Gold was Steps' fifth arena tour. Despite this being the final tour before a 10-year split, there were no dates outside the UK. A few hours before their final show in Manchester, band members H and Claire Richards announced their resignation from the band to the rest of the members. In the 'Steps Reunion' TV showin September 2011, the band members revealed that it was the most uncomfortable concert that they had ever performed. The final show in Manchester was recorded for a TV broadcast and a DVD/VHS later entitled "The End of the Road" that was released 25 November 2002, almost a year after the split of the group. Throughout the concert members of the group were seen crying; it was later revealed in 2012 that shortly before the concert began, band members H and Richards had informed the band they would be leaving the group. The tour was promoted through the slipsides of single's "Here and Now/You'll Be Sorry" and "Chain Reaction", which showed the dates and where tickets could be purchased.
Concert synopsis
The concert opens when an orchestral piece playing with the backdrop showing each member of the group in an animated form before their first performance of "One For Sorrow", the curtains open to reveal the group wearing pink and red outfits as the opening of the song is playing then is mixed into the Sleazesisters mix. Each song that is performed features the music video on the backdrop to tribute the success of that single. The group then perform "Deeper Shade Of Blue" straight after and then take a moment to address the audience before performing "Love's Got a Hold On My Heart", right at the end of the performance of the song the group then go into a white door way that closes them off into backstage. "5,6,7,8" is performed by 5 male dancers with huge masks on resembling each member of the group. H's Solo "Believe" a cover of Cher's hit single is performed, it starts with the opening of the song as H is suspended on a piece of equipment that allows him to "fly" over the audience members, when he reaches the stage he performs the song while using auto-tune and dancing this large neon canes with male dancers. Shortly after the three girl members of the group walk on stage in green and blue costumes addressing the audience about their next song they are going to perform "After The Love Has Gone" the stage is by now decorated with oriental lanterns. Next they perform "Heartbeat" in the style of Simon Hill's remix and then perform "Here and Now" before the group goes backstage to leave Lee to address the audience and to introduce Faye for her solo number "If You Believe" which is remixed and performed in a street style with a piece of apparatus in the middle of the stage which is used for the dancers. Soon after Faye is finished she goes backstage and Lee and H come on stage to talk to the audience about slowing the show down to then perform "It's The Way You Make Me Feel" where the group are now in different outfits, the song is performed with the five members singing with their microphones and not doing any choreography. By now the stage is set with candles and tealights on stage to give the concert a moonlight feel to fit the mood of the songs. Claire performs her Solo "Hand On Your Heart". This section of the concert is carried on through their known ballads including "Words Are Not Enough" and "I Know Him So Well". Lisa is then introduced by Faye and Claire to perform her solo "Bittersweet" which is included on the single release of "Words Are Not Enough", she performs on a moving platform on stage which allows her walk through her verses and then sits on a chair that is lifted up into the arena that hangs over the audience. At the end of Lisa's performance the lights come up to show H on stage and he introduces the next song "Baby Don't Dance" and teaches the audience a piece of the choreography as it is a new song to be performed live. The group performs the song along with "Last Thing On My Mind", after that Faye addresses the audience and introduces Lee for him to perform his solo "Close To Me" which was written by Lee for this tour and is performed with female dancers. After Lee's solo "You'll Be Sorry" begins straight away following a medley of songs including "Better the Devil You Know", "Summer Of Love" and "Better Best Forgotten" which ends with the group being lowered on a platform on stage with pyrotechnics. As the group is backstage the backdrop shows out-takes from their music videos as the W.I.P. Remix of "Stomp" is being played while a platform above the audience is being lowered. The group enter the stage wearing gold outfits and walk onto the large platform above the audience to perform the song. The song ends on the platform as they begin "Tragedy" and perform the song as they slowly walk off the platform and perform their signature choreography during the chorus, they end the song back on stage to perform their finale "Chain Reaction", on the recording of this performance members of the group seem unhappy at the end, Lisa and Claire are crying and they all each give their thank you's to each other, the dancers, crew and audience then the curtains are drawn to conclude the concert.
