8701 Evolution Tour was the debut

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 recording artist Usher. Visiting North America, Asia, Canada, and Africa the tour accompanies his third studio album, '' 8701'' (2001). Following a milestone, 8701 sold 6 million copies worldwide and spawning two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one singles "

U Remind Me "U Remind Me" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and Anita McCloud and produced by Clement for Usher's third studio album ''8701'' (2001). A mid-tempo R&B track, the song is about a man who meets ...

", "

U Got It Bad "U Got It Bad" is a song by American singer Usher, released through Arista Records as the second official single from his third studio album ''8701'' (2001). It was written by the rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and co-prod ...

" and hit song "

U Don't Have To Call "U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Pharrell Williams and produced by the Neptunes for Usher's third studio album, ''8701'' (2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth ...

Background

Usher originally planned to embark on a supporting tour for the album with a starting date of November 29, 2001 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to an end date of December 30 in Los Angeles. Titled by his

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

the Evolution 8701 Tour, the original tour plan—to which Usher would perform in venues that held 5,000 to 12,000 seats—was postponed, due to Usher dislocating his shoulder during a rehearsal. Once recovered, Usher announced new tour dates, and commented: "I'm really looking forward to getting out and performing live onstage. Now that my arm is healed, I'm ready to get out there and interact with my fans. Nothing compares to that excitement and energy." Usher would perform in over forty North America Cities, with opening acts including singer

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

, and rappers Nas and Mr. Cheeks. The tour commenced on April 25, 2002, in Denver and concluded on July 7, 2002, in New Orleans. FaithEvansApr05

Concert synopsis

The show began with his guitarist playing the National Anthem proceeding with an introduction in the background while his dancers hit the stage, Usher emerges jumping from the top of the spiral stage wearing a leather vest and shorts. Kicking off with "I Don’t Know" then going into "If I Want To" sparkles and pyrotechnics off his latest, 8701. During "Just Like Me" Leah Greenblatt said "Usher acted as the eye of a sexed-up storm, surrounded by dancers who gyrated and moved up and down a stripper's pole with skills not learned at Arthur Murray." Next he performed "I Can't Let U Go" white wearing a leather bandana and black shredded shirt he rips off. He exited again for another costume change as a video showed him and one of his dancers engaging in a dance seduction, fading to black just in PG-13 time. Next, donning a white fedora and coat, Usher emerged for " Bedtime" and " Nice and Slow." The intro to "

U Got it Bad "U Got It Bad" is a song by American singer Usher, released through Arista Records as the second official single from his third studio album ''8701'' (2001). It was written by the rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and co-prod ...

" presented flashes on lighting as he walked from top of the spiraling stage to the main stage where his mic stand. Leading the crowd in a "U Don’t Have to Call" sing. He ended his performance remembering loved ones they had lost, flashing the names of the Notorious B.I.G.,

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, Aaliyah and

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

on an overhead screen as he segued into Marvin Gaye's " What's Going On." After introducing his band and dancers, he got the crowd to flash peace and love signs.

Set list

# "National Anthem into Bio Video" # "I Don't Know" # "If I Want To" # "Just Like Me" # "I Can't Let U Go" # "Romantic Transition Video" # "Bedtime" # "

Nice & Slow "Nice & Slow" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, ''My Way'' (1997). Released on January 6, 1998, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in February 1998. The song was wr ...

" # " I Need a Girl" # "Twork It Out" # "8701 Interlude"/"

" # "

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

" # " You Make Me Wanna..." # "

" # "

U Don't Have to Call "U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Pharrell Williams and produced by the Neptunes for Usher's third studio album, ''8701'' (2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth ...

" # " What's Going On"

Critical reception

The tour garnered generally positive reviews from critic

Randy Lewis from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' stated "The choreography was sporadically dazzling, and in a brief solo number near the end of the show, he suddenly pulled together a routine hinting that he might give Prince or Michael Jackson of yore a run for their money." A reporter from the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'' says "Usher is so smooth, he literally slides. Usher arrived with a burst of fireworks and an energetic performance and showed why he's made a successful transition. The audience loved it all and sang along lustily to a string of hits." Soren Baker from the ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' praised "the 23-year-old Atlantan proved you can sing and dance at the same time. Of course, that's how James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Usher's most obvious role model

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

did it, but in today's high-tech, gimmicky concerts, it's a lost art."

Opening acts

* Nas * Mr. Cheeks :Source:

Date

Personnel

* Keys: Rudolfo Valdez Brantley & Buddy Strong * Drums: Mike 'Big Mike' Clemons * Guitar & Keys: Natural

References

{{Usher Usher (musician) concert tours 2002 concert tours