Contents

Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live

Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live

TourbyPet Shop Boys
Promotional poster for the tour
Location	Europe North America
Associated album	Smash: The Singles 1985–2020
Start date	10 May 2022 (2022-05-10)
End date	8 September 2024 (2024-09-08)
Legs	4
No. of shows	82
Pet Shop Boys concert chronology
Super Tour (2016–19) Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live (2022–24)

Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live is an ongoing concert tour by British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Billed by the group as "their first-ever greatest hits tour", the tour was originally announced on 11 September 2019, to take place in arenas across the United Kingdom from May to June 2020.^[1] The dates were postponed several times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ultimately began on 10 May 2022, at Teatro degli ArcimboldiinMilan, and is scheduled to run through July 2024.^[2][3][4]

The tour also included stops at Glastonbury Festival in 2022 and the Primavera Sound festivals in Barcelona, Madrid and PortoinJune 2023, as well as its Latin American counterparts in November and December 2023.^[5][6]

In 2023, Pet Shop Boys released Smash: The Singles 1985–2020, a greatest hits album inspired by the tour.^[7]

A film recording of the tour's stop in Copenhagen premiered in cinemas worldwide in January and February 2024, under the title Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live at the Royal Arena Copenhagen.^[8]

Background[edit]

On 11 September 2019, Pet Shop Boys announced their first-ever greatest hits tour, "Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live", with seven dates in arenas throughout the United Kingdom, beginning on 28 May 2020 at London's The O2 Arena and ending on 6 June at Glasgow's SSE Hydro.^[1] On 14 November 2019, with the announcement of the duo's fourteenth album Hotspot, more tour dates were revealed, with the tour now beginning on 1 May at the Mercedes-Benz ArenainBerlin and ending on 19 June at the OverOslo festival in Oslo.^[9] However, on 8 April 2020, Pet Shop Boys announced that the United Kingdom dates would be rescheduled to May and June 2021, following government advice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[10] On 3 February 2021, the Pet Shop Boys rescheduled the tour again, this time beginning on 13 May 2022 at Vienna's Gasometer and ending on 15 June 2022 in Stockholm's Ericsson Globe.^[2] On 19 October 2021, six more dates were added, including the first show on 10 May 2022 in Milan's Teatro degli Arcimboldi and a tentative end date on 6 July 2022 at Budapest Park.^[11][12] Finally, on 4 March 2022, the Pet Shop Boys announced the final show of the first leg, taking place on 16 July 2022 at the Gran Canaria Arena in the Canary Islands.^[13]

Pet Shop Boys performed Dreamworld at Glastonbury Festival 2022 on June 27, with Olly AlexanderofYears & Years joining the band onstage for their collaboration "Dreamland".^[14]

In September and October 2022, Pet Shop Boys co-headlined the Unity Tour in North America with New Order.^[15]

The Dreamworld tour resumed on 31 December 2022, headlining Edinburgh's Hogmanay Concert in the Gardens.^[16] Pet Shop Boys performed Dreamworld at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Madrid and Porto in June 2023, including free sideshows at the 2,900-capacity Sala Apolo in Barcelona and 1,550-capacity Joy Eslava in Madrid.^[17][18] The tour continued through the United Kingdom and Europe from 13 June to 9 July, from RometoGothenburg.^[19][20]

The tour visited Latin America for the first time from 19 November 2023 to 10 December 2023. It began at the Corona Capital festival in Mexico City and ended at the "Road to Primavera Sound" event in Bogotá after the original festival was cancelled and downsized.^[21][22]

The tour is scheduled to continue in 2024, with a United Kingdom run from 4 to 11 June and a European run from 26 June to 6 July.^[23][24] The band's 11 June concert in Belfast will be the band's first there since 1991.^[25]

Concert synopsis[edit]

The concert begins with the 1986 single "Suburbia" as Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe stand onstage between two streetlight props, both sporting tuning fork headwear. Behind the duo is a screen displaying moving images for each song. In between "Can You Forgive Her?" and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", Tennant removes his tuning fork mask. During the instrumental intro of "Left to My Own Devices", the streetlights are removed and the screen is lifted, revealing the backing band for the first time. Lowe unmasks himself and moves to a new elevated platform that was previously hidden behind the screen, while Tennant changes costumes. Before "Dreamland", Tennant and Lowe change costumes again, sporting silver overcoats. Throughout the concert, Tennant explains the origins of the songs on the setlist, such as telling a story of how "Domino Dancing" came from a friend's victory dance after playing dominoes in Saint Lucia.^[26] The main set ends with "It's a Sin".^[27]

For the encore, Tennant changes into a black trench coat while Lowe wears his own "Boy" brand baseball cap, as a nod to the duo's trademark look during the 1980s.^[27]

Concert film[edit]

The concert film Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live at the Royal Arena Copenhagen was filmed using footage from the tour's 7 July 2023 date at the Royal ArenainCopenhagen. It was directed by David Barnard and recorded in 4K resolution by 14 different cameras. It was released through Trafalgar Releasing. It was screened globally in theatres on 31 January and 4 February.^[28]

Setlist[edit]

The following set list is from the show on 26 June 2023 in Brighton.^[27] It is not intended to represent all shows of the tour.

1. "Suburbia"
2. "Can You Forgive Her?"
3. "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)"
4. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"
5. "Rent"
6. "I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More"
7. "So Hard"
8. "Left to My Own Devices"
9. "Single-Bilingual / Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)"
10. "Domino Dancing"
11. "Monkey Business"
12. "New York City Boy"
13. "Jealousy"
14. "Love Comes Quickly"
15. "Paninaro"
16. "Always on My Mind"
17. "Dreamland"
18. "Heart"
19. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
20. "It's Alright"
21. "Vocal"
22. "Go West"
23. "It's a Sin"

Encore

24. "West End Girls"
25. "Being Boring"

Shows[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Pet Shop Boys

• Neil Tennant – vocals
• Chris Lowe – keyboards

Live band^[29]

• Afrika Green – percussion, backing vocals
• Simon Tellier – percussion, keyboards, backing vocals
• Clare Uchima – keyboards, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"

Directors

• Stuart Price – music producer
• Pete Gleadall – musical director and programmer
• Tom Scutt – creative director, set and costume design
• Lynne Page – stage director
• Luke Halls – video content
• Jenny Rush – video content
• Bruno Poet – lighting director
• Matthew Daw – lighting director
• David Allen – associate set designer
• Frank Strachan – associate costume designer, styling and wardrobe

Notes[edit]

References[edit]