The Buffet Tour
Tour by R. Kelly | |
![]() Promotional poster for the tour | |
Associated album | The Buffet |
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Start date | April 29, 2016 |
End date | November 13, 2016 |
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 37 in North America |
R. Kelly concert chronology |
The Buffet Tour is the twelfth and final concert tour by American recording artist R. Kelly. The tour supported his thirteenth studio album, The Buffet (2015). The tour played over 30 concerts in the United States.
Background
[edit]The tour was announced March 2016 by various music publications, including Billboard.[1] Kelly referred to his tour as his most ambitious production.[2] The tour was quickly met with controversy as the students and faculty of Saint Louis University boycotted Kelly's concert, to be held at the Chaifetz Arena on April 29, 2016. A Change.org petition was created to have the concert cancelled, citing Kelly's troubled career. The concert was quickly moved to the suburb of St. Charles at the Family Arena.
The debut concert featured Kelly performing for nearly four hours and featured various skits making light of his criminal past. Intended to be a 40 city tour, many shows were canceled, citing the elaborate production and Kelly's fear of flying as reasons. The tour is believed to have earned nearly $50 million.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]The tour was met with mixed reactions from many music critics. They unanimously cited the shows felt disorganized, with the setlist being too "loose". Kenya Vaughn (The St. Louis American) called this disjointed, stating: "This particular portion of the show was almost an R. Kelly overdose thanks to the lack of focus and the emphasis on quantity instead of a masterful delivery on songs selected for maximum impact. The show had grown boring until he [re-]positioned himself to the middle of the arena for a brief set that included a tribute to Prince. As he continues to shape the show, he should consider narrowing the focus of the show—hopefully into something that looks more like his grown and sexy incarnation that he closed the show with."[4]
In Kansas City, Timothy Finn (The Kansas City Star) found the concert to be odd. He continued to say: "There was a live band onstage, but it was swept into the corner, shrouded by darkness, and its performances sounded secondary to the other music and sounds coming off the stage. They brought to a close a show that, though wandering and reckless at times, sated the appetites of fans who came to indulge in the libidinous sounds of one of pop music's more mercurial, prolific and controversial stars."[5]
The show in Tampa, reviewed by Jay Cridlin (Tampa Bay Times) states: "All of these moments screamed R. Kelly – silly, sexy, soulful and at times very, very strange. Over the course of his two-hour concert, these moments kept right on coming, one after the next, eventually sketching out a portrait of one of R&B's greatest and most mystifying performers, in all his freaktacular glory."[6]
The same sentiments were felt by Liz Tracy (Miami New Times) for the show in Miami. She says: "If it wasn't clear before, Kelly can sing. The crowd was reciting the lyrics all along, writhing in sonic ecstasy, but at the end, they were just in it to win it. [...] It's clear Kelly will never outrun his own demons. They are too thick to sidestep. But he'll take what he can get, rejoicing for now in being purged clean of his sins in his own mind and in the minds of his loyal followers."[7]
Opening acts
[edit]- Demetria McKinney (Leg 1)
- June's Diary (Leg 2)[8]
Setlist
[edit]The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on April 29, 2016, at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[9]
- "Video Sequence"
- "My Story"
- "Make It Rain" / "We Been On" / "Hotel" / "So Sexy" / "Wonderful" / "That's That" / "Go Getta" / "Thoia Thoing" / "Snake" / "Get This Money" / "Gigolo" / "Fuck You Tonight"
- "Home Alone"
- "Legs Shakin'"
- "Video Sequence"
- "Sex Me" / "The Zoo" / "Slow Wind" / "Half on a Baby" / "In the Kitchen" / "Strip For You" / "Number One" / "Cookie"
- "Ignition (Remix)" / "Fiesta (Remix)" / "I'm a Flirt (Remix)" / "Freaky In The Club"
- "Your Body's Callin'" / "It Seems Like You're Ready" / "12 Play"
- "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" / "Honey Love"
- "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" / "It Seems Like You're Ready" / "You Remind Me of Something" / "Feelin' on Yo Booty" / "Bump N' Grind"
- "Video Sequence"
- "I Wish" / "When a Woman's Fed Up" / "Contagious"
- "Purple Rain"
- "I Believe I Can Fly"
- "A Change Is Gonna Come"
- "When a Woman Loves"
- Encore
Tour dates
[edit]- Cancellations and rescheduled shows
April 21, 2016 | Cincinnati, Ohio | U.S. Bank Arena | Rescheduled to June 23, 2016[11] |
April 22, 2016 | Detroit, Michigan | Joe Louis Arena | Rescheduled to June 24, 2016[12] |
April 23, 2016 | Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center | Rescheduled to June 25, 2016[13] |
April 27, 2016 | Birmingham, Alabama | Legacy Arena | Rescheduled to September 16, 2016[14] |
April 29, 2016 | St. Louis, Missouri | Chaifetz Arena | Moved to the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri[15] |
May 6, 2016 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Rescheduled to September 8, 2016[16] |
May 8, 2016 | Louisville, Kentucky | KFC Yum! Center | Rescheduled to September 10, 2016[14] |
May 11, 2016 | West Valley City, Utah | Maverik Center | Rescheduled to October 27, 2016[14] |
May 13, 2016 | Portland, Oregon | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Rescheduled to October 29, 2016[14] |
May 14, 2016 | Everett, Washington | Xfinity Arena | Rescheduled to October 30, 2016[14] |
October 16, 2016 | San Diego, California | Valley View Casino Center | Cancelled |
October 19, 2016 | Oakland, California | Oracle Arena | Cancelled |
October 28, 2016 | Norfolk, Virginia | Chrysler Hall | Cancelled[17] |
Box office score data
[edit]Venue | City | Tickets sold / Available | Gross revenue |
---|---|---|---|
Amalie Arena | Tampa | 3,576 / 6,796 (53%) | $301,379[18] |
American Airlines Center | Dallas | 6,430 / 7,957 (81%) | $508,778[18] |
Philips Arena | Atlanta | 10,099 / 11,875 (85%) | $809,371[18] |
Morris Performing Arts Center | South Bend | 1,729 / 2,555 (68%) | $145,108[19] |
Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia | 5,192 / 8,423 (62%) | $317,192[20] |
Verizon Center | Washington, D.C. | 4,899 / 12,791 (38%) | $445,101[21] |
TOTAL | 31,925 / 49,797 (64%) | $2,526,929 |
References
[edit]- ^ Platon, Adelle (March 21, 2016). "R. Kelly to Embark on Buffet Tour (Exclusive)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ McDonnell, Brandy (March 21, 2016). "R. Kelly to play summer Oklahoma City concert". The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "2016 Pollstar Year End: Top 200 North American Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ Vaughn, Kenya (April 30, 2016). "The Buffet Tour a gluttonous presentation of R. Kelly's greatest hits". The St. Louis American. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Finn, Timothy (May 1, 2016). "R. Kelly takes KC crowd on a weird and meandering tour of his hit-studded career". The Kansas City Star. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Cridlin, Jay (May 28, 2016). "Review: R. Kelly revels in his strange, silly, sexy genius at Amalie Arena in Tampa". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Tracy, Liz (May 31, 2016). "R. Kelly Aims for Redemption in Miami Concert". Miami New Times. Voice Media Group. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Bowden, TJ (October 7, 2016). "June's Diary delivers a vocally powerful performance at SOB's in NYC". Revolt. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (April 30, 2016). "R. Kelly's 'Buffet' tour kickoff at Family Arena leaves fans underfed". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Sources for tour dates:
- "R. KELLY TOUR TICKETS 2016: SERIOUSTICKETS.COM PRESENTS DISCOUNT ON THE BUFFET TOUR BOSTON, OAKLAND AND OTHER CONCERT TICKETS WITH COUPON CODE" (Press release). Tampa, Florida: SeriousTickets.com. AB Newswire. July 1, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- "R. Kelly Tour Confirms 2016 Dates at North American Arenas". Fandemonium. Vivid Seats LLC. June 27, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- "R & B singer R. Kelly to make stop at the Palace". The Daily Gazette. August 31, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- "3-time Grammy Award winner R. Kelly to perform in South Bend". WNDU-TV. Gray Television. July 19, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- Janes, Théoden (June 2, 2016). "R. Kelly, on 'bafflingly inappropriate' concert moment: 'Next question, please'". The Charlotte Observer. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- Fanelli, Laurie (March 24, 2016). "R. Kelly announces The Buffet Tour". AXS. Anschutz Entertainment Group. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- "R. KELLY ANNOUNCES 'THE BUFFET TOUR'". Rap-Up. March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "R. Kelly Shifts Joe Louis Arena Concert Date". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. April 8, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Graham, Adam (April 8, 2016). "R. Kelly postpones Joe Louis Arena show until June". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Davis, Bliss (April 11, 2016). "R. Kelly Pushes Back "Buffet Tour" Date in Cleveland". Cleveland Scene. Euclid Media Group. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "R. Kelly postpones 'Buffet Tour' stop in Birmingham, citing production issues". The Birmingham News. Advance Publications. April 25, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (June 25, 2018). "Controversial singer R. Kelly heading to Family Arena". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Lindquist, David (April 27, 2018). "R. Kelly concert rescheduled from May to September". The Indianapolis Star. Gannett Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Ollison, Rashod (October 26, 2018). "R. Kelly postpones Norfolk show from Friday to Feb. 2". The Virginian-Pilot. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 128. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. June 25, 2016. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 128, no. 24. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. September 24, 2016. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
- ^ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 128. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. November 19, 2016. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 129. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. January 21, 2017. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
Studio albums | |
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Collaboration albums | |
Mixtape | |
Compilation albums | |
Tours | |
Trapped in the Closet | |
Bibliography | |
Related articles |
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