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Live & Unfinished: A Tour History

Posted by totatlarious (Natalie C) on April 2, 2012

Jordan Knight has always said first and foremost he’s a New Kid, but even back in the day everyone knew he would be the New Kid that would become a solo artist. He’s come a long way since playing incognito in a piano bar to prepare him for a solo career. From his very first solo show in Miami on February 27, 1999 to his days of doing radio station concerts backed by dancers and DJ Finesse, to the opening act on the *NSync Tour, to the better off forgotten Jordan Knight performs NKOTB Tour, The Fix Tour, playing county fairs and intimate venues, to making live appearances with Debbie Gibson. All of these things have led us to this…the 2012 Live and Unfinished Tour.

Jordan Knight’s 5th solo album, Unfinished, was released on May 31, 2011 accompanied by a record release party held in New York City that included a live performance. After that performance it only left the fans wanting to experience Unfinished on a greater scale. Unfinished was released in the midst of the NKOTBSB Tour and Jordan was gracious enough to perform his new music for fans around the country as he hosted after parties and participated in radio station concert events. One such event was held in Boston, complete with Jordan hosting an intimate VIP meet and greet at a restaurant, playing bingo and trivia with the fans. After the NKOTBSB Tour, Jordan was given the opportunity to be a judge on a new Canadian television show, Cover Me Canada, and once again the fans thought their chance to experience Unfinished was slighted.

Soon after Jordan began working on Cover Me Canada, rumors that came to fruition, started swirling around that he had been invited to perform in Detroit. Indeed, as Cover Me Canada was coming to a close, Jordan performed live in Pontiac, MI on November 12, 2011. That performance set off a spark in the fans, all wanting and begging for Jordan to do more shows, in more cities. As if he had predetermined the fans’ reaction, Jordan was way ahead of them and had already set the wheels in motion for additional shows.

“And to all that couldn’t make the Detroit show….and are wondering about more future JK Shows… the answer is YES, I will be doing more..” as Jordan tweeted on November 15 it sent all the fans into a frenzy wondering where and when these shows would happen. Then after the NKOTB New Year’s Eve Show was cancelled, after Jordan released his 2012 calendar, after Thanksgiving and after all his tweets hinting:

“Busy putting some choreography together for UpNDown and Like a Wave right now….. Woo gonna be sick!!!”

“Good news this Monday! Owwwww!!!”

“Cant wait till this weekend is over…then I can announce something VERY exciting!!”

The fans were FINALLY overjoyed to know there would be more Jordan shows!

Jordan couldn’t even contain himself and let the cat out of the bag on December 11, the day before the official announcement via Chicago’s LiteFM 93.9 on Monday.

“OK all, here’s the deal. Tomorrow morning at 8 am, Tickets are going on sale for Jordan Knight: Live and Unfinished in Chicago.”

And Live and Unfinished became a reality.

Soon the dates and cities started rolling out, Chicago, Minneapolis, Toronto, Nashville, Louisville, Dallas and Houston. Jordan meanwhile started rehearsing and held auditions for dancers, where the talented Danny Pace and Josh “Jato” Perez were selected for the job. Jordiclaus also spared us and waited to put the much coveted VIP tickets on sale after Christmas (with the exception of Dallas) as everyone scooped up Live and Unfinished tickets as their Christmas gifts to themselves.

Next came the first presale of the tour, Atlanta, and another Toronto and Chicago area show were also announced. Jordan also revealed he’d be coming to the West Coast in March sending the West Coast fans into a bout of excitement that would last for weeks. As the New Year began Jordan resolved:

“My resolution, is to not take any of you for granted… and to put on an amazing, dynamic, fun, energetic kick ass show!! thats one…” –and he didn’t let us down.

Jordan continued working tirelessly, almost every day, working with choreographer Keith Silva. Jordan and Keith kept us updated via Twitter of all the hard work they were doing and kept us excited anticipating the Live and Unfinished show.

The first of several JK VIP Days was held on January 6, 2012 for the sales of the VIP upgrade tickets, which sold out in 24 hours, and the first appearance of @liveunfinished was seen. The Twitter of @liveunfinished was the place to find all information relating to the tour, ticket sale dates and times and also the infamous retweets of every question you could ever imagine relating to Live and Unfinished.

Next up to be announced was Jordan’s hometown of Boston at Showcase Live and Jordan also announced his performance at the charity fundraiser Dancing for Hope and Jordan was interviewed by The Single Woman, to which he had these comments:

“Everyone agreed with my @TheSingleWoman article for the most part… Most disagreements were.. Men and women can’t be platonic friends…lol”

“Everyone keeps saying…”well, I have a friend that’s a male”….. But how really good friends are you? And…… How do you know exactly”

“What he thinks/feels about you??? Hmm…… Suspect! Lol!”

Then came the announcement of Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, DC, NYC, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco, all just in time for the start of the tour! Prepping for the tour, Jordan rehearsed on January 24 at Showcase Live in Boston with Elevation Theory and we got a sneak peek of the songs for the show!

As Jordan prepared to head to Minneapolis the tour schedule was complete:

2012 Live & Unfinished Tour
1/26 Minneapolis
1/27 Joliet IL
1/28 Lincolnshire IL
2/9 Atlanta
2/10 Nashville
2/11 Louisville
2/16 Toronto
2/17 Toronto
2/23 San Antonio
2/24 Houston
2/25 Dallas
3/8 Los Angeles
3/9 San Francisco (later changed to 3/11)
3/10 Las Vegas
3/22 Cleveland
3/23 Pittsburgh
3/25 Silver Spring MD (DC area)
3/30 Philadelphia
3/31 NYC
4/1 Boston

Jordan hit the stage that first night in Minneapolis, entering the stage peering out at the crowd through his sunglasses, exciting the crowd for what lie ahead. His piano set was a display of his smooth, soulful voice with him playing more obscure songs from his first album, as well as selections made by the fans via Twitter. His performance of “Up N Down” and “O-Face” was instantly a fan favorite complete with the exhilarating crotch grabs, sexy dance moves (O-Face was all Jordan) and occasional stage humping. Jordan also continued his practice of bringing up fans to be his “Rockstar” during his performance of the song before winding down the show with the seamlessly choreographed “Like a Wave”, his single “Stingy” and closed out the show going back to his roots performing “The Right Stuff”. Jordan’s live vocals were nothing short of perfect and as of that first performance, Live and Unfinished was on.

The first weekend of the tour Jordan appeared on Chicago’s ABC 7 and we all lost our minds when his performance of O-Face hit YouTube. The VIP Soundchecks were a highlight, fans were allowed in early to get up close standing room only and were able to watch and hear Jordan perform soundcheck with Elevation Theory. Soundcheck was also special as he also performed parts of songs like “She’s Got a Way”, “Have You”, and “No Diggity” during the event. The VIP after parties also included Jordan giving each fan a rose and fans participating in trivia for prizes and/or having to sing lyrics from one of Jordan’s songs. Jordan also opened up the floor to the fans to be able to ask him questions during the after party.

Dancing for Hope on February 4 was a huge success, raising money for St Mary’s Center for Women and Children in Dorchester, MA with Jordan’s live performance and fans coming out to support the cause. That same day, @liveunfinished hinted at another special VIP event for Louisville:

“All my @jordanknight Louisville #liveandunfinished Folks! Stay Tuned for a Special VIP Event on Sunday Feb 12th! @massappealdl has a plan!”

All the fans were intrigued as we sat on pins and needles waiting for this new and special VIP event to be announced. Just days before the actual event it was announced that Jordan would be hosting a post-show VIP Brunch at the Hard Rock in Louisville and fans knew they had to be there.

As the tour headed into its second weekend, Jordan continued to practice in the studio refining and enhancing parts of the show. Josh and Danny, Jordan’s dancers, proved to be a perfect addition to Jordan’s show and to the extended NKOTB family. As talented as they are personable, we the fans were able to get to know them and embrace them as they learned what it was like to be on tour and do shows with an artist like Jordan.

At each of Jordan’s shows, Josh, Danny, Free, Sean, Matt, and Keithen welcomed the fans with open arms and made everyone feel right at home – all the while amazing us with their talent. Not to forget, a huge thank you goes to Victor, Charlie and Marcus who were always very personable, kind and patient and did their best to try and keep all of us in line.

Weekend after weekend, all around the country we were all treated to Live and Unfinished. Jordan brought the merchandise in full force, after inquiring on our choices, Rockstar hoodies were added to the goods as well as Live and Unfinished t-shirts and posters.

When the first VIP Brunch was held, it was a roaring success. Brunch allowed Jordan time to come around to each table and visit with fans and then took individual pictures with each afterwards. After the first brunch, every fan in every city wanted one and Jordan didn’t disappoint, including hosting a dinner when he couldn’t make time for brunch.

The weekend Jordan was in Toronto he made several appearances: on Entertainment Tonight Canada, live on Chum FM, taped a segment for the Food Network (air date TBD), and also taped a very endearing interview on The George Stroumboulopoulos Show . He also filmed the amusing “Tips for Hockey Dads” while appearing on George’s show. Jon also briefly joined Jordan onstage during the second show in Toronto.

Jordan’s tour schedule luckily allowed for a few weekends off, which allowed him time to spend with his family and work on NKOTB’s new music for their next album. The weekend only (or extended weekend) show schedule was a perfect idea for the fans, allowing for easier travel and time off for those that work and have families. The tour was not without it’s challenges; however, as sound problems occurred in a few cities, Jordan forgot his show pants in Dallas and the San Antonio venue was outdoors where the fans had to stand on rocks and the stage was concrete. No matter, all these challenges Jordan and the fans always made the best of and continued to enjoy Live and Unfinished.

God love the West Coast fans because they seem to be the ones who feel they are the most deprived and ignored. Jordan didn’t ignore and he certainly didn’t cheat the fans of some time with him when he went to L.A., Vegas and San Francisco, holding brunches and a special dinner in Vegas. He appeared live on television on KTNV in Las Vegas and on KTLA from Los Angeles as well.

The second to the last weekend of the tour coincided with NKOTB Town Hall events that were being held on the East Coast. Jordan of course could not make it to those, but rather was able to share most of the information from the Town Halls with fans at a special radio event hosted in his honor by 99.3 The Vibe in Fredericksburg, VA on March 24. Jordan shared that NKOTB would be doing a special event in August similar to a “land cruise” and that there would be no tour of North America in 2012. Jordan also said that he was going to be working on filming and documenting the last weekend of the tour to hopefully have a DVD of the tour as well. He did also mention that he was going to bring Live and Unfinished on the NKOTB Cruise and that he wanted to continue Live and Unfinished in the fall! That weekend he also appeared on WPXI in Pittsburgh after being stuffed into a van with the luggage. Jordan can honestly say this tour included planes, trains and automobiles and all the fans should be grateful to him for traveling for hours with luggage in his lap because after all, he endured that so he could be with us!

Sadly, as the last weekend in March approached, we knew all good things must come to an end. Jordan wrapped up Live and Unfinished with shows in Philly, NYC and Boston. Prior to kicking off the weekend he made an appearance and performed a few songs in NYC at KTU’s Singles Mingle . After much speculation and high hopes, Donnie did join Jordan onstage in NYC to perform Stingy, as well as Jon showing up and the three of them performing The Right Stuff!

The last and final show was in Boston, concluded with a special after party with a performance by DJ Clinton Sparks and one last brunch the day after.

“Damn!!! After party was hot!! Don’t know how I’m still standing… @ClintonSparks killed it!!”

Live and Unfinished was nothing short of a masterful display of Jordan’s talent. From his high energy dance performances to his sincere performances behind a piano, every moment was an experience, feeling every beat, every word and the emotion behind it. This tour was Jordan’s chance to bring to life his new solo album for all the fans and for many to experience Jordan as a solo artist for the very first time. Whether it was your first Jordan show or your tenth Jordan show, Live and Unfinished was unforgettable.

And so…after 20 shows, all the begging, the ticket buying, the anticipation, the planning, the tweeting, the rehearsing, the brunches, the soundchecks, the meet and greets, the VIP photos, the interviews, the TV appearances, the traveling, the exhaustion, the thrills, the fun, the memories and most of all the awe-inspiring music, the 2012 Live and Unfinished Tour has come to an end….and in all my years as a fan I have never been more proud to be a Jordan Knight fan than right now.

Jordan, your hard work and dedication to giving us good music and putting together a live show for all of us to enjoy is beyond appreciated. Giving of yourself with your time, energy and creativity to provide us with more than just a concert is also more than anyone could ask for. You truly give back to the fans and we hope that we have given back to you all that you have given to us.

Thank You Jordan! It’s been AMAZING!