Return to Love Tour
| Tour by Diana Ross, The Supremes | |
| Start date | June 16, 2000 |
|---|---|
| End date | August 3, 2000 |
| Legs | 1 |
| No. of shows | 29 (14 played, 15 cancelled) |
| Diana Ross, The Supremes concert chronology | |
The Return to Love Tour was a 2000 concert tour by American singing group Diana Ross and the Supremes.
In 1999, Diana Ross released her final album on Motown Records, Every Day is a New Day. According to Ross (featured in an interview with Barbara Walters), Scott Sanders, a close friend of Ross', suggested adding an entire Supremes segment to her promotional concert tour for the then-new album in which she would perform full versions of the hits she recorded when she was with the Supremes. The idea developed into an entire show of Supremes songs which would reunite Ross with her former singing partners, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, as well as tour for the first time with all of the women who became Supremes following Ross' departure in January, 1970, Jean Terrell, Susaye Greene, Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence. Ross approached Arthur Fogel, head of concert promotions for TNA/SFX(now Live Nation Entertainment), who, reportedly, agreed. In the fall and winter of 1999, Ross contacted all of the group's former members, placing them in contact with TNA/SFX, then left negotiations between the artists, their agents and TNA/SFX. Upon contacting the tour's promoter, Wilson's initial queries regarded Ross' salary.
Negotiations began to crumble when Wilson was told that she would have no input into the show and was initially offered $1Million(Tour performance fees are determined by an artist's most recent earnings. Wilson, reportedly, earned $25,000 per date.)for 30 shows, later increased to $2Million, following Wilson's rejection of the initial offer. Wilson, who felt herself, Ross and Birdsong should be paid equally and have equal input into the show(despite Ross being the only former Supreme who regularly performs in stadiums), did not accept the first offer. Ross agreed to add an additional $2 million from her own personal finances to the $2 million that TNA/SFX proposed to Wilson, for a total of $4Million. Ross stipulated that all of the others artists' fees were guaranteed, meaning they'd receive the full amount of their contracts, regardless of how many performances actually took place. Birdsong, along with the other women, was offered $1Million for the tour, whereas Ross was to receive a percentage of the profits from the tour. Wilson erroneously stated Ross was to receive between $15Million to $20Million when, in fact, Ross, as the tour's co-producer, was receiving $500,000 per night from TNA/SFX to cover the tour's expenses. When the expenses exceeded the allotment, Ross covered the overages. The American media never challenged Wilson's portrayal of the women's negotiations and salaries.
...
Wikipedia