...Baby One More Time Tour

The ...Baby One More Time Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999) and visited the United States and Canada. The tour was announced in March 1999, with dates released a month later. Tommy Hilfiger was chosen as the tour sponsor. The show was divided into various segments, with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The setlist consisted of songs from her debut album and several covers. The tour received positive feedback from critics; many highlighted Spears' persona and edgy look.

...Baby One More Time Tour
Tour by Britney Spears
Backstage access pass for the tour
LocationNorth America
Associated album...Baby One More Time
Start dateJune 28, 1999 (1999-06-28)
End dateSeptember 15, 1999 (1999-09-15)
Legs1
No. of shows56
Britney Spears concert chronology

Background and development

On March 5, 1999, it was reported that Spears was planning her first headlining tour to support her first studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999).[1] Shortly after, she announced that the tour would start in July.[2] On May 12, 1999, Tommy Hilfiger was announced as the main tour sponsor. During the time of the announcement, Spears was being featured in the "AllStars" campaign launched by the company. Hilfiger spoke about the sponsorship saying,

"My passion for music has always inspired my designs. This year we have really put music in the forefront of everything we do. Britney represents the spirit of Tommy Jeans and of youth today. I cannot think of a better way to continue this exciting year by sponsoring one of today's hottest, young recording artists".[3]

The secondary sponsor was supposed to be Nestlé, but they pulled out soon after provocative photographs of Spears shot by David LaChapelle were published in Rolling Stone.[4] Tour dates were released through Pollstar on April 9, 1999, with the tour kicking off on June 28, 1999, in Pompano Beach, Florida.[5] Several dates were added and rescheduled, and the complete schedule was released two months later.[6]

Spears talked to CNN about her involvement during the development of the tour, stating that she had designed the entire tour herself, including costumes and concept.[7] Spears worked with fashion designer Gia Ventola to create the costumes for her and the dancers.[8] The proscenium stage was simple and had only one main prop, a staircase in the middle. The band was in both sides of the staircase and consisted of five musicians. There were also six dancers, that took the stage during interludes. The setlist consisted of eight songs from her debut album and several covers by well-known artists.[9]

Concert synopsis

The show began with a dance introduction by Spears' dancers among smoke effects.[10] She appeared shortly after at the top of the staircase wearing a hot pink vinyl tube top and white vinyl pants with pink knee patches, to perform "(You Drive Me) Crazy".[10] In "Soda Pop" she danced and interacted with the audience, before leaving the stage while her dancers continued. She appeared sitting on the staircase to sing "Born to Make You Happy" and "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart".[10] The show continued with a dance interlude set to Madonna's "Vogue" in which she named Madonna and Janet Jackson as her biggest inspirations. She then took the stage to perform a cover of Madonna's "Material Girl".[10] After this, she performed two covers of Janet Jackson songs, "Black Cat" and "Nasty".[10] She ended the section with a performance of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On", accompanied by psychedelic lights.[10] After a dance interlude, she performed the album track "I Will Be There" and a cover of "Open Arms" by Journey, ending with a smile at the top of the staircase.[10] After "Sometimes", she waved and left the stage. The encore consisted of a performance of "...Baby One More Time", in which Spears wore a black bra under pink halter, a pink sequined plaid mini-skirt, and black thigh-high stockings. She then thanks the audience and leaves the stage.

Critical reception

The tour garnered generally positive reviews from critics.[9] Jeffrey Haney of the Deseret News described the show as "funky and flashy".[11] A reporter from USA Today called Spears' performance "assured and energetic".[9] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News pointed out that Spears seemed to have two personas during the show, one when singing songs from her album and a more edgy look when singing the covers. He also added that "Spears' nods to edginess no doubt reflects her desire to grow into a more mature career".[12] Jane Ganahl of the San Francisco Chronicle said that "she may be somewhat entertaining, but she's also just another prefab act – longer on packaging than actual talent".[10]

Broadcasts and recordings

In August 1999, the concert in Orlando, Florida was filmed for the Disney Channel in Concert series which Spears was also joined by New Kids On The Block member Joey McIntyre (who was embarking on his solo career). The concert entitled Britney Spears & Joey McIntyre in Concert aired on October 16, 1999. In the special, Spears performed 7 songs in front of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith attraction at the Disney Hollywood Studios. It also featured Spears visiting her former routes working at the park during her years of The Mickey Mouse Club and shopping at Downtown Disney with her dancers.[13]

Opening acts

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on July 29, 1999, at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California.[10] It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "(You Drive Me) Crazy"
  2. "Soda Pop"
  3. "Born to Make You Happy"
  4. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart"
  5. "Material Girl" / "Black Cat" / "Nasty"
  6. "The Beat Goes On"
  7. "I Will Be There"
  8. "Open Arms"
  9. "Sometimes"
Encore
  1. "...Baby One More Time"

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
North America [3][6]
June 28, 1999 Pompano Beach United States Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
June 29, 1999 Tampa USF Sun Dome
July 1, 1999 Atlanta Atlanta Civic Center
July 2, 1999 North Myrtle Beach House of Blues
July 3, 1999 Doswell Paramount Theatre
July 5, 1999[A] Bethel Max Yasgur's Farm
July 6, 1999 Washington, D.C. DAR Constitution Hall
July 7, 1999 New York City Hammerstein Ballroom
July 8, 1999 Hershey Star Pavilion
July 9, 1999 Scranton Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center
July 10, 1999 Darien Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 11, 1999 Schenectady Proctor's Theatre
July 13, 1999 Hamilton Canada Copps Coliseum
July 14, 1999 Toronto Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 16, 1999 Ottawa WordPerfect Theatre
July 17, 1999 Montreal Molson Centre
July 20, 1999 Winnipeg Centennial Concert Hall
July 21, 1999 Saskatoon Saskatchewan Place
July 22, 1999 Edmonton Skyreach Centre
July 23, 1999 Calgary Canadian Airlines Saddledome
July 25, 1999 Vancouver General Motors Place
July 26, 1999 Seattle United States Seattle Center Arena
July 27, 1999[B] Hillsboro DeMar Batchelor Amphitheater
July 29, 1999 Oakland Paramount Theatre
July 30, 1999[C] Paso Robles CMS Grandstand Arena
July 31, 1999 Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre
August 3, 1999[D] Brighton Bromley Companies Stage
August 4, 1999 Denver Paramount Theatre
August 6, 1999 Arlington AT&T Music Mill Amphitheater
August 7, 1999 Houston Aerial Theater
August 8, 1999 New Orleans Lakefront Arena
August 10, 1999 Memphis Mud Island Amphitheater
August 11, 1999 Nashville Grand Ole Opry House
August 13, 1999 Eureka Old Glory Amphitheater
August 14, 1999[E] Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum
August 15, 1999[F] Sioux Falls W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds Grandstand
August 17, 1999 Rosemont Rosemont Theatre
August 18, 1999 Columbus Veterans Memorial Auditorium
August 19, 1999[G] Fairlea State Fair Event Center
August 20, 1999[H] Adrian Lenawee County Event Grounds Bandshell
August 21, 1999 Orlando Hard Rock Live
August 25, 1999 Indianapolis Egyptian Room
August 26, 1999 Cleveland Nautica Stage
August 27, 1999 Mason Timberwolf Amphitheatre
August 29, 1999 Upper Darby Tower Theater
August 30, 1999[I] Essex Coca-Cola Grandstand
September 1, 1999 Boston FleetBoston Pavilion
September 2, 1999[J] Geddes Mohegan Sun Grandstand
September 3, 1999 Wallingford SNET Oakdale Theatre
September 4, 1999 Baltimore Pier 6 Pavilion
September 5, 1999[K] Allentown Allentown Fairgrounds Grandstand
September 10, 1999[L] Salt Lake City Utah State Fair Grandstand
September 11, 1999[M] Hutchinson KSF Grandstand
September 12, 1999 Detroit State Theatre
September 14, 1999[N] Allegan ACC Grandstand
September 15, 1999[O] York Grandstand at the York Fair
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
[A]This concert was a part of the 1999 "A Day in the Garden" Festival.[17]
[B]This concert was a part of the Washington County Fair
[C]This concert was a part of the California Mid-State Fair
[D]This concert was a part of the Adams County Fair
[E]This concert was a part of the Douglas County Fair and Expos[18]
[F]This concert was a part of the Sioux Empire Fair
[G]This concert was a part of the State Fair of West Virginia
[H]This concert was a part of the Lenawee County Fair
[I]This concert was a part of the Champlain Valley Fair and Expo
[J]This concert was a part of the Great New York State Fair
[K]This concert was a part of the Great Allentown Fair
[L]This concert was a part of the Utah State Fair
[M]This concert was a part of the Kansas State Fair
[N]This concert was a part of the Allegan County Fair
[O]This concert was a part of the York Interstate Fair
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
July 12, 1999 Albany Palace Theatre Moved to the Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York[19]
July 13, 1999 Quebec City, Canada Agora du Vieux-Port Cancelled[19]
July 14, 1999 Montreal, Canada Verdun Auditorium Rescheduled to July 16, 1999 and moved to the Molson Centre[19]
July 16, 1999 Ottawa, Canada Ottawa Civic Centre Theatre Rescheduled to July 17, 1999 and moved to the WordPerfect Theatre[19]
July 17, 1999 Toronto, Canada Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Rescheduled to July 14, 1999
July 21, 1999 Saskatoon, Canada Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium Moved to the Saskatchewan Place[19]
July 23, 1999 Edmonton, Canada Assembly Hall Rescheduled to July 22, 1999 and moved to the Skyreach Centre[19]
July 25, 1999 Vancouver, Canada Plaza of Nations Moved to the General Motors Place[19]
August 1, 1999 Las Vegas House of Blues Cancelled
August 8, 1999 New Orleans Saenger Theatre Moved to the Lakefront Arena
August 11, 1999 Nashville Ryman Auditorium Grand Ole Opry House
August 24, 1999 Detroit State Theatre Rescheduled to September 12, 1999

References
  1. Essex, Andrew; Karger, Dave; Baldwin, Kristen (1999-03-05). "Bubble Gum Blows Up!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  2. Staff, MTV News (1999-03-23). "Britney Spears Back In Action, Plans Summer Tour". MTV. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  3. "Tommy Hilfiger Announces Sponsorship of Britney Spears Summer Concert Tour" (Press release). New York: Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. Business Wire. May 12, 1999. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2010 – via FindArticles.
  4. Staff, MTV News (1999-04-07). "Britney Spears On Sponsor-Scaring Pix: "It's Fine And It's Tasteful"". MTV. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  5. John, Richard (1999-04-09). "Revised Britney Spears Cdn. tour info". Jam!. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  6. "Britney Spears Prepares To Launch Summer Tour". MTV News. June 25, 1999. Archived from the original on January 9, 2001. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  7. Tush, Bill (1999-08-02). "Britney Spears has her say-so". CNN. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  8. Ryan, Suzanne C. (1999-08-26). "MATERIAL GIRL At 23, fashion newcomer Gia Ventola already has designs on the stars". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  9. Stevenson, Jane (1999-07-10). "Spears takes aim at fame". Jam!. Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  10. Ganahl, Jane (July 30, 1999). "The musical equivalent of cotton candy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  11. Haney, Jeffrey P. (1999-09-11). "Teen Queen Spears reigns at State Fair". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  12. Farber, Jim (1999-07-09). "Britney's Act: It's So Schizo". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  13. Essex, Andrew; Karger, Dave; Baldwin, Kristen (1999-07-16). "Britney Spears, Joey McIntyre Headed To Disney". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  14. "C-Note Drops Debut Album; Tours With Brandy, Britney, Cher". MTV News. 1999-05-26. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  15. Stevenson, Jane (1999-07-14). "Sky enjoying sunny days". Jam!. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  16. Ripley, Jackie (1999-06-04). "Living the teen dream". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  17. Strauss, Neil (1999-07-07). "Pop Review; A Woodstock where teeny is everything". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  18. "Shows". Official Site of Douglas County, Nebraska. 1999-07-16. Archived from the original on 1999-10-23. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  19. "Britney Spears Lines Up U.S. Tour Dates". MTV News. April 8, 1999. Archived from the original on January 8, 2001. Retrieved July 17, 2010.

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