2010–12 concert tour by Prince
Welcome 2
Banner advertisement for the North American leg of the tour
Associated album
20Ten Start date December 15, 2010 (2010-12-15 ) End date September 26, 2012 (2012-09-26 ) Legs 7
No. of shows 51 in North America 24 in Europe 8 in Australia 83 in total (92 scheduled)
Prince 20Ten (2010)
Welcome 2 (2010–12)
Live Out Loud Tour (2013)
Welcome 2 was a
concert tour by American recording artist
Prince . Playing over 80 shows, the tour reached North America, Europe, and Australia. Each leg of the tour was branded with the "Welcome 2" title followed by the continent in which the leg was located. The tour marked the singer's first performances in North America in over six years. The show was composed of the singer performing his hits with his band
The New Power Generation . Alongside Prince, various musicians performed including
Janelle Monáe ,
Esperanza Spalding , and
Cassandra Wilson . The tour placed 39th on Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour", earning nearly $20 million.
1
[1]
Background
Prince announced the tour on October 14, 2010 at the famed
Apollo Theater in New York City.
[2] He stated the tour would begin in
Greater New York . He further explained to the audience each show would be different. "Come early, come often. I have a lot of hits... no two shows will be the same". For the tour, Prince played a custom gold
Fender Stratocaster (made by the
Fender Custom Shop ), which was auctioned off at the end of the tour. The proceed benefited the
Harlem Children's Zone .
[3]
The concerts were staged
in the round , with the stage shaped like the singer's iconic love symbol.
[4] During shows, Prince invited several celebrities to come onstage and "jam out" with him, including
Naomi Campbell ,
Whoopi Goldberg ,
Jamie Foxx ,
Alicia Keys ,
Leighton Meester ,
Questlove ,
Sherri Shepherd ,
Whitney Houston , and
Cornel West .
[5]
[6] He also performed duets with specials guests throughout the shows in North America. For "
The Beautiful Ones ", Prince was joined onstage by ballet dancer
Misty Copeland .
[7] During the concert at
Madison Square Garden on December 29, 2010, Janelle Monáe performed "
If I Was Your Girlfriend " with the singer. During the same show,
Cyndi Lauper and
Egypt Sherrod performed "
Jungle Love ".
[6]
Following his shows in Greater New York, Prince expanded the tour to include the
San Francisco Bay Area and
The Carolinas . In April, he announced he would perform a twenty-one night residency show at
The Forum in
Inglewood, California , during an appearance on
Lopez Tonight .
[8] Dubbed "Welcome 2 America: 21-Night Stands", the singer performed throughout the months of April and May, including stops in
Fresno ,
San Jose , and
Sacramento . As the tour continued, Prince performed at several
music festivals in Europe. In the fall of 2011, he announced he would bring his tour to Canada, his first performances in the territory in nearly ten years. In 2012, a tour of Australia received a warm response from spectators.
[9]
Opening acts
Lalah Hathaway (East Rutherford—December 15, Greenville, North Charleston)
[10]
Esperanza Spalding (East Rutherford—December 15)
[10]
Maceo Parker (East Rutherford—December 17)
[10]
Cassandra Wilson (East Rutherford—December 17)
[10]
Graham Central Station (New York City—December 18, Oakland, Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento)
[11]
Sinbad (New York City—December 18)
Janelle Monáe (New York City—December 29)
[12]
Mint Condition (New York City—December 29, Columbia)
[12]
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (New York City—January 18)
Cee Lo Green (New York City—February 2)
Sheila E. (Oakland, Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento)
[13]
Anthony Hamilton (Charlotte)
[14]
Chaka Khan (Raleigh, Greensboro)
Setlist
February 23, 2011
[17]
"Let's Go Crazy"
"Delirious"
"1999"
"Little Red Corvette"
"The Glamorous Life" (contains elements of "Soul Sacrifice") (performed with Sheila E.)
"Somewhere Here on Earth"
"I Love U, but I Don't Trust U Anymore"
"Controversy" (contains elements of "
Batdance ")
"
Play That Funky Music "
"A Love Bizarre" (performed with Sheila E.)
Medley: "Sexy Dancer" / "Le Freak" / "
Love Rollercoaster "
"Controversy" (Reprise) (contains excerpts from "Housequake")
"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
"Kiss"
"Purple Rain"
Encore
"Dance (Disco Heat)" (Instrumental Interlude)
"Baby I'm a Star"
Medley: "
When Doves Cry " / "
Nasty Girl " / "
Sign '☮' the Times " / "
Alphabet St. "
"My Love Is Forever"
"
Darling Nikki " (Instrumental Interlude)
"
Pop Life " (contains excerpts from "
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) ")
"
Black Sweat "
"Jungle Love"
April 14, 2011
[18]
"D.M.S.R."
"Pop Life"
"Extraordinary"
Medley: "Uptown" / "Raspberry Beret" / "Cream"
"Cool" (contains elements of "
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough ")
"Let's Work"
"U Got the Look"
"Purple Rain"
"Let's Go Crazy"
"Delirious"
"1999"
"The Beautiful Ones"
"Little Red Corvette"
"Kiss"
Medley: "When Doves Cry" / "Nasty Girl" / "Sign '☮' the Times" / "Darling Nikki" (Instrumental Interlude) / "
777-9311 "
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Instrumental Interlude)
"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
"
Insatiable "
"
Scandalous! "
"Adore"
"A Love Bizarre" (performed with Sheila E.)
Encore
"Play That Funky Music"
"Controversy" (contains excerpts from "Housequake")
"The Glamorous Life" (contains elements of "Soul Sacrifice") (performed with Sheila E.)
"
Peach " (performed with Sheila E.)
"Dance (Disco Heat)"
"Baby I'm a Star"
"
Stratus " (Instrumental Interlude)
Medley: "Sometimes It Snows in April" / "Laydown" / "Endorphinmachine" / "She's Always in My Hair" / "Dreamer"
"Welcome 2 America"
March 24, 2011
Medley: "When Doves Cry" / "Nasty Girl" / "Darling Nikki" (Instrumental Interlude) / "Sign '☮' the Times" / "
777-9311 " / "
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World "
"Uptown"
"Raspberry Beret"
"Cream"
"Cool" (contains elements of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough")
"Let's Work"
"U Got the Look"
"
Nothing Compares 2 U "
"
Take Me with U "
"
Anotherloverholenyohead "
"Controversy" (contains elements of "
Batdance ")
"Play That Funky Music"
"Which Way Is Up?"
"Controversy" (Reprise) (contains excerpts from "Housequake")
"
I Want to Be Free "
"Shhh"
"The Beautiful Ones"
"Diamonds and Pearls"
"Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)"
"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
"Kiss"
"Purple Rain"
Encore
"Dance (Disco Heat)"
"Baby I'm a Star"
Sydney—May 11, 2012
"
Gold "
"Jam of the Year
"
The Song of the Heart "
"Let's Go Crazy"
"Delirious"
"1999"
"Little Red Corvette"
"Nothing Compares 2 U" (performed with Shelby J.)
"Take Me with U"
"Raspberry Beret"
"Cream"
"Cool" (contains elements of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough")
"Sometimes It Snows in April"
"
Love... Thy Will Be Done "
"
Mountains " (contains excerpts from "
The Dance Electric ")
Medley: "When Doves Cry" / "Hot Thing" / "Sign '☮' the Times" (contains excerpts from "Jungle Love") / "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
"Forever in My Life"
"
I Would Die 4 U
"Kiss"
Encore
"Purple Rain"
"Controversy"
"Peach"
Melbourne—May 14, 2012
"Gold"
"Jam of the Year"
"Let's Go Crazy"
"Delirious"
"1999"
"Little Red Corvette"
"Nothing Compares 2 U" (performed with Shelby J.)
"
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man "
"Take Me with U"
"Raspberry Beret"
"Cream"
"Cool" (contains elements of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough")
"Sometimes It Snows in April"
"Love... Thy Will Be Done"
"Mountains" (contains excerpts from "The Dance Electric")
Medley: "When Doves Cry" / "Nasty Girl" / "Darling Nikki" / "Pop Life" / "Sign '☮' the Times" / "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" / "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
"Hot Thing"
"I Would Die 4 U"
"Kiss"
Encore
"Purple Rain"
"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
"She's Always in My Hair"
"Dreamer"
"Peach"
Tour dates
Date
City
Country
Venue
North America
[3]
[10]
[22]
December 15, 2010
East Rutherford
United States
Izod Center
December 17, 2010
December 18, 2010
New York City
Madison Square Garden
December 29, 2010
January 18, 2011
February 7, 2011
February 21, 2011
Oakland
Oracle Arena
February 23, 2011
February 24, 2011
March 21, 2011
Columbia
Colonial Life Arena
March 23, 2011
Raleigh
RBC Center
March 24, 2011
Charlotte
Time Warner Cable Arena
March 26, 2011
Greensboro
Greensboro Coliseum
March 28, 2011
Greenville
BI-LO Center
March 30, 2011
North Charleston
North Charleston Coliseum
April 14, 2011
[A]
Inglewood
The Forum
April 21, 2011
[A]
April 22, 2011
[A]
April 23, 2011
[A]
April 28, 2011
[A]
April 29, 2011
[A]
April 30, 2011
[A]
May 5, 2011
[A]
May 6, 2011
[A]
May 7, 2011
[A]
May 13, 2011
[A]
May 14, 2011
[A]
May 18, 2011
Fresno
Save Mart Center
May 19, 2011
San Jose
HP Pavilion
May 21, 2011
May 22, 2011
Sacramento
Power Balance Pavilion
May 27, 2011
[A]
Inglewood
The Forum
May 28, 2011
[A]
May 29, 2011
[A]
June 24, 2011
[B]
Montreal
Canada
Métropolis
June 25, 2011
[B]
Europe
[23]
[24]
June 30, 2011
Saint-Denis
France
Stade de France
July 2, 2011
[C]
Gdynia
Poland
Babie Doły Airfield
July 3, 2011
[D]
Beltring
England
Hop Farm Country Park
July 5, 2011
Ghent
Belgium
Sint-Pietersplein
July 6, 2011
July 8, 2011
[E]
Rotterdam
Netherlands
Rotterdam Ahoy
July 9, 2011
[E]
July 10, 2011
[E]
July 13, 2011
Esch-sur-Alzette
Luxembourg
Rockhal
July 15, 2011
[F]
Perugia
Italy
Arena Santa Giuliana
July 16, 2011
[G]
Lucca
Piazza Napoleone
July 21, 2011
Helsinki
Finland
Hartwall Arena
July 24, 2011
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Melkweg
July 25, 2011
July 26, 2011
Rotterdam
Rotterdam Ahoy
July 28, 2011
Cologne
Germany
Lanxess Arena
July 30, 2011
Malahide
Ireland
Malahide Castle
August 2, 2011
Oslo
Norway
Oslo Spektrum
August 3, 2011
August 6, 2011
[H]
Copenhagen
Denmark
10 Øren
August 7, 2011
[H]
August 9, 2011
[J]
Budapest
Hungary
Óbuda Island
August 12, 2011
[K]
Gothenburg
Sweden
Slottsskogen
August 17, 2011
Zürich
Switzerland
Hallenstadion
North America
[25]
[26]
November 25, 2011
Toronto
Canada
Air Canada Centre
November 26, 2011
November 30, 2011
Halifax
Scotiabank Centre
December 2, 2011
Montreal
Bell Centre
December 3, 2011
Ottawa
Canadian Tire Centre
December 5, 2011
London
Budweiser Gardens
December 8, 2011
Winnipeg
MTS Centre
December 13, 2011
Edmonton
Northlands Coliseum
December 14, 2011
Calgary
Scotiabank Saddledome
December 16, 2011
Vancouver
Rogers Arena
December 17, 2011
Victoria
Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
December 19, 2011
Tacoma
United States
Tacoma Dome
Australia
[27]
May 11, 2012
Sydney
Australia
Qudos Bank Arena
May 12, 2012
May 14, 2012
Melbourne
Rod Laver Arena
May 15, 2012
May 18, 2012
Brisbane
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
May 22, 2012
Sydney
Qudos Bank Arena
May 26, 2012
Brisbane
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
May 30, 2012
Melbourne
Rod Laver Arena
North America
[28]
September 24, 2012
Chicago
United States
United Center
September 25, 2012
September 26, 2012
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
December 14, 2010
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Izod Center
Cancelled
[10]
February 4, 2011
Dallas
theEvent Tent Complex
Cancelled.
[37] The concert was to benefit the Goss-Michael Foundation
July 23, 2011
Oslo, Norway
Oslo Spektrum
Rescheduled to August 2, 2011 due to the
2011 Norway attacks
July 24, 2011
Oslo, Norway
Oslo Spektrum
Rescheduled to August 3, 2011 due to the 2011 Norway attacks
August 4, 2011
Berlin, Germany
O2 World
Cancelled
December 11, 2011
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
SaskTel Centre
Cancelled
Box office score data
Venue
City
Tickets sold / available
Gross revenue
Madison Square Garden
[A]
New York City
70,855 / 72,911 (97%)
$7,592,092
[38]
Oracle Arena
Oakland
42,475 / 42,475 (100%)
$4,418,308
[39]
Save Mart Center
Fresno
11,918 / 13,028 (91%)
$837,960
[40]
Bell Centre
Montreal
8,753 / 10,900 (80%)
$1,113,260
[41]
John Labatt Centre
London
8,790 / 9,053 (97%)
$958,695
[41]
Halifax Metro Centre
Halifax
10,039 / 10,039 (100%)
$1,000,320
[42]
Rexall Place
Edmonton
10,775 / 16,258 (66%)
$1,119,660
[43]
Allphones Arena
Sydney
39,827 / 44,118 (90%)
$7,182,190
[44]
Rod Laver Arena
Melbourne
42,086 / 42,900 (98%)
$7,540,270
[45]
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Boondall
17,798 / 20,036 (84%)
$3,212,670
[46]
TOTAL
263,316 / 281,718 (93%)
$34,975,425
Notes
A The gross for the January 18th concert at Madison Square Garden placed second on Billboard's "Hot Tours", for the month of January 2011.
[47]
Notes
1.
^ The annual Pollstar ranking of the concert industry's top performing artists is tabulated for all worldwide shows, worked between January 1 and June 30, 2011. All ticket sales figures are calculated in U.S. dollars and are based on reported information and extensive research by Pollstar.
References
^
"Top 50 Worldwide Tours (01/01/2011 – 06/30/2011)" (PDF) .
Pollstar . July 2011. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011 .
^ Lipshutz, Jason (14 October 2010).
"Prince Announces 'Welcome 2 America' Tour" .
Billboard . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
a
b
"PRINCE "WELCOME 2 AMERICA" EXCLUSIVE NORTH AMERICAN PERFORMANCES IN NEW YORK AREA" (PDF) (Press release). Izod Center Official Website. 25 October 2010. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
"Seating Chart for Prince – Welcome 2 America" . Izod Center Official Website . New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
Johnston, Maura (20 December 2010).
"Prince Parties With Naomi Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg Onstage at MSG" . Rolling Stone LLC . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
a
b Perpetua, Matthew (30 December 2010).
"Prince Performs Killer Show With Help From Janelle Monáe, Cyndi Lauper" .
Rolling Stone . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Cohen, Stefanie (26 December 2010).
"Prince finds a ballet muse" .
New York Post . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
a
b Evans, Rob (8 April 2011).
"Prince plans extended "Welcome 2 America" run for Los Angeles" . SoundSpike . SoundSpike Media, LLC. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Staff Writer (6 May 2012).
"Prince, symbol of music royalty is coming to Australia this week for his 2012 tour" .
The Sunday Telegraph . Archived from
the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Prince – Welcome 2 America" . Izod Center Website .
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
"Live Review: Prince at the Oracle Arena" .
San Francisco Bay Guardian . 22 February 2011. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
a
b Anderson, Kyle (30 December 2010).
"Prince Keeps The Party Hot At Madison Square Garden 'Welcome 2 America' Show" .
MTV Newsroom . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Reitz, Allison (11 March 2011).
"Prince tours Carolinas with six new 'Welcome 2 America' concerts" . Ticket News . Archived from
the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011 .
^ Little, Caryn (16 March 2011).
"Prince Announces Opening Act for Charlotte Tour" .
WCCB .
Bahakel Communications . Archived from
the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011 .
^ Sources for selected setlists in the Greater New York area:
^ Sources for selected setlist in the California area:
^
Prince Vault - Oakland, CA Set list
^
Prince Vault - Inglewood, CA Set list
^ Hahne, Jeff (25 March 2011).
"Live review: Prince" .
Creative Loafing . Archived from
the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011 .
^ Te Koha, Nui; Adams, Cameron (12 May 2012).
"Prince the king of funk" .
Herald Sun .
The Herald and Weekly Times . Archived from
the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^ Cashemere, Paul (15 May 2012).
"REVIEW: Prince At Rod Laver Arena May 14, 2012" . Noise11 . Archived from
the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^ Additional sources for dates in North America:
^ Narlian, Laure (30 June 2011).
"Prince jeudi soir au Stade de France" [Prince: Thursday night at the Stade de France].
France 2 (in French).
France Télévisions . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Additional sources for dates in Europe:
^ Evans, Rob (28 October 2011).
"Prince unveils "Welcome 2 Canada" tour" . SoundSpike . SoundSpike Media, LLC. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
"Purple will rain on Tacoma Dome with Prince tour" .
The News Tribune . 15 November 2011. Archived from
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^
"Prince: Everyone should experience 'Purple Rain' live" .
ninemsn .
Nine Entertainment Co. /
Microsoft . 11 May 2012. Archived from
the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012 .
^ Greenwald, David (31 August 2012).
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Billboard . Retrieved 21 November 2012 .
^ Thompson, Arienne (15 June 2011).
"Prince performing at Montreal Jazz fest" .
USA Today . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Reevers, China (5 May 2011).
"Open'er Festival Announces Prince As Headliner" .
Paste .
Wolfgang's Vault . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Horan, Tom (4 July 2011).
"Prince, Hop Farm Festival 2011, review" .
The Daily Telegraph . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
"North Sea Jazz 2011 opens in Rotterdam" .
Radio Netherlands Worldwide . 8 July 2011. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^
a
b Paloscia, Fulvio (24 June 2011).
"Lucca vuole Prince ed è polemica con Umbria Jazz" [Prince wants to Lucca and controversy with Umbria Jazz].
la Repubblica (in Italian).
Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Michaels, Sean (19 July 2011).
"Prince to curate music festival in Denmark" .
The Guardian . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Gregory, Jason (11 August 2011).
"Prince Dedicates Song To Amy Winehouse At Sziget Festival" .
Gigwise . Giant Digital. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Osorio, Kim (15 August 2011).
"Prince Brings Out Kanye West in Sweden" .
BET News .
BET Networks . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Tarradell, Mario (5 February 2011).
"Did Prince dis Dallas? Some truth behind his no-show for Super Bowl concert" .
The Dallas Morning News . Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011 .
^ Sources for Madison Square Garden Boxscore:
^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard . Vol. 123, no. 14. New York City. 2 April 2011.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
^
"Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores" . Billboard . 18 June 2011.
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^
a
b
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 123, no. 46. New York. 17 December 2011.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011 .
^
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 124, no. 23. New York. 30 June 2012.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
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^
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 124, no. 1. New York. 14 January 2012.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012 .
^
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 124, no. 21. New York. 16 June 2012.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
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^
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 124, no. 22. New York. 23 June 2012.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
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^
"Billboard Boxscore" . Billboard . Vol. 124, no. 20. New York. 9 June 2012.
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