Reality Tour (Jessica Simpson)

The Reality Tour was the second concert tour by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. Predominately visiting the United States, the tour supported Simpson's third studio album, In This Skin (2003).[1] According to the singer, the title derives from her recent success on the reality TV series, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, while showcasing her music on a natural level. The tour began in Chula Vista in May and ended in October in West Springfield.

This article is about the Jessica Simpson concert tour. For the concert tour by David Bowie, see A Reality Tour.
Reality Tour
Tour by Jessica Simpson
Promotional poster for the tour
LocationNorth America
Associated albumIn This Skin
Start dateMay 14, 2004 (2004-05-14)
End dateOctober 3, 2004 (2004-10-03)
Legs1
No. of shows56
Attendance249,471 (41 shows)
Box office$7.1 million (41 shows)
Jessica Simpson concert chronology

Despite early reports of poor ticket sales,[2] Simpson's tour became one of the biggest summer tours in North America.

To date, the tour serves as Simpson's last major concert tour. The tour ranked number 86 on Pollstar's "Top 100 Tours 2004", earning over seven million dollars out of 41 shows.[3]

Background

While promoting the re-release of her album, Simpson stated in several interviews the possibility of a tour, wanting to break away from filming her TV series and connect with her fans. The tour was officially announced in May 2004 through various media outlets,[4] with sponsorship from Ice Breakers[5] and Proactiv Solution.[6]

During an interview with the Associated Press, the singer says she wanted the concerts to focus on her music and her personality.[7] Onstage, Simpson was joined by a seven-piece band, with no dancers or choreography for the show. Simpson would perform songs from her three current albums, while providing anecdotes about her life and the songs. Unseen footage from her reality series and variety show (entitled The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour) were included in the show as well. Each night, the singer dedicated "I Have Loved You" to the American armed forces and conduct a Q&A session with contest winners.[8]

Before the tour commenced, Simpson performed at several radio-sponsored music festivals including: Your Show,[9] Wango Tango,[10] Summer Music Mania,[11] Zootopia,[12] Kiss Concert,[13] Last Chance Summer Dance,[14] and Play Safe in the Park.[15]

To introduce the tour, Simpson stated:

"This is definitely a big tour for me. I'm a little nervous. It's like you're a little shaky about will I sell tickets to such a big market? […] But it's cool to put together such a huge production. And we're calling it the 'Reality Tour', from the show ['Newlyweds']. And there'll be all kinds of stuff showing never-seen clips and just kind of putting my personality into the tour, which will be a lot of fun."[16]

Opening acts

Set list
  1. "I Think I'm in Love with You"
  2. "A Little Bit"
  3. "Forbidden Fruit"
  4. "I Have Loved You"
  5. "She Works Hard for the Money"
  6. "Take My Breath Away"
  7. "Angels"
  8. "Be"
  9. "Everyday See You"
  10. "You Don't Have To Let Go"
  11. "My Way Home"
  12. "Loving You"
  13. "Sweetest Sin"
  14. "I Wanna Love You Forever"
  15. "Irresistible"
Encore
  1. "With You"

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
North America[18][19]
May 14, 2004[A] Chula Vista United States Coors Amphitheatre
May 15, 2004[B] Pasadena Rose Bowl
May 20, 2004[C] Glendale Glendale Arena
May 21, 2004[D] New York City Madison Square Garden
May 22, 2004[E] Rumsey Playfield
May 22, 2004[F] Mansfield Tweeter Center
June 4, 2004 New Orleans New Orleans Arena
June 5, 2004 Pelham Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
June 6, 2004 Jacksonville Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
June 8, 2004 Antioch Starwood Amphitheatre
June 11, 2004 Orlando TD Waterhouse Centre
June 12, 2004 West Palm Beach Sound Advice Amphitheatre
June 13, 2004 Tampa St. Pete Times Forum
June 15, 2004 Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June 17, 2004 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
June 18, 2004 New York City Radio City Music Hall
June 19, 2004 Bristow Nissan Pavilion
June 20, 2004 Raleigh Alltel Pavilion
June 25, 2004 Clarkston DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 26, 2004 Columbus Germain Amphitheater
June 27, 2004 Indianapolis Verizon Wireless Music Center
June 29, 2004[G] Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheater
June 30, 2004 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center
July 2, 2004 Hershey Star Pavilion
July 3, 2004 Burgettstown Post-Gazette Pavilion
July 4, 2004[H] Camden Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
July 6, 2004 Tinley Park Tweeter Center
July 7, 2004 Maryland Heights UMB Bank Pavilion
July 8, 2004 Bonner Springs Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 10, 2004 Dallas Smirnoff Music Centre
July 11, 2004 Oklahoma City Ford Center
July 14, 2004 Houston Toyota Center
July 16, 2004 San Antonio SBC Center
July 17, 2004 Lubbock United Spirit Arena
July 18, 2004 Albuquerque Journal Pavilion
July 20, 2004 Denver Universal Lending Pavilion
July 21, 2004[I] Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre
July 23, 2004 Vancouver Canada General Motors Place
July 24, 2004 Auburn United States White River Amphitheatre
July 25, 2004 Ridgefield The Amphitheater at Clark County
July 27, 2004 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 28, 2004 Sacramento Sleep Train Amphitheatre
July 30, 2004 Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre
July 31, 2004[J] Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
August 1, 2004[K] Paso Robles Main Grandstand Arena
September 11, 2004 Pensacola Pensacola Civic Center
September 12, 2004 Jackson Mississippi Coliseum
September 15, 2004 Memphis Mud Island Amphitheater
September 17, 2004 Cleveland Plain Dealer Pavilion
September 19, 2004 Fairfax Patriot Center
September 21, 2004 Atlanta Chastain Park Amphitheater
September 27, 2004 Manchester Verizon Wireless Arena
September 28, 2004 Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center
September 30, 2004 Boston Bank of America Pavilion
October 2, 2004 Bridgewater Township Commerce Bank Ballpark
October 3, 2004 West Springfield Comcast Stage
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A This concert was a part of "KHTS-FM's Channel 93.3 concert"
B This concert was a part of "KIIS-FM Wango Tango"[20]
C This concert was a part of "Summer Music Mania"[21]
D This concert was a part of "Z-100 Zootopia"[22]
E This concert was part of "Play Safe in the Park"[22]
F This concert was a part of "KISS-108 FM"
G This concert was a part of "Summerfest"[23]
H This concert was a part of "Q Concert"[24]
I This concert was a part of "97.1 ZHT Birthday Bash"[25]
J This concert was a part of the "Orange County Fair"[26]
K This concert was a part of the "Budweiser Grandstand Concert Series"[27]
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
June 22, 2004 Providence, Rhode Island Dunkin' Donuts Center Cancelled; rescheduled to September 28, 2004
June 23, 2004 Manchester, New Hampshire Verizon Wireless Arena Cancelled; rescheduled to September 27, 2004[28]

Broadcasts and recordings

Rehearsals and select performances from the tour were seen on Simpson's MTV show and her sister's show, The Ashlee Simpson Show. The show was filmed at the Universal Amphitheatre for DVD release. The DVD was released in November 2004 and omitted the performances of "A Little Bit", 'She Works Hard for the Money" and "I Wanna Love You Forever". The set featured the music video for "Angels" along with a behind the scenes look at the making of the video.[29] The DVD showed strong sales within its first week[30] and was certified platinum by the RIAA, recognizing shipments exceeding 100,000 copies.

Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Top Music Videos (Billboard)[31] 8

Critical reception

Overall, the tour received mixed reviews from music critics. Many applaud Simpson's onstage persona but felt the show itself felt unfinished. Jim Farber (New York Daily News) felt Simpson's vocals during her show at the Radio City Music Hall were "overdramatic". He followed with, "Not that Simpson didn't give it her all as a singer. Pulling a Mariah Carey, she belted every note to the rafters. While she clearly lacks Ms. Carey's pipes, a gross excess of amplification, and some apparently recorded vocal helper, allowed her to simulate diva-status. Too bad the songs from her three CDs all sound like pieces fished out of Britney Spears slush pile".[32] Dustin J. Seibert (The Cincinnati Enquirer) felt the singer's concert at the Riverbend Music Center was "honest and warm" He elaborates, "Simpson's reliance on her high-octane voice and bubbly personality set her apart from some of her pop counterparts. Her shows featured no pyrotechnics or funky choreography, just her butter-melting octave range over a smooth six-piece band and two backup singers".[33]

Neva Chonin (San Francisco Chronicle) criticized Simpson's vocal performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. She writes, "A rendition of Berlin's 'Take My Breath Away', dedicated to her husband, sounded like an ode to autoerotic asphyxiation. [...] With her band successfully drowning out her tuneful but wispy vocals, Simpson led sing-alongs for anesthetized funk number 'The Sweetest Sin' and an encore of 'With You'".[34] Joey Guerra (Houston Chronicle) admired Simpson's personality during her performance at the Toyota Center; but felt the singer's concert was "uneven". He explains, "Her material is also a bit thin to sustain a full concert. Many album tracks began to sound alike after a while, and her few certifiable hits popped up late in the evening. 'Irresistible' came at the end of the show, and the feel-good anthem 'With You' was the expected encore. Even odder was the omission of 'I Wanna Love You Forever', Simpson's breakthrough single."[35]

References
  1. "USHER, KANYE WEST, HOOBASTANK, YELLOWCARD, JET, & JESSICA SIMPSON SET TO PERFORM AT THE "2004 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS"" (PDF) (Press release). MTV Networks. 24 July 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  2. Trakin, Roy. "MADONNA, PRINCE SIZZLE, BUT MOST SUMMER TOURS FIZZLE". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  3. "2004 Top 100 Tours". Pollstar Online. 7 March 2005. Archived from the original on 8 March 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  4. "Simpson Tour". The Blade. 12 May 2004. pp. D5. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  5. Thompson, Stephanie (31 May 2004). "Jacobs hopes Simpson can turn Ice to gold at Hershey". Advertising Age. Crain Communications. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  6. "Jessica Simpson Puts Her Best Face Forward on Her Summer Concert Tour, Thanks to Sponsor Proactiv(R) Solution" (Press release). PR Newswire. 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  7. "From malls to arenas: Simpson hits big time". NBC News. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  8. Stout, Gene (22 July 2004). "Jessica Simpson gladly leaves home for a reality check on tour". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  9. "N&D PRIME PICKS". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 13 May 2004. pp. D1.
  10. Moss, Corey (15 May 2004). "William Hung Overshadows Backstreet Reunion, All-Star Lineup At Wango Tango". VH1 News. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  11. "The Buzz". The Press-Enterprise. 6 May 2004. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  12. Sanneh, Kelefa (24 May 2004). "POP REVIEW; Offerings From Aspiring Underdogs (and Swagger From a Top Dog)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  13. Righi, Len (16 May 2004). "Give Chasez a fair shake and he'll move you, too". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  14. "Let's Get Physical". Willamette Week. 2004-08-10.
  15. Silverman, Stephen M. (6 May 2004). "Jessica Simpson Singing for Skin Care". People. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  16. Moss, Corey; Vineyard, Jennifer (24 May 2004). "Jessica Simpson Crossing Her Fingers For Some Good Ol' Boys". MTV News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  17. Iwasaki, Scott (23 July 2004). "Simpson a better singer than dancer". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  18. Wiederhorn, Jon (7 May 2004). "Jessica Simpson Heats Up With Summer Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  19. "Jessica Simpson cancels second straight show". LiveDaily. 23 June 2004. Archived from the original on 26 June 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  20. Rosemary Jean-Louis (May 13, 2004). "Music festivals unite artists, fans". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  21. "Summer Music Mania show focuses on TV".
  22. "Jessica Simpson announces 2004 Summer Tour with special performance at NY Central Park".
  23. Tarlach, Gemma (7 May 2004). "Simpson steps in to replace Aguilera at Big Gig". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. pp. 10B. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  24. Franzen, Marty (2 July 2004). "Summer mix Simpson heats up Camden; Best rocks Sellersville; Guster, Wainwright hit Philly". Burlington County Times. pp. 10D.
  25. Nailen, Dan (28 May 2004). "The Sounds of Summer". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. D1.
  26. Lehman, Chrystal (28 May 2004). "Summer calls – put the phone on hold". The Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on 7 June 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  27. "CONCERT LINEUP AIMS FOR DIVERSITY, MAIN STAGE VEERS FROM TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ACTS". The Tribune. The McClatchy Company. 22 April 2004. pp. B1.
  28. Rashbaum, Alyssa; Vineyard, Jessica (24 June 2004). "Jessica Simpson Scraps Another Show Due To Kidney Infection". MTV News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  29. Zahlaway, Jon (4 November 2004). "Jessica Simpson readies Christmas album, live DVD". LiveDaily. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 November 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  30. "NuTech Digital Expects Strong Early Sales from Jessica Simpson Concert DVD; Initial Reality Tour Concert Revenues Anticipated at $350,000" (Press release). Business Wire. 18 August 2004. Archived from the original on 30 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  31. "Jessica Simpson Chart History | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  32. Farber, Jim (21 June 2004). "It's Jessica's Show, But It's All About Nick". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  33. Seibert, Dustin J. (2 July 2004). "Simpson puts stage smarts on display". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  34. Chonin, Neva (29 July 2004). "Jessica Simpson makes it safe for Barbie to belch". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  35. Guerra, Joey (30 July 2004). "Songstress Jessica Simpson gets real for Houston crowd". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
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