# Breaking Hearts Tour

Breaking Hearts Tour was the North American leg of the Elton John Breaking Hearts Tour. The European leg was dubbed "European Express". The tour started on 17 August 1984, at Tempe, Arizona. It included five sold-out concerts in New York City performed at Madison Square Garden.

## Tour

The North American leg of the tour began on 17 August 1984, at the ASU Activity Center in Tempe and ended 62 shows later at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The set list began with Tiny Dancer and included songs from John's latest album, including "Li’l Frigerator", "Restless", "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" and, occasionally, "Who Wears These Shoes".
One night in Madison Square Garden, John failed to stand up and was administered oxygen for half a minute; he went on with the show. "Bennie and the Jets", as usual, had snippets of "In the Mood", "Baby, You're a Rich Man", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Charlie Brown Theme Song"; "Rocket Man", for its part, had "Close Encounters Theme" as a snippet by Davey Johnstone.

## Setlist

* "Tiny Dancer"
* "Levon"
* "Lil 'Frigerator"
* "Rocket Man"
* "Daniel"
* "Restless"
* "Candle in the Wind"
* "The Bitch Is Back"
* "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"
* "Who Wears These Shoes" (added by 13 September in Toronto)
* "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"
* "Bennie and the Jets"
* "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" (Switched places with "Bennie and the Jets" starting by 28 September in Houston)
* "Philadelphia Freedom"
* "Blue Eyes"
* "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
* "Kiss the Bride"
* "One More Arrow" (Dropped from the setlist after 5 November in Worcester)
* "Too Low for Zero" (Dropped from the setlist after 29 September in Dallas)
* "I'm Still Standing"
* "Your Song"
* "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
Encores:
* "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
* "Crocodile Rock"
* "Medley (incl. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", "I Saw Her Standing There", "Twist and Shout")" (played on 29 September in Dallas only)

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue | Tickets sold / available | Revenue |
| North America ||||||
| 17 August 1984 | Tempe | United States | ASU Activity Center | 10,658 / 14,307 | $157,248 |
| 18 August 1984 | Tucson | United States | Tucson Convention Center | 8,489 / 8,489 | $127,335 |
| 19 August 1984 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena | 11,240 / 14,259 | $167,946 |
| 21 August 1984 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| 22 August 1984 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| 23 August 1984 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum |
| 24 August 1984 | Paradise | United States | Thomas & Mack Center | 9,264 / 15,000 | $138,960 |
| 25 August 1984 | Irvine | United States | Irvine Meadows |
| 26 August 1984 | Irvine | United States | Irvine Meadows |
| 28 August 1984 | Daly City | United States | Cow Palace | 14,500 / 14,500 | $184,742 |
| 30 August 1984 | Portland | United States | Portland Memorial Coliseum | 11,095 / 12,110 | $153,220 |
| 31 August 1984 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome | 18,197 / 24,364 | $268,987 |
| 1 September 1984 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | 15,543 / 15,543 | $241,950 |
| 3 September 1984 | Calgary | Canada | Olympic Saddledome | 17,291 / 17,291 | $268,908 |
| 4 September 1984 | Edmonton | Canada | Northlands Coliseum | 17,170 / 17,170 | $267,948 |
| 6 September 1984 | Provo | United States | Marriott Center |
| 7 September 1984 | Denver | United States | McNichols Sports Arena | 14,392 / 14,392 | $213,996 |
| 9 September 1984 | East Troy | United States | Alpine Valley Music Theatre |
| 11 September 1984 | Rosemont | United States | Rosemont Horizon |
| 12 September 1984 | Detroit | United States | Joe Louis Arena |
| 13 September 1984 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| 15 September 1984 | Cuyahoga Falls | United States | Blossom Music Center |
| 16 September 1984 | Cuyahoga Falls | United States | Blossom Music Center |
| 18 September 1984 | Saint Paul | United States | St. Paul Civic Center |
| 20 September 1984 | Kansas City | United States | Kemper Arena |
| 21 September 1984 | Lincoln | United States | Bob Devaney Sports Center |
| 22 September 1984 | Ames | United States | Hilton Coliseum | 10,100 / 15,000 |
| 23 September 1984 | Iowa City | United States | Carver–Hawkeye Arena | 14,222 / 14,222 |
| 25 September 1984 | Oklahoma City | United States | Myriad Convention Center |
| 26 September 1984 | Austin | United States | Frank Erwin Center |
| 28 September 1984 | Houston | United States | The Summit |
| 29 September 1984 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| 30 September 1984 | Baton Rouge | United States | LSU Assembly Center |
| 3 October 1984 | Memphis | United States | Mid-South Coliseum |
| 5 October 1984 | Chattanooga | United States | UTC Arena |
| 6 October 1984 | Atlanta | United States | Omni Coliseum |
| 7 October 1984 | Murfreesboro | United States | Murphy Center |
| 9 October 1984 | Knoxville | United States | Stokely Athletic Center |
| 10 October 1984 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| 13 October 1984 | Pembroke Pines | United States | Hollywood Sportatorium |
| 14 October 1984 | Orlando | United States | Orange County Convention Center |
| 17 October 1984 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre |
| 18 October 1984 | Pittsburgh | United States | Civic Arena | 14,205 / 16,000 |
| 19 October 1984 | Norfolk | United States | The Scope |
| 20 October 1984 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum |
| 23 October 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 24 October 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 25 October 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 26 October 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 28 October 1984 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum |
| 29 October 1984 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| 30 October 1984 | Montréal | Canada | Forum de Montréal |
| 31 October 1984 | Québec City | Canada | Colisée de Québec |
| 2 November 1984 | Hartford | United States | Hartford Civic Center |
| 3 November 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum | 36,660 / 36,660 | $526,900 |
| 4 November 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum | 36,660 / 36,660 | $526,900 |
| 5 November 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum | 36,660 / 36,660 | $526,900 |
| 7 November 1984 | Raleigh | United States | Reynolds Coliseum |
| 8 November 1984 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| 12 November 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 17 November 1984 | Tampa | United States | USF Sun Dome | 21,604 / 21,604 | $310,830 |
| 18 November 1984 | Tampa | United States | USF Sun Dome | 21,604 / 21,604 | $310,830 |

## Personnel

* Elton John – piano, lead vocals
* Davey Johnstone – guitars, backing vocals
* Dee Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Nigel Olsson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
* Fred Mandel – keyboards, additional guitar, backing vocals