Starlight Tour (Ashton Stone)

Promotional poster for the tour

The **Starlight Tour** was the debut concert tour by American singer Ashton Stone, in support of his debut studio album *Starlight* (2008). North American shows began in August, followed by dates in Europe. Dates in Oceania and Latin America soon followed. The tour consisted of 131 shows in total.

The show consisted of three segments, with each segment being followed by a video interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The set list consisted of songs from *Starlight* only, but unreleased tracks were performed on certain dates. Towards the end of the tour Stone performed "Nothing Changes", which later went on to be added onto his sophomore album, *Potential*. The show has received critical acclaim with critics complimenting the wide array of talent Stone displays on the tour, with choreographed dances, Stone's live vocals and piano and guitar playing.

## Background and Development

American singer *Ashton Stone*'s debut studio album, *Starlight*, was released on November 3, 2008, by A1 Records. Stone wrote or co-wrote all tracks, including a song written solely by himself. *Starlight* was a commercial success, peaking atop the *Billboard* 200 and sold over two million copies in the United States through 2008, making Stone one of the best-selling artists in the country.

Stone would announce the tour through his web series "Ashton Adventures" on June 1, 2009, and on *Good Morning America* the same day. According to the press release from A1 Records, Stone would headline two festivals before embarking on the tour, *Oxygen* in Ireland and *Voodoo Music + Arts Experience* in New Orleans, Louisiana. Austin Mahone was announced as the North America and European opening act, and later when the tour was extended, Rhys Martin opened in Latin America and Oceania. Rehearsals began in Denver Colorado, one week after the announcement.

The tour kicked off in Houston, Texas on August 28, 2009, at the NRG Arena, where he would perform two sold out shows, the tour was initially planned as a North American tour, but as demand proved sufficient dates were added to Europe, with Stone announcing the European leg starting in London, England at the Wembley Arena. Stone performed 17 shows throughout the UK, and 61 shows across Europe.

Stone would announce show dates for Oceania on January 3, 2010, with the first show at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, with shows in Wellington and Hamilton also announced. The first Australian show was held in Sydney at the ICC Sydney Theatre, Stone would perform 10 shows across Australia, in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, and Perth.

The final leg of the tour was held in Latin America, with the first show held at Barra Music in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on March 13, 2010. Stone would perform 5 shows in Brazil, and 4 in Mexico, with the final show held in Torreón, Mexico on March 25, 2010.

Stone said in an Interview that he wanted to extend the tour to Asia, but time restraints and logistical issues prevented it from happening.

## Production and Stage

Stone helped design the stage settings, the tour featured a theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements all designed by Stone. The show runs nearly 90 minutes and showcases Stone playing five different guitars as well as the piano. The show featured multiple costume changes and a elevated stage illuminated by more than a million lumens of light.

## Commercial Performance

As soon as the tour was announced there was high demand for tickets. The Starlight tour consisted of 131 shows over 8 months in total. It grossed over $193 million, with an audience of 1,183,912. The tour became one of the highest grossing concert tours of the 2000s and 2010s

## Setlist

**Setlist**

1. Let's Go
2. Wait A Minute
3. Starlight
4. Ghost
5. Keep You Close (performed with Austin Mahone)
6. Wild Things
7. Crash
8. By Your Side
9. Don't
10. Heartbeat
11. An Obsession

**Encore**

* 12. Tired Of The City
* 13. Until I Met You
* 14. Let's Go