Verizon Ladies First Tour

The Verizon Ladies First Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott. Canadian artist Tamia was featured as a special guest. The tour, dubbed the "urban Lilith Fair" supported Elliott's fifth studio album, This Is Not a Test!; Keys' second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys and Beyoncé's first studio album, Dangerously in Love.[2] The trek visited the United States performing in over twenty cities in March and April. The outing was the first three-act show to feature three female R&B artist in a headlining role. It became one of the biggest tours in 2004, placing 34th on Pollstar's "Top Tours of 2004"—earning over 22 million dollars.[3][4] The success of the tour promoted a 2005 leg but the plans were scrapped and Verzion focused on creating the Verizon VIP Tour.

Verizon Ladies First Tour
Tour by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott
Start dateMarch 12, 2004 (2004-03-12)
End dateApril 21, 2004 (2004-04-21)
Legs1
No. of shows30
Box office$19.1 million ($29.78 in 2019 dollars)[1]
Beyoncé tour chronology
  • The Verizon Ladies First Tour
  • (2004)
Alicia Keys tour chronology
  • The Verizon Ladies First Tour
  • (2004)

Background

The tour was originally supposed to feature Beyoncé with Ashanti, Monica, Mýa and Mary J. Blige but scheduling conflicts caused the other four ladies not to be up for the tour.[5][6] When the tour was officially announced, it was Beyoncé, along with Keys, Elliott, and Tamia joining the bill. The tour was announced by various media outlets in January 2004. Conceived by Verizon Communications, the tour was sponsored by Steve Madden and L'Oréal. Hayman Entertainment and Clear Channel Entertainment served as tour promoters.[7] Costumes were designed by Dolce & Gabbana.[8] When the tour was announced, Beyoncé dispelled any conflict while touring. She says all three acts are good friends and there will be no competitiveness. All three acts expressed their interest in performing in a tour of this nature.[9] It became the first tour highlighting women in the urban music scene.[10] Beyoncé stated:

"Even before I started putting my album together last year, I wanted to get together a tour with other women. I know that you have a lot of types of tours with other types of artists, but not just strictly hip-hop and R&B women".[11]

Critical reception

The tour was lauded by critics and spectators. Although most reviews praised the ensemble, many felt Keys and Beyoncé were the stars of the show. Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly thought Keys was the most "radiant" performer of the evening at the Office Depot Center. He felt, "Her old-school references charmed, and her clap-along 'How Come You Don't Call Me' obliterated the CD version. Mounting the piano, tickling keys with one hand, she struck a quirky balance between class and kitsch".[12] Jon Parles from The New York Times wrote all the ladies "earned their due" during the concert at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. He continued, "The three headliners have made their way in a hip-hop culture that largely treats women as playthings and conquests. Their response has been to play along while making modest demands of their own. In the meantime, they're willing to work like superwomen".[13]

Unlike the previous reviews, Steve Hammer of the newspaper NUVO was not impressed with the show at the Conseco Fieldhouse. He states the show felt "inconsequential". He further explained, "Any show featuring three multiplatinum recording artists is bound to struggle against time limitations. But the problems plaguing each of the three fine artists — Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé — was not that the sets were so short, but that they were so meaningless".[14]

High praised continued as the act performed at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. Portsia Smith of The Free Lance–Star says the show was a night of "talent" and "beauty". She spoke highly of all the acts but says Keys was the most in-demand for the audience. She elaborates, "She wowed the audience members, who probably thought she would just sit at her piano and sang. But how wrong were they".[15] Keys received another positive review from Stephen Kiehl from The Baltimore Sun who states, "But the most astute set closer belonged to Keys, who sang 'You Don't Know My Name' from her new album. The song features a one-sided cell phone conversation between a coffee shop waitress and the guy she has a crush on. She asks him out, but then loses the signal".[16]

Ben Johnson of the newspaper The Day wrote the show at the Hartford Civic Center was nothing short of "decadence". He continues, "[...] became a rallying point of girl power fit for an appearance by the Powerpuff Girls".[17] The highlight of the tour was the concert at Madison Square Garden. The show feature guest appearances from Big Boi, Fabolous, Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Stephen Reid of MTV News felt that throughout the entire show, Beyoncé was the star. He says, "If Muhammad Ali had been at Madison Square Garden Monday night, no doubt he would've found something to pound like a drum as he yelled, 'The champ is here! The champ is here!' That's exactly the aura Beyoncé gave off as she began her closing set of the Verizon Ladies First Tour, which also features Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott and Tamia".[18] Reid also gave rave reviews for Keys' section of the show. "Fittingly, she started with 'Heartburn', shaking her body like Ike-era Tina Turner, causing a sudden rise in blood pressure among the men in the audience. The sex appeal was being poured all over Madison Square like milk on Cheerios".[18]

Jennifer Wood of East Valley Tribune enjoyed the show at the America West Arena. She says, "From the moment Elliott appeared on stage wearing a black suit covered in rhinestones to Beyoncé's exit nearly four hours later, the audience rarely sat as it ogled three of the most celebrated female talents in hip-hop and R&B".[19] San Francisco Chronicle's Neva Chonin says the concert at The Arena in Oakland proved why Beyoncé is a star. She says, "In a time of assembly-line pop icons, she manages to infuse her packaged performance with charisma and genuine talent. Her vocal workouts on ballads like 'Dangerously in Love 2' clambered smoothly up and down the scales".[20]

Setlist
Missy Elliott
  1. "Let Me Fix My Weave"
  2. "I'm Really Hot"
  3. "Get Ur Freak On"
  4. "Pass That Dutch"
  5. "Work It"
  6. "One Minute Man"
  7. "Hot Boyz"
  8. "Hit Em wit da Hee"
  9. "Beep Me 911"
  10. "Sock It 2 Me"
Encore
  1. "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"
Alicia Keys
  1. "Karma"
  2. "Heartburn"
  3. "A Woman's Worth"
  4. "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
  5. "Butterflyz"
  6. "Goodbye"
  7. "Never Can Say Goodbye"
  8. "Night And Day"
  9. "If I Ain't Got You"
  10. "So Simple"
  11. "Slow Down" / "Coming Home to You"
  12. "Diary"
  13. "Fallin'"
Encore
  1. "You Don't Know My Name"
Beyoncé
  1. "Baby Boy"
  2. "Naughty Girl" (contains excerpts from "Nasty Girl")
  3. "Me, Myself and I"
  4. "Say My Name" / "Independent Women, Pt. 1" / "Bootylicious" / "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" / "Jumpin', Jumpin'" / "Survivor"
  5. "Hip Hop Star" (contains elements of "La Di Da Di")
  6. "Gift from Virgo"
  7. "Be with You"
  8. "Speechless"
  9. "Summertime"
  10. "Dangerously in Love 2"
Encore
  1. "Crazy in Love"

Shows
List of United States concerts, showing date, city, venue, opening act, attendance and gross revenue[21][22][23]
Date
(2004)		 City Venue Opening act Attendance
(Tickets sold / available)		 Revenue
March 12 Sunrise Office Depot Center Tamia 11,962 / 12,285 $808,378
March 14 New Orleans New Orleans Arena 10,983 / 12,390 $659,606
March 15 Dallas American Airlines Center 6,624 / 12,096 $444,138
March 17 San Antonio SBC Center 8,988 / 13,391 $535,029
March 18[lower-alpha 1] Houston Reliant Stadium N/A N/A N/A
March 21 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum Tamia 6,520 / 10,564 $366,003
March 23 Philadelphia Wachovia Center 12,571 / 12,571 $864,919
March 24 Boston FleetCenter 12,061 / 17,201 $815,963
March 25 Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,686 / 17,472 $620,425
March 26 Hampton Hampton Convocation Center N/A N/A N/A
March 27 Charlotte Dale F. Halton Arena Tamia 10,145 / 17,549 $632,375
March 28 Atlanta Philips Arena 12,310 / 12,310 $845,693
March 29 Cleveland Gund Arena N/A N/A N/A
March 30 Indianapolis Conseco Fieldhouse Tamia 6,883 / 14,123 $369,175
April 1 Minneapolis Target Center 8,123 / 12,363 $369,287
April 2 Rosemont Allstate Arena 11,585 / 14,391 $723,885
April 3 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills 10,674 / 14,899 $703,978
April 5 East Rutherford Continental Airlines Arena 11,505 / 15,474 $817,340
April 6 Philadelphia Wachovia Center 9,382 / 14,182 $623,428
April 7 Washington, D.C. MCI Center 25,379 / 30,826 $1,708,805
April 9 Hartford Hartford Civic Center 8,944 / 11,245 $609,898
April 10 Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,936 / 12,936 $940,406
April 11 Washington, D.C. MCI Center [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 2]
April 12 New York City Madison Square Garden 13,725 / 13,725 $1,110,090
April 15 Phoenix America West Arena 9,326 / 11,932 $568,350
April 16 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center N/A 9,131 / 9,378 $778,917
April 17 Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Tamia 21,697 / 25,432 $1,616,943
April 18 Oakland The Arena in Oakland 20,725 / 24,362 $1,644,858
April 20
April 21 Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 3]
TOTAL 280,865 / 515,049 (54.53%) $19,177,889

Notes
  1. The concert of March 18, 2004 in Houston, Texas at the Reliant Stadium was a part of the Spring Break Stampede.[24]
  2. The score data is representative of the both shows in Washington, D.C. at the MCI Center on April 7 and 11 respectively.
  3. The score data is representative of the both shows in Anaheim, California at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on April 17 and 21 respectively.
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References
  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. Patel, Joseph (January 28, 2004). "Beyoncé, Alicia Keys And Missy Elliott Plan Spring Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  3. "Ladies First Tour Sets Bar for R&B Outings". Yahoo! News. May 8, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  4. "2004 Top 100 Tours". Pollstar Online. Pollstar, Inc. March 7, 2005. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  5. http://www.contactmusic.com/beyonce-knowles/news/beyonce.s-all-girl-tour
  6. "Throwback Thursday: My Conversation With Beyonce Knowles". Always A List. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  7. "Ladies First Trek Sets Bar For R&B Outings". Billboard. 116 (20): 18. May 15, 2004. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  8. "Dolce & Gabbana Design Exclusive Wardrobes for Beyoncé and Missy Elliott for the Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004" (Press release). Business Wire. March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  9. Moss, Corey (February 6, 2004). "Missy Predicts Friendly Competition On Tour With Alicia, Beyoncé". VH1 News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  10. Gibson, Kendis (March 18, 2004). "Beyoncé, Missy, Alicia hit road for 'Ladies First Tour'". CNN. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  11. Jones, Steve (March 9, 2004). "For ladies of hip-hop, R&B, a musical 'First'". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  12. Drumming, Neil (April 2, 2004). "Tour Report: Ladies First". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  13. Paroles, Jon (March 27, 2004). "POP REVIEW; Ladies of Hip-Hop, Receiving Their Due". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  14. Hammer, Steve (April 7, 2004). "Show review – Verizon Ladies First Tour". NUVO. NUVO, Inc. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  15. Smoth, Portsia (April 15, 2004). "Beyoncé! Alica! Tamia!". The Free Lance–Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. pp. 11 (Weekender). Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  16. Kiehl, Stephen (April 9, 2004). "Keys proving to be first lady of tour". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  17. Johnson, Ben (April 11, 2004). "Four divas show it is always 'Ladies First' in Hartford". The Day. New London, Connecticut. pp. D6. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  18. Reid, Stephen (April 13, 2004). "First Among Equals: Beyoncé Steals The Show At Ladies First". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  19. Wood, Jennifer (April 16, 2004). "Beyoncé and friends thrill Phoenix crowd". East Valley Tribune. Freedom Communications. Archived from the original on November 1, 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  20. Chonin, Neva (April 10, 2004). "Beyoncé, Keys, Elliott do the diva number in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  22. "The Verizon Ladies First Tour Starring Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, & Missy Elliott With Special Guest Tamia" (Press release). PR Newswire. February 10, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  23. Box score data:
  24. "Rodeo parade draws thousands downtown". Houston Chronicle. March 1, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
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