The Here We Go Again Tour was the seventh solo

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by American singer-actress

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

in support of her twenty-sixth studio album ''

Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...

''. This was the first time the singer had embarked on a world tour since her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour (2002–2005). The tour started on September 21, 2018, and was forced to conclude on March 10, 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Background

On May 7, 2018, it was announced via various media outlets that Cher would embark on her first Australian solo tour for more than a decade and her seventh solo concert tour overall. On May 17, 2018, it was announced that Cher would add two more dates in Melbourne and Sydney due to "overwhelming demand". On June 27, 2018, it was announced that Cher will visit New Zealand for a concert before continuing the tour in Australia. A second concert in New Zealand was announced shortly after. On September 3, 2018, it was announced that Cher would "farewell Melbourne" for a "third and final show" on October 6, 2018, due to high demand. Later that same week, it was announced that Cher will take the ''Here We Go Again Tour'' to North America for 34 dates. The second leg of the tour started on January 17, 2019 in Florida and ended on May 30, 2019, in Vancouver. On December 11, 2018, it was announced that Cher would tour Europe for the first time in 15 years. The European leg of the tour started on September 26, 2019 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany and finished on November 3, 2019 in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland. Following this, Cher announced new tour dates in North America, beginning in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

on November 19, 2019. On March 12, 2020, Cher announced her spring tour dates would be postponed to the fall, amid the ongoing

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, with the exception of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, which was cancelled, due to planned renovations at the Legacy Arena during the rescheduled run. However, due to the persistence of the pandemic in the United States, the rescheduled dates were all canceled.

Concert synopsis

A giant curtain is set up where, during the start of the concert, a video montage featuring many moments of Cher's career is projected onto it. After the intro ends and the curtain drops, Cher appears wearing a purple toga and a blue wig, while standing on a bedazzled arched lift performing "

Woman's World ''Woman's World'' is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Printed on paper generally associated with tabloid publications and priced accordingly, it concentrates on short articles about subjects such a ...

". The song is followed by " Strong Enough" and a 15-minute long on stage monologue where she infamously asks the crowd "what's your granny doing tonight?" She leaves for a costume change, while the "

Gayatri Mantra The Gāyatrī Mantra, also known as the Sāvitri Mantra, is a highly revered mantra from the '' Rig Veda'' (Mandala 3.62.10), dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr. is the name of the Goddess of the Vedic meter in which the verse is composed. It ...

" is played. She returns on a mechanical elephant lip syncing the last part, and then she gets off the elephant and she performs " All or Nothing". The next act is started with a video interlude of Cher and her late ex-husband,

Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...

, singing a medley of " Little Man" and " All I Ever Need is You". She starts performing " The Beat Goes On" followed by a brief speech where Cher talks about how she rarely performs the song "

I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a song performed by Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album ''Look at Us''. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

" live with Bono joining her via a large-screen video monitor. A video interlude of Cher performing "

You Haven't Seen the Last of Me "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" is a song performed by American singer-actress Cher, taken from the soundtrack '' Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' of the accompanying film '' Burlesque'' (2010). After a long time of hiatus in he ...

" follows and the next act starts with her dancers performing a ''

Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

''-inspired dance routine. Finally, Cher enters the stage in a Burlesque inspired outfit and sings "Welcome to Burlesque", followed by a costume change, with "Lie to Me" acrobatic interlude. She and her dancers reappear in 70's inspired clothes as she sings covers of

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

's " Waterloo" and " SOS". Cher then goes to an elevated platform and sings "

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

", accompanied by a backdrop of fireworks. After a video montage of her career highlights as an actress, the next act sees Cher performing " After All". An interlude of "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

" plays as Cher changes costumes and sings "

Walking In Memphis "Walking in Memphis" is a song composed and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song. It received a Song of the Year nomination at the 34th Grammy Awards in 1992, the same year that the ...

", which she dedicated to the first time she saw Elvis in concert. "

The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) "It's in His Kiss" is a song written and composed by Rudy Clark. It was first released as a single in 1963 by Merry Clayton that did not chart. The song was made a hit a year later when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit No. 1 on the ''Cashbox' ...

" ends the act, and a guitar solo of "

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, ''The Sonny Side of Chér''. It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached No. 3 in the UK Singles C ...

" plays as a final intermission. Cher, in a black see-through bodysuit, appears to close the main set with performances of "

I Found Someone "I Found Someone" is the name of a chart single originally written and composed for Laura Branigan by Michael Bolton and Touch keyboardist Mark Mangold. The song was a bigger hit for Cher in 1987, reaching the Top 10. Background Though best ...

" and "

If I Could Turn Back Time "If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...

". She leaves, and after a minute, returns to close the show with an encore performance of " Believe".

Commercial reception

Cher, with the Here We Go Again Tour, was the third top-grossing female touring artist of 2019 and ranked at number 11 on ''Billboard's'' Year End Top 40 Tours. ''

Pollstar ''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017. History and profile Founded in 1981 in Fre ...

'''s Year End Top 100 Tours chart ranked Cher at number 20. In 2019, Cher became the first female artist in history with the age of over 70 to gross over $100 million in one concert tour.

Critical reception

The tour has received mostly positive reception from critics, praising Cher's vocals as well as the elements of the show and the costume changes. The European leg of the tour gained critical acclaim praising Cher's energy, performances, and humor. The tour was nominated for a People's Choice Award in the “Favorite Concert Tour of 2019” category.

Set list

The following set list is from the concert on January 17 in Estero, Florida. It does not represent all shows. # "

" # " Strong Enough" # "

" # " All or Nothing" # " All I Ever Need Is You" / " Little Man" # " The Beat Goes On" # "

" # "

" # " Welcome to Burlesque" # " Waterloo" # " SOS" # "

" # " After All" # "

" # "

Walking in Memphis "Walking in Memphis" is a song composed and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song. It received a Song of the Year nomination at the 34th Grammy Awards in 1992, the same year that the ...

" # "

Bang Bang Bang Bang or Bang Bang Bang or similar may refer to: Food * Bang bang chicken, a Chinese dish *Bang bang shrimp, a Chinese dish People * Abdul Razzaq (cricketer) (born 1979), nicknamed Bang Bang Razzaq * Bang Bang (Dubliner) (1906–1981), ...

" # "

" ;Encore #

" Believe"

Shows

Cancelled shows

Notes

Personnel

Adapted from the Here We Go Again Tour program credits. * Cher – lead vocals * Nick Cua – tour director * Ollie Marland – musical director *

Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marlene D ...

– costume designer Band * Ollie Marland and Darrell Smith – keyboards *

Joel Hoekstra Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American guitarist currently in the band Whitesnake. Hoekstra also tours as a guitarist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The son of classical musicians, he started out playing cello and piano at a youn ...

/ Ben Mauro – guitar * Ashley Reeves – Bass *

Jason Sutter Jason Sutter is an American musician and drummer based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently the drummer for Cher. A well versed drummer, having studied and performed extensively across multiple genres, Sutter is most widely recognized wit ...

– drums * Jodi Katz – background vocals * Nikki Tillman – background vocals * Jenny Douglas-Foote – background vocals Dancers * Ferly Prado – dancer * Marlon Pelayo – dancer * Daniel Dory – dancer * Melanie Lewis-Yribar – dancer * Jamal Story – dancer * Ben Bigler – dancer * Britta Grant – dancer * Bailey Swift – dancer * Sumayah McRae – dancer * SheilaJoy Burford – dancer * Dujuan Smart Jr. – dancer * Ryan Ramírez- dancer

References

{{Cher 2018 concert tours 2019 concert tours 2020 concert tours Cher concert tours Concert tours of Australia Concert tours postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic