You can run and you can hide, from opening night

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Tina Turner - Antwerp, Belgium - April 27, 1990

23 years ago today, Tina Turner opened her Foreign Affair European tour at the Sportpaleis (Sports Palace) in Antwerp, Belgium. The tour would go on to be the biggest concert tour in Europe of that year, and one of the biggest tours in Tina’s career, playing over a hundred shows across the continent; from Zagreb to Lisbon and from Oslo to Athens. During opening night, Tina performed You Can’t Stop Me Loving You and Look Me In The Heart, the only time the songs were heard live – audio inside the post.

Setlist

Tina Turner opened her 1990 tour on April 27 in Antwerp, Belgium, after having rehearsed there for two weeks. By many considered as one of the best shows in her career, the tour wasn’t off to an easy start. The first few weeks, Tina and her band struggled to find the right running order for the concert. A lot of songs were moved around during these first few dates, and a few were dropped from the setlist; such as River Deep, Mountain High and Good Times (Easybeats original, later performed by INXS and Jimmy Barnes).

Belgian newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ was present during one of the rehearsals. The journalist reports on the tentative setlist that was rehearsed. Some surprising songs were considered for the show, including ‘Tonight’ (the 1984 duet with David Bowie) and ‘Paradise Is Here’. However, they were never performed during the actual show.

Tina Turner - Foreign Affair opening night - newspaper clipping

Two songs that were in the setlist during opening night were ‘Look Me In The Heart’ and ‘You Can’t Stop Me Loving You’, both from the Foreign Affair album. The setlist from the first show in Antwerp looks as follows, with a whopping 9 songs from the new album.

1. The Best
2. Ask Me How I Feel
3. River Deep, Mountain High
4. Private Dancer
5. We Don’t Need Another Hero
6. I Can’t Stand The Rain
7. Nutbush City Limits
8. Steamy Windows
9. Undercover Agent For The Blues
10. You Can’t Stop Me Loving You
11. Foreign Affair
12. Typical Male
13. Look Me In The Heart
14. I Don’t Wanna Lose You
15. What’s Love Got To Do With It?
16. Let’s Stay Together
Introduction of the band
17. Proud Mary
18. What You Get Is What You See
19. Good Times
20. Be Tender With Me, Baby
21. Better Be Good To Me

If you think that love is blind; Look Me In The Heart

Recently, fellow Tina-fan Enrico found an audio recording from the concert in his collection. Although the sound quality leaves much to be desired, we couldn’t help but sharing the only known full live performances of ‘You Can’t Stop Me Loving You’ and ‘Look Me In The Heart’. We ask you: was Tina right to drop them from the setlist, or should they have remained in the show?

You Can’t Stop Me Loving You

Look Me In The Heart

Press reception

The world press was present during opening night (to really put the pressure on), given that it was announced the tour would be Tina Turner’s final concert tour. Despite Tina not being satisfied with the show yet, German magazine ‘Bravo’ published a raving concert report, with lots of photos.

Tina Turner - opening night Antwerp, Belgium - 1990Overall, reviews were mixed positive, often referring to the elaborate stage production of the show. However, Dutch newspaper ‘NRC Handelsblad’ noted some vocal problems with Tina, and found the stage production often dominated the music. A criticism not uncommon for Tina’s later-year big production tours. It needs to be noted that everybody in the audience went home happy, and impressed. Not bad for an opening night of a still struggling show. She got it right in the end! A selection of newspaper clippings below.

A big thank you goes out to Enrico, for providing the audio and the newspaper articles.

Published by Sjef

28 Replies to “You can run and you can hide, from opening night”

  1. Thank you for posting this, this was my favourite Tina Tour (I went to two shows in Oslo and Birmingham). Here are a few additional facts you maybe didnt know (probably interesting only to the hardcore fans) from the Oslo concert:
    * In the beginning of the opening act, the band started to play “the best”, suddenly the melody changed to “steamy windows” and Tina appeared at the top of the stairs. This can also be seen at some of the bootlegs.
    * When she introduced the song “ask me how I feel” she didnt say ” How do you feel ” as in the Barcelona video, but “How about tonight !”, I think that phrase was perfect for the song
    * At the end of “Better be good to me”, Tina climbed down from the stage and let people sing in her mic !!!!!

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    1. I think Tina should have kept «You can´t stop me loving you» in the list, man that´s one of the best songs in the Foreign Affair album, it´s naughty, it´s fun, it is so Tina, fans would have gone bananas listening to Tina teasing us with those words….you cant stop me loving you……..or how do you feel, baby…man….that would have been awesome..everything about that song is perfect, Tina´s delivery is perfect….the sensual bits, the bombastic ending..great song!!!
      Look me in the heart is so different and for me it remains as one of Tina´s finest hours, just the perfect ballad penned by Kelly/ Steinberg, who wrote gret tunes for Cyndi lauper and Heart , but i guess that it would have been difficult to sing live, so i undersytand her choice with this one.
      Falling like rain, should have been included in the list…wonderful song, gutsy, cool, perfect for Tina

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  2. Tina was rehearsing several weeks in Antwerp before the start of the tour. When I went to pick up my tickets, they sent me to an office inside the sportpaleis and I could hear her doing rehearsals. The lady at the office was so nice and gave me three huge promo posters for the Antwerp show. I will nver forget these shows. front row and my first tina concerts.There were so many reporters as it was the world premiere of what was then considered her final tour. There was free pepsi for everyone in the front đŸ™‚ before the show there were several pepsi commercials shown. The crowd just went crazy. this was Tina’s most succesful period in Europe. She was everywhere. Saw her again in Rotterdam (De kuip in June and Ahoy in November) and in Brussels (September).
    thanks to my parents who drove me to all the shows as I was too young to drive myself đŸ™‚
    I still have all the original news paper clippings from these concerts.

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  4. At the time I was living at about 1500m from the Spotpaleis, and I would pass there twice a day by tram, going to and coming from mu office. During the two weeks of rehearse I was looking very carefully every tine I passes the place hoping to catch a glimps of Tina, entering or leaving the building, unfortunately I never did. However during the opening night I had a seat rather close to the stage đŸ™‚

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  8. Thanks so much for sharing! I love both songs and wish she had kept them in the set. ‘Look Me In The Heart’ is an all time favourite of mine đŸ™‚

    I guess she has to please casual fans with the obvious hits. But I would much rather hear album tracks loved by us hardcore fans.

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  10. Hi guys! Thanks a lot for this wonderful article. Personally, I would have preferred “Look me in the heart” instead of “I don´t wanna loose you”. And although I didn´t like the album version of “You can´t stop me…”, this live version sounded quite good to me, and suited very well following “Undercover agent…”. Oh, and so many thanks to Enrico for the audio!!

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  12. Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.

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  13. I love the foreign affair album and tour. It is Tina looking her best. I love I don’t wanna lose you and it would have been good if she sang falling like rain. Falling like rain is one of my favourites on the album and it’s a shame it was not sung live.

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  14. This era was the peak of Tina’s career. She looked incredible, the show was superb, the album “FA” beyond amazing. Everything was perfect. Now, we just need the Barcelona concert to be released in DVD/Blue-Ray (officially, of course – I’m not talking about bootlegs). Speaking of setlist, I love “Falling Like Rain” too. It’s a pity that it wasn’t included on the setlist, but she can’t include every great song. The follow-up tour “What’s Love” was great too, and it was like a north-american extension of this one.

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    1. Thanks for your comment T-Rox.

      This is indeed Tina Turner at her best! And concerning the What’s Love Tour, it was of course great as usual but Roger planned this tour to support the movie and the soundtrack that was having troubles in the charts…

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  15. In my opinion “Look Me In The Heart” is one of the most beautiful songs ever, Tina or otherwise. Her vocal is so beautiful and the tempo perfect. It always takes me back to the most beautiful memories. What I gift I wish she had incorporated in all her tours.

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    1. Indeed a great song and the whole Foreign Affair album always brings back a lot of sweet memories to many fans i guess, can’t wait for the summer, i think it’s the perfect weather to fully enjoy this album đŸ˜‰
      Thanks for commenting!

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  16. Loving her leather outfit with tails – wonder why she dropped that look (until the SuperBowl).

    The set list shows her doing “Good Times” – what is that and can you pull audio?

    Thank you for file of You Can’t Stop… Live version def better than album.

    Best,

    K

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  17. i am a huge Tina fan, i have always dreamed of a Tina concert with all the great songs tat she has never sung…it would be electrifying
    My list will be
    I idolize you
    A love like yours, the album version
    Girls
    Til the right man comes along
    I´ll be thunder
    Falling like rain
    Not enough romance
    You can´t stop me loving me
    Look me in the heart
    way of the world
    The difference between us
    easy as life
    Falling

    I would love to see her singing some old hits such as
    Root toot
    Night life
    and classics
    Golden eye
    Two people
    Missing you

    Break every rule( the album version)..she could set us on fire with this one and a great stage set.

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