Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour is the first world tour by American recording artist MC Hammer to promote his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em. It was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and promoted by MTV. Beginning in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 15, 1990, it visited North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, concluded in Paso Robles, California, on August 3, 1991. With a total of 144 shows, it grossed over $32 million.
The tour was a box office success. Pollstar ranked Hammer at seventh on the Top 10 highest-grossing act to tour U.S. of 1990. Also, it received generally positive reviews by the critics while some praising Hammer's energetic stage performance. Several acts were selected as opening acts of the tour. The first shows in United States were opened After 7, Michel'le, and Oaktown's 3.5.7 and later by En Vogue and fellow rapper Vanilla Ice. The European leg was supported by Snap! and the last leg by the group B Angie B.
Background By June 1990, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em become the first rap album to top the pop charts and by August it become the best-selling rap album of all time, surpassing License to Ill by Beastie Boys. Initial plans to tour the tour stated that it would visit North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. However, more shows were added due the high demand of tickets. Hammer led a 30-member troupe that included a live band, 10 backup singers, 15 dancers and some of the flashiest fashions this side of Mardi Gras. On the first concerts, the show consisted on five acts, four opening acts: Troop, After 7, Michel'le and Oaktown's 3.5.7 and the main act MC Hammer. The main artist performance was 80 to 90 minutes, with eight dancers and 10 backup singers. Fellow rapper Vanilla Ice also was selected as opening act until the end of November 1990, when he dropped out to do his own tour as a headliner.
During the tour, Hammer traveled by private Boeing 727 jet, the touring group included fifteen dancers, a dozen background singers, eight security, seven musicians, three valets and two DJs. According to some media outlets, rap fans had never seen anything of the magnitude of the Hammer Don't Hurt ’Em stadium gigs, which recalled Parliament-Funkadelic’s army-size traveling heyday in the 1970s. The first North America leg received several sponsors, including MTV, Pepsi, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The European and Asia legs were sponsored by Pepsi.
Reception
Critical reception The tour received generally positive reviews by the critics praising Hammer's performance and charisma on stage. Rolling Stone claimed that the tour was "the most elaborate live show ever mounted by a rap entertainer". David Surkamp gave a positive review of the St. Louis concert and wrote "M.C. Hammer Delivers Knockout Performance". Reggie Matthews gave a positive review to the concert at the San Diego Sports Arena, stating "Thanks to Hammer, rap is no longer pomp, stroll, strut and attitude. It now features the latest dance crazes and synchronized choreography". Patricia Smith attended the Rosemont Horizon show and wrote "he and his energetic posse had loosened a few ceiling fixtures, interfered with air traffic control at nearby O'Hare Airport and assured every single gasping audience member that they'd gotten more than their money's worth". In Canada, Rod Campbell attended the concert in Edmonton and wrote a positive review titled "M.C. Hammer nails crowd; Rap's first superstar dazzles with dynamic show".
On a less positive note, John Lannert from Sun Sentinel reviewed the concert of June 30, 1990, at Miami Arena stating "Hammer did not rap enough or dance enough, and was weighed down throughout the concert by an overblown stage-side production that condemned the show to a sputtering, momentum-killing pace". Parry Gettleman from the Orlando Sentinel gave a positive review to the opening act After 7 stating "showed a vocal mix and elegant style recalling the Temptations and the Spinners", however criticized the main act performance, stating "It's a shame Hammer sometimes confused performing and cheerleading, because when he stuck to the former, 'Hammer time' was enjoyable." Steve Morse gave a mixed review to the concert at Worcester on a review titled "Hammer Time' Misses a Beat".
Commercial reception The tour was a commercial success with several shows reported sold out while other cities added more shows due the high demand. Initially, the summer leg in North America was planned to be around 50 to 60 shows, however, more shows were added. Ticket prices for the North America leg were between $17 and $30. The Miami arena concert was reported "packed" with 15,000 fans. The concert of July 1, 1990, in Tampa, was reported with 10,000 fans. The concert at the Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo had attendance of 8,100 and over 10,000 in Atlanta at The Omni. In Canada, over 6,000 fans were reported at the Montreal concert. On December 20, 1990, around 1,000 fans asked for refunds after learning that the opening acts En Vogue and Vanilla Ice did not show up. Also, media reported that just 3,000 of the 25,000 tickets were sold of the Tacoma Dome concert on July 26, 1991.
By January 1991, Hammer was ranked seventh at Pollstar Top 10 highest-grossing act to tour U.S. for grossing US$26.3 million of 138 shows in 132 cities. In Japan, 55,000 tickets were sold for the first concert at the Tokyo Dome. Due to the high demand another show was added. The concert in Auckland, New Zealand, was reported sold out. Several shows were added at the Wembley Arena in London due the high demand. According to Billboard, by the end of the tour, it grossed over US$32 million in 144 shows around the world.
Tour dates DateCityCountryVenueJune 15, 1990LouisvilleUnited StatesLouisville GardensJune 21, 1990KnoxvilleThompson-Boling ArenaJune 24, 1990AntiochStarwood AmphitheatreJune 28, 1990TallahasseeLeon County Civic CenterJune 30, 1990MiamiMiami ArenaJuly 1, 1990TampaUSF Sun DomeJuly 4, 1990Grove CityCapital Music CenterJuly 6, 1990St. LouisSt. Louis ArenaJuly 7, 1990Kansas City Kemper Arena July 8, 1990KalamazooWings StadiumJuly 12, 1990GreenvilleGreenville Memorial AuditoriumJuly 13, 1990AugustaAugusta Civic CenterJuly 18, 1990HuntsvilleVon Braun CenterJuly 19, 1990ChattanoogaUTC ArenaJuly 21, 1990HamptonHampton ColiseumJuly 22, 1990BaltimoreBaltimore ArenaJuly 26, 1990PittsburghCivic ArenaJuly 27, 1990PhiladelphiaSpectrumJuly 29, 1990LandoverCapital CentreAugust 1, 1990AlburquerqueTingley ColiseumAugust 2, 1990PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial ColiseumAugust 3, 1990Las VegasThomas & Mack CenterAugust 4, 1990San DiegoSan Diego Sports ArenaAugust 5, 1990SacramentoARCO ArenaAugust 7, 1990Salt Lake CItySalt PalaceAugust 8, 1990DenverMcNichols Sports ArenaAugust 10, 1990Oklahoma CityMyriad Convention CenterAugust 11, 1990HoustonThe SummitAugust 12, 1990Baton RougeRiverside CentroplexAugust 13, 1990PensacolaPensacola Civic CenterAugust 15, 1990CincinnatiRiverfront ColiseumAugust 16, 1990SaginawWendler ArenaAugust 17, 1990RosemontRosemont HorizonAugust 18, 1990DetroitJoe Louis ArenaAugust 20, 1990RockfordMetroCentreAugust 24, 1990OrlandoOrlando ArenaAugust 31, 1990DallasReunion ArenaSeptember 2, 1990AtlantaThe OmniSeptember 9, 1990FresnoSelland ArenaSeptember 13, 1990InglewoodGreat Western ForumSeptember 15, 1990PhiladelphiaVeterans StadiumSeptember 18, 1990OmahaOmaha Civic AuditoriumSeptember 19, 1990Cedar RapidsFive Seasons CenterSeptember 20, 1990PeoriaPeoria Civic CenterSeptember 21, 1990NoblesvilleDeer Creek Music CenterSeptember 23, 1990BloomingtonMet CenterSeptember 26, 1990BethlehemStabler ArenaSeptember 27, 1990WorcesterCentrumSeptember 28, 1990East RutherfordBrendan Byrne ArenaSeptember 30, 1990NorfolkScope ArenaOctober 4, 1990RoanokeRoanoke Civic CenterOctober 5, 1990ColumbiaCarolina ColiseumOctober 7, 1990FairfaxPatriot CenterOctober 10, 1990SyracuseOnondaga War Memorial AuditoriumOctober 13, 1990BuffaloBuffalo Memorial AuditoriumOctober 14, 1990AlbanyKnickerbocker ArenaOctober 16, 1990TorontoCanadaSkyDomeOctober 17, 1990MontrealForum de MontrealOctober 19, 1990RichfieldUnited StatesRichfield ColiseumOctober 20, 1990CarbondaleSIU ArenaOctober 21, 1990Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn HillsOctober 22, 1990MadisonDane County Memorial ColiseumOctober 25, 1990Kansas CityKemper ArenaOctober 26, 1990ChampaignAssembly HallOctober 28, 1990MilwaukeeBradley CenterOctober 30, 1990KalamazooWings StadiumNovember 2, 1990Fort WayneAllen Country War Memorial ColiseumNovember 3, 1990ColumbiaHearnes CenterNovember 4, 1990ChicagoUIC PavilionNovember 6, 1990MiamiMiami ArenaNovember 8, 1990TampaUSF Sun DomeNovember 9, 1990MaconMacon ColiseumNovember 10, 1990MurfreesboroCharles M. Murphy Athletic CenterNovember 11, 1990Chapel HillDean E. Smith Student Activities CenterNovember 13, 1990KnoxvilleThompson-Boling ArenaNovember 15, 1990MemphisMid-South ColiseumNovember 16, 1990BiloxiMississippi Coast ColiseumNovember 20, 1990LafayetteCajundomeNovember 21, 1990HoustonThe SummitNovember 22, 1990New OrleansLakefront ArenaNovember 24, 1990Little RockBarton ColiseumNovember 30, 1990DenverMcNichols Sports ArenaDecember 2, 1990TucsonTucson Convention CenterDecember 3, 1990TempeASU Activity CenterDecember 5, 1990SacramentoARCO ArenaDecember 6, 1990FresnoSelland ArenaDecember 7, 1990Long BeachLong Beach ArenaDecember 9, 1990RenoLawlor Events CenterDecember 13, 1990PortlandPortland Memorial ColiseumDecember 15, 1990VancouverCanadaPacific ColiseumDecember 17, 1990PortlandUnited StatesPortland Memorial ColiseumDecember 20, 1990BoiseBSU PavilionDecember 21, 1990TacomaTacoma DomeOceania and AsiaFebruary 26, 1991AucklandNew ZealandMount Smart StadiumMarch 19, 1991MelbourneAustraliaRod Laver ArenaMarch 26, 1991TokyoJapanTokyo DomeMarch 27, 1991March 29, 1991ManilaPhilippinesAraneta ColiseumEuropeApril 6, 1991RotterdamNetherlandsAhoyApril 8, 1991MunichGermanyOlympiahalleApril 9, 1991ZurichSwitzerlandHallenstadionApril 11, 1991MadridSpainPalacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de MadridApril 12, 1991BarcelonaPalau Sant JordiApril 16, 1991FrankfurtGermanyFesthalleApril 17, 1991DüsseldorfPhilipshalleApril 20, 1991ParisFranceLe ZenithApril 21, 1991BrusselsBelgiumForest NationalApril 24, 1991BerlinGermanyDeutschlandhalleApril 27, 1991StockholmSwedenGlobe ArenaApril 28, 1991OsloNorwayOslo SpektrumMay 2, 1991BirminghamEnglandNEC ArenaMay 4, 1991LondonWembley ArenaMay 5, 1991May 6, 1991May 8, 1991ManchesterG-MEX CentreMay 10, 1991LondonWembley ArenaMay 11, 1991May 12, 1991May 17, 1991Whitley BayWhitley Bay Ice RinkMay 18, 1991GlasgowScotlandSECC Glasgow Hall 4North AmericaJune 21, 1991KnoxvilleUnited StatesThompson-Boling ArenaJuly 5, 1991SalemL.B Day AmphitheatreJuly 26, 1991TacomaTacoma DomeJuly 27, 1991PentictonCanadaKings ParkJuly 28, 1991CalgaryOlympic SaddledomeJuly 29, 1991EdmontonNorthlands ColiseumAugust 3, 1991Paso RoblesUnited StatesCalifornia Mid-State Fairgrounds
Box office data CityCountryAttendanceBox officeBloomingtonUnited States12,390 / 14,478 (86%)$255,963Knoxville9,210 / 12,006 (77%)$161,153Tallahassee9,648 / 10,006 (96%)$154,275Atlanta14,894 / 17,154 (87%)$292,017Richfield17,472 / 19,746 (88%)$343,286Philadelphia24,875 / 66,943 (37%)$371,775Worcester10,800 / 10,800 (100%)$225,630Fairfax8,743 / 10,000 (87%)$186,997TorontoCanada11,053 / 14,000 (79%)$260,128Vancouver12,469 / 15,162 (82%)$301,858Arbun HillsUnited States17,928 / 17,928 (100%)$392,881Madison10,250 / 10,250 (100%)$199,246Columbia10,366 / 10,366 (100%)$195,673Houston14,081 / 15,000 (94%)$266,583Carbondale8,087 / 10,800 (75%)$148,325LondonUnited Kingdom11,500 / 11,500 (100%)$295,463CalgaryCanada7,062 / 12,197 (58%)$176,670Paso RoblesUnited States21,489 / 30,446 (71%)$472,820Total226,323 / 308,782 (73%)$4,700,923
Notes
References