Urban Hymns Tour

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Urban Hymns Tour


image_caption =
artist = The Verve
dates = November 1, 1997 - August, 1998
number_of_legs = 5
number_of_shows = 46

The Urban Hymns Tour was a concert tour by British Britpop band The Verve from November 1997 until August 1998. The tour began less than five weeks after the "Urban Hymns" album had been released. The tour consisted of 5 legs, containing 46 shows in total.

Notable shows

Haigh Hall show

The Haigh Hall show in Wigan, UK, was the bands homecoming gig, as they had not played in their home city since 1992 on the Gravity Grave Tour. The band were supported by John Martyn, Beck (who was playing his only UK date of that year) and Eumir Deodato. The show was a complete sell out and became one of the band's most famous performances.

lane Castle show

The final gig on the tour was the annual Slane Concert, which The Verve headlined. They were backed by David Gray, James, Robbie Williams and the Manic Street Preachers. The show was almost capacity, with over 80,000 fans purchasing tickets. It proved to be the band's last gig until their 2007 reunion. The show ended with a 15 minute jam of "Bitter Sweet Symphony".

Tour legs

1. United States

*Leg consisted of 13 shows.
*Shows in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and Detroit, among others.

2. United Kingdom

*Leg consisted of 10 shows.
*Shows in Glasgow, Manchester, London, and a "homecoming" show in Wigan.

3. Western Europe

*Leg consisted of 5 shows.
*Shows in The Netherlands, France, and Germany.

4. North America

*Leg consisted of 13 shows.
*Eleven shows in the United States, and two in Canada.

5. United Kingdom and Ireland

*Leg consisted of 3 shows.
*Shows in Chelmsford, Leeds and Dublin, Ireland, which was, in fact, the bands last ever gig until their reunion.

Live set

The set list was chosen from a selection of these:
*"A New Decade"
*"This Is Music"
*"Life's An Ocean"
*"Man Called Sun"
*"Sonnet"
*"One Day"
*"Catching the Butterfly"
*"Slide Away"
*"Weeping Willow"
*"The Rolling People"
*"On Your Own"
*"The Drugs Don't Work"
*"Space and Time"
*"A Northern Soul"
*"Stormy Clouds"
*"Stormy Clouds (Reprise)"
*"Bitter Sweet Symphony"
*"History"
*"Lucky Man"
*"This Time"
*"Come On"
*"Velvet Morning"
*"See You in the Next One (Have a Good Time)"