After the success of Houston’s first studio album in eight years, the singer embarked on her first world tour since 1994 to promote it. In the North American leg, Houston turned down most of the arena dates, despite being big enough to sell out them, in favor of theaters because “I’ve turned down a lot of arena dates because I’ve done the big-arena thing”, says Houston. “Now I want to do something where people can feel me and I can feel them. This show is going to have a jam-session kind of feel”. This allowed the shows to have a jam-session kind of feel. Since theaters have lower capacities than arenas, Houston played in most North American cities for two nights each. Whitney Houston has launched her World Tour ’99 with a special Oprah Winfrey Show which aired nationally on June 21st, 1999, the eve of her opening performance in Chicago at the Aire Crown Theater. On the Oprah Winfrey Show, Houston performed several songs and premiered some of the Dolce & Gabbana fashions that have been specially designed for her tour. Designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce will also appear on the show to discuss how Houston and her music inspired their designs. The looks created especially for Houston reflect the different songs in her show, from edgy sportswear for sizzling numbers like her current hit single “It’s Not Right, But It’s OK” to dramatic evening gowns for her show-stopping ballads.

Houston signed a deal with Dolce & Gabbana. They would design all of Houston’s clothes for the tour. This gave Houston a more hip and contemporary look in to match her music in contrast to her previous tours. Houston first showcased her new edgy wardrobe on the Oprah Winfrey show prior to the tour opener in Chicago.

In July Houston made a surprise appearance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian and Gay Pride Dance. At the event, the singer did a rare performance of the popular remixes to “It’s Not Right But It’s OK” and “Heartbreak Hotel”.

Controversy arose during the North American leg of the tour. There were reports of strange and erratic behavior behind the scenes. Houston cancelled some of the dates, including two shows in her hometown of Newark. The singer pulled out of her San Francisco show at the Concord Pavilion 15 minutes before the start; the city demanded $100,000 in compensation after public outroar. Houston blamed all the cancellations on an ongoing throat ailment. Still, these actions would further spark drug use rumour in the tabloids.

The tour was successful. The concerts featured Houston’s highest ticket prices. With many shows, Houston commanded up to $150 for a ticket, making her just one of a few artists to break the $100 barrier. Whitney Houston, along with rapper Jay-Z, were the only urban acts that were able to translate successful album sales into successful tours.

The tour was an even bigger success in Europe however. It was the highest grossing arena concert tour of the year in the continent while playing to almost half a million people. Every date was sold out in advanced. As a result, the tour had to be extended to November due to high demand. Her first concert of the European leg, Sopot Poland, was televised.

Tour Documentation

Doro Films was hired to document the whole tour. The documentation was shelved and never released. The My Love Is Your Love performece as shown on Greatest Hits DVD was part of this project. In 2010 the following two clips were released on the Doro Homepage:

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set list

US Tour Opening Night Set List

“Get It Back”
“Heartbreak Hotel”
“If I Told You That”
“Saving All My Love For You”
“Until You Come Back”
“Oh Yes”
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
“I Learned From the Best”
intermission (Whitney’s brother, Gary Houston, performed a song)
“I’m Every Woman”
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
“In My Business”
“I Love The Lord”
“I Go To The Rock”
“It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”
Movie Medley:
- “I Believe In You And Me”
- “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”
- “It Hurts Like Hell”
“I Will Always Love You”
“My Love Is Your Love” (encore)
“Step By Step” (encore)

US Tour Regular Set List

“Get It Back”
“Heartbreak Hotel”
“If I Told You That”
“Saving All My Love For You”
“Until You Come Back”
“Oh Yes” (optional)
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
“Step By Step” (optional)
“I Learned From the Best”
intermission (Whitney’s brother, Gary Houston, performed a song)
“I’m Every Woman”
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
“In My Business”
“How Will I Know”
“I Love The Lord”
“I Go To The Rock”
“My Love Is Your Love”
Movie Medley:
- “I Believe In You And Me”
- “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”
- “It Hurts Like Hell”
“I Will Always Love You”
“It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”

Europe

“Get It Back”
“Heartbreak Hotel”
“If I Told You That”
“Saving All My Love For You”
“Until You Come Back”
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” (optional sung at the Zurich concert)
“I Learned From the Best”
“Step By Step”
“Queen Of The Night” (optional)
intermission (Whitney’s brother, Gary Houston, performed a song)
“My Love Is Your Love”
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
“How Will I Know”
“Amazing Grace” (only sung at the 1st Zurich concert)
“I Love The Lord”
“I Go To The Rock”
Movie Medley:
- “I Believe In You And Me”
- “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”
- “It Hurts Like Hell”
“I Will Always Love You” (Costume Change)
“It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”

Dates

North America
Date	City	Country	Venue
June 22, 1999	Chicago	United States	Arie Crown Theater
June 23, 1999
June 25, 1999	Detroit		Fox Theater
June 26, 1999
June 27, 1999	Toronto	Canada	Molson Amphitheater
July 2, 1999	Albany	United States	Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 3, 1999	Newark		New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Canceled)
July 5, 1999	Washington DC		Constitution Hall (Canceled)
July 8, 1999	Boston		Wang Center
July 9, 1999
July 11, 1999	Hartford		Oakdale Theater
July 14, 1999	New York		The Theater at Madison Square Garden
July 15, 1999
July 17, 1999	Philadelphia		Mann Center for the Performing Arts
July 18, 1999	University Park		Bryce Jordan Center
July 20, 1999	Atlanta		Fox Theater
July 21, 1999
July 23, 1999	Memphis		Mid-South Coliseum (Canceled)
July 24, 1999	St. Louis		Fox Theater (Canceled)
July 26, 1999	Denver		Fiddler’s Green
July 29, 1999	Los Angeles		Universal Amphitheater
July 30, 1999
August 1, 1999	San Francisco		Concord Pavilion (Canceled)
Europe
Date	City	Country	Venue
August 22, 1999	Sopot	Poland	Sopot’s Opera Leśna
August 25, 1999	Vechta	Germany	Stoppelmarket
August 27, 1999	Coburg		Schlossplatz
August 28, 1999	Mannheim		Ehrenhof
August 30, 1999	Vienna	Austria	Stadthalle
September 1, 1999	Zurich	Switzerland	Hallenstadion
September 2, 1999	Munich	Germany	Olympic Stadium
September 4, 1999	Hamburg		Derby Park
September 7, 1999	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Ahoy
September 9, 1999	Sheffield	United Kingdom	Sheffield Arena
September 11, 1999	Birmingham		NEC Arena
September 12, 1999
September 15, 1999	London		Wembley Arena
September 16, 1999
September 18, 1999
September 21, 1999	Paris	France	Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
September 22, 1999	Stuttgart	Germany	Schleyerhalle
September 24, 1999	Köln		Kölnarena
September 25, 1999	Antwerp	Belgium	Sportpaleis
September 27, 1999	Milan	Italy	Filaforum
September 28, 1999	Cologne	Germany	Kölnarena
September 29, 1999	Prague	Czech Republic	Sports Hall
October 1, 1999	Gothenburg	Sweden	Scandinavium
October 2, 1999	Stockholm		Globen
October 4, 1999	Helsinki	Finland	Hartwall Areena
October 5, 1999
October 6, 1999	Moscow	Russia	Kremlin Palace
October 7, 1999
October 10, 1999	Stuttgart	Germany	Schleyerhalle
October 12, 1999	Rotterdam	Netherlands	Ahoy
October 13, 1999
October 15, 1999	Zurich	Switzerland	Hallenstadion
October 18, 1999	Frankfurt	Germany
October 20, 1999	Milan	Italy	Filaforum
October 22, 1999	Vienna	Austria	Stadthalle
October 23, 1999
October 27, 1999	Leipzig	Germany	Messehalle
October 28, 1999	Munich		Olympiahalle
October 30, 1999	Oberhausen		Oberhausen
October 31, 1999
November 2, 1999	Antwerp	Belgium	Sportpaleis
November 3, 1999	Kiel	Germany	Ostseehalle
November 5, 1999	Stuttgart		Schleyerhalle
November 7, 1999	Birmingham	United Kingdom	NEC Arena
November 8, 1999	London		Wembley Arena