# Watch the Throne Tour

The Watch the Throne Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West that began on October 28, 2011, in Atlanta and continued until June 22, 2012, with its final show scheduled in Birmingham. Originally scheduled for 23 performances, the tour was expanded to 34 performances in North America due to heavy demand for tickets; 29 shows were confirmed in the United States with 5 shows in Canada. Following massive success in the United States and Canada, Jay-Z & Kanye West announced the European leg of the tour on February 21, 2012, which featured 23 performances, bringing the number of shows to 57 at the time.
Following the Glow in the Dark Tour, it marked West's first concert tour after four years, excluding his ultimately cancelled Fame Kills tour with Lady Gaga. It followed Jay-Z's opening act for U2 at the U2 360° Tour and his The Home & Home Tour with Eminem. The concerts, which had no opening act of their own, were in support of West and Jay-Z's 2011 album Watch the Throne, with most of the album's track-list performed, such as singles "Otis", "Lift Off", "Niggas in Paris" and concert opener "H•A•M". Additional West singles like "Gold Digger", "Stronger", "Heartless" and "All of the Lights" and Jay-Z singles like "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "99 Problems", "Run This Town", and "Empire State of Mind" were also performed.
The critical and box office performance of the tour received rave reviews, with critics praising the production value, the elaborate stage design, and the large string of successful singles featured. The tour had very little promotion before its premiere, with the exception being behind-the-scene concert footage sponsored by Voyr. It grossed $48.3 million in North America in 2011 and $25.4 million in Europe in 2012.

## Background

On July 25, 2011, Jay-Z and West announced the release of their collaborative studio album Watch the Throne and an accompanying tour. The album was set for release on August 8, with tickets simultaneously being made available for the Watch the Throne Tour's North American leg from September 22 to November 3, 2011. On February 21, 2012, Jay-Z and West announced 12 European tour dates running from May 20 to June 13. Three tour dates at The O2 Arena in London and one at Manchester Arena were added three days later, starting the tour earlier on May 18 with one of the London concerts. On March 5, 2012, Jay-Z and West added dates in Birmingham, Sheffield, and Cologne after a strong response to their announcement of the tour's European leg, running up until June 22.

## Synopsis

The tour's shows began with West and Jay-Z "emerging on two cube-shaped mini stages to the operatic sounds of "H•A•M". Following that, "Who Gon Stop Me" was the next song, with "Otis" being performed with "a Givenchy – designed American flag flashing on the stage's main screens" after an extended introduction using "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding. Afterwards, West left the stage, and Jay-Z performed songs like "Where I'm From" and "Empire State of Mind", encouraging the audience to sing along. Kanye returned to the stage afterwards, performing his own songs like "Power", "Touch the Sky", and "Gold Digger", with the two of them eventually performing songs like "Run This Town", "Monster" and the remix of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" together, where Jay-Z repeatedly told the crowd to "put your diamonds up", the sign for Roc Nation.
Mixing hits from both artists discographies like "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Good Life", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "99 Problems", the show then segued into West performing "Runaway" and "Heartless", which has been described as an "emotional highlight of the show". The most energetic part of the show has been reported to be during "Niggas in Paris" as "the track's Will Ferrell intro ("We're gonna skate to one song and one song only") brought on the moment that everyone was waiting for." "Niggas in Paris" was originally performed three times in a row, but as the tour progressed, the song was regularly performed up to ten times in succession, with the record being 11 times in Paris, France. Following other Watch the Throne tracks like "No Church in the Wild" and "Lift Off", the show ended with "Encore" and an rendition of "Made in America", complete with images of Martin Luther King Jr. and "sweet brother" Malcolm X flashing on the big screen. USA Today described the stage design:
   This show was visually spectacular. There was a main, T-shaped stage where both entertainers performed together, and also two cube-shaped mini stages, one at each end of the arena, that rose and lowered at various points during the show. West and Jay-Z performed separately on these cubes, which showed various images (a snarling Rottweiler, a swimming shark) at different points of the show. Fireballs the size of car tires shot from the floor toward the ceiling during some performances. Two large video screens behind the main stage showed appropriate images during the performances; a virtually non-stop laser light show added to the oomph factor.

## Reception

Critical reception towards the tour was positive. MTV News gave the opening show a good review, writing "While the WTT album has been noted for its opulent displays of wealth, Hov and Yeezy's show will be marked by the duo's overabundance of hit records." USA Today praised the duo's ability to get the audience excited, stating "at one point, as Jay-Z and West performed Niggas in Paris from their new hit CD, "Watch the Throne", West exhorted the audience to "Bounce! Bounce!" The resulting stomping had Philips Arena rocking and shaking in a way that it hasn't for the Hawks in a long time." Rap-Up mused "it was a crowning moment for Jay-Z and Kanye West as they kicked off the Watch the Throne tour to a packed house at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The hip-hop kings, collectively known as The Throne, opened the most anticipated hip-hop tour of the year with a bang." Idolator stated that the tour featured "an epic set list that featured selections from each artist's own behemoth catalog of hits as well as their Watch The Throne collaborations." The tour has grossed $48.3 million so far by the end of 2011, making it the highest grossing hip-hop tour and the eighth highest-grossing tour of 2011. In 2017, Rolling Stone listed it in its list of "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years". In 2019, Consequence of Sound named it the third best tour of the 2010s. The tour won best live stage show at the 2012 International Laser Display Association Awards
In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, comedian Chris Rock said;
   "This might be the greatest show I ever saw. It's the equivalent of the Billy Joel-Elton John tour, but if they did it in 1979, when the songs were hot!"

## Setlists
### North America

* "H•A•M"
* "Who Gon Stop Me"
* "Otis"
* "Welcome to the Jungle"
* "Gotta Have It"
* "Where I'm From"
* "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)"
* "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
* "Jesus Walks"
* "All Falls Down"
* "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
* "Public Service Announcement"
* "U Don't Know"
* "Run This Town"
* "Monster"
* "Power"
* "Murder to Excellence"
* "New Day"
* "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
* "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
* "Good Life"
* "Empire State of Mind"
* "Runaway"
* "Heartless"
* "Stronger"
* "On to the Next One"
* "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
* "Touch the Sky"
* "All of the Lights"
* "Big Pimpin'"
* "Gold Digger"
* "99 Problems"
* "No Church in the Wild"
* "Lift Off"
* "Niggas in Paris" (several times)

#### Encore

* "Encore"
* "Made in America"
* "Why I Love You"

### Europe

* "H•A•M"
* "Who Gon Stop Me"
* "Otis"
* "Welcome to the Jungle"
* "Gotta Have It"
* "Where I'm From"
* "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)"
* "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
* "All Falls Down"
* "Flashing Lights"
* "Jesus Walks"
* "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"(Remix)
* "Public Service Announcement"
* "U Don't Know"
* "Run This Town"
* "Monster"
* "Power"
* "New Day"
* "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
* "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
* "Empire State of Mind"
* "Runaway"
* "Heartless"
* "Stronger"
* "On to the Next One"
* "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
* "I Just Wanna Love U"
* "That's My Bitch"
* "Good Life"
* "Touch the Sky"
* "All of the Lights"
* "Big Pimpin'"
* "Gold Digger"
* "99 Problems"
* "No Church in the Wild"
* "Lift Off"
* Niggas in Paris

#### Encore

* "Niggas in Paris" (several times)

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| North America ||||
| October 28, 2011 | Atlanta | United States | Philips Arena |
| October 29, 2011 | Atlanta | United States | Philips Arena |
| October 30, 2011 | Greensboro | United States | Greensboro Coliseum Complex |
| November 1, 2011 | Baltimore | United States | 1st Mariner Arena |
| November 2, 2011 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center |
| November 3, 2011 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Verizon Center |
| November 5, 2011 | East Rutherford | United States | Izod Center |
| November 6, 2011 | East Rutherford | United States | Izod Center |
| November 7, 2011 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| November 8, 2011 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| November 14, 2011 | Sunrise | United States | BankAtlantic Center |
| November 15, 2011 | Miami | United States | American Airlines Arena |
| November 18, 2011 | Uncasville | United States | Mohegan Sun Arena |
| November 19, 2011 | Atlantic City | United States | Boardwalk Hall |
| November 21, 2011 | Boston | United States | TD Garden |
| November 22, 2011 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre |
| November 23, 2011 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre |
| November 24, 2011 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre |
| November 26, 2011 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| November 27, 2011 | Pittsburgh | United States | Consol Energy Center |
| November 29, 2011 | Kansas City | United States | Sprint Center |
| November 30, 2011 | Chicago | United States | United Center |
| December 1, 2011 | Chicago | United States | United Center |
| December 3, 2011 | New Orleans | United States | New Orleans Arena |
| December 5, 2011 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center |
| December 6, 2011 | Dallas | United States | American Airlines Center |
| December 9, 2011 | Las Vegas | United States | MGM Grand Garden Arena |
| December 11, 2011 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center |
| December 12, 2011 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center |
| December 13, 2011 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center |
| December 14, 2011 | San Jose | United States | HP Pavilion |
| December 16, 2011 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome |
| December 17, 2011 | Vancouver | Canada | Rogers Arena |
| December 18, 2011 | Vancouver | Canada | Rogers Arena |
| Europe ||||
| May 18, 2012 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena |
| May 19, 2012 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena |
| May 20, 2012 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena |
| May 21, 2012 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena |
| May 22, 2012 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena |
| May 24, 2012 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion |
| May 26, 2012 | Herning | Denmark | Jyske Bank Boxen |
| May 28, 2012 | Oslo | Norway | Telenor Arena |
| May 29, 2012 | Stockholm | Sweden | Ericsson Globe |
| May 30, 2012 | Malmö | Sweden | Malmö Arena |
| June 1, 2012 | Paris | France | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
| June 2, 2012 | Paris | France | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
| June 3, 2012 | Antwerp | Belgium | Sportpaleis |
| June 5, 2012 | Frankfurt | Germany | Festhalle Frankfurt |
| June 8, 2012 | Dublin | Ireland | The O$_2$ |
| June 9, 2012 | Dublin | Ireland | The O$_2$ |
| June 11, 2012 | Manchester | England | Manchester Arena |
| June 12, 2012 | Manchester | England | Manchester Arena |
| June 13, 2012 | Birmingham | England | LG Arena |
| June 15, 2012 | Arnhem | Netherlands | GelreDome |
| June 16, 2012 | Cologne | Germany | Lanxess Arena |
| June 18, 2012 | Paris | France | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
| June 21, 2012 | Sheffield | England | Motorpoint Arena |
| June 22, 2012 | Birmingham | England | LG Arena |

### Box office score data

| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
| Philips Arena | Atlanta | 27,330 / 27,330 (100%) | $2,888,792 |
| 1st Mariner Arena | Baltimore | 10,758 / 10,758 (100%) | $961,108 |
| Verizon Center | Washington, D.C. | 14,085 / 14,085 (100%) | $1,927,601 |
| Madison Square Garden | New York City | 27,649 / 27,649 (100%) | $4,330,393 |
| BankAtlantic Center | Sunrise | 11,826 / 11,837 (~100%) | $1,217,610 |
| Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville | 3,894 / 4,468 (87%) | $686,510 |
| Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City | 12,746 / 12,746 (100%) | $1,601,216 |
| Bell Centre | Montreal | 10,856 / 10,856 (100%) | $1,458,070 |
| Air Canada Centre | Toronto | 30,503 / 30,503 (100%) | $4,109,270 |
| The Palace of Auburn Hills | Auburn Hills | 14,097 / 14,097 (100%) | $1,365,830 |
| Consol Energy Center | Pittsburgh | 11,957 / 11,957 (100%) | $902,105 |
| American Airlines Center | Dallas | 14,608 / 14,608 (100%) | $1,336,187 |
| Staples Center | Los Angeles | 42,332 / 42,332 (100%) | $5,104,455 |
| Tacoma Dome | Tacoma | 10,861 / 11,443 (94%) | $1,088,898 |
| The O2 Arena | London | 77,117 / 81,955 (94%) | $6,705,970 |
| Sportpaleis | Antwerp | 16,831 / 16,847 (~100%) | $982,923 |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | 386,445 / 401,244 (96%) | $40,079,477 |

## Members

The following individuals were members of the Watch The Throne tour:
* Mike Dean
* Mano
* Omar edwards
* Noah Goldstein (engineer)
* Che Pope
* Renelou Padora
* Don C
* Ibn Jasper
* Izvor Zivkovic
* Virgil Abloh
* Alex Rosenberg
* Matthew Williams
* Elon Rutberg
* Fabien Montique
* Tracey Mills
* Caitlyn Carpenter
* Hannah Christian
* Lara Holmes
* Ricky Anderson
* Sakiya Sandifer
* Justin Saunders
* Drew Goodman

## Credits

* Creative Direction & Set Design: Kanye West & Es Devlin
* Additional Set Design: Bruce Rodgers
* Lighting Designer: Nick Whitehouse & John McGuire
* Video Designer: Geodezik