Number Ones, Up Close and Personal World Tour was the sixth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It showcased her sophomore compilation album, Number Ones and visited Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Jackson traveled to thirty-five different cities selected by fans, one chosen for each of her number one hits. The tour took an organic and intimate approach, excluding the elaborate theatrics and pyrotechnics her concerts have become infamous for, focusing on her musicality and choreography. Jackson explained the tour to be "different from anything I have ever done", adding, "These concerts are not about special effects. This is a love affair between me and those of you who have supported me and my work for all these years." Jackson dedicated an individual song to the audience during every show to commemorate each city.
The show's intimate aura was praised among critics, many commending Jackson's showmanship in contrast to her more recent contemporaries. The majority of the tour had completely sold out, notably two shows in Sydney, Australia, which sold out within fifteen minutes, in addition to Los Angeles, which sold in under ten minutes, and three shows in London. The tour achieved several attendance records, among the most attended concerts in the Reliant Stadium's history and top selling shows of the year in the Philippines. It had also broken the gross for a single performance at a venue located in Tampa, Florida, surpassing a record previously held by Mariah Carey. Private shows were held in Singapore, Shanghai, London, and Hertfordshire, the latter venue compensating Jackson a substantial amount to perform. An exclusive concert was also held at the Liaisons Au Louvre II Charity Gala in Paris, France, making Jackson the first female pop artist in history to perform at the I. M. Pei glass pyramid. Professional footage of shows in Singapore and London were filmed but have not been released. Entertainers such as Taylor Swift, Joe Jonas, Siti Nurhaliza, Rachel Stevens, Park Jung-Min, and British boy band JLS were reported to attend the tour.
Selected dates of the tour's first North American leg from March to April 2011 had ranked forty-fifth in Pollstar's Top 50 Worldwide Tours, earning $16 million. At the end of 2011, the tour placed 62nd on Pollstar's "Top 100 Worldwide Tours", earning $26.5 million from 71 shows worldwide.
Background
Several years prior, Jackson embarked on her first tour in nearly seven years, the Rock Witchu Tour. It faced adversities due to an illness revealed as severe vertigo, which had also affected several promotional appearances during the release of her eighth studio album, Discipline. Jackson planned to tour Asia during that time, however, dates were postponed due to the 2009 economic crisis. Jackson intended to tour in support of her Number Ones album but was halted by numerous circumstances, including filming Why Did I Get Married Too? and For Colored Girls. At the same time, she penned her first book, True You and suffered the death of her brother, Michael Jackson. In 2010, Jackson returned to performing at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jackson's performance was praised by both media and spectators, also breaking Beyoncé's attendance record at the Louisiana Superdome.
Upon performing a private concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, she became inspired to tour with an intimate show. In November, Jackson posted a video on her official website announcing details of her upcoming tour. She deemed it the "largest world tour I've ever done" while revealing its concept of an intimate gathering with fans. She exclusively performed her catalog of number ones hits from charts such as Billboard's Hot 100, Top 40 Mainstream, R&B Songs, and Hot Dance Club Songs, as well as Japan's Oricon, Canadian Singles, and various international charts in Europe and Australia. Jackson performed in 35 cities, each show offering something different in terms of her performance. Fans were to vote on cities via her official website. She honored 20 people who performed service in their community with the "20 Under 20" contest and dedicated one hit to each city during every show. In December, Jackson announced the first date in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
In April, Jackson extended the tour's North American and European legs into the fall due to massive sellouts. She also extended the tour into Australia, Africa, and South America. The tour was sponsored by Universal Music and fashion label Blackglama.
Development Jackson desired to perform an organic show without the use of theatrics and pyrotechnics, selecting venues allowing her to be intimate with fans. It focused on Jackson's artistry through singing and choreography, using an "unplugged" concept. Jackson explained, "I was in New York performing [a private show] at Radio City Music Hall. It was so much fun to look into the audience and see the eyes, smiles and energy of each person. I was singing and dancing and all I could think was, 'This is how I will perform my next tour'. Up close and personal. Giving my fans something we hadn't shared before." The show is divided into multiple segments, each focusing on a specific theme within the song's lyrical content to express an individual storyline. Jackson stated, "I am always looking to grow as an artist. When creating this tour, I wanted to tell a specific story in each section of the show. I am having fun looking at these songs and seeing what I can do with them and let them inspire me." Various costume and set list changes were made frequently throughout the tour, saying "I am a very creative person, so I love to experiment. [...] I have changed some of the costumes, added songs and videos to the line up. I love to create so it has been a lot of fun." Jackson did many meet and greets with fans and allowed them to give specific input into the show. Regarding their contributions, Jackson said, "I am so fortunate that my fans, no matter where they are, are so loyal. They give me so much love and I am excited to return mine to them."
Concert synopsis
The tour took an intimate and organic approach, focusing on Jackson's musicality and showmanship in dedication to her fans. Each segment focuses on a different theme based on the song's lyrical content. The show began with a video introduction of Jackson explaining its concept. After this, a music video of the individual song dedicated to the current city is shown. She enters from the back of the audience flaunting a "scythe-edged" haircut in a grey catsuit to perform opening number "The Pleasure Principle", moving throughout the venue's centerpiece while interacting with the crowd. Upon reaching the stage, she performed "Control", "What Have You Done for Me Lately", and "Feedback" before transitioning to "You Want This", "Alright", and "Miss You Much" replicating each song's signature dance moves. Jackson smashes her way into "Nasty" ending the first part of the show. A film reel of highlights from Jackson's acting career was played during a brief interlude, including scenes from Good Times, Poetic Justice, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and Why Did I Get Married Too?. She reappeared in a diamond-encrusted lavender gown and sat on a stool in center stage to perform several unplugged ballads. The set began with "Nothing" and "Come Back to Me" before closing with "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Again", briefly pausing to allow the audience to sing several verses in their entirety. "Janet's Image", a second video montage consisting of Jackson's most iconic photographs is shown before she returned in a sleeveless black vest. The third set focused on upbeat love songs, beginning with "Doesn't Really Matter" and leading into "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", "When I Think of You", and "All for You." After a slight pause, she sang "That's the Way Love Goes." The band played an instrumental version of "What About" during a costume break. Upon emerging, Jackson segued through a rock-influenced portion in a black jacket, performing "Black Cat" and "If", emulating its music video's iconic choreography. The set closed with "Scream" and "Rhythm Nation." Following a final intermission, Jackson and her dancers reappeared in matching white outfits for the show's encore. Her then-most recent number one hit "Make Me" lead the set. followed by the show's finale, "Together Again." Throughout the song, childhood images of her with Michael Jackson appeared on screens in tribute to his death. The show ended with Jackson speaking to the crowd and waving goodbye as she exits the stage. "All Nite (Don't Stop)", "Runaway", "Call on Me", "I Get Lonely", "Diamonds", "The Best Things in Life Are Free", "Throb", "Go Deep" and "When We Oooo" were performed on selected dates.
Critical reception The tour was met with positive reviews. The Jakarta Post wrote Jackson put together "a well-crafted performance, peppered with cool and familiar choreographies combined with an impressive multimedia backdrop." Serene Goh of The Straits Times wrote, "She was theatrical before Lady Gaga, racy before Rihanna and bootylicious before Beyoncé ... Jackson, now 44, brought to the stage a different sensibility, a pared-down set, fewer back-up dancers and less distraction." Amy Verner of The Globe and Mail stated Jackson "proved that she no longer needs elaborate stage sets or pyrotechnics to captivate her fans." Verner concluded, "Seeing Jackson in concert is less about her vocal range than her command of countless choreographed moves to catchy songs that you find you know the words to. She's in her element performing live, transitioning smoothly from fierce and aggressive to sweet and giggly." Saeed Saeed of The National praised it as "a masterclass in how to deliver a pop performance", delivering a mixture of "fan favourites and new material." The "fast moving and slickly produced" show was thought to demonstrate her longevity, "reflecting her eclectic muse from pop, R&B to rock and dance."
Joe Lawler of the DesMoines Register called the show "a Janet Jackson sampler", adding "Ms. Jackson clearly knows how to work a crowd, and they showered her with affection." Lawler emphasized, "A number of artists have been tagged with the honorific "Queen of Pop" title over the years, but Jackson's longevity and body of work make it clear that she is worthy of it." Vaughn Schoonmaker of MTV News stated "Often imitated, never duplicated, Janet Jackson's outbursts of meticulous choreography, sassy exclamations and smoldering gazes into the audience kept them on their feet for the entire two-hour set... we can expect to see this singing and dancing pop legend shine far into the future." Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly praised Jackson's "crisp choreography" and vocals as "strong all evening", ranging from "both feathery and gruff." Wete added, "Statistically, the fact that she's one of the most successful artists of the last 25 years is unquestionable. She's in a class with Madonna, though not mentioned as much." of Chicago Sun-Times observed the tour's set list suggested "a total that once again equals international megastar."