Echoes Tour
Tour by Will Young
Cover of tour programme
Associated albumEchoes
Start date27 October 2011 (2011-10-27)
End date28 July 2012 (2012-07-28)
Legs2
No. of shows38 in Europe
Will Young concert chronology

The Echoes Tour (also known as Echoes Live) is the fifth headlining tour by English recording artist, Will Young. The tour supported his fifth studio album, Echoes. Beginning October 2011, the tour played 24 shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Additional shows were added in 2012, with Young performing at various outdoors events.

Background

The tour was announced on 4 July 2011 via newsletter from Young's team.[1] During an interview on Loose Women, the singer stated he chose to play intimate venues on the tour as opposed to his normal arena shows.[2] The tour commenced on 27 October 2011 at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon, Wales. While on tour, a YouTube channel, Echoestourdiaries was created by bandmember Adam Wakeman. The channel features seven behind the scenes videos of the tour, shot with an iPhone. The first round of dates concluded on 26 November 2011 at St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales. On 12 December 2011, Young gave an exclusive performance at the famed London Palladium. The show was to celebrate the success of the album with his fans. Following the performance, additional dates were added for the summer of 2012. Dubbed the Echoes Forestry Tour, Young played six concerts for the Forestry Commission's annual music event. Commenting on the extension, Young stated: "The forest gigs have a great reputation for their atmosphere so I'm really looking forward to performing my songs in such unique settings".[3] Additional festival shows and inmate gigs were added for June and July 2012. The staging for the 2012 shows featured a backdrop of various clothing items.[4]

Opening acts

Setlist

2011[8]
  1. "Come On"
  2. "I Just Want a Lover"
  3. "Hearts on Fire"
  4. "Changes"
  5. "Your Game"
  6. "Light My Fire"
  7. "Safe from Harm"
  8. "Outsider"
  9. "Silent Valentine"
  10. "Losing Myself"
  11. "Personal Thunder"
  12. "Who Am I"
  13. "You and I"
  14. "Switch It On"
  15. "Leave Right Now"
Encore
  2. "Running Up That Hill"
  4. "Evergreen"
  6. "Jealousy"
2012[9]
  1. "Runaway"
  2. "Come On"
  3. "Changes"
  4. "Hearts on Fire"
  5. "Losing Myself"
  6. "Who Am I"
  7. "You and I"
  8. "AMY"
  9. "Running Up That Hill"
  10. "All Time Love"
  11. "Light My Fire"
  12. "Your Game"
  13. "Grace"
  14. "Switch It On"
  15. "Leave Right Now"
Encore
  2. "Silent Valentine"
  4. "Jealousy"
  6. "You Don't Know"

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
Europe[10][11][12]
27 October 2011 Swindon England Oasis Leisure Centre
28 October 2011 Bournemouth Windsor Hall
30 October 2011 Belfast Northern Ireland Waterfront Hall
31 October 2011 Dublin Ireland Olympia Theatre
2 November 2011 Nottingham England Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
3 November 2011 Oxford New Theatre Oxford
4 November 2011 Ipswich Regent Theatre
6 November 2011 Liverpool Liverpool Empire Theatre
7 November 2011 Blackpool Opera House Theatre
8 November 2011 Sheffield Sheffield City Hall
10 November 2011 Aberdeen Scotland Music Hall
11 November 2011 Glasgow O2 Academy Glasgow
12 November 2011 Newcastle England Newcastle City Hall
14 November 2011 Manchester O2 Apollo Manchester
15 November 2011 Llandudno Wales Venue Cymru Arena
17 November 2011 Brighton England Brighton Centre
18 November 2011 Cambridge Cambridge Corn Exchange
20 November 2011 Birmingham O2Academy Birmingham
21 November 2011 London O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
22 November 2011
24 November 2011 Westcliff-on-Sea Cliffs Pavilion
25 November 2011 Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions
26 November 2011 Cardiff Wales St David's Hall
12 December 2011 London England London Palladium
15 June 2012[A] Edwinstowe Sherwood Forest
16 June 2012[A] Brandon Thetford Forest
19 June 2012[B] Manchester Band on the Wall
22 June 2012[A] Tetbury Westonbirt Arboretum
23 June 2012[A] Flimwell Bedgebury National Pinetum
29 June 2012[A] Pickering Dalby Forest
30 June 2012[A] Rugeley Cannock Chase
1 July 2012[C] Great Tew Great Tew Estate
6 July 2012[A] Frodsham Delamere Forest
7 July 2012[D] London Royal Botanic Gardens
12 July 2012[E] Epsom Epsom Downs Racecourse
21 July 2012[F] Liverpool Liverpool Echo Arena
22 July 2012[G] Manchester Manchester Arena
28 July 2012[H] London Hyde Park
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A These concerts were a part of the "Forestry Commission Live Music"[13]
B This concert was a part of "Love, Live, Music"[14]
C This concert was a part of the "Cornbury Music Festival"[15]
D This concert was a part of "Kew the Music"[16]
E This concert was a part of "Epsom Live!"[17]
F This concert was a part of "Radio City Live"[18]
G This concert was a part of "Key 103 Live"[19]
H This concert was a part of "BT London Live"[20]

Box office score data

Venue City Tickets sold / Available Gross revenue
Waterfront Hall Belfast 1,894 / 1,894 (100%) $106,549[21]
Olympia Theatre Dublin 1,165 / 1,165 (100%) $71,410[21]

Critical reception

The tour received positive reviews from music critics in England and Wales. Daniel Bonnington (Nottingham Post) wrote of the Nottingham show, "While some talent show winners, including Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward and Leon Jackson have disappeared, this shy lad turned pop prince showed why he's still here, 10 years on".[22] For the concert at the O2 Apollo Manchester, Liam Buckley (Virgin RedRoom) stated, "Attending the gig at the O2 Apollo in Manchester brought me to realise his purely unique sound, one that can be easily enjoyed by anybody. I was quite impressed by his ability to remain calm and composed during his performance and despite the increasing sound of the instruments surrounding him, he never feels the need to scream and shout".[23]

Mark Drew (Express & Star) viewed the Birmingham concert at the O2 Academy Birmingham. He writes, "This Pop Idol is all about the voice, which was good a decade ago and is just incredible now. There were plenty of upbeat moments as Young performed tracks from his more dancy album Echoes, especially the finale single 'Jealousy'".[24] In London, James Lachno (The Daily Telegraph) gave the show at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire four out of five stars. He says, "Dressed head to toe in black, Young seemed relaxed and confident in the new sound, while his controlled, pitch-perfect quiver eased comfortably into third gear. It was sedate but impressive, prioritising rhythm and mood, and felt well suited to the intimate stage at the O2 Empire. On his final song, the recent single 'Jealousy', Young came closest to marrying an explosive vocal with his designs on pop experimentation. While for now he is a very fine pop performer, one suspects it is this heady union that may yet bear the sweetest fruit".[25]

For the final 2011 show in Cardiff, The Western Mail stated, "enduring success from the manufactured world of musical celebs|Fortunately the songs from Echoes are good; especially 'I Just Want a Lover' and 'Hearts on Fire' although I would have preferred a few more of the back catalogue of hits—he could probably have done all the chart songs plus plenty from the new album".[26]

The good reviews continued for the forestry shows in 2012. For the concert at the Sherwood Forest, Megan Pengelly (Retford Trader and Guardian) writes, "Young gave a relentlessly energetic performance, transforming even the slowest of ballads into moments which filled the forest with atmosphere. Young was a capable host, interacting with fans and leaving the stage to perform closer to the crowd. If concert-goers left unsatisfied, it was only at the fact Young did not perform all of his numerous feel good hits".[27] At the Bedgebury National Pinetum, Lynn Cox (Kent Online) stated, There is absolutely nothing negative to say about the gig, the beautiful venue, which was superbly managed and organised, is perfect for a performer like Will.The atmosphere was electric—the trickery and lighting on stage was fantastic—the whole gig and evening was just magical".[28]

At Dalby Forest, The Scarborough News reported, "The highlights are plentiful, with an energetic "Switch It On", a soothing "All Time Love", a show-stopping Leave Right Now and the two nods to his Pop Idol days, "Light My Fire" and "Evergreen", showcasing his musical evolution. Many more reality TV 'stars' are sure to come and go over the next decade but the smart money would be on Young outlasting them all".[29]

External links

References

  1. ^ Corner, Lewis (4 July 2011). "Will Young announces UK and Ireland headline tour". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  2. ^ Will Young interview on Loose Women 21/11/11 & singing 'Come On' LIve. YouTube. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Will Young announces forest tour". Press Party. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Will Young shines at wet Sherwood Pines". Mansfield and Ashfield Chad. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  5. ^ McLaren, James (22 November 2011). "Jodie Marie on the road with Will Young". BBC Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  6. ^ Rashith, Rahimah (6 April 2013). "Lawson rocks out 'LOUD' at Singapore showcase". Yahoo! Singapore. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  7. ^ Clarke, Ian (17 June 2012). "Photo gallery and review: Will Young in Thetford Forest". Watton & Swaffham Times. Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  8. ^ Rogers, Mandy (6 November 2011). "Live Review: Will Young "The Echoes Tour" at The Regent, Ipswich November 4th 2011". EQ Music. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Will Young – Delamere Forest". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey Limited. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  10. ^ Gregory, Jason (8 July 2011). "Will Young Announces New Album 'Echoes' And UK Tour". Gigwise. Giant Digital. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Will Young expands UK tour". Magic. Bauer Radio. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  12. ^ Corner, Lewis (13 December 2011). "Will Young announces forest gigs for 2012". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  13. ^ Stickler, Jon (13 December 2011). "Will Young Announces Summer 2012 Forest Shows". Stereoboard. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Will Young and Nell Bryden to perform at Smooth's Love Live Music event". RadioCentre. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Festival line-up update – 13 Jun 2012". Complete Music Update. UnLimited Media. 13 June 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  16. ^ Longhurst, Chris (3 July 2012). "Kew The Music concerts will get summer swinging". Hounslow Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Will Young brings pop to Epsom Downs". Get Surrey. Guardian Media Group. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  18. ^ Sutton, John (28 October 2011). "JLS will play at Radio City LIVE event at Liverpool ECHO Arena". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  19. ^ "One Direction, Tulisa and Little Mix to play Key 103 Live". Metro. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  20. ^ "Tom Jones cancels BT London Live gig due to illness, Will Young steps in". Metro. 28 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 124, no. 6. New York. 25 February 2012. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  22. ^ Bonnington, Daniel (4 November 2011). "Review: Will Young, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham". Nottingham Post. Local World Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  23. ^ "Will Young live at 02 Apollo Manchester". Virgin Red Room. Virgin Group Ltd. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  24. ^ Drew, Mark (21 November 2011). "Concert review: Will Young, 02 Academy, Birmingham". Express & Star. Midland News Association. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  25. ^ Lachno, James (22 November 2011). "Will Young, O2 Empire, Shepherds Bush, review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  26. ^ "Music review: Will Young, St David's Hall, Cardiff". Western Mail. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  27. ^ Pengelly, Megan (19 June 2012). "Review: Will Young at Sherwood Pines". Retford Trader and Guardian. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  28. ^ Cox, Lynn (26 June 2012). "Will is Evergreen in the forest". Kent Online. KM Group. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  29. ^ "Will's still a pop idol – 10 years on". The Scarborough News. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
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