music.wikisort.org - Composition

Tribute is the second live album and third concert film by Greek keyboardist and songwriter Yanni, released in November 1997 on Virgin Records. It was recorded at the Taj Mahal, India in March 1997 and the Forbidden City, China, in May 1997, both featuring Yanni performing with a seven-piece band, choir, and 27-piece orchestra.

Tribute
Live album and concert film by Yanni
Released	November 4, 1997
Recorded	March and May 1997
Venue	Taj Mahal, India; Forbidden City, China
Genre	Instrumental
Length	67:13
Label	Virgin Records
Producer	Yanni
Yanni chronology
Nightbird (1997) Tribute (1997) Forbidden Dreams: Encore Collection, Volume 2 (1998)

Tribute went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top New Age Album chart and No. 21 on the Billboard 200.[1] The concert film was released in December 1997. In March 1998, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies in the US. Yanni supported the album with the Tribute World Tour between January and July 1998, after which he put his career on a two-year hiatus.

Background

In 1994, Yanni released his first live album, Live at the Acropolis, which saw him perform with his band and orchestra at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in his native Greece. It became his best selling album of his career with 4 million copies sold in the US alone. Yanni was influenced to perform at such locations while visiting his father in Greece following the success of the Acropolis concerts, who thought it was a shame "After going so far with my music, not to take it all the way around the world."[2] This led to Yanni's desire to stage concerts at other historic sites and the decision to perform in India and China, which he said took around two-and-a-half years to plan[3] and cost around $4 million.[4]

The shows at the Taj Mahal took place on three nights in March 1997, as part of celebrations around the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence.[4] A temporary concert site was constructed which involved the Indian army building bridges across the River Yamuna.[4] The shows included a light display that marked the first time the monument was illuminated at night.[3] The concerts were met with some protests against them, claiming the lighting and sound systems would harm the building and its surroundings. Some local farmers went so far to threaten to immolate themselves on the site, until a financial settlement between them, the Indian government, and Yanni was agreed upon.[5] Yanni later said that the reports of immolation were rumours that were generated by the political dispute, and that he had met a group of local farmers and had tea with them which he said helped defuse the situation. "And they said 'no, we're not crazy.'"[6] The Supreme Court of India threw out a case filed by the Archaeological Survey of India that tried to cancel the shows.[5] A portion of the receipts was donated toward conserving the Taj Mahal, which is affected by smoke and brick kilns.[7] The second concert was broadcast live on Indian television.[3] Yanni was particularly nervous about presenting a setlist of new music and whether the Indian public thought what he did was "appropriate and respectful toward the monument."[3]

The shows at the Forbidden City followed in May 1997 and took place at the courtyard at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This marked the first time a Western artist in modern times was permitted perform at the location.[5] The project began after Yanni received an invitation from the China National Culture and Arts Corp. Before the Forbidden City was chosen, locations by the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven were possible candidates to stage the shows. The show's promoters asked for 5,000 seats, but they had to settle for around 4,000, hundreds of which were reserved for Chinese officials.[5] A request to beam lights from inside the temple outward was denied. The crew were instructed to have the sound no louder than 40 decibels. Before the show, Yanni performed sold out shows at arenas in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Later in 1997, Yanni deemed the audiences as the best of his career.[5]

Yanni hired Armenian conductor Armen Anassian for the tour "on faith"; he had not seen Anassian perform before.[8] The conductor recalled being sceptical about the tour, "But the truth is, it happened. We did it" and said it was a "life-changing experience."[9]

Album

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
AllMovie	[11]

In a review by Jonathan Widran of AllMusic, "Yanni's gargantuan popularity unfortunately makes him an easy target for those who see his orchestrally inspired works as glorified musical wallpaper. But if they'd listen for the whole picture before judging, it would be clear that he brings classically influenced symphonic qualities to modern instrumental music; it's highly charged film scoring, only without the movie. The musical images comprising Tribute and the photos in the packaging come from the famous places that not only inspired it but at which it was performed: India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City. While conventional string and brass instruments lead the way, Pedro Eustache's bamboo sax and Doodook and the gypsy-flavored lead violin of Karen Briggs supply appropriate dashes of Eastern culture. "Waltz in 7/8" combines the traditional western rhythm scheme with Eustache's exotic flute improvisation. As always, Yanni plays keyboards, but he's more a ringmaster/conductor of an inspiring, symphonic brew that includes gospel and flamenco (with rousing vocals and an accompanying guitar textured over a mid size string section), powerful violin/funky sax duets (the core of the seven-minute "Renegade"), improvisational trumpet ("Dance with a Stranger"), and an intoxicating weave of an orchestra with upward climbing operatic voices. Yanni and friends tap on another culture on the closing track, the previously recorded African tribal piece "Niki Nana", which features Eustache's percussive flute and a hooky wordless vocal chant from a gospel-flavored, female choir. As we see from the other artists this month, there are many ways to build musical bridges between East and West; Yanni's approach is spiritual grandeur in a beautiful, theatrical setting."[12]

Track listing

RIAA certification

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum database entries:[13]

• (G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum)
• YANNI TRIBUTE 03/11/98 VIRGIN P ALBUM SOLO Std
• YANNI TRIBUTE 03/11/98 VIRGIN G ALBUM SOLO Std

Video

Track listing

1. "Deliverance"
2. "Adagio in C Minor"
3. "Renegade"
4. "Waltz in 7/8"
5. "Tribute"
6. "Dance with a Stranger"
7. "Nightingale"
8. "Southern Exposure"
9. "Prelude"
10. "Love Is All"
11. "Niki Nana (We're One)"
12. "Santorini"

Sound

Personnel

Music

Production

• Yanni – production, arranger, engineer, orchestrations
• Anthony Stabile – assistant engineer
• Tommy Sterling – assistant engineer
• Paul Sarault - monitor engineer
• Curtis Kelly - monitor engineer / technician
• Jeffrey Mark Silverman – orchestrations

The Tribute World Tour 1998

Dates

1997-1998

Cities

For cities, see below

Set list

• "Deliverance"
• "Adagio in C Minor"
• "Renegade"
• "Waltz in 7/8"
• "Tribute"
• "Dance with a Stranger"
• "Within Attraction"
• "Aria"
• "Keys to Imagination"
• "Nightingale"
• "Southern Exposure"
• "Marching Season"
• "Nostalgia"
• "Prelude/Love Is All"
• "Acroyali/Standing in Motion"
• "Reflections of Passion"
• "Niki Nana (We're One)"
• "Santorini"

Tour production

• Business Manager: Tom Paske
• Video Director/Producer: George Veras
• Tour Accountants: Diane Kramer, Pete Dorsey
• Yanni Management Tour Support Staff: Anda Allenson, Richard Allenson

Tour dates

[14]

Date	City	Country	Venue
January 17, 1998	New York City	United States	Radio City Music Hall
January 24, 1998	Sacramento		ARCO Arena
January 26, 1998	Worcester		Worcester's Centrum Centre
January 27, 1998	Philadelphia		CoreStates Center
January 29, 1998	Fort Lauderdale		Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center
January 31, 1998	Washington, D.C.		MCI Center
February 3, 1998	Fairborn		Ervin J. Nutter Center
February 4, 1998	Auburn Hills		The Palace of Auburn Hills
February 6, 1998	Cleveland		CSU Convocation Center
February 7, 1998	Buffalo		Marine Midland Arena
February 8, 1998	Pittsburgh		Civic Arena
February 10, 1998	St. Louis		Kiel Center
February 12, 1998	Indianapolis		Market Square Arena
February 14, 1998	Moline		The MARK of the Quad Cities
February 17, 1998	Knoxville		Thompson–Boling Arena
February 18, 1998	Louisville		Freedom Hall
February 19, 1998	Nashville		Nashville Arena
February 21, 1998	Grand Rapids		Van Andel Arena
February 22, 1998	Chicago		United Center
February 25, 1998	Anaheim		Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
February 27, 1998	Inglewood		Great Western Forum
February 28, 1998	Oakland		The Arena in Oakland
March 19, 1998	Tulsa		Tulsa Convention Center
March 20, 1998	Phoenix		America West Arena
March 22, 1998	Reno		Lawlor Events Center
March 24, 1998	Sacramento		ARCO Arena
March 25, 1998	San Jose		San Jose Arena
March 27, 1998	Salt Lake City		Delta Center
March 28, 1998	Las Vegas Strip		MGM Grand Garden Arena
March 29, 1998	San Diego		San Diego Sports Arena
April 3, 1998	Portland		Rose Garden Arena
April 4, 1998	Spokane		Spokane Arena
April 5, 1998	Seattle		KeyArena
April 6, 1998	Vancouver		General Motors Place
April 9, 1998	Edmonton		Edmonton Coliseum
April 10, 1998	Calgary		Canadian Airlines Saddledome
April 12, 1998	Denver		McNichols Sports Arena
April 18, 1998	Lincoln		Bob Devaney Sports Center
April 19, 1998	Valley Center		Kansas Coliseum
April 21, 1998	Milwaukee		Bradley Center
April 22, 1998	Madison		Dane County Coliseum
April 23, 1998	Duluth		Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
April 25, 1998	Winnipeg		Winnipeg Arena
April 26, 1998	Fargo		Fargodome
May 18, 1998	Austin		Frank Erwin Center
May 26, 1998	University Park		Bryce Jordan Center
June 2, 1998	Rochester, NY
June 7, 1998	Boston		Fleet Center
June 8, 1998	Hartford		Hartford Civic Center
June 12, 1998	Atlanta		Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 13, 1998	Atlanta		Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 14, 1998	Cincinnati		The Crown
June 20, 1998	Chicago		United Center
June 23, 1998	Syracuse		Onondaga County War Memorial
June 26, 1998	Uniondale		Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 30, 1998	Montreal		Molson Centre
July 3, 1998	Quebec City		Colisée de Québec
July 5, 1998	Hamilton		Copps Coliseum

Charts

Chart performance for Tribute

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15]	48
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16]	16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17]	11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]	27
French Albums (SNEP)[19]	21
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20]	40
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21]	16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22]	35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	23
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	40
US Billboard 200[25]	21
US New Age Albums (Billboard)[1]	1

Certifications

Certifications for Tribute

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26]	Gold	50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[27]	Platinum	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[28]	Platinum	1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] Video	2× Platinum	200,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

External links

• Official Website
• Tribute at AllMusic
• Tribute at Allmovie
• Tribute at IMDb

---