| Tour by Jay-Z and Kanye West | |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
| Associated album | Watch the Throne | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start date | October 29, 2011 | ||||||||||||
| End date | June 22, 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Legs | 2 | ||||||||||||
| No. of shows | 57 | ||||||||||||
| Box office | $75.4 million ($100.07 million in 2023 dollars)[1] | ||||||||||||
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The Watch the Throne Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West[2] that began on October 28, 2011, in Atlanta and continued until June 22, 2012, with its final show scheduled in Birmingham.[3] Originally scheduled for 23 performances, the tour was expanded to 34 performances in North America due to heavy demand for tickets; 29 shows were confirmed in the United States with 5 shows in Canada. Following massive success in the United States and Canada, Jay-Z & Kanye West announced the European leg of the tour on February 21, 2012, which featured 23 performances, bringing the number of shows to 57 at the time.[4]
Following the Glow in the Dark Tour, it marked West's first concert tour after four years, excluding his ultimately cancelled Fame Kills tour with Lady Gaga. It followed Jay-Z's opening act for U2 at the U2 360° Tour and his The Home & Home Tour with Eminem. The concerts, which had no opening act of their own, were in support of West and Jay-Z's 2011 album Watch the Throne, with most of the album's track-list performed, such as singles "Otis", "Lift Off", "Niggas in Paris" and concert opener "H•A•M". Additional West singles like "Gold Digger", "Stronger", "Heartless" and "All of the Lights" and Jay-Z singles like "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "99 Problems", "Run This Town", and "Empire State of Mind" were also performed.[5][6]
The critical and box office performance of the tour received rave reviews, with critics praising the production value, the elaborate stage design, and the large string of successful singles featured. The tour had very little promotion before its premiere, with the exception being behind-the-scene concert footage sponsored by Voyr.[7] It grossed $48.3 million in North America in 2011[8] and $25.4 million in Europe in 2012.[9]
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Markman, Rob (July 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West Announce Watch The Throne Release Date, Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ "Kanye West and Jay-Z Confirm New North American Watch the Throne Tour Schedule with an Overwhelming Response to Presale Tickets" (Press release). PR Newswire. August 3, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ "Jay-Z & Kanye West announce 'Watch the Throne' European tour dates". Hypetrak. February 21, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
list2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
list3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Raymondo, Oscar (October 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ "Top 200 North American Tours 2011" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Worldwide Tours 2012" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved June 22, 2022.