Past & Present Tour

Past & Present Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Annie Hartford, in support of all her studio albums, including her latest, Sad But True. The tour began on August 17, 2022 in Montreal and concluded on June 13, 2023 in Central Area, comprising 54 concerts.

Background and development
Announced in February 2022:

"“Happy to confirm my first tour in 3 years, promoting not one, but all four of my albums, including my latest ‘Sad But True’. I call it the Past & Present Tour. The first leg will visit arenas in the United States and Canada with shows in other countries to be announced ASAP.”" — Tour announcement on Hartford's website and social media accounts

Concert synopsis
The show has 24 songs divided into five acts.


 * 1) Starting Out: Hartford emerges from a small staircase with an arch on the main stage in a corset top and flared pants. She opens the show with "Land of Broken Hearts" leading into "Dear Diary". A cloud of mint green smoke pops up from the pyro sections, representing Starting Out. Accompanied by seven female dancers, she performs "Happy & Sad" and "Vintage Crap" through a set resembling a dark cave and sings "I Hate Myself (Don't Know Why)" on a stool, followed by "No Plans (Unless I'm Included)".
 * 2) Philadelphia Girl: As blue smoke appears, the LED screen displays an anime version of Hartford riding a yellow motorcycle on a street in Center City Philadelphia, representing Philadelphia Girl. The real Hartford reappears in a colorful romper and silver gravity heels. She performs "All My Friends Are Tired" and "Rebellious Anthem" on the main stage, and "My Bad" on the second floor of the stage, all alongside her band.
 * 3) 2000: The stage adopts an aesthetic showing several landmarks in Harrisburg. Hartford reappears in a beige mermaid-oriented dress and begins singing "Pennsylvania", followed by a dark theme that leads to "My Mistake" and concludes the act with the charity single "Women Now".
 * 4) Surprise cover songs: Hartford, wearing a teal bodysuit with a light blue crop top underneath, sings one "surprise cover song" on the main stage and another on the second floor.
 * 5) Sad But True: A cloud of pink dust crashes against the screen, revealing the anime version Hartford, who shoots a gold arrow, hitting the middle of the board. Eight dancers, four of each gender, carry out giant paper sunflowers as the real Hartford reemerges in a white coat-like dress and blue belt to sing "Raining in the Keystone State", followed by "Parachute" and "We're Making It Right". The dancers perform with glowsticks as Hartford sings "I Object" and undergoes an onstage costume change, reappearing in a gold sequined dress. She then sings "Arsenic", followed by "A Million Years Ago", "The Getaway Song", and "Boy with Claws". Hartford follows with "Deck of Cards" featuring choreography inspired by the song's music video. "Unbreakable" closes the show with confetti, while fireworks are involved at outdoor venues.

Concert film
The tour was supported by a concert film, titled Past & Present Tour: Live from the Kia Oval. It was released on July 28, 2023 exclusively. Directed by Phil Edgren, the film took place at the London concert held at the Kia Oval on May 12, 2023, where Hartford performed in front of nearly 25,000 people.

Set list
Here is the average set list from the Past & Present Tour.

Act 1: Starting Out
 * 1) "Land of Broken Hearts"
 * 2) "Dear Diary"
 * 3) "Happy & Sad"
 * 4) "Vintage Crap"
 * 5) "I Hate Myself (Don't Know Why)"
 * 6) "No Plans (Unless I'm Included)"

Act 2: Philadelphia Girl
 * 1) "All My Friends Are Tired"
 * 2) "Rebellious Anthem"
 * 3) "My Bad"

Act 3: 2000
 * 1) "Pennsylvania"
 * 2) "My Mistake"
 * 3) "Women Now"

Act 4: Surprise cover songs
 * 1) First surprise cover song
 * 2) Second surprise cover song

Act 5: Sad But True
 * 1) "Raining in the Keystone State"
 * 2) "Parachute"
 * 3) "We're Making It Right"
 * 4) "I Object"
 * 5) "Arsenic"
 * 6) "A Million Years Ago"
 * 7) "The Getaway Song"
 * 8) "Boy with Claws"
 * 9) "Deck of Cards"
 * 10) "Unbreakable"


 * Surprise cover songs
 * August 17, 2022 – Montreal: "A Year Without Rain" and "On the Ground"
 * August 19, 2022 – Quebec City: "Love in the Dark" and "Don't Shut Me Down"°
 * August 21, 2022 – Boston: "You Should See Me in a Crown" and "Concrete Angel"
 * August 23, 2022 – Albany: "You Light Up My Life" and "Say My Name"°
 * August 26, 2022 – University Park: "Higher Love"° and "Wrecking Ball"°
 * August 28, 2022 – Charlottesville: "Stone Cold" and "Walk Me Home"
 * August 29, 2022 – Raleigh: "Dig a Little Deeper" and "Drivers License"§
 * August 31, 2022 – Atlanta: "Am I Wrong?" and "My Once Upon a Time"
 * September 2, 2022 – Tampa: "The Whole of the Moon"° and "They Long to Be Close to You"°
 * September 3, 2022 – Miami: "Diamonds Are Forever"° and "Here I Go Again"°
 * September 6, 2022 – New Orleans: "Circles"° and "Tell It to My Heart"
 * September 8, 2022 – Oklahoma City: "Crazy"° and "You Don't Own Me"
 * September 10, 2022 – Lincoln: "Someone to You"° and "Cold Heart"°
 * September 12, 2022 – Denver: "Love Is a Battlefield" and "Falling Slowly"
 * September 15, 2022 – Vancouver: "Unwritten"° and "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart"
 * September 16, 2022 – Vancouver: "Wishing on a Star" and "One Step at a Time"
 * September 18, 2022 – Tacoma: "Bridge over Troubled Water" and "I'm Like a Bird"°
 * September 19, 2022 – Portland: "Consequences" and "Dust in the Wind"°
 * September 21, 2022 – San Jose: "Alone" and "Ain't No Other Man"
 * September 23, 2022 – Las Vegas: "Black Magic" and "Big Girls Don't Cry"
 * September 26, 2022 – Salt Lake City: "Arms of Gold" and "For Your Eyes Only"
 * September 29, 2022 – Tulsa: "What I Did for Love" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye"
 * October 1, 2022 – St. Louis: "99 Red Balloons" and "Rain on Me"
 * October 3, 2022 – Rosemont: "Am I the Same Girl?" and "We Come Alive"°
 * October 4, 2022 – East Lansing: "Final Song" and "Frozen"
 * October 6, 2022 – Hamilton: "Broken Clocks" and "Take My Breath Away"
 * October 8, 2022 – Buffalo: "Last Dance" and "Get Here"
 * October 10, 2022 – Philadelphia: "My Guy" and "I'm Every Woman"
 * October 11, 2022 – New York City: "Un-Break My Heart" and "How Do I Live?"
 * October 12, 2022 – New York City: "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Anyone Who Had a Heart"
 * March 15, 2023 – Sydney: "Miss Independent" and "Someone to Watch Over Me"
 * March 16, 2023 – Sydney: "Get on Your Feet" and "8th World Wonder"
 * March 18, 2023 – Melbourne: "Always on My Mind" and "Breathe"°
 * March 19, 2023 – Melbourne: "Put Your Records On" and "A Thousand Miles"°
 * March 22, 2023 – Perth: "Use Somebody"° and "Running Up That Hill"
 * March 27, 2023 – Auckland: "Mamma Knows Best" and "Story of My Life"§°
 * April 25, 2023 – Berlin: "Dynamite" and "Million Dollar Baby"
 * April 26, 2023 – Cologne: "Roar" and "Cuz I Love You"
 * April 29, 2023 – Zürich: "Praying" and "Bleeding Love"
 * May 2, 2023 – Verona: "Waiting for a Star to Fall" and "Never Enough"
 * May 4, 2023 – Barcelona: "Winter in July" and "We Won't Be Alone"
 * May 6, 2023 – Pamplona: "Time After Time" and "I Won't Let Go"°
 * May 8, 2023 – Nancy: "All of the Feelings" and "Jar of Hearts"
 * May 9, 2023 – Paris: "Mercedes Benz" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"
 * May 12, 2023 – London: "Ex's & Oh's" and "I Try"
 * May 14, 2023 – Manchester: "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "Elastic Heart"
 * May 16, 2023 – Glasgow: "Say So" and "She's Got You"
 * May 18, 2023 – Dublin: "You Gotta Be"° and "Brass in Pocket"°
 * June 1, 2023 – Oita: "Skin of My Teeth"§ and "God Is a Woman"
 * June 4, 2023 – Tokorozawa: "The Joke" and "What's Love Got to Do with It?"
 * June 6, 2023 – Seoul: "abcdefu"§ and "Rule the World"
 * June 8, 2023 – Taipei: "Happier Than Ever"§ and "You Only Love Me"
 * June 11, 2023 – Noloka: "Just Give Me a Reason" and "Summertime"°
 * June 13, 2023 – Central Area: "Better Together"° and "Stuff Like That There"°


 * § Indicates that this cover song had lyrical changes
 * ° Indicates that this cover song was performed on a different key than the original

Reaction
The tour received overwhelmingly positive reviews from music critics, many of which gave total five-star ratings. A reviewer from Le Journal de Montréal said: "In act 1, Annie almost receded, but during the rest of the show she found purpose delivering ballads like ‘All My Friends Are Tired’, ‘Pennsylvania’, and ‘Women Now’ with punch, and closing out the likes of ‘Happy & Sad’, ‘Vintage Crap’, and ‘Unbreakable’ with real yearning, while her band mostly stayed out of her way." A Las Vegas Review-Journal comment of her Thomas & Mack Center concert judged her singing: "a joy to listen to, and Annie's over-the-top stage presence, glittery microphone, and enormous range mainly serve to remove fluke. This young woman is just phenomenal." The reviewer also noted that Hartford's takes on Little Mix's "Black Magic" and Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" were a highlight. In reviewing her hometown concert at the Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia Inquirer called her voice: "insane in the best way. It's so nice to see Annie on the road again." At her Berlin stop: "Her greatest hits from all four albums and the surprise cover songs delighted everyone in the arena." In Tokorozawa: "Although one of the songs is called ‘I Object’, I don't object to this spectacular production at all."

Tour dates

 * Notes
 * The May 9, 2023 show was originally set to take place at Accor Arena, but was upgraded to a bigger venue due to high demand.
 * The May 2, 2023 show was originally set to take place at Arena di Verona, but was relocated to a nearby venue due to unforeseen circumstances.
 * The May 12, 2023 show was originally set to take place at The O2 Arena, but was relocated to a nearby venue due to a scheduling conflict.


 * Cancellations

Personnel

 * Show


 * Band
 * Annie Hartford - lead vocals
 * Phil Bozman - guitar, background vocals
 * Katie Astor - bass guitar, background vocals
 * Nathan Serrano - drums, percussions
 * Puja Sengar - violin, saxophone
 * Lylian Park - violin
 * Dana Grech - cello, flute


 * Dancers
 * Bruce Holzmann
 * Curtis Buttigieg
 * Katherine Efimenko
 * Lisa Barlos
 * Pari Maraj
 * Renée Kostner
 * Richard Cauchi
 * Shania Janjigian
 * Tyler Vinther
 * Zach Sauer