Whamamerica!

Whamamerica!

Tour by Wham!
Tour programme cover
Location	North America
Associated album	Make It Big
Start date	23 August 1985 (1985-08-23)
End date	10 September 1985 (1985-09-10)
No. of shows	10 in United States 1 in Canada 11 in total
Supporting acts	The Pointer Sisters Chaka Khan Katrina and the Waves
Attendance	200,000[1] – 302,568[2]
Box office	US $8.6 million[2] ($24.36 in 2023 dollars)[3]
Wham! concert chronology

Whamamerica! (also promoted as the Make It Big Tour '85) was a concert tour by English pop duo Wham!.^[4] The tour was launched following the success of their 1984 certified multi-platinum studio album Make It Big, which sold four million copies in the United States by the end of the year.^[5] The tour spanned nineteen days between August and September 1985, comprising nine shows across the United States and Canada.^[6]

Overview

The Whamamerica! tour began in late August 1985. It travelled around the United States, opening at Poplar Creek Music Theater in Illinois in the Midwest, then heading across the border to Canada and all the way down the West Coast to northern and Southern California, south to Texas and then back east to Philadelphia and Detroit. Michael’s look had changed with his hair cut to a shorter length and the colour being close to his natural darker shade. He also had a new designer stubble and larger earrings, a yellow fringed jacket and leather gloves. Their last ever live US performance was at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit.^[7] They had played to over 302,568 fans.^[2][1]

Opening acts

• Katrina and the Waves (Los Angeles, Houston, Oakland, Miami and Philadelphia)^[1]
• The Pointer Sisters (Toronto, Oakland, Miami)^[2]
• Chaka Khan (Los Angeles, Philadelphia)^[2][1]

Set list

Philadelphia

1. "Everything She Wants"
2. "Credit Card Baby"
3. "Blue (Armed with Love)"
4. "If You Were There"
5. "The Edge of Heaven"
6. "Like a Baby"
7. "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)"
8. "Heartbeat"
9. "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
10. "Love Machine"
11. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
12. "Freedom"
13. "Careless Whisper"
14. "Good Times"
15. "Everything She Wants"

Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, number of available tickets, and amount of gross revenue

Date	City	Country	Venue	Attendance	Gross	Ref.
North America
18 August 1985	Houston	United States	Six Flags AstroWorld
19 August 1985
23 August 1985	Hoffman Estates		Poplar Creek Music Theater			[8]
25 August 1985
28 August 1985	Toronto	Canada	CNE	50,098 / sellout	$1,042,059 (CA$1,302,548)	[9]
30 August 1985	Los Angeles	United States	Hollywood Park			[10][11]
1 September 1985	Oakland		Oakland Coliseum	46,737 / sellout	$817,897	[9]
4 September 1985	Houston		Southern Star Amphitheater			[4]
6 September 1985	Miami		Miami Baseball Stadium	36,390 / sellout	$545,855	[12]
8 September 1985	Philadelphia		Veterans Stadium	43,000 / 50,000	$698,000	[12]
10 September 1985	Pontiac		Pontiac Silverdome

Personnel

• George Michael – lead vocals
• Andrew Ridgeley – guitar

References

1. "Wham! On the Edge of Heaven". Number One. No. 119. 28 September 1985. p. 17. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
2. Grein, Paul (28 September 1985). "Video Called Crucial to Wham!'s Stadium Success". Billboard. p. 86. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
3. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
4. "Wham by Years". Rockin Houston. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
5. "American album certifications – Wham – Make It Big". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
6. Ridgeley, Andrew (2019). Wham! George & Me. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-241-38583-8. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
7. Steele, Robert (2017). Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated. Omnibus Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-78323-968-9. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
8. Van Matre, Lynn (25 August 1985). "Wham!'s Brand Of Blue-eyed Soul Makes It Big With Young Chicago Fans". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
9. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. 14 September 1985. p. 54. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
10. Lewis, Randy (2 September 1985). "Pop Review: Wham!—Specks in a Spectacle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
11. "They're your men..." Number One. No. 127. 23 November 1985. p. 9. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
12. "Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses" (PDF). Billboard. 28 September 1985. p. 52. Retrieved 30 December 2022.