Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round
# Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round

The Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round was the fifth headlining concert tour from American country music artist Carrie Underwood. The tour is in support of her fifth studio album Storyteller (2015) and began on January 30, 2016, in Jacksonville, Florida. It concluded on November 28, 2016, after 92 shows. For the shows in the United States, $1 from each ticket sold will be donated to Underwood's C.A.T S. Foundation. This was her first tour in three years. The tour sold over 1.2 million tickets during its run. By June, 2016, Billboard had named the number-one country tour of the first half of the year.

Underwood released a concert film, Carrie Underwood: The Storyteller Tour - Stories in the Round, on November 17, 2017.

## Background

News of the tour was first mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview in September 2015. The tour was officially announced on October 27, 2015, via Underwood's Official Fan Club website. "Stories in the Round" comes from this being Underwood's first tour where the stage is 360 degrees and in the middle of the arena floor. Underwood shares her excitement for the tour stating;

   I can't wait to play new music from Storyteller for the fans. I am so blessed to have this career and get to do the things I do, but there is nothing like that moment when I get to step onto the stage to sing and all the fans are singing along with me.

The second leg was announced on March 31, 2016.

## Concert synopsis

Moments before the show starts AC/DC's "Back in Black" is played. Then the lighting structure above the stage descends to the floor of center stage where Underwood and her band emerge. She starts off with "Renegade Runaway" a new track off Storyteller followed by "Last Name" that contains bits of her duet with Miranda Lambert, "Somethin' Bad". The setlist consists of new and past favorites, and covers. For the encore she closes with "Smoke Break" and "Something in the Water".

### Stage design and production

The 360 degree center stage of three circles is equipped with movable parts that allows Underwood and her band access to below the stage where they can change outfits or swap out instruments. The three tier lighting structure displays lyrics and colors and moves, rotates, and twists. In addition there are sparkles, fireworks, lasers, smoke and explosions, and a big light show. Underwood's goal was to harmonica for "Choctaw County Affair", which she reached. Drums were added during "Church Bells" in the fall leg.

## Opening acts

* Easton Corbin & The Swon Brothers (North America)
* Lauren Alaina, Jill Johnson & Pauper Kings (Europe)
* Little Big Town, Sam Hunt & Maddie & Tae (UK & Ireland)

## Setlist

The following setlist is from the January 30 show in Jacksonville, Florida. It is not intended to represent all dates throughout the tour.

* "Renegade Runaway"
* "Last Name" / "Somethin' Bad"
* "Undo It"
* "Good Girl"
* "Church Bells"
* "Cowboy Casanova"
* "Heartbeat"
* "Jesus, Take the Wheel"
* "Wasted"
* "Blown Away"
* "Two Black Cadillacs"
* "Dirty Laundry"
* "Choctaw County Affair"
* "I Will Always Love You"
* "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted"
* "Fishin' in the Dark" (with Easton Corbin and The Swon Brothers)
* "Clock Don't Stop"
* "All-American Girl"
* "Little Toy Guns"
* "Before He Cheats"

### Encore

* "Smoke Break"
* "Something in the Water"

### Notes

* From March 4 to 16, "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted", "All American Girl", and "Fishin' in the Dark" were temporarily cut from the set list. Additionally, "Flat on the Floor" and "Chaser" were temporarily added.
* Starting on August 31, a cover of Alabama's "Mountain Music" replaced "Fishin' in the Dark".

## Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue :

| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts | Attendance | Revenue |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| North America Leg 1 |||||||
| January 30, 2016 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,581 / 13,581 | $865,536 |
| February 1, 2016 | Duluth | United States | Infinite Energy Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,574 / 11,574 | $776,244 |
| February 3, 2016 | Greensboro | United States | Greensboro Coliseum | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,760 / 10,760 | $727,460 |
| February 5, 2016 | Louisville | United States | KFC Yum! Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,613 / 13,613 | $897,128 |
| February 17, 2016 | Pittsburgh | United States | Consol Energy Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,768 / 11,768 | $797,198 |
| February 20, 2016 | Hampton | United States | Hampton Coliseum | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,277 / 10,277 | $680,672 |
| February 22, 2016 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,562 / 12,562 | $867,962 |
| February 23, 2016 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 16,786 / 16,786 | $1,076,169 |
| February 25, 2016 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Verizon Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,124 / 13,124 | $899,315 |
| Europe |||||||
| March 4, 2016 | Stockholm | Sweden | Hovet | Lauren Alaina Jill Johnson Pauper Kings | — | — |
| March 5, 2016 | Oslo | Norway | Oslo Spektrum | Lauren Alaina Jill Johnson Pauper Kings | — | — |
| March 11, 2016 | Glasgow | Scotland | Clyde Auditorium | Little Big Town Sam Hunt Maddie & Tae | — | — |
| March 12, 2016 | London | England | The $O_2$ Arena | Little Big Town Sam Hunt Maddie & Tae | — | — |
| March 13, 2016 | Dublin | Ireland | 3Arena | Little Big Town Sam Hunt Maddie & Tae | — | — |
| North America Leg 2 |||||||
| March 17, 2016 | Youngstown | United States | Covelli Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,645 / 6,645 | $492,360 |
| March 19, 2016 | Allentown | United States | PPL Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,012 / 9,012 | $629,892 |
| March 22, 2016 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,771 / 13,771 | $892,996 |
| March 24, 2016 | St. Louis | United States | Chaifetz Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,626 / 9,626 | $666,656 |
| March 26, 2016 | Lincoln | United States | Pinnacle Bank Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 14,964 / 14,964 | $904,074 |
| March 29, 2016 | Colorado Springs | United States | Broadmoor World Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,935 / 7,935 | $542,490 |
| March 30, 2016 | Denver | United States | Pepsi Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,830 / 12,830 | $841,100 |
| April 1, 2016 | Las Vegas | United States | Las Vegas Festival Grounds | — | — | — |
| April 5, 2016 | Fresno | United States | Save Mart Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,534 / 9,534 | $676,344 |
| April 8, 2016 | Reno | United States | Reno Events Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,234 / 6,234 | $475,939 |
| April 10, 2016 | Oakland | United States | Oracle Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,775 / 10,375 | $715,339 |
| April 12, 2016 | Stockton | United States | Stockton Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 8,145 / 9,109 | $552,900 |
| April 14, 2016 | Phoenix | United States | Talking Stick Resort Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,815 / 12,815 | $829,160 |
| April 16, 2016 | Las Cruces | United States | Pan American Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,582 / 10,582 | $687,352 |
| April 18, 2016 | San Antonio | United States | AT&T Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,918 / 10,666 | $690,558 |
| April 22, 2016 | Bossier City | United States | CenturyLink Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,883 / 10,883 | $737,228 |
| April 24, 2016 | Lafayette | United States | Cajundome | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,474 / 10,089 | $615,582 |
| April 25, 2016 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,684 / 10,624 | $677,934 |
| April 27, 2016 | Tulsa | United States | BOK Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 14,627 / 14,627 | $915,842 |
| April 28, 2016 | North Little Rock | United States | Verizon Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,171 / 9,171 | $635,166 |
| April 30, 2016 | Indio | United States | Empire Polo Club | Lee Ann Womack Chris Stapleton The Band Perry | — | — |
| May 3, 2016 | Madison | United States | Kohl Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,886 / 11,886 | $773,376 |
| May 5, 2016 | Green Bay | United States | Resch Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,358 / 9,358 | $651,358 |
| May 7, 2016 | Grand Forks | United States | Ralph Engelstad Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,205 / 11,205 | $721,680 |
| May 10, 2016 | Casper | United States | Casper Events Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,395 / 7,507 | $435,500 |
| May 12, 2016 | Billings | United States | Rimrock Auto Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 8,771 / 9,855 | $612,026 |
| May 15, 2016 | Kansas City | United States | Sprint Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,131 / 12,131 | $815,966 |
| May 17, 2016 | Rosemont | United States | Allstate Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 15,761 / 15,761 | $1,028,181 |
| May 18, 2016 | Cleveland | United States | Quicken Loans Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,270 / 12,270 | $815,190 |
| May 24, 2016 | Buffalo | United States | First Niagara Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 14,355 / 14,355 | $907,410 |
| May 27, 2016 | Ottawa | Canada | Canadian Tire Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,467 / 10,467 | $713,228 |
| May 28, 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 17,499 / 17,499 | $1,121,200 |
| May 30, 2016 | London | Canada | Budweiser Gardens | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,628 / 9,628 | $632,121 |
| June 10, 2016 | Nashville | United States | Nissan Stadium | — | — | — |
| June 18, 2016 | Cadott | United States | Chippewa Valley Festival Grounds | — | — | — |
| July 22, 2016 | Monticello | United States | Great Jones County Fairgrounds | — | — | — |
| July 29, 2016 | Sweet Home | United States | Oregon Jamboree | — | — | — |
| July 30, 2016 | Duncan | Canada | Cowichan Valley | — | — | — |
| July 31, 2016 | Camrose | Canada | Camrose Camping Grounds | — | — | — |
| North America Leg 3 |||||||
| August 31, 2016 | Anchorage | United States | Alaska Airlines Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 4,304 / 4,304 | $504,280 |
| September 4, 2016 | Spokane | United States | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,389 / 11,389 | $727,474 |
| September 6, 2016 | Boise | United States | Taco Bell Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 8,276 / 9,476 | $547,292 |
| September 8, 2016 | Seattle | United States | KeyArena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,905 / 10,448 | $681,068 |
| September 10, 2016 | San Jose> | United States | SAP Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 8,335 / 8,819 | $606,713 |
| September 13, 2016 | Bakersfield | United States | Rabobank Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,910 / 8,652 | $548,570 |
| September 14, 2016 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,274 / 13,274 | $921,093 |
| September 16, 2016 | San Diego | United States | Valley View Casino Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,216 / 8,140 | $517,752 |
| September 20, 2016 | Dallas | United States | American Airlines Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,271 / 13,271 | $888,335 |
| September 22, 2016 | Nashville | United States | Bridgestone Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 14,005 / 14,005 | $932,078 |
| September 24, 2016 | Columbia | United States | Colonial Life Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,350 / 11,350 | $750,190 |
| September 26, 2016 | Roanoke | United States | Berglund Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 5,350 / 6,034 | $372,960 |
| September 28, 2016 | Providence | United States | Dunkin' Donuts Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,805 / 8,988 | $574,178 |
| September 29, 2016 | Manchester | United States | SNHU Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 8,843 / 9,727 | $615,059 |
| October 1, 2016 | Hershey | United States | Giant Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,560 / 10,560 | $716,610 |
| October 4, 2016 | Indianapolis | United States | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,768 / 7,768 | $573,156 |
| October 5, 2016 | Milwaukee | United States | BMO Harris Bradley Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,685 / 6,685 | $493,238 |
| October 7, 2016 | Des Moines | United States | Wells Fargo Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 12,451 / 12,451 | $845,735 |
| October 8, 2016 | Sioux Falls | United States | Denny Sanford Premier Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,472 / 11,472 | $796,824 |
| October 11, 2016 | Saskatoon | Canada | SaskTel Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,287 / 9,287 | $682,138 |
| October 13, 2016 | Edmonton | Canada | Rogers Place | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,776 / 9,776 | $747,337 |
| October 15, 2016 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,187 / 10,187 | $770,159 |
| October 17, 2016 | Saint Paul | United States | Xcel Energy Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 14,714 / 14,714 | $961,143 |
| October 20, 2016 | Cincinnati | United States | U.S. Bank Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,332 / 11,332 | $756,382 |
| October 22, 2016 | Charlottesville | United States | John Paul Jones Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,834 / 7,834 | $562,593 |
| October 23, 2016 | Charlotte | United States | Spectrum Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 7,121 / 7,121 | $533,150 |
| October 25, 2016 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 17,815 / 17,815 | $1,362,263 |
| October 27, 2016 | Albany | United States | Times Union Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,904 / 9,904 | $673,774 |
| October 28, 2016 | Uncasville | United States | Mohegan Sun Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,338 / 6,338 | $481,120 |
| November 6, 2016 | Hamilton | Canada | FirstOntario Centre | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,077 / 10,317 | $662,273 |
| November 9, 2016 | Rockford | United States | BMO Harris Bank Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 6,600 / 6,866 | $492,870 |
| November 11, 2016 | Evansville | United States | Ford Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,886 / 9,886 | $696,117 |
| November 13, 2016 | Memphis | United States | FedExForum | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,321 / 10,201 | $643,656 |
| November 14, 2016 | Birmingham | United States | Legacy Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,475 / 11,475 | $749,490 |
| November 16, 2016 | Tampa | United States | Amalie Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 13,271 / 13,271 | $891,365 |
| November 17, 2016 | Sunrise | United States | BB&T Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,340 / 10,340 | $738,990 |
| November 22, 2016 | Wichita | United States | Intrust Bank Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,000 / 10,747 | $711,720 |
| November 23, 2016 | Oklahoma City | United States | Chesapeake Energy Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 11,306 / 11,912 | $798,117 |
| November 26, 2016 | Las Vegas | United States | T-Mobile Arena | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 9,794 / 10,633 | $699,513 |
| November 28, 2016 | West Valley City | United States | Maverik Center | Easton Corbin The Swon Brothers | 10,738 / 10,738 | $761,211 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 845,681 | $58,071,114 |

### List of festivals and other miscellaneous performances, rescheduling

    $^A$ These concerts were a part of C2C: Country to Country.
    $^B$ This concert is a part of the ACM Party for a Cause Festival.
    $^C$ The Houston concert was supposed to take place on April 19, but was rescheduled to April 25 due to severe weather.
    $^D$ This concert is a part of the Stagecoach Festival.
    $^E$ This concert is a part of the CMA Music Festival.
    $^F$ This concert is a part of the Country Fest 30th Anniversary.
    $^G$ This concert is a part of the Great Jones Country Fair.
    $^H$ This concert is a part of the Oregon Jamboree.
    $^I$ This concert is a part of the Sunfest Country Music Festival.
    $^J$ This concert is a part of the Big Valley Jamboree.

## Reception

In November 2016, Billboard reported the tour to have earned around $54.6 million with 800,000 tickets sold, with four more shows that had not been added to that total. This marked The Storyteller Tour as Underwood's highest-grossing tour to date. According to a document from The Smoking Gun, Underwood was contracted to earn $500,000 per show.

Scott Mervis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says, "As she's not much of a talker, this was not a "Storyteller" tour in the sense of narrating the show with stories. She let the music and character-driven lyrics do most of the talking, at max volume." Tampa Bay Times's Jay Cridlin said that Underwood packed "nearly two dozen hits into an overpowering set that felt a whole more like arena rock than a country bar." Also, "Underwood alone remains the one with the voice and ambition to go full pop star, unleashing the full force of her roaring band and singing like a woman ready to take the wheel back from Jesus."

Serene Dominic of The Arizona Republic gave a negative review of the show, criticizing the big-production take on Underwood's songs, writing, "You couldn’t call a show with Super Bowl halftime show production values "intimate." Maybe the anecdotes wouldn't have been that revealing from an artist like Underwood, who rarely writes a song without two other people in the parenthesis with her (not a knock, but the talk would've probably been more industry insider than the average audience would want to hear)." Jay Lustig gave a similarly negative review, criticizing Underwood waving at fans during the darker songs, writing, "Proving, perhaps, that you can take the singer out of American Idol but you can’t take the American Idol out of the singer, she used, throughout the show, a bit of showbiz shtick that she really should lose: A cheerful wave to an audience member in the middle of a verse or chorus. She did this even on songs that were about heartbreak, or cheating men. I know it was just a little thing, but I found it jarring, nearly every time she did it."

