The Double Up Tour was one of the last major, unified arena tours of the 2000s R&B boom. Shortly after the tour concluded, R. Kelly went to trial in 2008, where he was initially acquitted of all charges. While he would continue to tour globally over the following decade, the Double Up era represented the absolute peak of his modern theatrical staging and mainstream industry backing.
: Opening with high-energy tracks like "Burn It Up," "Hotel," and "Thoia Thoing." r kelly double up tour
The most explosive controversy of the tour erupted when Ne-Yo was removed from the bill after performing only two shows in Columbus and Atlanta. Ne-Yo did not go quietly. He told BET.com that the official reason—contractual disputes—was "absolutely false." Instead, he openly speculated, "I believe it was because the first few reviews of the show, people were talking more about my set than his and I don’t think he liked that too much." The situation escalated when Ne-Yo and his touring company filed a lawsuit against Rowe Entertainment. The suit alleged breach of contract, claiming Ne-Yo was to be paid $785,000 for the tour but was fired and only paid $50,000. The legal filing stated that an anonymous representative of R. Kelly urged the promoter to terminate Ne-Yo due to the "audience's and critics' more favorable reaction to Smith than the reaction to R. Kelly". R. Kelly's spokesperson strongly denied the jealousy claims, maintaining that "R. Kelly is certainly confident enough in his own abilities to be happy to share the stage with enormously talented people." The Double Up Tour was one of the
Revisiting the Spectacle: R. Kelly’s "Double Up" Tour (2007-2008) While he would continue to tour globally over