The Sleeping with the Past Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 22nd studio album, Sleeping with the Past. The tour included a total of three legs (in North America and Oceania) and a total of 74 shows.
Background Elton John's album, Sleeping with the Past, received lukewarm reviews when the album was released in 1989.
Despite the critical judgment of the album, it became his highest-selling studio album in the United Kingdom, being certified 3× Platinum and spawned his first solo number-one hit in his home country.
During many of these shows, John performed three or four songs from Sleeping with the Past — an unusual move since the new album would not be released until August, and thus audiences were hearing this material for the first time. Also new to the production was a two-minute show intro, conceived and recorded by Davey Johnstone and Guy Babylon, which played as the band walked out on to the stage, using an alternate arrangement of "Bennie and the Jets" to introduce the show's first song. This technique would be used on several subsequent tours and change depending on what song was chosen as the set opener.
On 18 October 1989 in New Haven, Connecticut, he rushed through his performance rarely talking to the audience. Midway through his concert, he announced he would not perform material from the new album because MCA was not promoting it.
By the time this final leg of the tour would end, John and his band, now with Charlie Morgan on drums, had been on the road almost constantly for two full years. John played 20 dates in six cities in Australia, beginning at the Entertainment Centre in Perth on 27 January 1990, and concluding three weeks later with seven nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
Next came shows in New Zealand on 28 February and 3 March before the tour moved on to America, where he did three shows at the Mark G. Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on 18–20 May. The set list at these US shows featured the premiere of "Made for Me", one of four new songs he had recorded for his then-upcoming box set, To Be Continued...
Two months later, John checked himself in to a Chicago-area hospital for addiction treatment and would not tour again for two years.
Tour dates DateCityCountryVenue Tickets sold / available RevenueNorth America, Leg 128 July 1989HartfordUnited StatesHartford Civic Center15,799 / 15,799$355,47829 July 1989ProvidenceProvidence Civic Center14,241 / 14,241$320,42330 July 1989Saratoga SpringsSaratoga Performing Arts Center1 August 1989MansfieldWoods Performing Arts Center2 August 19894 August 1989East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena59,992 / 59,992$1,491,5476 August 19897 August 19899 August 1989New OrleansLakefront Arena9,866 / 9,866$230,55010 August 1989HoustonThe Summit14,463 / 14,463$338,22411 August 1989DallasCoca-Cola Starplex20,053 / 20,053$395,75512 August 1989Bonner SpringsSandstone Amphitheater13,488 / 15,000$315,79215 August 1989InglewoodGreat Western Forum42,000 / 42,000$945,00017 August 198918 August 198919 August 1989Costa MesaPacific Amphitheatre20 August 1989Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre22 August 1989Greenwood VillageFiddler's Green Amphitheatre26 August 1989Hoffman EstatesPoplar Creek Music Theater27 August 198929 August 1989Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music Center30 August 1989NoblesvilleDeer Creek Music Center18,000 / 18,0001 September 1989ClarkstonPine Knob Music Theatre2 September 19893 September 198912 September 1989CincinnatiRiverbend Music Center16,518 / 16,51813 September 198916,985 / 16,98515 September 1989NashvilleStarwood Amphitheater17,137 / 17,13716 September 1989AtlantaLakewood Amphitheater17 September 198919 September 1989PittsburghCivic Arena23 September 1989Chapel HillDean Smith Center25 September 1989MontrealCanadaMontreal Forum26 September 198927 September 1989TorontoSkyDome35,084 / 35,084$839,27430 September 1989PhiladelphiaUnited StatesThe Spectrum31,624 / 31,624$748,9041 October 19893 October 1989New York CityMadison Square Garden sixty.eltonfan.net, Retrieved 29 August 201165,345 / 65,345$1,613,9754 October 19895 October 19896 October 19897 October 198913 October 1989MiamiMiami Arena13,276 / 13,276$315,30515 October 1989 orlandovenues.net, Retrieved 29 August 2011OrlandoOrlando Arena14,762 / 14,762$332,16716 October 1989CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum22,679 / 22,679$353,70017 October 1989LandoverCapital Centre16,292 / 16,292$407,30018 October 1989 rockindvd.com, Retrieved 29 August 2011New HavenNew Haven Coliseum10,505 / 10,505$259,650Oceania webrabbit.netfirms.com, Retrieved 29 August 2011 en.allexperts.com, Retrieved 29 August 201127 January 1990PerthAustraliaPerth Entertainment Centre28 January 199029 January 19901 February 1990MelbourneNational Tennis Centre2 February 19903 February 19905 February 1990HobartDerwent Entertainment Centre6 February 19907 February 199010 February 1990AdelaideMemorial Drive Park11 February 199014 February 1990BrisbaneBrisbane Entertainment Centre15 February 199017 February 1990SydneySydney Entertainment Centre18 February 199020 February 199021 February 199023 February 199024 February 199025 February 199028 February 1990ChristchurchNew ZealandAddington Showgrounds1 March 1990AucklandMount Smart Stadium3 March 1990North America, Leg 218 May 1990Atlantic CityUnited StatesEtess Arena enotes.com, Retrieved 29 August 2011 articles.philly.com, Retrieved 29 August 201119 May 199020 May 1990
1989 setlists
1990 setlists
Personnel Elton John – Roland RD-1000 digital piano and lead vocals Davey Johnstone – guitars Romeo Williams – bass Fred Mandel – keyboards/guitar Guy Babylon – keyboards Jonathan Moffett – drums (North American leg) Charlie Morgan – drums (Oceania and second North American leg) Mortonette Jenkins – backing vocals Marlena Jeter – backing vocals Natalie Jackson – backing vocals
References
External links
Information Site with Tour Dates