Verizon Ladies First Tour
| Tour by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott | |||||||
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| Start date | March 12, 2004 | ||||||
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| End date | April 21, 2004 | ||||||
| Legs | 1 | ||||||
| No. of shows | 30 in North America | ||||||
| Box office | $22 million ($27.90 in 2017 dollars) | ||||||
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The Verizon Ladies First Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott. Canadian artist Tamia was featured as a special guest. The tour, dubbed the "urban Lilith Fair" supported Elliott's fifth studio album, This Is Not a Test!; Keys' second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys and Knowles' first studio album, Dangerously in Love. The trek visited the United States performing in over twenty cities in March and April. The outing was the first three-act show to feature three female R&B artist in a headlining role. It became one of the biggest tours in 2004, placing 34th on Pollstar's "Top Tours of 2004"—earning over 22 million dollars. The success of the tour promoted a 2005 leg but the plans were scrapped and Verzion focused on creating the Verizon VIP Tour.
The tour was originally supposed to feature Beyonce with Ashanti, Monica, and Mary J. Blige but scheduling conflicts caused the other three ladies not to be up for the tour. When the tour was officially announced, it was Beyonce, along with Keys, Elliott, and Tamia joining the bill. The tour was announced by various media outlets in January 2004. Conceived by Verizon Communications, the tour was sponsored by Steve Madden and L'Oréal. Hayman Entertainment and Clear Channel Entertainment served as tour promoters. Costumes were designed by Dolce & Gabbana. When the tour was announced, Knowles dispelled any conflict while touring. She says all three acts are good friends and there will be no competitiveness. All three acts expressed their interest in performing in a tour of this nature. It became the first tour highlighting women in the urban music scene. Knowles stated:
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