The Tour of Life
| Tour by Kate Bush | |
| Location | Europe |
|---|---|
| Associated album | The Kick Inside and Lionheart |
| Start date | 2 April 1979 (warm up concert) |
| End date | 13 May 1979 |
| No. of shows | 28 |
| Kate Bush concert chronology | |
The Tour of Life (or Kate Bush Tour) was the only concert tour by English singer Kate Bush. The tour was made for her first two albums, The Kick Inside and Lionheart. It happened in April and May 1979. It was the first concert ever to use a wireless headset microphone. The device was invented by Gordon Paterson so Bush could dance on stage. The tour's lighting worker, Bill Duffield, died after the first concert because he fell from a stage and seating structure.
Set list[change | change source]
- "Moving"
- "The Saxophone Song"
- "Room for the Life"
- "Them Heavy People"
- "The Man with the Child in His Eyes"
- "Egypt"
- "L'Amour Looks Something Like You"
- "Violin"
- "The Kick Inside"
- Interlude
- John Carder Bush poetry reading
- "In the Warm Room"
- "Fullhouse" (not sang during the concerts at Hammersmith Odeon)
- "Strange Phenomena"
- "Hammer Horror" (not live)
- "Kashka From Baghdad"
- Interlude
- Chanting
- "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake"
- "Wow"
- "Coffee Homeground" (with extended instrumental introduction)
- "In Search of Peter Pan"
- Interlude
- John Carder Bush poetry reading
- "Symphony in Blue" (including "Gymnopédie 1" by Erik Satie)
- "Feel It" (with instrumental introduction)
- "Kite"
- "James and the Cold Gun"
- Encore 1
- "Oh England My Lionheart"
- Encore 2
Credits[change | change source]
These are the people listed in the Kate Bush Tour programme sold at the concerts.[1][2]
Performers
- Ben Barson – synthesizer, acoustic guitar
- Brian Bath – electric guitar, acoustic mandolin, background vocals
- Kate Bush – vocals, piano, keyboards
- Paddy Bush – mandolin, background vocals, various instruments
- Simon Drake – magician[3]
- Glenys Groves – background vocals
- Preston Heyman – Drums/Percussion
- Kevin McAlea – piano, keyboards, saxophone, 12-string guitar
- Alan Murphy – electric guitar, whistles
- Del Palmer – bass guitar
- Liz Pearson – background vocals
Production
- Conception, producer, director – Kate Bush
- Production design, stage direction – Dave Jackson
- Stage management – Nick Levitt
- Stage crew – Cliff Carter, Martin Prior, Gerry Raymond Barker, Andrew Bryant
- Costuming – Lisa Hayes
- Costuming assistance – Hermione Brakspear
- Choreography – Anthony Van Laast
Audiovisuals
- Sound engineering – Gordon Patterson
- Projections – Ken Sutherland
- Lighting consulting – James Dann
- Spoken word and poetry – John Carder Bush
- Photography – Gered Mankowitz, Terry Walker, Hirchono
Tour management
- Promotion – Lindsay Brown
- Tour management – Richard Ames
- Programmes – Kate Bush, Nicholas Wade, Nick Price
- Tour graphics and merchandise – Paul Maxwell Ltd.
- Tour co-ordination – Hilary Walker, John Carder Bush
Shows[change | change source]
| Date (1979)[4][5][6] | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 April[a] | Poole |  England
|
Poole Arts Centre |
| 3 April | Liverpool | Liverpool Empire Theatre | |
| 4 April | Birmingham | Birmingham Hippodrome | |
| 5 April | |||
| 6 April | Oxford | New Theatre Oxford | |
| 7 April | Southampton | Gaumont Theatre | |
| 9 April | Bristol | Bristol Hippodrome | |
| 10 April | Manchester | Manchester Apollo | |
| 11 April | |||
| 12 April | Sunderland | Sunderland Empire Theatre | |
| 13 April | Edinburgh |  Scotland
|
Usher Hall |
| 16 April | London | England
|
Palladium |
| 17 April | |||
| 18 April | |||
| 19 April | |||
| 20 April | |||
| 24 April | Stockholm |  Sweden
|
Stockholm Konserthuset |
| 26 April | Copenhagen |  Denmark
|
Falkoner Theatre |
| 28 April | Hamburg |  West Germany
|
Congress Center Hamburg |
| 29 April | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
|
Carré Theatre |
| 2 May | Stuttgart | West Germany
|
Kongresszentrum Liederhalle |
| 3 May | Munich | Circus Krone | |
| 4 May | Cologne | Köln Gürzenich | |
| 6 May | Paris |  France
|
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées |
| 8 May | Mannheim | West Germany
|
Mannheimer Rosengarten |
| 10 May | Frankfurt | Jahrhunderthalle | |
| 12 May[b] | London | England
|
Hammersmith Odeon |
| 13 May | |||
| 14 May |
Notes[change | change source]
- ↑ This show was called a "warm up".
- ↑ This concert was dedicated to Bill Duffield. It was called Kate Bush In Aid of Bill Duffield. Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley sang as guests.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Heawood, Sophie (31 August 2014). "Leaf through history with the programme from Kate Bush's 1979 tour". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ Bush, Kate; Wade, Nicholas; Price, Nick (1979). "Kate Bush Tour" programme.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Kate Bush announces first live shows since 1979". The Guardian. 31 March 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ McHale, Kirsty (26 August 2014). "Flashback: Kate Bush at the Liverpool Empire, April 1979". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ Thomson, Graeme (9 February 2015). "Chapter 6: The Tour of Life". Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78323-392-2.
- ↑ Thomson, Graeme (13 May 2010). "Kate Bush's only tour: pop concert or disappearing act?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 October 2023.