Saint Pablo Tour
The Saint Pablo Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West which ran from August 25, 2016 to November 19, 2016 in support of West's seventh solo studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The tour was originally planned to run until December 31, 2016,[2] but was canceled prematurely on November 21, 2016 due to West's hospitalization.[3] It was the 18th highest-grossing tour of 2016 in North America.[4]
North American tour by Kanye West | |
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Associated album | The Life of Pablo |
---|---|
Start date | August 25, 2016 |
End date | November 19, 2016 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 41 |
Box office | $52.8 million [1] |
Kanye West concert chronology |
History
Design
![](../I/m/Saint_Pablo_Tour_-_Chicago.jpg)
The design of Saint Pablo Tour featured a "first-of-its-kind floating stage" which was composed of a main stage and an auxiliary stage that had an intricate system of pulleys and tracks designed to be connected to the frame of each arena. The floating main stage had lights on the edge as well as on the bottom portion, which would occasionally shine on the audience. The second stage was composed of four rectangular portions which would move and provided ambient light for each song. The stages could then be manipulated to the needs of the tour, incorporating the audience into the experience at each concert as visitors would be able to engage with Kanye West. Each show had three sections separated by two intermissions, with uses of light increasing as the performance progresses. Some of the portions appeared to be influenced by various themes in popular culture, such as the show's intermissions which were similar to Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg.[5]
Tour
West began the Saint Pablo Tour in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 26, 2016, introducing his new stage design to the public, impressing the attending audience.[6] On October 2, 2016, West cut his performance short at Citi Field in New York City following news of his wife Kim Kardashian West being robbed at gunpoint in Paris.[7] Two tour dates were also cancelled the following week.[7]
Kanye's returning concert following Kim Kardashian West's incident was performed in his hometown of Chicago at the United Center on October 7, 2016, where he arrived on stage an hour and a half past schedule and "made no mention of his wife or the incident, in a show in which he barely spoke to the crowd at all".[7] In San Jose, California during his November 17 performance, West spoke about American politics and stated "If I would have voted, I would have voted for Trump", with some fans booing and throwing items on stage.[8] In Sacramento on November 19, 2016, West performed three songs before he diverted the performance and spoke about Facebook, Jay Z, Hillary Clinton, Beyoncé, and then proceeded to walk off stage, later cancelling further dates of the tour due to stress and exhaustion while ticketholders were given a refund.[8]
Set list
- ''Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1"
- "Pt. 2"
- "Famous"
- "Pop Style"
- "That Part"
- "Facts"
- "Mercy"
- "Don't Like.1"
- "All Day"
- "Black Skinhead"
- "Niggas in Paris"
- "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
- "Power"
- "Blood on the Leaves"
- "Freestyle 4"
- "Jesus Walks"
- "Flashing Lights"
- "Highlights"
- "Feedback"
- "Wolves"
- "Heartless"
- "Runaway"
- "Only One"
- "I Love Kanye"
- "Waves"
- "All of the Lights"
- "Good Life"
- "Stronger"
- "Touch the Sky"
- "Fade"
- "Ultralight Beam"
Tour dates
Dates performed
Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Box office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America[9] | |||||
August 25, 2016 | Indianapolis | United States | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | N/A | N/A |
August 27, 2016 | Buffalo | First Niagara Center | 11,678/ 11,678 | $844,143 | |
August 30, 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | 26,716 / 26,716 | $2,439,870 |
August 31, 2016 | |||||
September 2, 2016 | Montreal | Centre Bell | N/A | N/A | |
September 3, 2016 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | 16,182 / 16,495 | $1,512,328 |
September 5, 2016 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | 37,005 / 37,005 | $4,852,888 | |
September 6, 2016 | |||||
September 8, 2016 | Washington, D.C. | Verizon Center | 16,838 / 16,838 | $1,786,000 | |
September 12, 2016 | Atlanta | Philips Arena | 16,011 / 16,011 | $1,358,087 | |
September 14, 2016 | Tampa | Amalie Arena | 14,027 / 14,027 | $1,066,669 | |
September 16, 2016 | Miami | American Airlines Arena | 37,820 / 37,820 | $3,150,183 | |
September 17, 2016 | |||||
September 20, 2016 | Houston | Toyota Center | 14,883 / 14,883 | $1,389,472 | |
September 21, 2016 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | 13,247 / 13,247 | $1,243,591 | |
September 22, 2016 | Dallas | American Airlines Center | 16,999 / 21,192 | $1,444,680 | |
September 24, 2016 | Nashville | Bridgestone Arena | 18,211 / 18,211 | $1,070,994 | |
September 25, 2016 | Columbus | Value City Arena | 14,970 / 18,384 | $972,855 | |
September 27, 2016 | Grand Rapids | Van Andel Arena | N/A | N/A | |
September 28, 2016 | Detroit | Joe Louis Arena | |||
September 30, 2016 | University Park | Bryce Jordan Center | |||
October 1, 2016 | Cleveland | Quicken Loans Arena | |||
October 2, 2016[lower-alpha 1] | New York City | Citi Field | |||
October 7, 2016 | Chicago | United Center | |||
October 8, 2016 | Rosemont | Allstate Arena | |||
October 10, 2016 | Saint Paul | Xcel Energy Center | |||
October 12, 2016 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre | ||
October 15, 2016 | Edmonton | Rogers Place | |||
October 17, 2016 | Vancouver | Rogers Arena | |||
October 19, 2016 | Seattle | United States | KeyArena | ||
October 22, 2016 | Oakland | Oracle Arena | |||
October 23, 2016 | |||||
October 25, 2016 | Inglewood | The Forum | 97,360 / 97,360 | $8,292,767[lower-alpha 2] | |
October 26, 2016 | |||||
October 27, 2016 | |||||
October 29, 2016 | Las Vegas | T-Mobile Arena | 18,100 / 18,100 | $2,107,440 | |
November 1, 2016 | Inglewood | The Forum | [lower-alpha 2] | [lower-alpha 2] | |
November 2, 2016 | |||||
November 3, 2016[lower-alpha 3] | |||||
November 17, 2016 | San Jose | SAP Center | — | — | |
November 19, 2016[lower-alpha 4] | Sacramento | Golden 1 Center | — | — | |
TOTAL | 352,769 / 361,129 (97%) | $31,745,967 |
Cancelled dates
Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason |
---|---|---|---|---|
November 20, 2016 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum | Stress and exhaustion [8] |
November 22, 2016 | Fresno | Save Mart Center | ||
November 23, 2016 | Anaheim | Honda Center | ||
November 26, 2016 | Dallas | American Airlines Center | ||
November 28, 2016 | Denver | Pepsi Center | ||
December 1, 2016 | San Antonio | AT&T Center | ||
December 2, 2016 | Houston | Toyota Center | ||
December 4, 2016 | Sunrise | BB&T Center | ||
December 6, 2016 | Orlando | Amway Center | ||
December 8, 2016 | Atlanta | Philips Arena | ||
December 9, 2016 | Columbia | Colonial Life Arena | ||
December 11, 2016 | Albany | Times Union Center | ||
December 13, 2016[lower-alpha 5] | Philadelphia | Wells Fargo Center | ||
December 15, 2016 | ||||
December 16, 2016 | Newark | Prudential Center | ||
December 18, 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | |
December 20, 2016 | Louisville | United States | KFC Yum! Center | |
December 22, 2016[lower-alpha 6] | Auburn Hills | The Palace of Auburn Hills | ||
December 27, 2016 | Washington D.C. | Verizon Center | ||
December 28, 2016 | Boston | TD Garden | ||
December 30, 2016 | Brooklyn | Barclays Center | ||
December 31, 2016 | ||||
Members
The following individuals were members of the Saint Pablo tour:
- Mike Dean
- Noah Goldstein
- Fonzworth Bentley
- Amy Davis
- Elon Rutberg[10]
- Che Pope[11]
- Eli Russell Linnetz
- Alex Rosenberg[12]
- Scooter Braun
- Renelou Padora[13]
- Don C[14]
- Ibn Jasper[15]
- Izvor Zivkovic[16]
- Tracey Mills
- Ricky Anderson
- Sakiya Sandifer
- Pascal Duvier
Reception
The architectural website ArchDaily stated:[5]
There are few artists, if any, who do as much for the sake of art as Kanye West. ... Kanye West has transformed Stage Design and Performance Architecture, with each live performance now redefining the way we envision and experience the medium, much in the same way his idols, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, transformed their respective fields. The Yeezus Tour was a feat in terms of design and production, but the Saint Pablo Tour is a feat in terms of engineering—and few artists can say they’ve created a transcendent experience that goes beyond what is expected of a “concert.”
Notes
- The October 2, 2016 concert in New York City is part of The Meadows Music and Arts Festival; West stopped the show short due to a family emergency.
- The score data is combined from the shows held at The Forum from 25, 26, 27 October & 1, 2, 3 November 2016 respectively.
- West abruptly stopped the show 45 minutes into the set after complaining of hoarseness in his voice and being unable to continue. He had promised those in attendance a full refund as a result.
- At the November 19 show in Sacramento, West arrived an hour and a half late after the show's start time, performed 3 songs, delivered a ~30 minute diatribe, then walked off the stage. Golden 1 Center later gave refunds to everyone that attended the show.
- Was originally to be held on October 4, 2016 but was postponed due to family emergency(Kim Kardashian West Robbery).
- Was originally to be held on October 6, 2016 but was postponed due to family emergency.
References
- "Top 100 Tours Worldwide" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 April 2020.
- Vincent, James (June 14, 2016). "Kanye West announces Saint Pablo Tour". The Verge. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- "Kanye West cancels remainder of Saint Pablo Tour". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- "Top 200 North American Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- "INTERIORS: Kanye West's Saint Pablo Tour". ArchDaily. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- Reiff, Corbin. "Kanye West Floats Over Crowd in Unique Saint Pablo Tour Kickoff". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- "Crowd worships at floating altar of Kanye West at United Center". Chicago Sun-Times. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- "Kanye West 'cancels entire Saint Pablo tour' following stage rant". BBC News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- Box score:
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 4, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. November 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 11, 2017. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- Penrose, Nerisha (September 28, 2016). "Kanye West Collaborator Elon Rutberg Talks Yeezus Tour Narrative Inspiration". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Rys, Dan (November 11, 2016). "Russell Simmons' All Def Digital Announces Partnership With Che Pope From Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- "Cruel Summer (2012) - Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- West, Kanye (April 20, 2015). "Kanye West: In His Own Words". PAPER. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Saponara, Michael (August 29, 2018). "6 Things We Learned From Kanye West's Chicago Radio Interview". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Woolf, Jake (November 15, 2013). "Meet Ibn Jasper, Kanye West's Barber Of 19 Years". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Brooks, Dave (March 28, 2018). "Kanye West Splits With Longtime Manager Izzy Zivkovic: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.