Physical Tour
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The Physical Tour (also known as the Physical Tour of North America and North American Tour '82) was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
, in support of her 12th studio album, ''
Physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...
'' (1981). The tour primarily visited North America the second largest by Newton-John, visiting
arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
s and
stadiums A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
. The show had advanced technical aspects at the time, and was divided into four segments, determined by Newton-John costume changes and a video interlude. The tour was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews, regarded as one of the most popular and most remembered shows by the singer. Footage from the tour has been broadcast on a number of channels across the world. ''
Olivia in Concert ''Olivia in Concert'' is a 1983 home video release of a concert by singer Olivia Newton-John. The concert was taped at Dee Events Center, Weber State University in Ogden, Utah on October 12 and 13, 1982, during Olivia's '' Physical Tour''. It o ...
'', a concert
home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
of Newton-John's performance in
Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
, was released in 1983.


Background and development

''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' announced in July 1982 that Newton-John would embark upon a 50-date North American tour from early August, her first in four years, with a TV concert special, also was confirmed. Newton-John stated that this would be her last tour to concentrate on her film career. However, after the failure of the film '' Two of a Kind'' (1983), which she starred again with
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...
, her film career went on hiatus, and she would return to touring 16 years after this tour. The first attempts for the setlist included the songs "
Come on Over ''Come On Over'' is the third studio album by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997, by Mercury Records. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the album became the best-selling country album, the best s ...
", "
Don't Stop Believin' "Don't Stop Believin' is a song by American rock band Journey (band), Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, ''Escape (Journey album), Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Reco ...
", "Pony Ride" and the music video for "Stranger's Touch" (from ''
Olivia Physical ''Olivia Physical'' is a 1982 video collection featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John and various of her songs, most from the album ''Physical (Olivia Newton-John album), Physical''. A somewhat expanded version of the video was aired as an Ameri ...
'') as a video interlude. The jazz musician Tom Scott was the tour
musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...
and also played saxophone in the band. He also served as the opening act, performing songs from his album ''
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...
'' (1982). Olivia's personal friend,
Karen Carpenter Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praise ...
, attended various tour shows, and considered the possibility of drumming during a few concerts, but dropped because of her deteriorating health.
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...
also attended a show, and joined the stage with Newton-John. The stage was created by
Kenny Ortega Kenneth John Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American filmmaker, touring manager, and choreographer. He is known for directing the films '' Newsies'', '' Hocus Pocus'', ''The Cheetah Girls 2'', ''High School Musical'', ''Michael Jackson's Th ...
, who also choreographed Newton-John music videos for "
Physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...
" and "The Rumour". The technical features used in concert includes a glittery substance falling during "Silvery Rain", and three videos: an introduction montage about Olivia's career, the music video for "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)" as a video interlude, and screened credits for the band and crew members at the concert ending. Newton-John also jumped rope through "Physical". During a 1983 article for ''
People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'', Newton-John declared she didn't like to tour in 1982: "Every night was like déja vu. You say to yourself, 'Haven't I just done this?'"


Legacy

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As critic and music editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles appeared in publications around the wor ...
from ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' compared
Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...
performance on her Out of the Blue Tour with Newton-John's Physical Tour, commenting that "recalled the most triumphant moments of Olivia Newton-John's 1982 'Physical' tour" and "as the evening progressed, it became clear that Newton-John (who exhibited a similar aerobic energy, sparkling smile and even blonde bangs) was a closer parallel". British duo
Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
performed a cover of "Physical" on their 2001 concert tour.
Alison Goldfrapp Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Early life Goldfrapp was born on 13 May 1966, in Enfield, London, the youngest o ...
herself said later that Newton-John is one of the duo inspirations.


Critical response

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' commented that "purists may be offended – particularly in country music, where she dallied awhile – but pop singers like Miss Newton-John make new styles safe for mass audiences just as they're on the way out. ..Miss Newton-John has a nearly colorless voice, distinguished mainly by the break between a perky chest register and a fragile head voice. Yet it is also extremely adaptable; onstage, she summoned country's quavers, disco's melismas, pop's directness and hard rock's percussive staccato. She sounds delicate on her records, but she sang a 90-minute set with no obvious strain." Paul Grein from ''Billboard'' wrote: "Newton-John first local apparition in five years – since her co-starring role in '' Grease'' revived and redirected her career – was a total triumph, eliciting the boisterous fan response normally seen only at rock shows. ..Newton-John also sings with greater strengths and conviction, even on the older ballads. Her emphatic vocals gave an extra emotional dimension to the rueful ' Sam' and the plaintive '
Please Mr. Please "Please Mr. Please" is a song written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publication ...
'."


Commercial reception

The tour performed in 40 cities throughout North America, with a total of 562,428 tickets sold. The
Exhibition Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally built for Canadian National Exhi ...
show in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, had all of the 24,789 tickets sold. Based on 13 shows, ''Billboard Boxscore'' reported a gross of $$2,074,051 and a total boxscore of $$8,443,043. Items related to the tour that were sold include clothings, buttons and the tourbook.


Broadcast and recordings

The tour video recording was filmed in
Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
, on 12–13 October 1982. An interesting fact is that "Physical" has caused controversy in
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
after two radio stations banned the song because "lyrics are more suggestive than most songs". The video was premiered on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
on 23 January 1983, as ''Olivia: Live in Concert'' TV special. It was later released on VHS, CED and laserdisc by
MCA Home Video Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
as ''
Olivia in Concert ''Olivia in Concert'' is a 1983 home video release of a concert by singer Olivia Newton-John. The concert was taped at Dee Events Center, Weber State University in Ogden, Utah on October 12 and 13, 1982, during Olivia's '' Physical Tour''. It o ...
'', becoming a critical and commercial success. The video release peaked at #15 on ''Billboard'' Top Videodisks and was certified
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for shipment of 50,000 units in the United States. The video also gave for Newton-John nominations for a
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...
and a
CableACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Amer ...
for Actress in a Variety Program. ''People'' wrote: "Mini-clad and punk-coiffed, Livvy rocks her way through a concert taped at Weber State College in Utah. "
Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...
" and "Heart Attack" are fetching, but "Physical" is the aerobic showstopper".


Opening act

* Tom Scott


Setlist

*"Video Sequence" ;Act 1 #"
Deeper Than the Night "Deeper Than the Night" is a song by Olivia Newton-John. It was released as the second single from Newton-John's tenth studio album, ''Totally Hot''. The song reached No. 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 18 in Canada. On the adult co ...
" #"
Have You Never Been Mellow ''Have You Never Been Mellow'' is the fifth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 12 February 1975 by MCA Records. Reception Both the title single and the album rose to the top of their respective US charts ...
" #"
Let Me Be There "Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in September 1973 as the second single from her studio album of the same name. The country-influenced song was Newton-John's fir ...
" / "
If Not for You "If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his October 1970 album ''New Morning''. It was also issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a love song to Dylan's first wife, Sara Dylan. He ...
" / "
Please Mr. Please "Please Mr. Please" is a song written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publication ...
" / "
If You Love Me (Let Me Know) "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" is a song written by John Rostill that was a 1974 hit single for Olivia Newton-John. It was her second release to hit the top 10 in the United States, reaching number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the Easy Lis ...
" #" Jolene" #" Sam" *"Video Sequence" ;Act 2 #
  • "
    Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...
    " #"
    Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
    " #" Suddenly" (performed with
    Dennis Tufano Dennis Stanley Joseph Tufano (born September 11, 1946) is the original lead singer of the 1960s rock group The Buckinghams, and has been a solo performer since the early 1980s. Biography Dennis Tufano was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended ...
    )
    #" A Little More Love"
  • *"Video Sequence" ;Act 3 #
  • "Silvery Rain" #"Falling" #"Heart Attack" #"
    Make a Move on Me "Make a Move on Me" is a song recorded by singer Olivia Newton-John for her eleventh studio album. ''Physical'' (1981). It was written by John Farrar and Tom Snow, and produced by the former. The follow-up single to the number-one hit "Physical", ...
    " #" Hopelessly Devoted to You" #"
    You're the One That I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produc ...
    " (performed with Tufano)
  • ;Encore: #
  • "
    Physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...
    " #"
    I Honestly Love You "I Honestly Love You" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John released in 1974 on the album '' Long Live Love'' in United Kingdom and ''If You Love Me, Let Me Know'' in the United States. The song became a worldwide pop hit, her first number ...
    "

  • Known tour dates


    Box office score data


    Personnel

    *
    Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
    – vocals * Tom Scott – saxophone/musical director *Carlos Vega – drums *
    Buzz Feiten Howard "Buzz" Feiten (born November 4, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, session musician, and luthier. He is best known as a lead and rhythm guitarist and for having patented a tuning system for guitars and similar instruments. ...
    – guitars *
    Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitch ...
    – guitars * Robert 'Pops' Popwell – bass guitar *Kevin Bassinson – keyboards *David Iwataki – keyboards *Judith Brown – backing vocals *
    Dennis Tufano Dennis Stanley Joseph Tufano (born September 11, 1946) is the original lead singer of the 1960s rock group The Buckinghams, and has been a solo performer since the early 1980s. Biography Dennis Tufano was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended ...
    – backing vocals *Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals *
    Roger Davies Roger Davies may refer to: * Roger Davies (actor), English actor known for ''Renford Rejects'' and ''The Cloverfield Paradox'' * Roger Davies (manager) (born 1952), Australian-born manager in the music industry * Roger Davies (footballer) (born 19 ...
    – personal management, for Regency Artists, Ltd. Source:


    External links



    Olivia Newton-John's official website


    References

    {{Olivia Newton-John 1982 concert tours Olivia Newton-John concert tours