "Impossible".[10] She changed into a "silky empire-waisted" red dress to channel her favorite singer, Etta James, and performed James' two hits, "At Last" and "I Prefer You".[6] The rendition of "Lady Marmalade" from the soundtrack Moulin Rouge! was described as "a playful romp" between four male dancers dressed as sailors and four female members of the troupe in lingerie.[6][9] She continued with the "gorgeous ache" of her own waltz ballad, "Walk Away".[8] The performance of "Fighter" had more feelings and excitements, though the sound mix was lacking,[11] and the performance version of "What a Girl Wants" was provided with some well-deserved dance moves, in which she dressed a purple shirt and shorts.[10] Aguilera ended her part with "Beautiful",[10] wearing jeans and a T-shirt which emblazoned with the words "God sees no color".[6]

Opening acts

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the September 24, 2003 concert, held at the Forum Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark. It does not represent all concerts during the tour.[12]

  1. "Stripped Intro" (video introduction)
  2. "Dirrty"
  3. "Get Mine, Get Yours"
  4. "The Voice Within"
  5. "Genie in a Bottle"
  6. "Can't Hold Us Down"
  7. "Make Over"
  8. "Contigo en la Distancia" / "Falsas Esperanzas"
  9. "Infatuation"
  10. "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)"
  11. "Cruz"
  12. "Loving Me 4 Me" (video interlude)
  13. "Impossible"
  14. "At Last" / "I Prefer You"
  15. "Lady Marmalade"
  16. "Walk Away"
  17. "Fighter"
  18. "Stripped Pt. 2" (video interlude)
  19. "What a Girl Wants"
  20. "Beautiful"

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
Europe[13]
September 22, 2003 Hamburg Germany Color Line Arena
September 24, 2003 Copenhagen Denmark Forum Copenhagen
September 26, 2003 Stockholm Sweden Hovet
September 27, 2003 Oslo Norway Oslo Spektrum
September 29, 2003 Berlin Germany Arena Berlin
September 30, 2003 Dresden Messehalle
October 3, 2003 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis
October 4, 2003 Cologne Germany Kölnarena
October 6, 2003 Stuttgart Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
October 7, 2003 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis Antwerpen
October 9, 2003 Paris France Zénith de Paris
October 14, 2003 Munich Germany Olympiahalle
October 15, 2003 Vienna Austria Wiener Stadthalle
October 17, 2003 Frankfurt Germany Festhalle Frankfurt
October 18, 2003 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
October 20, 2003 Milan Italy Mazda Palace
October 22, 2003 Barcelona Spain Palau Sant Jordi
October 25, 2003 Birmingham England NEC Arena
October 27, 2003 Manchester Manchester Evening News Arena
October 28, 2003 Glasgow Scotland SECC Concert Hall 4
October 30, 2003 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
October 31, 2003 Dublin Ireland Point Theatre
November 2, 2003 London England Wembley Arena
November 3, 2003
November 5, 2003
November 7, 2003 Birmingham NEC Arena
November 8, 2003 Sheffield Hallam FM Arena
Asia[14]
December 1, 2003 Tokyo Japan Tokyo International Forum
December 2, 2003
December 3, 2003
Australia[15]
December 8, 2003 Sydney Australia Sydney Entertainment Centre
December 9, 2003
December 11, 2003 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
December 12, 2003
December 14, 2003 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
December 16, 2003 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre
December 17, 2003 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
Cancellations and rescheduled shows

References
  1. "The Stripped Tour". The Frontier Touring Company. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  2. "People Watch: Christina Aguilera". The Beaver County Times. Allegheny Times. March 11, 2004. p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  3. Vineyard, Jennifer (April 29, 2004). "Christina Calls Off Tour With Chingy Due To Vocal Strain". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. Vineyard, Jennifer (July 11, 2006). "Two Years Later, Aguilera Fans Finally Getting Their Due: A Refund". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  5. A. Jasmin, Ernest (June 9, 2003). "Christina and Justin dazzle fans". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on March 19, 2005. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  6. Fuoco, Christina (June 5, 2013). "Christina Does Her Cher Impression, Justin Fights The Screams At Tour Kickoff". MTV News. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  7. Chonin, Neva (June 9, 2013). "Aguilera, Timberlake aging well / Sexy, soulful show in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  8. Elfman, Doug (June 23, 2003). "Aguilera Skillfuly Blends Her Two Sides". Las Vegas Review-Journal. ISSN 1097-1645.
  9. Sitt, Pamela (June 9, 2003). "Aguilera gets down and 'Dirrty' in Tacoma". The Seattle Times. ISSN 0745-9696.
  10. Kroll, Katy (June 26, 2003). "Concert Review: Justin Timberlake / Christina Aguilera". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510.
  11. Strauss, Neil (June 6, 2003). "Pop Review: A Maturity In Being 22, As the Fans Come Along". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  12. Winther, Anne (September 25, 2003). "Christina Aguilera: Forum, København" [Christina Aguilera: Forum, Copenhagen]. Gaffa (in Danish). Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  13. Cohen, Jonathan (April 25, 2003). "Christina Aguilera Plans European Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 1, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  14. "Tour Dates/Venues". Christina Aguilera Official Website. November 2003. Archived from the original on September 20, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  15. "Christina Extends Her Oz Tour!". Take 40 Australia. MCM Entertainment. September 18, 2003. Archived from the original on August 23, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  16. "People". Lodi News-Sentinel. London: Steven Malkowich. November 12, 2003. p. 4. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
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