The Alesha Show (tour)
Encyclopedia
The Alesha Show is a 17-date 2009 concert tour of the United Kingdom
by Alesha Dixon
, to support her second album, The Alesha Show
. The Alesha Show is Dixon's first headlining tour as a solo artist.
Dixon stated in an interview prior to the tour's announcement that her biggest goal would be to embark on a concert tour, saying, "The whole concept of a stage show is the most exciting part of what you do so to tour it would be fantastic."
In July 2009 it was confirmed that Dixon would take on the role of judge on Strictly Come Dancing
. Because the show is broadcast live on Saturday night, Dixon had to reschedule three shows in Lincoln
, Southampton
and Brighton
. The tickets purchased for the original dates still remain valid. Dixon made a statement via her official website saying, "I'm so sorry to all my fans for having to change some of my dates. I'm really looking forward to playing live. I can’t wait for the tour to start as I have been working so hard for a long time to achieve my dream of my first solo tour. I hope everyone can understand due to the emotional connection I have with the show, it was an exciting opportunity I could not turn down."
theme, which Dixon followed throughout, dressing in various showgirl-style costumes and using props such as cane
s and top hat
s. The shows typically lasted approximately 70 minutes (excluding the supporting acts' time onstage).
Dixon started the show performing the aptly named track "Welcome to the Alesha Show" whilst descending onto the stage sat on a giant swing
wearing a sequin-clad leotard combined with fishnet tights, which had also had sequins sown into them in places. The Daily Mail
commented on Dixon's extravagant opening costume, saying "Her black gloves and fishnet tights looked as they might even have been stolen from the [Strictly Come Dancing
] wardrobe". As the concerts followed a showgirl theme, Dixon incorporated "complex" dance routines according to the Daily Mail.
David Sinclair of The Times
commented on "an air of mild hysteria" among the audience at the shows. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
commented on the shows' themes, saying "Her stage act is best thought of as a Venn diagram that incorporates the showgirl elements of Kylie Minogue
and the sassy oomph of Beyoncé, with a set-jawed determination that is hers alone". She continued to note that "the production budget, too, is a fraction of the Kylies and Beyoncés of this world: she makes do and mends with just one costume change and a tireless six-man band". Sullivan reviewed the Shepherds Bush Empire
show, rewarding it 4 out of 5 stars, and complemented its "good deal of burlesque
-style embellishment". She also complimented vocal ability whilst in concert, stating "it was her singing that made the impression: she's more powerful than you would imagine, and when pitted against her band at their most blaring, she more than held her own".
Notes
a The Lincoln
, Southampton
and Brighton
dates were rescheduled due to Dixon's role as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
, to support her second album, The Alesha Show
The Alesha Show
The Alesha Show is the second studio album from British R&B recording artist Alesha Dixon, the album is her first album to be released in the United Kingdom. It was released on November 24, 2008 in the UK by Asylum Records...
. The Alesha Show is Dixon's first headlining tour as a solo artist.
Dixon stated in an interview prior to the tour's announcement that her biggest goal would be to embark on a concert tour, saying, "The whole concept of a stage show is the most exciting part of what you do so to tour it would be fantastic."
Background
Tickets went on general sale in May, however, members of Dixon's official site had access to the tickets 48 hours prior to general sale.In July 2009 it was confirmed that Dixon would take on the role of judge on Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
. Because the show is broadcast live on Saturday night, Dixon had to reschedule three shows in Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. The tickets purchased for the original dates still remain valid. Dixon made a statement via her official website saying, "I'm so sorry to all my fans for having to change some of my dates. I'm really looking forward to playing live. I can’t wait for the tour to start as I have been working so hard for a long time to achieve my dream of my first solo tour. I hope everyone can understand due to the emotional connection I have with the show, it was an exciting opportunity I could not turn down."
Concert synoposis
The main theme of the concerts was a showgirlShowgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
theme, which Dixon followed throughout, dressing in various showgirl-style costumes and using props such as cane
Cane
Cane are either of two genera of tall, perennial grasses with flexible, woody stalks from the family Poaceae that grow throughout the world in wet soils. They are related to and may include species of bamboo. The genus Arundo is native from the Mediterranean region to the Far East. Arundinaria...
s and top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
s. The shows typically lasted approximately 70 minutes (excluding the supporting acts' time onstage).
Dixon started the show performing the aptly named track "Welcome to the Alesha Show" whilst descending onto the stage sat on a giant swing
Swing (seat)
A swing is a hanging seat, usually found at playgrounds for children, a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion it continues to oscillate like a pendulum until external interference or drag brings it to a...
wearing a sequin-clad leotard combined with fishnet tights, which had also had sequins sown into them in places. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
commented on Dixon's extravagant opening costume, saying "Her black gloves and fishnet tights looked as they might even have been stolen from the [Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
] wardrobe". As the concerts followed a showgirl theme, Dixon incorporated "complex" dance routines according to the Daily Mail.
David Sinclair of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
commented on "an air of mild hysteria" among the audience at the shows. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented on the shows' themes, saying "Her stage act is best thought of as a Venn diagram that incorporates the showgirl elements of Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and the sassy oomph of Beyoncé, with a set-jawed determination that is hers alone". She continued to note that "the production budget, too, is a fraction of the Kylies and Beyoncés of this world: she makes do and mends with just one costume change and a tireless six-man band". Sullivan reviewed the Shepherds Bush Empire
Shepherds Bush Empire
The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...
show, rewarding it 4 out of 5 stars, and complemented its "good deal of burlesque
Burlesque
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...
-style embellishment". She also complimented vocal ability whilst in concert, stating "it was her singing that made the impression: she's more powerful than you would imagine, and when pitted against her band at their most blaring, she more than held her own".
Setlist
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 2009 | Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... |
England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Royal Centre |
| 21 October 2009 | Reading Reading, Berkshire Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London.... |
The Hexagon The Hexagon The Hexagon is a multi-purpose arts venue and theatre with a capacity of 1,200 in central Reading, Berkshire, England. It is named for its shape.... |
|
| 23 October 2009 | Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
St David's Hall St David's Hall St David's Hall is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff city centre, the capital of Wales... |
| 26 October 2009 | Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... |
England | Philharmonic Hall |
| 27 October 2009 | Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... |
Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
Glasgow ABC |
| 28 October 2009 | Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... |
England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Newcastle City Hall Newcastle City Hall Newcastle City Hall is a concert hall, located in Newcastle upon Tyne which has hosted many popular music and classical artists throughout the years, as well as standup and comedy acts. Opened in 1927, the City Hall was built as a part of a development which also included the adjacent City Pool... |
| 30 October 2009 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Manchester Apollo Manchester Apollo O2 Apollo Manchester is a concert venue in Manchester, England. Locally known as The Apollo, it is a listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 .... |
|
| 2 November 2009 | Cambridge Cambridge The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the... |
Cambridge Corn Exchange Cambridge Corn Exchange The Cambridge Corn Exchange is a concert venue in Cambridge, England. It is also used as an examination hall for students at Cambridge University.-Building the venue:... |
|
| 3 November 2009 | Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Birmingham Symphony Hall | |
| 4 November 2009 | Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007... |
Colston Hall Colston Hall The Colston Hall is a concert hall and grade II listed building situated on Colston Street, Bristol, England. A popular venue catering for a variety of different entertainers, it seats approximately 2,075 and provides licensed bars, a café and restaurant.... |
|
| 6 November 2009 | Folkestone Folkestone Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its... |
Leas Cliff Hall | |
| 9 November 2009 | Ipswich Ipswich Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell... |
Regent Theatre Regent Theatre (Ipswich) The Regent Theatre is a theatre, in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The theatre holds just over 1,700 people, making it East Anglia's largest theatre.... |
|
| 10 November 2009 | Southend | Cliffs Pavilion Cliffs Pavilion Cliffs Pavilion is a live theatre in Station Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, which seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts.... |
|
| 12 November 2009 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Shepherds Bush Empire Shepherds Bush Empire The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre... |
|
| 16 November 2009 | Lincoln Lincoln, Lincolnshire Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779.... |
Engine Shed Engine Shed (theatre) The Engine Shed is a music and entertainment venue in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England and part of the University of Lincoln.-History:It was opened in September 2006 and takes its name from the locomotive shed that used to lie in its current location, immediately adjacent to the railway line to... |
|
| 17 November 2009 | Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest... |
Southampton Guildhall | |
| 19 November 2009 | Brighton Brighton Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain... |
Brighton Dome Brighton Dome The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and the Pavilion Theatre. All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by an underground tunnel to the Royal Pavilion in Pavilion Gardens and through shared corridors to... |
Notes
a The Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
dates were rescheduled due to Dixon's role as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
.
Alterations
- During the ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
concert Dixon invited 13 members of the audience to dance to "Knockdown" with her on stage. - During the BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
concert there was a technical problem with the live band, which led a delay in the concert. During this time Alesha performed a freestyle rapFreestyle rapFreestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
apologizing for the problems, which were resolved during the rap.