Two the Hard Way Tour

Infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Two the Hard Way Tour


image_caption = Cher and Gregg Allman in Bruxelle
artist = Cher and Gregg Allman
album = "Two the Hard Way"
start_date = 1977
end_date = 1978
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 14
last_tour = The Sonny & Cher Show Tour
(1977)
this_tour = Two the Hard Way Tour
(1977/78)
next_tour = Take Me Home Tour
(1979/81)

The Two The Hard Way Tour (also known as The Hard Way Tour) was a mini-concert tour by American singer-actress Cher and American singer Gregg Allman, designed to promote their joint "Two the Hard Way" album.cite book | last=Quirk | first=Lawrence J. | title= Totally Uninhibited: The Life and Wild Times of Cher | publisher=William Morrow and Company | year=1991 | isbn=0-668-09822-3 p. 118.] Cher did not participate much in the tour because she was busy with her television programme "The Cher Show"."Two the Hard Way" was a commercial flop, and dates of the tour in the United States were very limited. There were more dates in Japan, Oceania and Europe.

History

The European leg of the tour covered Holland, Belgium, France, England, Wales, Scotland, and West Germany, over a span of 29 days.cite news | title=Interview of Cher and Gregg Allman | author=Dangaard, Colin | publisher="Abilene Reporter" | date=November 25, 1977]

The pair were backed by an eight-piece band. The show, whose material was selected by both of them, combined both Allman's material, which he sang solo, and numerous duets between the two on softer material in a Blues or Country-Western vein. Cher avoided the gaudy, over-the-top outfits of her normal stage self, and instead wore jeans, a tank top, and a cowboy hat. The two also engaged in some married-couple stage banter, although not to the Sonny and Cher level.

In November 1977, following their opening show in Bruxelle, Belgium, Allman said that he had had some concerns about the endeavor. "It's the first time ever we've given concerts together. We wondered a lot about how it would work out. For one thing, we didn't know if we'd be accepted."cite news | title=Gregg and Cher are singing together | author=Gruber, Ruth | publisher=United Press International | date=November 16, 1977] Cher said, "It's different, but not that different, and I also find it real easy to sing this type of music," sentiments she had said before the tour as well, "We sound like we've been singing together for a long time."

Allman did not want this tour's road expenses to mount up, as they had for the last Allman Brothers Band tour. However, this tour too lost money from the start. The Hard Way Tour also led to the final breakup of the couple. While pre-tour publicity had emphasized that Gregg Allman was free from drug and alcohol problems, Cher discovered during the tour that Gregg Allman's drinking had returned, and once the tour was complete, she told him that their marriage finally was done for good.

Partial set list

The typical set list included:Due to the lack of information about the tour, it is difficult to find out much about the setlist etc.]

*"Sweet Feelin'" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYM33V31UTI]
*"Move Me" (with Cher) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OssZL_YNZ3o]
*"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (with Cher)
*"This Be a Lesson to Ya" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1V7Vhvk6-Y]
*"Love the One You're With" (with Cher)
*"Love Me" (with Cher)
*"Half-Breed (Acustic Version)" Cher solo (with Greg at the guitar) [http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/index.php?module=My_eGallery&do=showpic&pid=1100&orderby=dateD]

Tour dates

For some dates the opening act was Splinter. [On the internet and in online markets it is easy to find old tour posters which promoted the tour, which serves as a good source for dates and venues of the tour.]

Broadcasts and recordings

Concerts were only recorded in Oceania and Japan. Video or photographic records of these concerts are very hard to come by, but in early 2008, three low quality videos emerged on You Tube from the Japanese concerts.Cher is only in one video, but in Japan she sing also "You've Really Got A Hold On Me".The couple were guests on the UK television show "The Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1977 to promote the album and tour, clips of which can be seen in the documentaries "Still Cher" and "A&E Biography". They performed at least "Love Me" and "Move Me".

References