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1985 concert tour by Wham!
Whamamerica!
Tour programme cover
Location North America Associated album
Make It Big Start date August 23, 1985 (1985-08-23 ) End date September 10, 1985 (1985-09-10 )
No. of shows 10 in United States 1 in Canada 11 in total Supporting acts Attendance 200,000
[1] – 302,568
[2] Box office US $8.6 million
[2] ($24.36 in 2023 dollars)
[3]
Whamamerica! (also promoted as the Make It Big Tour '85 ) was a
concert tour by English pop 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]
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 yellow fringed jacket and leather 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
Philadelphia
"
Everything She Wants "
"Credit Card Baby"
"
Blue (Armed with Love) "
"If You Were There"
"
The Edge of Heaven "
"Like a Baby"
"
Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) "
"Heartbeat"
"
Where Did Your Heart Go? "
"
Love Machine "
"
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go "
"
Freedom "
"
Careless Whisper "
"
Good Times "
"Everything She Wants"
Tour dates
Date
City
Country
Venue
Attendance / capacity
Gross
Ref(s)
North America
[9]
[10]
Sun 18 August 1985
Houston
United States
Six Flags AstroWorld
Mon 19 August 1985
Fri 23 August 1985
Hoffman Estates
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
Oakland Coliseum
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
Veterans Stadium
43,000 / 50,000
$698,000
[16]
Tue 10 September 1985
Pontiac
Pontiac Silverdome
Personnel
References
^
a
b
"Wham! On the Edge of Heaven" . No 1 Magazine . 28 September 1985. Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"Billboard" . Billboard . 28 September 1985. Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^ 1634–1699:
McCusker, J. J. (1997).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF) .
American Antiquarian Society . 1700–1799:
McCusker, J. J. (1992).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF) .
American Antiquarian Society . 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^
"Wham by Years Houston, Texas 1985" . Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^
"American album certifications Wham – Make It Big" " . Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^ Ridgeley, Andrew (2019).
Wham! George & Me . Penguin UK.
ISBN
978-0-241-38583-8 . Retrieved 19 February 2024 .
^
Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated By Robert Steele
^
a
b
Wham! On the Edge of Heaven -
Number one music magazine - September 28th 1985
^ Tour dates as printed in the official Whamamerica ‘85 tour programme. Whamamerica! 1985 - Official programme dates.
^
Whamamerica! - Tour Dates
^ Van Matre, Lynn (25 August 1985).
"Wham!'s Brand Of Blue-eyed Soul Makes It Big With Young Chicago fans" .
Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^
a
b
"Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF) . Billboard . September 14, 1985. p. 54. Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^
"Pop Review Wham! specks In A Spectacle" .
LA Times . September 2, 1985. Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
^
They're your men..No 1 , - November 23rd 1985
^
Wham by Years - 1985
^
a
b
"Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF) . Billboard . September 28, 1985. p. 52. Retrieved 30 December 2022 .
Studio albums Compilations Singles Concerts and tours Filmography Related articles