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Watch the Throne Tour

Tour by Jay-Z and Kanye West
Associated album	Watch the Throne
Start date	October 29, 2011 (2011-10-29)
End date	December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)
Legs	1
No. of shows	33
Box office	$48,300,000
Jay-Z tour chronology The Home & Home Tour (2010) Watch the Throne Tour (2011) Kanye West tour chronology Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga (2009–10) (canceled) Watch the Throne Tour (2011)

The Watch The Throne Tour was co-headlining concert tour by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. It began on October 28, 2011, in Atlanta at the Philips Arena and continued until mid December with its final show scheduled in Vancouver on December 2011. Originally scheduled for 23 performances, due to demand and ticket sell-outs, the tour was expanded to 26 performances. 23 shows were confirmed in the United States with 4 shows in Canada. At the tour's completion, it was stated to be one of the greatest concert experiences of all time.

Following the Glow in the Dark Tour, it marks West first concert tour after four years, excluding his ultimately cancelled tour the Fame Kills, with Lady Gaga. It follows Jay-Z's opening act for U2 at the U2 360° Tour and his The Home & Home Tour with Eminem. The concert, which has no opening act of its own, is in support of the West's and Jay-Z 2011 album Watch the Throne (2011), 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" are also performed.

The critical and box office performance of the tour have both been positive, 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. By the end of the year, the tour had grossed $48.3 million making it the highest grossing hip-hop tour and the eighth highest grossing tour of 2011.

Synopsis

The show begins with West and Jay-Z "emerging on two cube-shaped mini stages to the operatic sounds of "H•A•M". Following that, "Who Gon Stop Me" is the next song, with "Otis" being performed with "a Givenchy - designed American flag flashing on the stage's main screens" after an extended introduction using "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding. Afterwards, Kanye leaves the stage, and Jay performs solo songs like "Where I'm From" and "Empire State of Mind", encouraging the audience to sing along. Kanye returns to the stage afterwards, performing his own songs like "Power", "Touch the Sky", and "Gold Digger", eventually with the two of them performing songs together, like "Run This Town", Monster" and the remix of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", where Jay-Z repeatedly told the crowd to "put your diamonds up", the sign for Roc Nation.

Mixing hits from both artists discographies, like "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Good Life", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "99 Problems", the show then segues into West performing "Runaway" and "Heartless", which has been described as "emotional highlight of the show". The most energetic part of the show has been reported to be during "Niggas in Paris", with "the track's Will Farrell intro ("We're gonna skate to one song and one song only") brought on the moment that everyone was waiting for." "Niggas in Paris" was originally performed three times in a row, but as the tour progressed, the song was regularly performed up to ten times in succession. Following other Watch the Throne tracks like "No Church in the Wild" and "Lift Off", the show ends with "Encore" and an |inspirational rendition of "Made in America," complete with images of Martin Luther King Jr. and "sweet brother" Malcolm X flashing on the big screen. The final song is "Why I Love You". USA Today describes the stage design:

This show was visually spectacular. There was a main, T-shaped stage where both entertainers performed together, and also two cube-shaped mini stages, one at each end of the arena, that rose and lowered at various points during the show. West and Jay-Z performed separately on these cubes, which showed various images (a snarling pitbull, a swimming shark) at different points of the show. Fireballs the size of car tires shot from the floor toward the ceiling during some performances. Two large video screens behind the main stage showed appropriate images during the performances; a virtually non-stop laser light show added to the oomph factor.

Reception

Critical reception towards the tour was positive. MTV News gave the opening show a good review, writing "While the WTT album has been noted for its opulent displays of wealth, Hov and Yeezy's show will be marked by the duo's overabundance of hit records." USA Today praised the duo's ability to get the audience excited, stating "at one point, as Jay-Z and West performed Niggas in Paris from their new hit CD, "Watch the Throne," West exhorted the audience to "Bounce! Bounce!" The resulting stomping had Philips Arena rocking and shaking in a way that it hasn't for the Hawks in a long time." Rap-Up mused "it was a crowning moment for Jay-Z and Kanye West as they kicked off the Watch the Throne tour to a packed house at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The hip-hop kings, collectively known as The Throne, opened the most anticipated hip-hop tour of the year with a bang." Idolator stated that the tour featured "an epic set list that featured selections from each artist’s own behemoth catalog of hits as well as their Watch The Throne collaborations." The tour has grossed $48.3 million by the end of the year, making it the highest grossing hip-hop tour and the eighth highest grossing tour of 2011.

Setlist

1. H•A•M
2. Who Gon Stop Me
3. Otis
4. Welcome to the Jungle
5. Gotta Have It
6. Where I'm From
7. Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)
8. Can't Tell Me Nothing
9. Jesus Walks
10. Diamonds from Sierra Leone
11. Public Service Announcement
12. U Don't Know
13. Run This Town
14. Monster
15. Power
16. Murder to Excellence
17. New Day
18. Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
19. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
20. Good Life
21. Empire State of Mind
22. Runaway
23. Heartless
24. Stronger
25. On to the Next One
26. Dirt off Your Shoulder
27. Touch the Sky
28. All of the Lights
29. Big Pimpin'
30. Gold Digger
31. 99 Problems
32. No Church in the Wild
33. Lift Off
34. Niggas in Paris (Multiple Times)

Encore

35. Encore
37. Made in America
38. Why I Love You

Tour dates

Box office score data

References

1. Markman, Rob (July 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West Announce Watch The Throne Release Date, Tour". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
2. "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.
3. ^ Bretbaf (October 17, 2011). "Kanye West & Jay-Z Concert Setlist at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA, USA on October 28, 2011". Setlist.fm. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
4. Raymondo, Oscar (October 25, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
5. "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times.
6. ^ Staff (October 29, 2011). "JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST KICK OFF 'WATCH THE THRONE' TOUR IN ATLANTA". Rap-Up. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
7. ^ Markman, Rob (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". MTV News. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
8. ^ Copeland, Larry (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye's joint tour opens in Atlanta". USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
9. BET Staff (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West Kick Off Tour". Black Entertainment Television news. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
10. Idolator Staff (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z And Kanye West Kick Off Their Watch The Throne Tour In Atlanta". Idolator. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
11. "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times.
12. Battan, Carrie (October 17, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye Expand Tour Again". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
13. "Billboard Boxscore - Current Scores". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
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15. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 123 (46). New York City, New York: Prometheus Global Media. 17 December 2011. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
16. "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
17. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 124 (1). New York City, New York: Prometheus Global Media. 7 January 2012. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
18. ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 123 (45). New York City, New York: Prometheus Global Media. 10 December 2011. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
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20. "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 123 (47). New York City, New York: Prometheus Global Media. 24 December 2011. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
21. "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
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• Jay-Z
• Kanye West
• 2011 concert tours