Here Come the Girls (concert tour)

Here Come the Girls was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Anastacia and Chaka Khan and Scottish recording artist Lulu. The tour, primarily reaching Europe, began in November 2009.[1] Described as a music extravaganza that mixes high octane, high camp, get up and dance songs, against a backdrop of glamour and fun, the trek became a hit, selling out all 20 dates in 2009. Due to demand, the tour continued into 2010, with English singer Heather Small replacing Chaka Khan.[2] The tour became praised by both critics and spectators alike. At the time, concert promoters speculated about a 2011 extension of the tour into Continental Europe and North America.[3]

Here Come the Girls
Tour by Anastacia, Chaka Khan, Heather Small and Lulu
Promotional poster for 2009 tour
Start dateNovember 21, 2009 (2009-11-21)
End dateDecember 13, 2010 (2010-12-13)
Legs2
No. of shows34 in Europe
Anastacia tour chronology
Heavy Rotation Tour
(2009)		 Here Come the Girls
(2009–10)		 Resurrection Tour
(2014)

The show consisted mostly of covering songs because (collectively) the girls wanted to sing the music that inspired them versus singing only original material. The singers did solo selections but sang a majority of the songs as a trio.[4]

Singer Anastacia described the show as,"[...] an amazing, fun party like atmosphere!!! We want everyone standing, dancing and singing along!!! We are sure to make you laugh lots and may even draw a tear or two."[5] To promote the tour, the girls appeared on Good Morning Television,[6] BBC Breakfast,[7] Loose Women,[8] Afternoon Live with Kay Burley,[9] London Tonight[10] and Live from Studio Five. Additionally they opened the Royal Variety Performance at the Opera House Theatre, Blackpool with a performance of "Relight My Fire".

Setlist
2009
  1. "Here Come the Girls" (Video Introduction) (contains excerpts from "I'm Every Woman")
  2. "I'm Every Woman"
  3. "One Day in Your Life"
  4. "Independence"
  5. "The Beat Goes On"
  6. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
  7. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
  8. "I Can't Turn You Loose" (contains excerpts from "Soul Man")
  9. Medley: "Stop! In the Name of Love" / "Baby Love" / "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
  10. "Dancing in the Street" (Anastacia)
  11. "Mercy" (Lulu)
  12. "Respect" (Chaka Khan)
  13. "Pop Royalty" (Dance Interlude) (contain elements of "Vogue", "Billie Jean", "Scream", "Doesn't Really Matter" and "Rhythm Nation" )
  14. Medley: "Just Dance" / "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" / "I Feel for You"
  15. "I'm Outta Love"
  16. "Proud Mary"
  17. "Lady Marmalade"
  18. "Hot Legs" (Dance Interlude)
  19. "Ain't Nobody"
  20. Medley: "Bad Girls" / "Hot Stuff"
  21. "Left Outside Alone" (Anastacia)
  22. "Shout" (Lulu)
  23. "Through the Fire" (Chaka Khan)
  24. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"
  25. Medley: "Disco Inferno" / "Night Fever" / "I Will Survive"
  26. "Angels"
Encore
  1. "Relight My Fire" (contains excerpts from "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Crazy in Love")
2010
  1. "Here Come the Girls" (Video Introduction) (contains excerpts from "I'm Every Woman")
  2. "I'm Every Woman"
  3. "One Day in Your Life"
  4. "Relight My Fire"
  5. "Moving On Up"
  6. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
  7. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
  8. "I Can't Turn You Loose" (contains excerpts from "Soul Man")
  9. "Dancing in the Street" (Anastacia)
  10. "Mercy" (Lulu)
  11. "Valerie" (Heather Small)
  12. "I'm Outta Love"
  13. "Independence"
  14. "One Night in Heaven"
  15. "Proud Mary"
  16. "I Gotta Feeling"
  17. "Get the Party Started" (contains excerpts from "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)")
  18. "Itchycoo Park" (Heather Small)
  19. "Search for the Hero" (Heather Small)
  20. "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" (Anastacia)
  21. "Left Outside Alone" (Anastacia)
  22. "To Sir, with Love" (Lulu)
  23. "Shout" (Lulu)
  24. Medley: "Bad Romance" / "Just Dance" / "Poker Face" / "Paparazzi"
  25. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"
  26. Medley: "Disco Inferno" / "Night Fever" / "I Will Survive"
Encore
  1. "Angels"
Source:[11]

Tour dates
Promotional poster for 2010 leg of tour
Date City Country Venue
Leg I[12][13]
November 21, 2009 Edinburgh Scotland Usher Hall
November 23, 2009 Newcastle England Newcastle City Hall
November 24, 2009 Liverpool Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
November 26, 2009 Sheffield Sheffield City Hall
November 27, 2009 Oasis Leisure Centre
November 28, 2009 Bristol Colston Hall
November 30, 2009 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena
December 2, 2009 London England HMV Hammersmith Apollo
December 4, 2009 Oxford New Theatre Oxford
December 8, 2009 Nottingham Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
December 10, 2009 Glasgow Scotland Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
December 12, 2009 Bournemouth England Windsor Hall
December 13, 2009 Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions
December 14, 2009 Portsmouth Portsmouth Guildhall
December 16, 2009 Manchester Carling Apollo Manchester
December 17, 2009 Birmingham Symphony Hall
December 18, 2009 Kingston upon Hull Hull City Hall
December 20, 2009 Blackpool Opera House Theatre
December 21, 2009 Belfast Northern Ireland Waterfront Hall
Leg II[12][14][15]
November 22, 2010 Edinburgh Scotland Edinburgh Playhouse
November 23, 2010 Glasgow Clyde Auditorium
November 25, 2010 Liverpool England Echo Arena Liverpool
November 26, 2010 Birmingham National Indoor Arena
November 27, 2010 Brighton Brighton Centre
November 29, 2010 London HMV Hammersmith Apollo
November 30, 2010
December 2, 2010 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena
December 3, 2010 Portsmouth England Portsmouth Guildhall
December 4, 2010 Bournemouth Windsor Hall
December 6, 2010 Sheffield Sheffield City Hall
December 7, 2010 Manchester Manchester Evening News Arena
December 8, 2010 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
December 10, 2010 Nottingham Trent FM Arena Nottingham
December 12, 2010 Dublin Ireland The O2
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
December 3, 2009 Brighton, England Brighton Centre Cancelled
December 21, 2009 Belfast, Northern Ireland Waterfront Hall This concert was originally rescheduled to December 23, 2009 due to weather but ultimately cancelled[16]
December 13, 2010 Belfast, Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena Cancelled due to illness

Box office
Venue City Tickets sold / available Gross revenue
Manchester Evening News Arena Manchester 2,077 / 3,400 (61%) $121,985[17]
The O2 Dublin 1,559 / 2,000 (78%) $102,362 [18]

Critical reception

The tour received high praise from spectators of the performance by the girls, however, music critics gave the tour mixed reviews.

  • Stephen Dalton (The Times) gave the performance at Colston Hall three out of five stars remarking, "Familiar fare or not, there is no substitute for the rowdy excitement of hearing evergreen anthems belted out by a great singer — or three great singers, in this case. At 61, Lulu's gravelled growl can still level entire Glaswegian tenement blocks, while 56-year-old Chaka's voluptuous contralto makes your ears feel as if they are drowning in warm treacle. Vocally, the 41-year-old Anastacia is the blandest, but she still packs a punch."[19]
  • Nik Brear (Sheffield Star) thought highly of the trio's performance at the Sheffield City Hall stating, "An incredible version of Relight My Fire closed a night where three incredible divas worked the stage from the second they stepped onto it. Each shone in their own right; no egos, not a competition – just a party."[20]
  • Matthew Hemly (The Stage) enjoyed the performance at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo but was not pleased with veteran Chaka Kahn's performance saying, "Less impressive, sadly, is Chaka Khan, who seems to stumble over her words and forget lyrics, and who, on the whole, appears to be enjoying herself far less than her fellow performers."[21]
  • Jade Wright (Liverpool Echo) gave the trio's performance at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall eight out of ten stars stating, "The highlights were many – Lulu's fantastic voice was per fectly suited to Mercy, Chaka Khan's to Aretha Franklin's Respect and Anastacia's, unsurprisingly, to I'm Outta Love. Played out on a stunning split level illuminated stage, these were songs to live life by."[22]
  • Edward Gleave (South Wales Evening Post) enjoyed the performance at the Cardiff International Arena remarking, "Seeing three polished performers all in the same show was a real treat. It really felt like it was three shows in one as each of the trio had their own musical style and fashion sense."[23]
  • Mike Caulfield (City Life) gave the trio's performance at the Manchester Evening News Arena four out of five stars stating, "Anastasia managed to reach every corner of the arena with her soulful voice, while Lulu shows no sign of aging – particularly apparent on her passionate cover of Duffy's retro-sounding hit Mercy."[24]
  • Aranda Rahbarkouhi (Evening Chronicle) was not impressed with the performance at the Metro Radio Arena stating, "Lulu's solo performance of Mercy had me praying for just that – and it was nothing to Shout about! It was torture and can only be described as watching a worn-out Miss Whiplash. Relight My Fire also turned into a bit of a damp squib for the diva. [..] If nothing else, these feisty females did remind me that a trip to the gym is long overdue. Either they work out or have discovered new bum-and- tum tuck pants."[25]
  • Judi Killon (The News) enjoyed the performance at the Portsmouth Guildhall stating, "The evening proved a mix of old and new, including Mercy from Lulu, Amy Winehouse's Valerie from Heather, and a terrific I'm Outta Love from Anastasia. Although all of small stature, there were no timid voices here! A terrific celebration of sisterhood."[26]

References
  1. O'Connell, Daniel (2009-09-15). "Here Come the Girls: Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia for Winter 2009 UK tour". All Gigs. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  2. "Heather Small joins Here Come The Girls tour". BBC News Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  3. Smith, Mark (2010-09-23). "Here Come the Girls featuring Lulu, Anastacia and Heather Small heads to Echo Arena". Chester Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  4. "'Here come the girls' watch out". BBC News Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  5. Newkirk, Anastacia (2009-09-21). "Thank You!!". Anastacia's Official Website. The Island Def Jam Music Group. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  6. "Find out what's on GMTV – Britain's biggest breakfast show | What's on". GMTV. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  7. "Programmes | Breakfast". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  8. "Loose Women – ITV Lifestyle". Itv.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  9. "Lulu, Chaka Khan And Anastacia Set For 'Here Come The Girls' Tour | Showbiz News | Sky News". News.sky.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  10. Bleakley, George (25 September 2009). "ITV London Tonight". Itv.com. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  11. "Here Come The Girls kicks off in Edinburgh". Heather Smalls' Official Website. 2010-11-22. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  12. "Tour dates". Here Come the Girls' Official Website. TCB Group. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  13. Saard, M. (2009-09-15). "Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia's Here Come the Girls Tour & Tickets". Stereoboard. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  14. News Deck (2010-09-07). "Here Come The Girls returns with Lulu, Anastacia and Heather Small for Winter 2010 tour". Music News. Publishing Group Network. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  15. Stickler, Jon (2010-09-10). "Lulu & Anastacia Return With Heather Small For 'Here Come The Girls' 2010 Tour & Tickets". Stereoboard. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  16. BBC News Staff (2009-12-22). "Concert cancelled due to weather". Brighton Wired. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  17. "Billboard Boxscore: Current Scores". Billboard. 25 June 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  18. "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  19. Dalton, Stephen (2009-12-01). "Here Come the Girls, at Colston Hall, Bristol". The Times. News Corporation. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  20. Brear, Nik (2009-11-28). "REVIEW: Here Come The Girls, Sheffield City Hall". Sheffield Star. Johnston Press. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  21. Hemley, Matthew (2009-12-03). "Here Come the Girls". The Stage. The Stage Newspaper Limited. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  22. Wright, Jade (2009-11-25). "Here Come The Girls at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  23. Gleaves, Edward (2009-12-02). "Concert review: Here Come The Girls at the CIA". South Wales Evening Post. South West Wales Publications. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  24. Caulfield, Mike (2010-12-08). "Here Come The Girls". City Life. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  25. Rahbarkouhi, Aranda (2010-12-09). "Review: Here Come The Girls, Newcastle". Evening Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  26. Killon, Judi (2010-12-06). "Here Come The Girls". Portsmouth News. Portsmouth Publishing & Printing. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
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