The tour was officially announced on January 12, 2009 through Gaga's official MySpace page. It was her first headlining tour; she has previously served as opening act for New Kids on the Block's New Kids on the Block: Live tour (2008), as well as The Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination Tour (2009).
Gaga revealed that the name used within the Haus for the tour was "Joanne", an homage to her late auntSource?.
Summer revisions
In May, during an interview with Toronto Sun Gaga announced that the tour is supposed to continue through European festivals in summer. The summer version of the tour started at Festival on June 26, 2009 with "The Kids" which was made of old friends from New York and hand-pickers members. Along with playing with a band, the set list and the outfits worn were a bit different. Some part were modified and other completely changed to fit her mood and new inspirations.