{{Short description|2018–19 concert tour by Paula Abdul}} {{use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox concert | concert_tour_name = Straight Up Paula! | image = Straight Up Paula tour.jpg | image_caption = Promotional poster for the tour | image_size = 225px | landscape = | alt = | artist = [[Paula Abdul]] | location = North America | type = | album = [[Forever Your Girl]] | start_date = {{Start date|2018|10|18}} | end_date = {{End date|2019|6|7}} | number_of_legs = 1 | number_of_shows = 25 | URL = | last_tour = [[Total Package Tour]]<br />(2017) | this_tour = '''Straight Up Paula!'''<br />(2018–19) | next_tour = [[Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl]]<br />(2019–20) }}
'''Straight Up Paula!''' was the second headlining [[concert tour]] by American singer [[Paula Abdul]]. The tour marks the singer's first headlining tour in 27 years, since her 1991–92 [[Under My Spell Tour]]. The tour played 25 concerts throughout North America.
==Background== On July 9, 2018, it was announced that Abdul would go on tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her debut album, ''[[Forever Your Girl]]'' (1988). Ticket sales started four days after the announcement.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paula-abdul-announces-solo-headlining-tour-celebrating-30-years-as-a-pop-and-dance-icon-300677466.html|title=Paula Abdul Announces Solo Headlining Tour Celebrating 30 Years As A Pop And Dance Icon|author=Paula Abdul|date=July 9, 2018|via=PR Newswire}}</ref> Abdul said that "It's been decades since I've done my own tour, but I had a great taste of what it's like being on the road last summer with the [[New Kids on the Block]] and [[Boyz II Men]], and had a great time. It was just a real warm welcome and [it reminded me] of how it felt like when I was on the road constantly years and years ago".<ref>{{cite web|author=Zach Seemayer|date=July 9, 2018|url=https://www.etonline.com/paula-abduls-back-on-tour-here-are-some-of-her-on-the-road-must-haves-exclusive-105731|title=Paula Abdul's Back on Tour -- Here Are Some of Her on-the-Road Must-Haves! (Exclusive)|website=Entertainment Tonight}}</ref>
==Critical reception== The tour received positive reviews throughout its run. Debra L. Rothenburg of ''Infocus Visions'' gave a positive review of the Staten Island show stating “Ms. Abdul at age 56 is a bundle of energy and she sings and dances and owns the stage the same as she did over 25 years ago.”<ref name="InFocusVisions Music & Arts Magazine – The Latest on your Favorite Musicians and Artists! 2012">{{cite web | title=Paula Abdul "Straight Up Paula!" – InFocusVisions Music & Arts Magazine | website=InFocusVisions Music & Arts Magazine – The Latest on your Favorite Musicians and Artists! | date=2012-02-06 | url=https://infocusvisions.com/paula-abdul-straight-up-paula/ | access-date=2022-06-27}}</ref> Shaun Astor of ''Tahoe Onstage'' gave a positive review of the Reno show stating “Paula did exactly what she explained she had done throughout her career: persevered. And when it was all over, she stepped out of the spotlight and left a room full of people with ecstatic smiles on their faces.”<ref name="Tahoe Onstage Lake Tahoe music concerts and sports 2018">{{cite web | title=Straight up, Paula Abdul illuminates the Reno night - Lake Tahoe music concerts and sports | website=Tahoe Onstage {{!}} Lake Tahoe music concerts and sports | date=2018-11-06 | url=https://www.tahoeonstage.com/reviews/paula-abdul-review/ | access-date=2022-06-27}}</ref> Eileen Shapiro of ''Get Out'' gave a positive review of the show in Englewood, stating “The visual cascade was extraordinary, sequentially fascinating and vibrant.”<ref name="Shapiro 2018">{{cite web | last=Shapiro | first=Eileen | title=Live Review: Paula Abdul: Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood New Jersey: 11/24/18 - NYC's Gay Magazine | website=Get Out! Magazine | date=2018-11-25 | url=https://getoutmag.com/live-review-paula-abdul-bergen-performing-arts-center-englewood-new-jersey-11-24-18/ | access-date=2022-06-27}}</ref>
==Setlist== This set list is from the concert on November 25, 2018, in Lynn. It is not intended to represent all shows from the tour. #"[[(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me]]" #"[[Knocked Out]]" #"[[Singin' in the Rain (song)|Singin' in the Rain]]" #"[[Opposites Attract]]" #"[[Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul song)|Cold Hearted]]" #"[[Rush Rush (Paula Abdul song)|Rush Rush]]" #"[[Blowing Kisses in the Wind]]" #"[[The Promise of a New Day]]" #"[[Crazy Cool]]" #"[[Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)|Straight Up]]" #"[[Forever Your Girl (song)|Forever Your Girl]]"
==Shows== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! style="width:150px;"|Date ! style="width:150px;"|City ! style="width:150px;"|Country ! style="width:275px;"|Venue |- ! colspan="4"|North America<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tour.paulaabdul.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822180800/https://tour.paulaabdul.com/|title=Paula Abdul Tour|archive-date=22 August 2018|website=Straight Up, Paula!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tour.paulaabdul.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204114552/https://tour.paulaabdul.com/|title=Paula Abdul Tour|archive-date=4 December 2018|website=Straight Up, Paula!}}</ref> |- |October 18, 2018 |[[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]] |rowspan="2"|United States |River Spirit Casino |- |October 20, 2018 |[[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]] |[[Hard Rock Live (Biloxi)|Hard Rock Live Biloxi]] |- |October 25, 2018 |[[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] |Canada |[[The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor]] |- |October 26, 2018 |[[Northfield, Ohio|Northfield]] |rowspan="22"|United States |[[Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park]] |- |October 27, 2018 |[[New Buffalo, Michigan|New Buffalo]] |[[Four Winds New Buffalo|Silver Creek Event Center]] |- |November 2, 2018 |rowspan="2"|[[Lincoln City, Oregon|Lincoln City]] |rowspan="2"|[[Chinook Winds Casino]] |- |November 3, 2018 |- |November 4, 2018 |[[Reno, Nevada|Reno]] |Reno Ballroom |- |November 6, 2018 |[[Modesto, California|Modesto]] |[[Gallo Center for the Arts]] |- |November 7, 2018 |[[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]] |[[Luther Burbank Center for the Arts]] |- |November 9, 2018 |[[Temecula, California|Temecula]] |[[Pechanga Resort & Casino]] |- |November 10, 2018 |[[Las Vegas]] |[[Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino]] |- |November 11, 2018 |[[Chandler, Arizona|Chandler]] |[[Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park]] |- |November 13, 2018 |[[San Diego, California|San Diego]] |[[Copley Symphony Hall]] |- |November 16, 2018 |[[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]] |[[Fox Tucson Theatre|Fox Theatre]] |- |November 17, 2018 |[[Indio, California|Indio]] |[[Fantasy Springs Resort Casino]] |- |November 23, 2018 |[[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] |[[Sands Bethlehem Event Center]] |- |November 24, 2018 |[[Englewood, New Jersey|Englewood]] |[[Bergen Performing Arts Center]] |- |November 25, 2018 |[[Lynn, Massachusetts|Lynn]] |[[Lynn Memorial City Hall and Auditorium]] |- |November 28, 2018 |[[Staten Island]] |[[St. George Theater]] |- |November 29, 2018 |[[Uncasville, Connecticut|Uncasville]] |[[Mohegan Sun Arena]] |- |November 30, 2018 |[[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]] |Wall Street Theater |- |December 2, 2018 |[[Oxon Hill, Maryland|Oxon Hill]] |[[The Theater at MGM National Harbor]] |- |December 5, 2018 |[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]] |[[Tobin Center for the Performing Arts|HEB Performance Hall]] |- |June 7, 2019 |[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] |[[Los Angeles Pride|LA Pride]] |- |}
==Cancelled shows== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation |-
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Date ! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| City ! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Country ! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Venue ! scope="col" style="width:20em;"| Reason |- |October 3, 2018 |[[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]] |rowspan="2"|United States |[[Mayo Performing Arts Center]] |Production issues |- |October 4, 2018 |Lynn |Lynn Memorial City Hall and Auditorium |Rescheduled due to production issues |- |October 6, 2018 |[[Rama, Ontario|Rama]] |Canada |[[Casino Rama]] |rowspan="2"|Production issues |- |October 7, 2018 |[[Verona, New York|Verona]] |rowspan="8"|United States |[[Turning Stone Resort Casino]] |- |October 9, 2018 |Staten Island |St. George Theatre |rowspan="2"|Rescheduled due to production issues |- |October 10, 2018 |Englewood |Bergen Performing Arts Center |- |October 12, 2018 |[[Westbury, New York|Westbury]] |[[NYCB Theatre at Westbury]] |rowspan="2"|Production issues<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://celebrityaccess.com/2018/10/22/paula-abdul-takes-a-spill-from-stage-and-cancels-a-show-as-her-tour-gets-underway/|title=Paula Abdul Takes a Spill from Stage, and Cancels a Show as Her Tour Gets Underway|author=Ian Courtney|date=2018-10-22|website=CelebrityAccess Encore}}</ref> |- |October 13, 2018 |[[Lincoln, Rhode Island|Lincoln]] |[[Twin River Event Center]] |- |October 14, 2018 |Oxon Hill |The Theater at MGM National Harbor |Rescheduled due to production issues |- |October 19, 2018 |[[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]] |[[Golden Nugget Lake Charles]] |Production issues |- |October 23, 2018 |Bethlehem |Sands Bethelem Event Center |Rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/entertainment/lehigh-valley-music/mc-ent-paula-abdul-postpone-sands-bethlehem-event-center-20181022-story.html|title=Paula Abdul postpones Tuesday's show at Sands Bethlehem event Center|first=John J.|last=Moser|work=The Morning Call|date=Oct 22, 2018 }}</ref> |- |March 30, 2019 |[[Orillia]] |Canada |[[Casino Rama]] |Unforeseen circumstances<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cochranetimespost.ca/entertainment/music/paula-abdul-pulls-out-of-casino-rama-concert/wcm/e4532ee2-3272-4c13-a909-1af2014f9bc5|title=Paula Abdul pulls out of Casino Rama concert|date=January 30, 2019|work=The Cochrane Times Post}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Paula Abdul}}
[[Category:Paula Abdul concert tours]] [[Category:2018 concert tours]]