The Reflection Tour

The Reflection Tour was the first major headlining concert tour by American girl group Fifth Harmony. Visiting Europe, North America and Asia (one date in Adu Dhabi), the tour supported their debut studio album, Reflection.[1][2] Fifth Harmony was not backed by a band or backing singers, instead, they opted for studio recorded versions of songs from their album and an acoustic set for covers. The setlist consisted mostly of songs from Reflection, with several adapted from their debut extended play, Better Together along with several medley covers. The shows garnered acclaim from critical reviews, many praising the group's vocal performance, the show's overall themes and the song transitions.

The Reflection Tour
Tour by Fifth Harmony
Promotional poster for the tour
Associated albumReflection
Start dateFebruary 27, 2015 (2015-02-27)
End dateFebruary 12, 2016 (2016-02-12)
Legs4
No. of shows64
Fifth Harmony concert chronology

The first North American leg of the tour was uninterrupted. However, for the second North American leg, which ran from July until October, the group cancelled two dates, citing a performance at the BET Players Awards for July 18, three days after their second leg started.[3] On the other date, two of the members were diagnosed with bronchitis, prompting them to cancel the Washington show on September 16.[4][5] These dates were not rescheduled. Both legs of the tour sold out the majority of its shows and received positive reviews. Yahoo! livestreamed the March 24 Boston concert.[6]

Different sets were utilized for different legs of the tour. In the first leg, concerts were structured with photographer umbrella lights serving as the background for every show. Props such as a car were used in several tracks. The photographer umbrella lights were used in smaller numbers, with only several placed on the top of the stage and a five-piece screen in the background. For the third leg of the tour, a standard red backdrop and multiple stage lights, both up and down, were used along with a different outfit color. Including every date on this tour, the first show began on February 27, 2015 in San Francisco and ended on Abu Dhabi on February 12, 2016, nearly a year after the tour's initial announcement. Sixteen of the twenty-five dates were sold out.[7]

Background

Following Fifth Harmony's success on the American televised singing competition The X Factor, the group released their debut extended play, Better Together. Before releasing their extended play, the group was an opening act for the I Wish Tour, headlined by Cher Lloyd. The following year, MTV selected the group as part of a series of Artists to Watch.[8][9] The concert series saw them perform several tracks from their debut studio album, Reflection. Simultaneously, the girls were opening acts on Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour, performing in arenas throughout North America.

MTV nominated the group under its "Artist to Watch" category, along other rising acts. Fifth Harmony would end up winning the category at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards and become the first all-female group to win this title.[10][11] The following year, an MTV-sponsored headlining tour was announced in January 2015.[12] This was to be Fifth Harmony's first major tour following small-scale headlining tours in 2013 and 2014, and slots as opening acts on tours for artists such as Lovato and Lloyd.

In conjunction with the tour announcement on January 7, 2015, a cover of the hit song "Uptown Funk" was uploaded onto Fifth Harmony's YouTube account, featuring the group and their three opening acts: Jacob Whitesides, Jasmine V, and Mahogany Lox.[13][14]

Extensions

Summer Reflection Tour
One of several promotional posters used for Reflection: The Summer Tour.

After completing the first leg of the tour, the group decided to go on another leg in North America. This tour was a revamped version of the original tour, in which they were performing more songs in new and bigger venues. The group announced the summer leg of the tour at a poolside party sponsored by Candie's with the event broadcast by Periscope.[15][16][17]

On this tour, Fifth Harmony wore their first ever custom-designed costumes by Marina Toybina, a four-time Emmy award winner.[18][19][20] Choreography for this setlist was conducted by Sean Bankhead, who worked on the group's dance routine for their single, "Worth It".[21]

The first show started on July 15 and ended on September 16 for a total of 31 shows, all located in the United States except for one show in The Bahamas. New production and a different setlist including new covers and more songs were planned for this leg of the tour.

European Reflection Tour
Promotional poster used for Reflection: The European Tour.

The success of the group's previous tour legs prompted them to issue another extension. This was the group's first tour to feature European dates. It was announced on September 2, 2015 through the photo sharing app, Snapchat, with each member announcing a different city through their individual accounts.[22] The tour began on October 26 and concluded on November 9.

All the shows in this tour were sold out. Dionne Bromfield was the opening act for shows in London and Manchester and Paul Rey for shows in Paris and Frankfurt. The group performed songs in five countries around Europe, including Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.

The outfits used for this leg remained the same from previous extensions, with the exception being a change in color. For this leg, the group's outfits featured an all red design, a distinction from the blue color the girls used in their previous tours. Toybina returned as the designer for the group's outfits, who has designed concert outfits for notable artists such as Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift.[19][18]

The promotional poster for the leg featured the same image used for the cover art of the 2015 computer animated fantasy-comedy film Hotel Transylvania 2 track, I'm in Love with a Monster. The group announced the poster was announced through the group's individual social media accounts.

Opening acts

Setlists
  • Note: All songs in the summer leg are performed in the European leg except "Them Girls Be Like", which was replaced with "I'm in Love with a Monster".

Critical response

The tour was well received from critics with many praising the group's empowerment themes. In a positive review of the Bethlehem show, Matt Christine from Sight of Sound, complemented the group for their cohesiveness, stating that their, "sound is monumental in scale when they sang together as a unit." He continues his review by praising the group for not "embracing the stereotypical pop" many artists follow and the setlist, calling it "incredibly smart choice for the group as these songs are incredibly strong and the majority of their fans who came out expected to hear just those tracks."[23] Erica Rucker of Leo Weekly praised the group for their empowering themes on the Louisville show, saying, "[b]eing told that you are beautiful and “Worth It” can actually save a young life." She concludes that statement by stating that, "no matter what it takes, no matter who tells young people that they matter — be it a pop group or the smiling parents who snapped cell photos of the children on the sly — kids need to know that they have value."[24]

Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times praised the group's song transition at the Los Angeles show, from the "rugged cover of Hozier's "Take Me to Church"", to the "miniature rave" for "This Is How We Roll" and the "confetti blast" at the show's last song, "Boss", which Wood reminisced to a stadium feel. His only criticism came from the record voice encouraging the audience members that they were "capable of achieving" their "wildest dreams". Wood finishes his review by saying that "when Fifth Harmony was showing rather than telling — almost made you believe it."[25] In a review adapted by USA Today from Serene Dominic, writer for The Arizona Republic, Dominic complimented the vocal abilities of the five girls, highlighting Ally Brooke for her "whistle register". She found the acoustic set "perplexing" but overall remained positive rain her review.[26]

In a positive review of the Wilbur show in Boston, Maura Johnston of The Boston Globe commended the group for their vocals and the show's overall theme. Johnston expands on the reasoning behind Fifth Harmony's success, saying they have a "muscle to succeed where other girl bands failed, and why its followers, who packed the theater to capacity, are so loyal." She also highlight the brand the group holds, which is embodied by the female-empowerment. During the Mariah Carey medley, Johnston noted how there was "equal time being distributed among the members" and how any "diva moments" were "absent" on stage.[27]

Some critics were not so positive. In a mixed-positive review, Amanda Ventura of Phoenix New Times raved about the group's vocals, in particular, Brooke who described her note as a "Mariah Carey-level high F meant to induce goosebumps on anyone with ears". Ventura criticized the first half of the show, calling it "terrible" and something out of a "well-funded talent show performance". She comments on the group's chemistry which seemed "off". One of the acts that she said was "worth sitting through" was Bea Miller, who compared her vocal range to Janis Joplin.[28] Conversely, Elliot Friar of Emertainment Weekly, in review of the Boston show, commended the performances of the opening acts and the empowering effect the group left on stage saying that the stage was left with "one last roar of empowerment, self-love, and love for others."[29]

Chris Gray from The Houston Press ranked the Houston show in the top five concerts of the week, for the week dated August 3. [30]

Shows
Date City Country Venue Opening act
North America—The Reflection Tour[1][2][31]
February 27, 2015 San Francisco United States The Regency Ballroom Jacob Whitesides
Jasmine V
Mahogany Lox
February 28, 2015 San Diego House of Blues
March 1, 2015 Los Angeles Club Nokia
March 3, 2015 Dallas South Side Music Hall
March 4, 2015 Houston Warehouse Live
March 6, 2015 Fort Lauderdale Parker Playhouse
March 7, 2015 Tampa Busch Gardens Tampa
March 9, 2015 Atlanta Buckhead Theatre
March 11, 2015 Charlotte Amos Southend
March 12, 2015 Norfolk The Norva
March 13, 2015 Richmond The National
March 14, 2015 Chicago The Vic Theatre
March 18, 2015 Indianapolis Egyptian Room
March 20, 2015 Royal Oak Royal Oak Music Theatre
March 22, 2015 Toronto Canada Sound Academy
March 24, 2015 Boston United States The Wilbur
March 26, 2015 Red Bank Count Basie Theatre
March 28, 2015 Albany Palace Theatre
March 30, 2015 Mashantucket The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
April 1, 2015 New York City David Geffen Hall
April 3, 2015 Boston Symphony Hall
April 5, 2015 Bethlehem Sands Bethlehem Event Center
April 6, 2015 Glenside Keswick Theatre
North America—Reflection: The Summer Tour[15][32]
July 15, 2015 Louisville United States Palace Theatre Bea Miller
Natalie La Rose
The Never Ending
July 17, 2015 Lakewood Lakewood Civic Auditorium
July 20, 2015 Atlanta Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
July 21, 2015 Nashville Grand Ole Opry
July 23, 2015 St. Louis Peabody Opera House
July 24, 2015 Rogers Walmart AMP
July 25, 2015 Baton Rouge F.G. Clark Center
July 26, 2015 Birmingham BJCC Concert Hall
July 28, 2015 Jacksonville Florida Theatre
July 29, 2015 Miami Beach The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
July 30, 2015 Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall
July 31, 2015 Orlando Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
August 2, 2015 San Antonio Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
August 3, 2015 Houston NRG Arena
August 4, 2015 Midland Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
August 5, 2015 Grand Prairie Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
August 7, 2015 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
August 8, 2015 Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
August 9, 2015 San Jose Event Center at SJSU
August 11, 2015 Santa Rosa Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
August 12, 2015 Bakersfield Rabobank Arena
August 13, 2015 Las Vegas Pearl Concert Theater
August 18, 2015 Denver Paramount Theatre
August 20, 2015 Kansas City Uptown Theatre
August 21, 2015 Milwaukee Milwaukee Theatre
August 23, 2015 Buffalo Shea's Performing Arts Center
August 24, 2015 Albany Palace Theatre
August 26, 2015 Washington, D.C. DAR Constitution Hall
August 27, 2015 New York City Beacon Theatre
September 4, 2015 Syracuse New York State Fair
September 5, 2015 Timonium Maryland State Fair
October 10, 2015[lower-alpha 9] Paradise Island The Bahamas Atlantic Theatre N/A
Europe[22][33]
October 26, 2015 Madrid Spain La Riviera N/A
October 31, 2015 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
November 3, 2015 London England Shepherd's Bush Empire Dionne Bromfield
November 4, 2015 Manchester O2 Ritz Manchester
November 8, 2015 Frankfurt Germany Jahrhunderthalle Paul Rey
November 9, 2015 Paris France Salle Pleyel
North America[34]
November 25, 2015 Mexico City Mexico El Plaza Condesa ARI
Meli G
Asia
February 12, 2016 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Amphitheatre N/A

Cancelled shows
List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Reason
July 18, 2015 Cincinnati United States PNC Pavilion Performing at the BET Players Awards[3]
September 16, 2015 Puyallup Washington State Fair Illness[4][5]

Notes
  1. This is a cover originally performed by British rock band Queen.
  2. This is a cover originally performed by American artist Taylor Swift.
  3. This is a cover originally performed by Barbadian singer Rihanna.
  4. This is a cover originally performed by American R&B and hip hop artist Jason Derulo.
  5. This is a cover originally performed by American alternative R&B singer The Weeknd/Abel Tesfaye.
  6. This is a cover originally performed by British guitarist Ed Sheeran.
  7. This is a cover originally performed by British guitarist Ed Sheeran.
  8. This is a cover originally performed by Norwegian afrobeat duo Nico & Vinz.
  9. The October 10, 2015 show is part of the Atlantic Live concert at Atlantic Theatre.
gollark: I made a crazily overkill setup for that which ran 64 lasers and fed them using a builder.
gollark: They make mana from wool, IF you provide all the colors in the right sequence.
gollark: Another fun idea: using the lens of color to cheat at spectrolotuses.
gollark: I would personally just stick some annihilation planes on and run it through AE2.
gollark: You mean abandoned mineshafts?

References
  1. "Fifth Harmony Are Going On Tour!". MTV. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. "Fifth Harmony Announce The Reflection Tour". Music Times. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. "James Taylor postponed, Fifth Harmony cancels". Cincinnati. 16 July 2015.
  4. Davis, Melissa. "Fifth Harmony cancels state fair concert". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  5. "Fifth Harmony cancels Fair performance, Bea Miller steps up". Tacoma Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  6. Carl Smith (19 March 2015). "Fifth Harmony to livestream Boston date of their Reflection tour: 'We're so excited'". Sugarscape.
  7. "Current Boxscore". Billboard. 25 January 2013.
  8. Walker, John. "Meet MTV's Artist to Watch Class of 2014". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  9. Seemayer, Zach. "Artist To Watch: Meet The Girls of Fifth Harmony". ET Online. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  10. Peters, Mitchell. "MTV VMAs Artists to Watch: Sam Smith, 5 Seconds of Summer, Charli XCX, Schoolboy Q and Fifth Harmony Battle for the Moonman". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  11. Kaufman, Gil. "See Fifth Harmony Melt Down On Stage After VMA Win". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  12. "Fifth Harmony Are Going On Tour! Get The Dates And See When They're Coming To Your Town". MTV.
  13. "On Air with Ryan Seacrest". On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
  14. Fifth Harmony, Jasmine V., Jacob Whitesides & Mahogany Lox – Uptown Funk. 7 January 2015 – via YouTube.
  15. Hay, Carla. "Fifth Harmony announces 2015 'Reflection: The Summer Tour'". AXS. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  16. Roth, Madeline. "Fifth Harmony Announce Summer 'Reflection' Tour: Get All The Details!". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  17. Smith, Troy. "Fifth Harmony embarks on summer tour as girl group of the moment". Cleveland. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  18. Keirans, Maeve. "Everything You Need To Know About Fifth Harmony's Reflection Tour Wardrobe". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  19. "Marina Toybina - Tours". Marina Toybina. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  20. Fawnia Soo Hoo. "Fifth Harmony's Reflection 2.0 Tour Costumes: Marina Toybina Interview – Teen Vogue". Teen Vogue.
  21. Lamarre, Carl. "Interview: Fifth Harmony Talk Their Platinum Hit "Worth It" and Their Love for Drake, Fetty Wap, and Kendrick Lamar". Complex. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  22. Ashagre, Aggi. "Fifth Harmony Announces Fall European Tour Dates". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  23. Christine, Matt. "Exclusive Review : Fifth Harmony". Sight of Sound. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  24. Rucker, Erica. "Concert Review: Fifth Harmony (Louisville Palace, 7/15/15)". Leo Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  25. Wood, Mikael. "Fifth Harmony keeps striving at Club Nokia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  26. Dominic, Serene. "Fifth Harmony prove they're worth it to Phoenix teens". USA Today. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  27. Johnston, Maure. "Fifth Harmony share affirmative energy at the Wilbur". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  28. Ventura, Amanda. "Concert Review: Fifth Harmony at Comerica Theatre". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  29. Friar, Elliott. "Reflection Tour Hits Boston like a 'Sledgehammer'". Emertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  30. Gray, Chris. "The Five Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Fifth Harmony, R5, Bruce & Kelly, Moji, INZI, Outcry Tour 2015, etc". The Houston Press. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  31. Additional sources for tour dates in North America:
  32. Daw, Robbie. "Fifth Harmony Announce Summer Reflection Tour With Openers Natalie La Rose, Bea Miller & Debby Ryan: Watch The Video". Idolator. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  33. "Fifth Harmony Announces Fall European Tour Dates". Billboard.
  34. Platon, Adelle. "Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei To Miss 'Reflection Tour' in Mexico". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
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