The Earth Tour: 21 Nights in London was a
concert residency
A concert residency (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countrie ...
at
the O2 arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by American recording artist
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
that commenced on 1 August 2007 and concluded on 21 September 2007.
Tickets for all 21 nights were sold-out.
The residency was announced at a press conference on 8 May 2007.
It was nominally in support of his recently released ''
Planet Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...
'' album which had been distributed in the UK for free with copies of ''
The Mail on Sunday
''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the '' Daily Mail'', was first pu ...
'' newspaper on 15 July 2007,
although the performances themselves primarily concentrated on earlier hits. Tickets for the concerts were priced at £31.21, echoing the title of Prince's 2006 album ''
3121''.
The show featured Prince and his band playing "
in the round
A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage.
Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored ag ...
" on a stage in the shape of Prince's iconic Love Symbol #2 in the centre of the arena, surrounded by the audience.
The
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
changed nightly as Prince used code-words to direct his band to his next song choice (from a list of 200 songs that they had rehearsed in advance) on the fly.
The concerts were followed by an after-party held at the neighbouring
IndigO2 venue, also housed within
the O2
The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely within ...
facility, and which often saw Prince continue to perform, although these appearances were not guaranteed.
The Earth Tour remains the longest residency to have been held at the venue.
The total audience attendance at the concerts was over 351,000.
Set list
Opening night set list
#
UK Music Hall of Fame
The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The hall of fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five mor ...
video intro
# "
Purple Rain"
# "
Girls & Boys"
(includes "D.M.S.R." interpolation)
# "Satisfied"
# "
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
"
# "
U Got the Look
"U Got the Look" is a song by American musician Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's double album ''Sign o' the Times'' (1987), and became the album's runner-up chart single. Musically, the song is a standard 12-bar rock song with emphasis ...
"
# "Shhh"
# "
Musicology
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
"
# "
I Feel for You"
# "
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...
"
(includes "Housequake" interpolation)
# "
What a Wonderful World
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poor ...
"
(Instrumental) (performed by Renato Neto and Mike Phillips)
# "Somewhere Here on Earth"
# "Lolita"
# "
Black Sweat"
# "
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
"
# "
If I Was Your Girlfriend
"If I Was Your Girlfriend" is the second single from American musician Prince's 1987 double album ''Sign o' the Times''. The song was a hit in the United Kingdom but was only a minor hit in America. It was originally from the '' Camille'' project ...
"
# "
Pink Cashmere
"Pink Cashmere" is a song by American musician Prince, released as a single from his 1993 compilations, '' The Hits 2'' and ''The Hits/The B-Sides''.
In the US, the B-side was the 1978 track, " Soft and Wet", while Germany backed the song with t ...
"
(includes "The One U Wanna C" lyrics)
# "
7"
# "
Come Together
"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album ''Abbey Road'' and was also released as a single coupled with "Somethin ...
"
# "
Take Me with U
"Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, '' Purple Rain'' (1984).
Background
The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended to be performed by Va ...
"
# "
Guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
"
# "Planet Earth"
# "
Crazy
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...
"
(includes "One Nation Under a Groove
''One Nation Under a Groove'' is the tenth studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic, released on September 22, 1978 on Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took place at United Sound Studio in Detroit, Michigan, with one song reco ...
" interpolation, performed by Shelby J.)
# "
Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family; the song featured on their eponymous 1985 debut album. The song features lyrics exploring feelings of longing from the point of view of an abando ...
"
# "
Let's Go Crazy
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It was the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple f ...
"
# "
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful pro ...
"
(Solo guitar set)
# "
Raspberry Beret
"Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and is the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album ''Around the World in a Day''.
Background
The sound of the song expanded upon previous Prince arrangements, incorpor ...
"
(Solo guitar set)
# "Sometimes It Snows in April"
(Solo guitar set)
# "Get on the Boat"
# "
A Love Bizarre
"A Love Bizarre" is a song written by Prince and Sheila E. The song is a duet between both singers and it appears on Sheila E.'s 1985 album ''Romance 1600''. It clocks in at 12:16, but the single version is 3:46 in duration. It made its debut in t ...
"
# "
Sexy Dancer
"Sexy Dancer" was the follow-up single to Prince's self-titled second album in the UK. It was the first Prince single released outside the United States that was not released as a single stateside. The disco number has few lyrics but is not short ...
"/"
Le Freak
"Le Freak" is a 1978 funk / disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks " I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number ...
"
(vocals by Shelby J. and Marva King)
Band lineup
Shows
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earth Tour: 21 Nights in London, The
Prince (musician) concert tours
2007 concert residencies