Twenty Four Seven Tour
Twenty Four Seven Tour (also known as the Twenty Four Seven Millennium Tour and 24/7 World Tour) is the tenth concert tour by singer Tina Turner. The tour promoted her final studio album "Twenty Four Seven" (1999). It was reported that the tour grossed US$122.5 million from 108 shows with an attendance of 2.4 million spectators. According to Pollstar, the tour also became that year's highest-grossing tour in North America with $80.2 million in earnings. At that time, Turner's outing was the fifth highest grossing tour ever in North America. The  tour was sponsored by E*Trade. Though billed as her final outing, Turner would return to touring in 2008 with her . Background. After her record-breaking 1996 world tour, Turner decided to take a longer break between albums and tours. Initially, Turner planned an elaborate co-headlining tour with Elton John. The two performed a duet of Turner's hit "Proud Mary" and John's "The Bitch is Back" on the VH1 special, "Divas Live '99". During rehearsals, Turner felt unease with the music and stopped everyone from playing and then instructed John on how to play the song. The tour  plans were cancelled and Turner scrapped her initial plans for a greatest hits collection deciding to record her final studio album. Along the way, Turner also performed the Super Bowl XXXIV pre-show ceremonies. To introduce the tour, Turner stated: It's a play. It's an act. For the moment, it's a small movie, so to speak. That's why I like all of the stuff and the action and the playoff between me and the girls. It's life on that stage for that two hours. Development. As mentioned above, the tour initially was set to promote  her latest studio album. During promotion, Turner acknowledge the tour as her final one as she enters pseudo-retirement. She comments: I've been performing for 44 years; I really should hang up my dancing shoes. I can't keep up with Janet Jackson. I'm not a diva like Diana Ross. I'm rock 'n' roll, but I'm happy I can do it one more time, so people can remember me at my best." The album played a prominent role in the tour as Turner rehearsed "Whatever You Need", "When the Heartache is Over", "Talk to My Heart , Falling", "Don't Leave Me This Way" (which was to be included in a ballads medley with "Two People" and two other unknown songs) and "Twenty Four Seven". When Turner decided to do a retrospective of her career, she included her first hit, "A Fool in Love", the first time Turner performed the song live since the 1970s. Turner also rehearsed "Ooh Poo Pah Do" but replaced with "Get Back". Additionally, she included some of her favorite R&B hits including, "Hold On, I'm A Comin'" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". For her final outing, Turner wanted a  stage that was sleek and modern. Her original concepts included the framing of an "apartment building" that had cabins and access ramps. Also included were risers with visible staircases and front drop for the musicians. Fisher, also wanted to create a volcano effect with the staging, have it split into two sets. This inner stage included a video screen and a ramp leading to an upstage platform. There was an additional ramp that lead downstage. The main feature of the stage was the "cantilever arm". A 2' wide, 60' long platform that extended Turner into the audience. Initially, Turner did  not want the arm as the same concept was used for her and she did not want to repeat herself. However, after seeing video animations, Turner wanted the arm included. For stadium shows, a roof for the stage was added along with additional video screens. The arm was extended an additional 20 feet. It took at least seven hours to construct the stage. The stage was constructed by McLaren Engineering Group. Critical reception. Josh L. Dickey ("Spartanburg Herald Journal") praised the tour, stating, "'In fact, the only low points came during Turner's protracted absences for outfit changes, when the  backing crew was forced to carry the show. Minus Turner's soaring vocals—which cut sharply though the Target Center's infamously muddy acoustic chamber—the band seemed awkward and cursory. Mark Brown ("Rocky Mountain News") gave the performance at the Pepsi Center an "A", citing "From minute one, Turner bursts onto the stage with energy and finesse that only the Queen will process. Belting out her memorable hits, Turner proves it doesn't take media trickery to have success. She may be rolling down the river but Turner is creating an untouchable path. " Martine Bury ("VIBE") praised Turner's  performance at the Allstate Arena, "From her signature rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary' to the way she heats up dance floors with her most recent single, 'When the Heartache is Over' that sultry, gravelly voice tells ardent stories like no other." Broadcasts and recordings. The opening night of the tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, aired live on VH1's Opening Night Live on March 23, 2000. The concert at the Sopot Hippodrom aired on TVP1 on August 15, 2000. An additional television broadcast aired on BBC Three. The concert footage was filmed at the  Oakland Arena performance on May 8, 2000. The performances filmed at the Wembley Stadium were later used for the DVD release in 2001 and aired on the CBS Network in the United States. The DVD was certified platinum in the US and UK. The concert at Groningen was filmed and broadcast locally. (Footage is available on YouTube and other websites.)