Two the Hard Way Tour

The Two The Hard Way Tour (also known as Allman and Woman Tour) was a concert tour by American singer-actress Cher and American singer Gregg Allman, designed to promote their joint Two the Hard Way album.^[1][2] 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.^[2] The tour would start November 6, 1978, and was to be a 29 date tour, but on December 3, 1978 Cher pulled the plug on the tour and left Gregg in Europe while she headed back to the United States with her children.

The pair were backed by an eight-piece band.^[3] 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.^[3] Cher avoided the gaudy, over-the-top outfits of her normal stage self, and instead wore jeans, a tank top, and a cowboy hat.^[3] The two also engaged in some married-couple stage banter,^[3] 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."^[3] Cher said, "It's different, but not that different, and I also find it real easy to sing this type of music,"^[3] sentiments she had said before the tour as well, "We sound like we've been singing together for a long time."^[2]

Allman did not want this tour's road expenses to mount up, as they had for the last Allman Brothers Band tour.^[2] However, this tour too lost money from the start.^[1] 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,^[2] 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.^[1]

Partial set list

The set list included:

1. "Matthew's Arrival"
2. "Trouble No More"
3. "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'"
4. "Queen Of Hearts"
5. "Let This Be a Lesson to Ya"
6. "Sweet Feelin'"
7. "One More Try"
8. "Oncoming Traffic"
9. "Come and Go Blues"
10. "Bring It On Back"
11. "Leave My Blues at Home"
12. "Whipping Post"
13. "Move Me" (with Cher)
14. "Do What You Gotta Do" (with Cher)
15. "Midnight Rider"

Also included in the setlist at various stages of the tour

• "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (with Cher)
• "Love the One You're With" (with Cher)
• "Love Me" (with Cher)
• "Half-Breed" (Acustic Version) Cher solo (with Allman at the guitar)

Tour dates

For some dates* the opening act was Splinter.^[4]

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