The Private Dancer Tour, which took place in 1985, marked a major turning point in the career of the American singer, Tina Turner. Coupled with the massive success of her multi-platinum album, Private Dancer, this tour solidified Turner’s status as a solo artist and live performer. Today, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in music history.
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A Global Sensation
The Private Dancer Tour spanned an impressive 179 dates across Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia. Notably, Turner even performed in Budapest, marking the only show of the tour behind the Iron Curtain. From February 8th to December 28th, 1985, Tina Turner took the world by storm, captivating audiences with her powerful voice and dynamic stage presence.
Opening Acts and Setlist Highlights
The tour featured an array of talented opening acts, including Glenn Frey, Mr. Mister, Limited Warranty, John Parr, and the Eric Martin Band. These artists set the stage for an unforgettable night of music before Turner took the spotlight.
The setlist for the Private Dancer Tour was a carefully curated mix of fan favorites and iconic hits. In Europe, songs like “Let’s Pretend We’re Married,” “River Deep Mountain High,” and “Proud Mary” left audiences in awe. In the United States, classics like “Nutbush City Limits” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It” had fans singing along at the top of their lungs.
Unforgettable Collaborations
Throughout the tour, Tina Turner had some remarkable guest appearances that took the excitement to another level. During the performance at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England, Turner shared the stage with the legendary David Bowie for unforgettable renditions of “Tonight” and “Let’s Dance.” Another highlight was when Turner joined forces with Bryan Adams for a powerful rendition of “It’s Only Love.”
The Band Behind the Magic
No tour would be complete without a talented backing band, and Turner’s Private Dancer Tour was no exception. The lineup included Jack Bruno on drums, Timmy Cappello on percussion, keyboard, and saxophone, Bob Feit on bass, Jemie West-Oram on guitar and vocals, Kenny Moore on piano and vocals, and James Ralston on guitar and vocals. These skilled musicians played an integral role in creating the electrifying atmosphere that fans experienced at each show.
A Journey Around the World
Let’s take a closer look at the tour’s impressive schedule, highlighting some of the most exciting stops along the way:
February 1985
- Helsinki, Finland – Icehallen – February 19th – 8000 attendees
- Oslo, Norway – Drammenhallen – February 21st – 7800 attendees
- Gothenburg, Sweden – Lisebergshallen – February 22nd
- Stockholm, Sweden – Isstadion – February 23rd – 9900 attendees
- Copenhagen, Denmark – Falkoner Theatre – February 24th
- Ludwigshafen, Germany – Eberthalle – February 28th
March 1985
- Munich, Germany – Basketballhalle – March 1st – 11000 attendees
- Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle – March 2nd
- Hamburg, Germany – C.C.H. – March 3rd
- Berlin, Germany – Eissporthalle – March 4th
- Boeblingen, Germany – March 7th
- Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion – March 8th – 12000 attendees
- Würzburg, Germany – Karl Diehm Halle – March 9th
- Brighton, UK – The Brighton Centre – March 11th
- Bournemouth, UK – B.I.C. – March 12th
- London, UK – Wembley Arena – March 14th-17th – 12000 attendees
- Edinburgh, UK – The Playhouse – March 20th
- Manchester, UK – The Apollo – March 21st – 3500 attendees
- Birmingham, UK – N.E.C. – March 23rd-24th – 12000 attendees
- Paris, France – Zenith – March 26th – 7000 attendees
- Lyon, France – Garnier – March 27th – 17000 attendees
- Marseilles, France – Chapiteau – March 28th
- Milan, Italy – Palace Lido – March 29th
- Klagenfurt, Germany – Sportshalle – March 31st – 5000 attendees
April 1985
- Graz, Austria – Sportshalle – April 1st – 4500 attendees
- Budapest, Hungary – Sportshalle – April 2nd
- Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle – April 3rd – 10000 attendees
- Linz, Austria – Sportshalle – April 4th – 6000 attendees
- Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle – April 6th – 9500 attendees
- Saarbrücken, Germany – Saarlandhalle – April 7th
- Rotterdam, Netherlands – The Ahoy – April 8th-9th
- Brussels, Belgium – Forest Nationale – April 10th
- Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle – April 11th-12th
- Bremen, Germany – Stadthalle – April 13th
- Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle – April 14th – 12000 attendees
- Düsseldorf, Germany – Philipshalle – April 15th
- Hamburg, Germany – C.C.H. – April 18th
- Heidelberg, Germany – Rhein-Neckar-Halle – April 19th
- Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle – April 20th – 10000 attendees
- Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion – April 21st – 12000 attendees
- Nuremberg, Germany – Frankenhalle – April 22nd – 8500 attendees
- Berlin, Germany – Deutschlandhalle – April 24th
- Bremen, Germany – Stadthalle – April 25th
- Düsseldorf, Germany – Philipshalle – April 26th
- Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle – April 27th
- Munster, Germany – Münsterlandhalle – April 28th
- Kiel, Germany – Ostseehalle – April 30th – 7100 attendees
May 1985
- Cologne, Germany – Sporthalle – May 1st
- Berlin, Germany – Deutschlandhalle – May 3rd
- Hannover, Germany – Niedersachsenhalle – May 4th
- Hamburg, Germany – Aisterdorferhalle – May 5th
- Stuttgart, Germany – Boblinger Sporthalle – May 7th – 14000 attendees
- Basel, Switzerland – St. Jakob’s Hall – May 9th
July 1985
- St. Johns, Canada – Memorial Stadium – July 8th-11th
- Philadelphia, USA – Live Aid – July 13th – 100000 attendees
- Fredricton, Canada – Aiken Center – July 14th
- Moncton, Canada – Coliseum – July 15th – 8000 attendees
- Halifax, Canada – Metro – July 16th-17th – 10000 attendees
- Montreal, Canada – Forum – July 19th
- Worcester, USA – Worcester Centrum – July 21st-22nd – 12000 attendees
- Portland, USA – Civic Center – July 26th – 8462 attendees
- Hartford, USA – Civic Center – July 27th
- East Rutherford, USA – Meadowlands – July 28th
- Philadelphia, USA – Spectrum – July 31st – 3500 attendees
August 1985
- NYC, USA – Madison Square Garden – August 1st-2nd – 17000 attendees
- Allentown, USA – Fairground – August 3rd
- Lanover, USA – Capitol Center – August 5th
- Long Island, USA – Jones Beach – August 7th-8th – 14000 attendees
- Hershey, USA – Hershey Park – August 10th
- Rochester, USA – War Memorial – August 11th
- Saratoga, USA – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – August 12th – 25000 attendees
- Lake Placid, USA – Olympic Center – August 15th
- Toronto, Canada – CNE – August 17th
- Ottawa, Canada – CCE – August 18th – 15000 attendees
- Toledo, USA – Centennial Hall – August 21st
- Cleveland, USA – Richfield Coliseum – August 22nd
- Pittsburgh, USA – Civic Arena – August 23rd
- Charleston, USA – Civic – August 24th
- Cincinnati, USA – Revermont Coliseum – August 25th
- Detroit, USA – Joe Louis Arena – August 28th-29th
- Charlevoix, USA – Castle Farms – August 31st
September 1985
- Flint, USA – Atwood Stadium – September 1st
- Kalamazoo, USA – Wings Stadium – September 4th
- Fort Wayne, USA – Coliseum – September 5th
- Lexington, USA – Rupp Arena – September 6th
- Indianapolis, USA – Market Square – September 7th – 18000 attendees
- Evansville, USA – Roberts Stadium – September 8th – 12500 attendees
- Champaign, USA – Assembly Hall – September 10th
- Chicago, USA – Horizon – September 11th-12th
- Los Angeles, USA – Universal Amphitheatre – September 8th-12th – 6000 attendees
- Tempe, USA – ASU Activities – September 18th
- Las Cruces, USA – Pan America Center – September 19th
- Albuquerque, USA – Tingley Coliseum – September 20th
- Wichita, USA – Kansas Coliseum – September 23rd
- Springfield, USA – Hammons – September 24th
- Oklahoma City, USA – Myriad – September 25th
- Kansas City, USA – Kemper – September 26th-27th – 12000 attendees
- St. Louis, USA – Kiel – September 28th-29th
October 1985
- Reno, USA – Lawlor – October 2nd
- Oakland, USA – Coliseum – October 3rd-4th
- Irvine, USA – Irvine Meadows – October 5th
- Los Angeles, USA – Universal Amphitheatre – October 8th-12th – 6000 attendees
- Tempe, USA – ASU Activities – October 18th
- Las Cruces, USA – Pan America Center – October 19th
- Albuquerque, USA – Tingley Coliseum – October 20th
- Wichita, USA – Kansas Coliseum – October 23rd
- Springfield, USA – Hammons – October 24th
- Oklahoma City, USA – Myriad – October 25th
- Kansas City, USA – Kemper – October 26th-27th
- St. Louis, USA – Kiel – October 28th-31st
November 1985
- Dallas, USA – Reunion Arena – November 1st – 12000 attendees
- Austin, USA – Erwin Events – November 2nd
- Houston, USA – Summit – November 3rd – 11000 attendees
- Baton Rouge, USA – LSU Assembly – November 6th
- Auburn, USA – Auburn Memorial Center – November 8th
- Columbus, USA – UTC – November 9th
- Memphis, USA – MidSouth – November 10th
- Shreveport, USA – Hersht Coliseum – November 13th
- Starkville, USA – Humphrey – November 14th
- Birmingham, USA – Jeff Co. Civic – November 15th
- Murfreboro, USA – Murphy Center – November 16th
- Knoxville, USA – Stokely Center – November 17th
- Morgantown, USA – W.V.U. Gym. – November 20th
- Roanoke, USA – Civic – November 21st
- Hampton, USA – Hampton Coliseum – November 22nd – 13000 attendees
- Greensboro, USA – Civic – November 23rd
- Columbia, USA – Coliseum – November 24th
- Richmond, USA – Coliseum – November 27th
- Charlotte, USA – Coliseum – November 29th
- Savannah, USA – Civic Center – November 30th
December 1985
- Atlanta, USA – Omni – December 1st
- Gainesville, USA – O’Connell Center – December 4th
- Orlando, USA – Convention Center – December 5th
- Tampa, USA – Sundome – December 6th
- Miami, USA – Baseball Stadium – December 7th
- Brisbane, Australia – Chandler Velodrome – December 10th
- Sydney, Australia – Entertainment Centre – December 12th-15th
- Melbourne, Australia – Entertainment Centre – December 17th-20th
- Perth, Australia – Entertainment Centre – December 23rd-24th
- Osaka, Japan – Festival Hall – December 27th
- Tokyo, Japan – Budokan – December 28th
Sold Out shows were marked with (S.O.).
Tina Turner’s Incredible Legacy
The Private Dancer Tour was just one milestone in Tina Turner’s illustrious career. From her beginnings as one-half of the duo Ike and Tina Turner to her subsequent solo success, including albums like Break Every Rule, Foreign Affair, and Twenty Four Seven, Turner has solidified her place as one of the greatest performers of all time. Her music continues to resonate with fans around the world, ensuring that her legacy lives on.
So, if you were lucky enough to witness the Private Dancer Tour or have been inspired by Tina Turner’s remarkable journey, take a moment to appreciate the enduring impact and the lasting power of this iconic artist.