The Greatest Hits Tour was the third concert tour by Irish and British girl group

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...

, in support of their first greatest hits album '' The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits''. Girls Aloud returned to Northern Ireland and Ireland, having not performed there on 2006's

Chemistry Tour Chemistry: The Tour was the second concert tour by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud. It supported their third studio album, ''Chemistry (Girls Aloud album), Chemistry''. Following the success of 2005's What Will the Neighbours Say...? T ...

. The band performed sixteen dates in various arenas across the United Kingdom and Ireland, making it their second arena tour. The Greatest Hits Tour kicked off in Cheryl's hometown of

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

on 14 May 2007 and concluding in near

Nadine Coyle Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle (born 15 June 1985) is an Irish singer, actress and model. In 2002, Coyle was selected as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud, with whom she has been successful in achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top te ...

's home 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 Kingdom ...

on 2 June 2007. Girls Aloud also performed seven

open-air concert A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or hol ...

s over the summer. The show was divided into five unique sections with distinct costumes, including the encore. Girls Aloud descended onto the stage from the ceiling as they performed "

Something Kinda Ooooh "Something Kinda Ooooh" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their first greatest hits collection '' The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits'' (2006). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his ...

". They performed fourteen of the fifteen singles they had released at the time, as well as a couple of album tracks and a ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'' medley. A number of songs were also remixed or reworked. The tour received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, who praised Girls Aloud's original songs but criticized the number of cover versions and the show's lack of budget. Critics also noted Girls Aloud's provocative attire. Much like the greatest hits album, The Greatest Hits Tour was a commercial success. The Greatest Hits Tour remains Girls Aloud's only tour not to receive a video release.

Background and development

The initial tour dates were announced on 10 November 2006, although pre-sale started two days earlier. Due to the demand, extra dates in

and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and a date in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

were added. The group made a return to both Northern Ireland and Ireland, after failing to perform in either country on the

. The announcement of the tour, the recording of their fourth studio album and an accompanying tour for the following year helped to stop rumours that the band were splitting up, which had surfaced due to the release of their greatest hits album. Girls Aloud also performed festival and summer open air dates at

Liverpool Summer Pops The Liverpool Summer Pops is a summer music event in Liverpool. Now being branded as "Liverpool Summer Pops Festival", the event features performances by bands and artists in one venue over consecutive nights, as well as some events in other 'fr ...

and

T4 on the Beach T4 on the Beach was an annual British one-day music event which was held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised on Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005. The d ...

Concert synopsis

The show began with the dancers wearing military style outfits performing a choreography routine before Girls Aloud lower down to the stage, wearing black leather police costumes and open the show with "Something Kinda Ooooh". They reach the actual stage after Cheryl's opening verse is repeated, and the first chorus. This is then followed by "Wake Me Up", before they welcome the audience to the show. Their 2007

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

single "Walk This Way", sees a battle between Girls Aloud and the dancers, both teams remaining on each side of the stage, opposite to each other. The first section is then complete with a performance of "Jump" which has an extended outro as they girls and dancers lower off the stage at the top of the staircase. After the costume change interlude is over, Girls Aloud return to the stage wearing summer style tops with shorts, hot pants or skirts and commence the concert with their second single "No Good Advice". "Long Hot Summer" sees the girls dance the routine holding fans. "Whole Lotta History" has them suspended above the stage sat on the platform used for their entrance, but covered with a pink sheet. Once back on the stage, they perform a Medledy of songs from the film

. Sarah Harding and Nadine Coyle take lead in "Do You Love Me?". Kimberley Walsh sings "She's Like The Wind" with Nicola Roberts as back up, and Cheryl and Nicola Roberts take lead vocals in "(I've Had) The Time of my Life". The girls do the signature lift from the movie during "Time Of My Life". This ends the summer-themed second act. The 3rd section takes a gangsta theme and the girls return to the stage wearing black & white gangsta suits, singing their #1 debut single "Sound Of The Underground", performing the signature choreography with microphone stands. This is then followed by a reggae remix of "Life Got Cold" as the girls sit on the staircase. They perform two songs from their What Will The Neighbours Say? album: "Graffiti My Soul", which has choreography performed with black canes and "Real Life". The penultimate section of the concert takes a cabaret theme as the girls return to the stage wearing cabaret dresses and sing their single "I Think We're Alone Now" which received a Big Band remix. They perform "I'll Stand By You" at the top of the staircase rotating on a large circular platform. The album track "Money" is then performed followed by "Love Machine", which featured a dance break. Cheryl shouts STOP! and everyone else on stage freezes as Cheryl walks to a bar placed on stage, drinks some alcohol, belches, returns to her place and then restarts the song. Girls Aloud then say goodbye, implying that the concert is over. The encore begins with Girls Aloud lying in beds to commence the concert with "The Show". The base of the beds on one side is hollow which hides the dancers until they are revealed by Girls Aloud pulling back the sheets and the dancers sitting up. Girls Aloud wore purple silk dressing gowns with black ties, which are taken off to reveal black dresses with purple belts. The concert is then completed by an extended version of "Biology" before Girls Aloud say goodbye and leave the stage.

Opening acts

Rogue Traders Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. Before forming Rogue Tr ...

* Natalia * Misha Williams

Setlist

The following set list is representative of the shows in May 2007. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour. #"

" #" Wake Me Up" #"

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

" #"

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

" #"

No Good Advice "No Good Advice" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their debut album, '' Sound of the Underground'' (2003). The song was written by Aqua's Lene Nystrøm Rasted, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team ...

" #" Long Hot Summer" #"

Whole Lotta History "Whole Lotta History" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their third studio album ''Chemistry (Girls Aloud album), Chemistry'' (2005). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins (producer), Brian Higgins ...

" #Medley: "

Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 198 ...

"/"

She's Like the Wind "She's Like the Wind" is a 1987 song by American actor and singer Patrick Swayze from the soundtrack to the film '' Dirty Dancing''. The song features additional vocals from singer Wendy Fraser. The ballad reached number three on the US ''Billb ...

"/"

(I've Had) The Time of My Life "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a 1987 song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and used as the theme song for the 1987 film '' Dirty Dancing''. The song has ...

" #" Sound of the Underground #" Life Got Cold" #"

Graffiti My Soul "Graffiti My Soul" is a song by British-Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their second studio album '' What Will the Neighbours Say?'' (2004). Written and produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, the track was ...

" #"Real Life" #"

I Think We're Alone Now "I Think We're Alone Now" is a song written and composed by Ritchie Cordell that was first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was a major hit for group, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100 in April 1967. It finished at No. 12 on '' B ...

" #"Money" #"

I'll Stand by You "I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, '' Last of the Independents'' (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy ...

" #" Love Machine" #" The Show" #"

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Tour dates

Critical response

The show received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Dave Simpson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave the show three stars out of five. He chastised the covers, saying Girls Aloud "fare best when they are playing their own songs." Lisa Verrico of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' also awarded the concert three stars out of five and shared a similar point of view to Simpson. She wrote, "The band's smartest, sassiest, least conventional songs struggled to ignite the Newcastle crowd, while tacky covers and tawdry ballads went down a storm." Verrico also felt "big idea after big idea was let down by its budget." Girls Aloud's provocative attire received attention. "They are wearing the shortest shorts in pop", wrote ''The Guardians Simpson. "There are also eye-watering glittery dresses, vaguely S&M leather get-ups and gangster's moll clobber for a fabulous Sound of the Underground."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Hits Tour (Girls Aloud), The 2007 concert tours 2007 in British music Concert tours of the United Kingdom Concert tours of Ireland Girls Aloud concert tours