The Greatest Love World Tour
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The Greatest Love World Tour was the debut worldwide concert tour (and second overall) by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, in support of her debut studio album Whitney Houston. The four-month tour began in North America on July 26, 1986 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion with an itinerary that included visits in Europe, Japan and Australia. In all, Houston toured in four continents in a span of six months.
Background
Houston's debut album was released in early 1985 and she performed at various clubs to promote the album. Following the success of the US #1 R&B hit single "You Give Good Love", Houston became the opening act for singers' Luther Vandross and Jeffrey Osborne on their individual 1985 US tours. After the next single, "Saving All My Love For You" became Houston's first #1 on the US Hot 100, she began headlining her own shows, playing at various American theaters, festivals, and clubs throughout the summer and fall of 1985. With more #1 hits on the way, and Houston's album at the top of the album charts, she would become a household name. She then embarked on her first worldwide tour, the successful The Greatest Love Tour. The tour started in North America during mid-1986, before heading to Europe, Japan, Australia and back to the US for a final show in Hawaii at the end of the year.
The show
The show consisted of Houston on a fringed round stage in the center of the arena/theater with a 9-piece band playing and four backup vocalists behind her. There were no costume changes or background dancers. Brother Gary Garland would replace Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass on the duets. Comedian Sylvia Traymore served as the opening act.
While on her first global tour, Houston revealed she was a creative musician; rearranging most of the songs during her shows and sometimes deviating from the album's version. In "You Give Good Love", Houston would slow it down and emphasize the soulful elements of the song, treating it like a gospel number while breaking it down in a reggae melody with her background singers. During "Saving All My Love", Houston arranged the song into a bluesy jazz number that recalled Billie Holiday. Houston often scatted with sax player Josh Harris during the end of the song. Many critics noted "He/I Believe" and "I Am Changing" as the show's highlights. The former is a song she learned from her mother which joins the gospel songs "He Is" with "I Believe". The latter is a cover of the show Jennifer Holliday's show stopping Dreamgirls song. After opening the show with a tease of the anthemic "Greatest Love of All", Houston closed out the show with a slowed down soulful version of the song.
Billboard magazine's Carlo Wolff said the following on his column for her show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 28, 1986.
For the second date of her first headlining tour, the show was remarkably polished and emotional...A versatile, purposeful singer, Houston may not be La Diva yet. But she is certainly La Divette.
Opening acts
Sylvia Morrison from Washington, DC, is the first black female impressionist/comedian.
- Sylvia Traymore Morrison (US—leg)
- Mark McCollum (comedian) (US—leg)
- Kenny G (US—leg, select dates)
Set list
- Instrumental intro (contains elements of "Also sprach Zarathustra" and excerpts from "Greatest Love of All")
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
- "Eternal Love"
- "You Give Good Love"
- "Hold Me" (duet with Gary Houston)
- "How Will I Know"
- "Take Good Care of My Heart" (duet with Gary Houston)
- "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (duet with Gary Houston)
- "Saving All My Love for You"
- "Someone for Me
- "I Am Changing"
- "Heart to Heart"
- "All at Once"
- "He, I Believe"
- "Greatest Love of All"
Notes
Additional notes
- July, August: for select dates, Houston performed "Memories" (recorded prior to her debut album), "A Brand New Day" and a duet with her mother, singer Cissy Houston.
- Houston also added Kenny Loggins's US pop hit "Heart to Heart" and "I Am Changing" from the musical Dreamgirls as part of her setlist.
- August 4: at the Garden State Arts Center show, Whitney performed "When I First Saw You" with her mother Cissy and brother Gary.
- September 13: for the concert in Mountain View, Houston brought out a cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to her father, John Houston.
- Houston was also working on her second album and included two new songs in her set, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "Didn't We Almost Have It All".
Shows
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | |||||
| July 26, 1986 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion | 13,000 / 13,000 | $176,267 |
| July 28, 1986 | Saratoga Springs | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | 20,000 / 20,000 | $218,735 | |
| July 29, 1986 | Boston | Boston Common | 37,000 / 37,000 | $667,065 | |
| July 31, 1986 | |||||
| August 1, 1986 | |||||
| August 2, 1986 | Wantagh | Jones Beach Marine Theater | 20,600 / 20,600 | $376,326 | |
| August 4, 1986 | Holmdel Township | Garden State Arts Center | 10,600 / 10,600 | $156,647 | |
| August 6, 1986 | Wantagh | Jones Beach Marine Theater | |||
| August 10, 1986 | Atlanta | Chastain Park Amphitheater | 12,702 / 12,702 | $259,545 | |
| August 11, 1986 | |||||
| August 12, 1986 | Nashville | Starwood Amphitheatre | —N/a | —N/a | |
| August 14, 1986 | Cincinnati | Riverbend Music Center | 16,289 / 16,289 | $251,000 | |
| August 15, 1986 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 15,600 / 15,600 | $156,310 | |
| August 16, 1986 | Indianapolis | Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum | 16,287 / 16,287 | $225,965 | |
| August 18, 1986 | Cuyahoga Falls | Blossom Music Center | —N/a | —N/a | |
| August 19, 1986 | Clarkston | Pine Knob Music Theatre | —N/a | —N/a | |
| August 20, 1986 | |||||
| August 22, 1986 | Toronto | Canada | CNE Grandstand | 25,370 / 25,370 | $465,286 |
| August 24, 1986 | Ottawa | Lansdowne Park | —N/a | —N/a | |
| August 26, 1986 | Montreal | Montreal Forum | |||
| August 27, 1986 | Philadelphia | United States | Mann Music Center | ||
| August 30, 1986 | Hoffman Estates | Poplar Creek Music Theater | |||
| August 31, 1986 | |||||
| September 1, 1986 | St. Louis | Municipal Theatre of St. Louis | 9,846 / 9,846 | $189,980 | |
| September 2, 1986 | Bonner Springs | Sandstone Center for the Performing Arts Center | —N/a | —N/a | |
| September 7, 1986 | Syracuse | New York State Fairgrounds | —N/a | —N/a | |
| September 8, 1986 | Morrison | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | 8,950 / 8,950 | $203,854 | |
| September 10, 1986 | Salt Lake City | Special Events Center | —N/a | —N/a | |
| September 12, 1986 | Sacramento | Cal Expo Amphitheatre | 8,273 / 8,500 | $144,778 | |
| September 13, 1986 | Mountain View | Shoreline Amphitheatre | 15,211 / 15,211 | $256,782 | |
| September 14, 1986 | Concord | Concord Pavilion | 8,333 / 8,333 | $152,485 | |
| September 16, 1986 | Fresno | Selland Arena | 5,908 / 5,908 | $99,715 | |
| September 18, 1986 | San Diego | San Diego Sports Arena | 9,051 / 9,051 | $172,092 | |
| September 19, 1986 | Costa Mesa | Pacific Amphitheatre | 13,946 / 18,764 | $294,954 | |
| September 21, 1986 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | —N/a | —N/a | |
| September 23, 1986 | |||||
| Europe | |||||
| October 10, 1986 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | —N/a | —N/a |
| October 11, 1986 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | ||
| October 17, 1986 | London | England | Wembley Arena | ||
| October 18, 1986 | |||||
| October 19, 1986 | |||||
| October 20, 1986 | |||||
| October 25, 1986 | Glasgow | Scotland | SECC | —N/a | —N/a |
| October 26, 1986 | London | England | Wembley Arena | —N/a | —N/a |
| Asia | |||||
| November 4, 1986 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Festival Hall | —N/a | —N/a |
| November 5, 1986 | Osaka-jō Hall | ||||
| November 6, 1986 | Nagoya | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | |||
| November 8, 1986 | Yokohama | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium | |||
| November 10, 1986 | Tokyo | Nippon Budokan | |||
| November 11, 1986 | |||||
| November 12, 1986 | |||||
| Oceania | |||||
| November 15, 1986 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre | —N/a | —N/a |
| November 16, 1986 | |||||
| November 17, 1986 | |||||
| November 25, 1986 | Melbourne | Melbourne Entertainment Centre | |||
| North America | |||||
| November 30, 1986 | Honolulu | United States | Blaisdell Arena | 17,600 / 17,600 | $362,313 |
| December 1, 1986 | |||||
| Total | 285,066 / 290,011 | $4,830,072 |
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
| August 28, 1986 | Geddes, New York | State Fair Grandstand | Rescheduled for September 7, 1986 |
| November 19, 1986 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
| November 20, 1986 | Brisbane, Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
| November 23, 1986 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
| November 24, 1986 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | |
| November 26, 1986 | Perth, Australia | Perth Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
| November 27, 1986 | Sydney, Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre | Cancelled |
Personnel
Houston and John Simmons were friends from their church in New Jersey. While Houston was trying to get a recording contract, she would perform sets as part of her mother's nightclub act in New York City. Simmons was her musical director. Houston asked Simmons to put together a band that would back her during her nightclub act and record label showcases. The tour manager was Tony Bulluck, who remained her tour manager on several of her tours later, including the Nothing but Love Tour. Rickey Minor and Whitney's brother Gary Houston remained band members throughout her touring career.
Band
- Music director / piano – John Simmons
- Bass guitar / bass synthesizer – Ricky Minor
- Guitar – Curtis Taylor Neishloss
- Keyboards – Willard Meeks
- Saxophone – Josh Harris
- Drums – Brian Brake
- Percussion – Kevin Jones
- Background vocalists – Gary Houston, Felicia Moss, Voneva Simms, Billy Baker
Tour management
- Manager – Tony Bulluck
Broadcast and recordings
- The show at Osaka-jō Hall on November 5 was broadcast live on Asahi Hōsō Radio in Japan. There were no official recordings released to the public.
Ticket price score data
| July 26, 1986 | Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD | $16.50 / $11.50 |
| July 28, 1986 | Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY | $15 / $10 |
| July 29, 31, August 1, 1986 | Boston Common, Boston, MA | $19.50 / $17.50 |
| August 2, 6, 1986 | Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, New York | $22 / $20.50 / $17.50 |
| August 4, 1986 | Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ | $18.50 / $11 |
| August 10, 11, 1986 | Chastain Park, Atlanta, GA | $22 / $20.50 / $17.50 |
| August 14, 1986 | Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH | $20 / $11.50 |
| August 15, 1986 | Freedom Hall Arena, Louisville, KY | $10 |
| August 16, 1986 | Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, IN | $14.50 / $12.50 |
| August 22, 1986 | CNE Stadium, Toronto, Ontario | $23.50 / $19.50 |
| September 1, 1986 | The Muny, St. Louis, MO | $20.50 / $18.50 / $16.50 |
| September 8, 1986 | Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO | $24.40 / $22 / $19.80 |
| September 12, 1986 | California Exposition & State Fair, Sacramento, CA | $17.50 |
| September 13, 1986 | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA | $18.50 / $15.50 |
| September 14, 1986 | Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA | $22.50 / $15.50 |
| September 16, 1986 | Fresno Convention Center, Fresno, CA | $17.50 |
| September 18, 1986 | San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA | $25 / $18.50 |
| September 19, 1986 | Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA | $24.75 / $15 |
| November 30, December 1, 1986 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, HI | $22.50 / $17.50 |