biggest concert tours 1980s biggest concert tours 1980s

Total tour attendance: 4.62 million Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright were students when they met and began playing together, but their famous "A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour didnt come until much later, toward the end of their time as a group. & Rakim, and elder statesman Whodini in a revue-style format that left no doubt that there was a new type of music on the block. Heres everything to know, The biggest music festivals in 2022: Dates, cities, ticket info, lineups announced, What is MegaSeats? But when scouring through live bootlegs from back then, the 1997 fall tour stands out because of how energized the jam band sounds -- and when it comes to Phish shows, its the energy in the air that can turn an already memorable performance into one that feels like magic. Nina Corcoran, 90. Nina Corcoran, Selling out sure does sound good. While both acts are fun in their own right, having the bands perform back to back turned venues like The Fillmore into proper discotheques, where the spirit of live dance bands felt as palpable as ever (though maybe it was the sweat that was palpable, in hindsight). Songs that began quietly grew into a dark, rumbling experience, with Cave descending into the crowd as if he and the crowd became one. The Big Time shows captured those two worlds colliding. If youre hoping to hear some of your favorite tracks from yesteryear live, heres a list of the top 50 bands from all genres you can catch live this year. On the eve of their UK tour, Joe Strummer went missing as a publicity stunt-turned-actual scare. Total tour attendance: 3.55 million The tour also spawned the groupsonly live album"Live in Buenos Aires, recorded at the final show. The final Bruce Springsteen tour on this list, the "Wrecking Ball World Tour has been Springsteens most successful tour to date. Year(s): 200506, Concert films have become a major trend over the last several decades, and U2s "Vertigo tour wasno exception. Five words that nearly every music fan has uttered. In many ways, the Highway to Hell Tour can be seen as Bon, on his last tour, handing the mic to Brian to continue down that satanic highway. List of the top 20 highest-grossing tours (by actual gross, not adjusted for inflation) of all time Rank Actual gross Gross adjusted for inflation (2023 $) Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average gross per show (millions) Average attendance per show Average gross per attendee Ref. The success of that one-off night in September 81 led Simon & Garfunkel to put harmonies before harmony and embark on what many consider their finest tour ever. From Led Zeppelin's U.S. debut to Jay Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne' spectacle, and beyond, SST Records Producer Glen Spot Lockett Dead at 72, Glastonbury Co-Organizer Promises Female Headliners in 2024 After All-Male Top Billing This Year, There Were Sidemen. - Quora Answer (1 of 12): The mid 80s was my initiation to concert attendance by myself; away from the bosom of my parents, who enjoyed gigs and took us kids too. The 1980s brought some of the best music of the 20th century to the world. Matt Melis, 58. One of them included a pair of failed albums with The Stooges to start their careers a beginning so disappointing (and drug-addled) that the band parted ways for a time. Celine Dion: Taking Chances World Tour, #17. The 26 dates across Europe marked the last tour with bassist John Deacon and singer Freddie Mercury. The tour thrilled millions, sent Prince even higher into the stratosphere, and pissed off Tipper Gore. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs Tour (2010-11), When touring behind The Suburbs, Arcade Fire was at the perfect crossing point of the famous indie rock band it had become. U2 has. Nearly every night of the tour, fans were surprised by casual guest appearances, including Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Beck, John Legend, Lorde, Mary J. Blige, Mick Jagger, St. Vincent, and more. The legendary rock group, The Who, perform on stage during the band's final . Nina Corcoran, 37. While the tour's production was notable, particularly it's rotating LED cube dubbed "the Monolith," it was Beyonc's ever-improving talent that stole the show. That doesnt mean we can take you back to a harmonious time in band history, though. by Madison Marx, January 12, 2023 Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Its The Boss at his best. Ever since his days as a Beatle, Paul McCartney has been wildly popular. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). It was a scene being born back then, and its a legendary moment now. Total tour attendance: 5.39 million But if were talking the moment that Bruce and band really became Kings of the Road (or maybe Bosses), that would have to be the Darkness Tour. ), Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $319,972,060 The famed beach in Rio De Janeiro was the scene of one of the biggest rock shows EVER, when the legendary band performed to 1.5 million fans on 18 February 2006. . That's what the Rollercoaster Tour was for britpop obsessives and shoegaze fans. (It always seems to take critics a little bit longer.) Between 1973 and 1976, Journey released three studio albums, all of which failed to meet the expectations of Columbia Records, which nearly dropped the band. Other touring locations included London, New Zealand, South America, and Japan. This final tour was run in conjunction with the release of the groups final album, "The Division Bell., Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $423,574,349 Roger Waters, a founding member of Pink Floyd, embarked on a solo career in the mid-1980s. For close to a decade, and through several of their other tours, the "Voodoo Lounge tour was the Rolling Stones top-grossing tour. Please sign up now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. In doing so, youre agreeing to the below guidelines. My, my. And this tour was big. They were merely a group of local musicians who came together for a paid gig (the album recording) and then ended up getting enough paid gigs after that (for both Springsteen and other musicians) that it made sense to become a band. It would also be his last tour, as he would pass away from Melanoma only a few months after finishing the slate. Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour, #16. The Jesus and Mary Chain's Jim Reid curated the tour in hopes of proving independent rock artists could be worthy of bigger venues, using Lollapalooza as a blueprint for how to do it. The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon Tour, #6. A diva with all of the talent and hustle but none of the ego, Ross hit the road in 1983, as she did most years, to promote her latest record, Up Front. Nina Corcoran, 83. All Rights reserved. Little Richard 1962 European Tour (1962), By the early 60s, Little Richard (born Richard Penniman) had traded in rock and roll for gospel. On top of it all, Kendrick Lamar was the opening support, though occasionally other greats like A Tribe Called Quest, Pusha T, and Travis Scott filled in his shoes. No matter your personal taste in music, its highly probable that you know Coldplays breakthrough single, "Yellow, which climbed the charts in 2000. Against Me! Astroworld Festival Nov. 5, 2021 Houston, Texas Concert deaths: 9 Year(s): 2017. Nina Corcoran, 76. Year(s): 201417, Unlike Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks is a huge believer inplaying the old stuff. In truth, so was his creativity as a songwriter. Given this was right after "Believe" came out, which popularized Auto-Tune, and artists like Cyndi Lauper and Michael McDonald opened the shows, it was a tour that had plenty to remember it by, should you be lucky enough to get a ticket. While seeing the band break big is incredible on its own, the fact that a handful of remarkable bands shared the stage with them on the tour makes it even more iconic in retrospect: Sonic Youth, Melvins, Hole, Mudhoney, Bikini Kill, Shonen Knife, The Breeders, and more. Year(s): 201315. And maybe none of their tours warrants cracking open a nostalgic beer more than the One of These Nights Tour. Matt Melis, Without The Clash, punk may have struggled to stop taking itself so seriously, especially when it comes to commercial fame. held between 1980 and 1996 at . From 2007-2008, the band joined Springsteen for a23-songs-per-set tour that was called "euphoric and "profound., Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $279,110,786 By the time they returned for 16 dates traversing the country the following year -- most of which lasted only about 30 minutes and included several other acts on the bill -- Beatlemania was in full effect. The shows themselves saw Prince, oozing sexuality, dive right into the best of Purple Rain and 1999, not hesitating to bring out openers Apolonia 6 or Sheila E. to sing along or to extend a jam by 20 or 30 mesmerizing minutes. They had something to prove, and their 1968 North American tour saw them go from supporting bands like Vanilla Fudge, Country Joe & the Fish, and Iron Butterfly to headlining the very same tour, culminating in concerts like one in Boston where the band transformed one albums worth of material and a handful of popular covers into more than four hours that left everyone spellbound. 1983, so it was a pretty big deal. Sure, there were other labels putting out hit singles and records, but no other could boast a stable of hip-hop talent like Russell Simmons and Rick Rubins Def Jam. Shows played: 167 You show off what you can do with and without a band. Even more impressive than the bevy of talent was the fact that the tour raised more than 10 million dollars for charities in its successful short run. Youre almost levitating on the energy from the audience, says Keith Richards. Alanis Morissette- Cant Not Tour (1995-96), Oh, what a difference a few years can make. as well as image rights, data visualizations, forward planning tools, They didnt stay a duo for long, swiftly being joined, and left, by a variety of other musicians. Year(s): 199798. Neil Youngwith Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps Tour (1978), Theres no denying that Neil Young is a dynamic live performer. Here is everything you need to know, The biggest music festivals in 2022: dates, cities, ticket information, lineups announced, What is MegaSeats? And yes, it was impossible to describe. On a circular stage placed in the middle of the room, Bjrk worked instruments like a midi-controlled gamelan-celesta hybrid and a giant pendulum-harp that used the Earth's gravitational pull to create musical patterns, essentially turning her set into a artful take on factory work. The alternative dream was still alive . To have seen Hendrix during this period might have been too blinding to fully appreciate. His tour "The Wall Live has been called "one of the most ambitious and complex rock shows ever staged. It also markedthe first time that "The Wall had been played in its entirety since a one-off performance beside the (fallen) Berlin Wall in 1990. And Then There Was David Lindley, See the Beths Deliver Refreshing 'Expert in a Dying Field' Mini-Set on 'CBS Mornings', The YSL Case Is Stretching Fulton County's Justice System to Its Breaking Point, Trump Promises to Continue Presidential Campaign if Indicted, Then Delivers a Snoozy CPAC Speech, NBA 'Investigating,' Team Suspends Ja Morant After Allegedly Flashing Gun on Social Media. He wound up growing a beard, hiding in Paris, and running the city's marathon incognito, causing the band to cancel their UK dates but pull him back aboard in time for the US tour stretch with their ideal catalog ready to go. The bands Autobahn Tour configuration has gone down in history as their classic touring lineup. But the tour saw him try to outdo himself with a smile once more, whether that was digging out songs that had been untouched for nearly 30 years, like "Long Tall Sally", or touring Asia for the first time in 13 years (and treating them to "Another Girl", marking the first time a Beatle ever played the song live). Midway through the tour, the Stones took a month-long break. Shows played: 326 Matt Melis, 24. The legendary tour, of course, gets best remembered for a single storm-shortened night in Central Park. by Alyssa, July 07, 2016 Guns N RosesandMetallica- Stadium Tour (1992), Its difficult to imagine a better pairing. While its true he wasnt quite yet the King of Pop, catching him on the Victory Tour could definitely be considered seeing him a mere shamone or two away from his throne. Luckily, hes getting to follow that Yellow Brick Road one last time. The groups 2011 tour was their first proper tour instead of a smattering of dates. The 1980s brought the world some of the best music the 20th century had to offer. Just over a year after her older brother Michael had rewritten every rule for what a pop tour or a music tour in general could be, kid sister Janet Jackson set out on her own record-setting tour. With his vibrantly orange hair and glitter-covered outfits, Bowie moved with the air of someone who had spent his whole life performing to massive crowds, and yet this was nearly the beginning. It was a hint of what was to come for the genre and the group themselves. Nina Corcoran, 75. The "Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood: World Tour is a perfect example of that. Genesis- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Tour (1974-75), Few prog rock tours are as infamous as Genesis' jaunt in support of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the band's sixth studio album and last with Peter Gabriel as the lead singer. Twain was the perfect blend of show woman, sex appeal, and girl power, which translated into a country-flavored pop show with crossover appeal that hadnt been seen since Garth Brooks proved country and rock and roll belonged onstage together earlier that decade. by Madison Marx, February 03, 2023 Watching them turn into the geniuses they would become was surreal, a vision of genuine artistic joy and collaboration. -- Matt Melis, The frenzy has its own name: Beatlemania. There was a particular round of dates during this era, though, that stand extra tall in hindsight: their stretch with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs opening. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $556,500,000 Their manager booked dates that dodged major markets, sending the band through cities like Atlanta, Memphis, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, Dallas, and Tulsa before concluding in San Francisco. -- Matt Melis, 71. The Rolling Stones American Tour 1969 (1969), Oh, to be a rock legend in your prime. Those who saw it had no idea they were seeing My Bloody Valentine on their last tour ever, as the band chose not to play again until reuniting over 16 years later in 2008. Perhaps no tour better defined Elton John than his 1974 North American Tour. Hislongest concert ever took place during this tour, clocking in at just over four hours. Garth Brooks The Garth Brooks World Tour (1993-94), To non-country fans, barrel-chested Garth Brooks might be little more than that guy who sang jingles for Dr. Pepper in the early 2000s. With the release of Guero, his ninth studio album, Beck found a new string of singles -- like "E-Pro" and "Girl" -- to hook audiences with. Nina Corcoran, 97. Nina Corcoran, 11. Some would argue that lunch box and pail mentality is best summed up by the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. Sitting atop their glowing pyramid, Daft Punk seemed to be the total opposite of the crowd: rigid, unreadable, and robotic compared to the audience's freeform, blissful, sweaty dancing. Check out our hot list of bands and singers touring in 2023. While it's easy to point to the mystical vibe of the tour with its use of miming, magic, and readings during her costume changes, it's her choreography that changed the course of history. The Top 100 Music Festival Lineups of All Time, The Top 10 Music Venues in 10 American Cities. However, now that Sabbath has officially closed shop as of 2017 and Ozzy Osbourne insists his latest farewell (No More Tours II) will be his last extended goodbye, we find ourselves staring down the barrel of a potentially Ozzyless concert slate for the first time in decades. On Tour With Bon Jovi In The 1980s Mark Weiss toured the world with Bon Jovi in the 1980s. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $320,710,513 Some of the best moments can be found on his acclaimed Otis Redding: Live in Europe album, and it would be only three months later at Monterey Pop that Redding would largely wash away the color line at a music festival in his own country. Nina Corcoran, 53. What began in August of 1991 stretched into a worldwide tour until the end of February in 1992. symphony orchestra The demand for more shows extended the reunion longer than anyone expected, a fever dream nobody wanted to end, but one we were lucky to have in reality at all. Nina Corcoran, 09. From the reggae twists to the pop choruses, The Clash were changing the course of history, and the band illuminated it live on the stage. On the Do You Believe? Four days before the first date of the tour, Beyonc dropped Lemonade, a surprise visual concept album complete with a 65-minute film and 12 staggering songs. distribution partner, email us at 1 UK independent chart position and proved the genre was a force to be reckoned with, and everyone got the message by the time the Grindcrusher UK tour started. As the album and its handful of singles climbed the charts and took the world by storm, the real storm was brewing backstage as romantic partnerships in the group fell apart. With multiple tributes to Phife Dawg, moving pauses where Q-Tip and Jarobi White stood off to the side for Phife's verses to be played over the speakers while his image flashed on screen, and '90s hits being sung back to them, word for word, from audiences of all ages, the tour felt like a moment solidifying their place in history: right now, back then, and forever more. See details tickets sale It was the tour to watch an artist on top of the world prove she still, somehow, was getting better and better. Voices that feel like forces of nature that need tamed just enough to fit into the confines of a song. by Vivid Seats, November 30, 2022 worth applauding. Rod Stewart at Copacabana Beach (1994) - 4.2 million attendees. Divorced from Ike Turner and with their glory days together well in her rearview mirror, Turner not only reignited her career with a series of energetic tours in the 80s and 90s, but she actually found her star burning brighter than ever. So her sound engineer Martin Fisher used a wire clothes hanger to create a wireless headset microphone. He was working on new graphics! Shows played: 69 It took me a lifetime to get here, she told them. The 1980s brought the world some of the best music the 20th century had to offer. Cyndi Lauper. Nina Corcoran, Yes, we can look back to a time before Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac. Year(s): 2017 present. Daft Punk Alive 2006/2007 (2006-07), Daft Punk have existed for 26 years now, yet the French electronic duo have only toured two times. Give Orange. 1 spot on the charts. And the most miraculous part was that Madonna transcended all the hype by offering a larger-than-life event. Never has so much vocal talent been on one bill, and while some of these shows would be segregated (one show for whites and a separate one for blacks or the two groups partitioned off during the same performance), The Motortown Revue ultimately helped to break down racial boundaries at a critical time during the American civil rights movement. If live music is all about reaching out and connecting with an audience, Coyne can be credited for finally improving on the classic crowd surf. David Byrne wiggled like a nervous, fidgeting, unsure nerd. The tours namesake album had just gone No. While earlier that year, they recorded a live set that would become Live at Leeds, it was the combination of these sounds -- the blues-rooted, riff-heavy early material with the more adventurous, cinematic, crescendo-filled material of a rock opera -- that nailed this tour down as a career peak. Here are 10 of the biggest benefit concerts of all time. Run-DMCandBeastie Boys- Together Forever Tour (1987), In 1986, Run-DMC broke hip-hop stereotypes when their rap rock take on Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" hit No. Nina Corcoran, 42. And from that came Horses/Horses, the recorded live set from the festival, including a cover of The Who's "My Generation", to blast from your stereo, a reminder that Patti Smith's longevity and relevance will never fade, nor will her goosebump-raising voice lose its strength. Kate Bush was adamant about dancing as she sang, using movements that were broad and wide, the type that would get you tangled in a cord should you try. All three members of Run-DMC were 22 years old and all three members of Beastie Boys were between 21 and 23. Instead of indulging her indie rock or manic solos of the past, Annie Clark leaned hard into her St. Vincent persona for Masseduction, her fifth studio album. After striking shrapnel on their joint cover of Public Enemys Bring the Noise, Scott Ian and Anthrax took to the road alongside Chuck Ds crew, with each night culminating in the two acts joining each other onstage for the tours namesake jam. With drug charges in the past, the Stones finally hopped across the pond to play sold-out arenas, showing their growth as adults and as professional musicians. Matt Melis, 52. Pop and the Stooges would go on to get their due as a seminal proto-punk outfit, but their largest impact may just be Pop demonstrating the lengths a frontman could go to connect to an audience. Ask Stephen Stills and Neil Young, who have spent much of their Hall of Fame careers either playing in bands with each other or quitting them. The tour opened ona cathedral backdrop with biblical scriptures booming from the speakersand men dressed as monks filling the stage, before quickly shifting into Madonnas #1 hits "Girl Gone Wild and "Material Girl. Later in the show, Madonna pulled out a fake gun and "shot multiple people, a move that didnt go over well with some audience members. Shows played: 156 . His 2021 cover headline was "The Great Return. Grande has enlisted A-listers Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan, Katy Perry, Take That, Usher and Pharrell Williams to perform at the concert that will benefit the We Love. With their valiant Ticketmaster battles behind them, a newfound sense of camaraderie, and Soundgardens Matt Cameron solidifying the bands revolving spot behind the drum kit, Pearl Jam were finally able to commit to making each and every outing be it an intimate show in their hometown of Seattle or under the stars at Wrigley Field a night where anything could, and often does, happen. Shows played: 120 Wonder had you fooled, though, as the shows lasted over three hours without a single dip in energy or mood. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $333,024,687 Nina Corcoran, Theres no science to picking out the best tours, especially when some of the artists on this list have more great tours than you can count on a single hand. Nina Corcoran, Lilith Fair, the brainchild of singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, struck an early victory for womens inclusion in the modern touring industry. And while every NIN fan will have their personal favorite, many would agree that Reznor and band were never tighter or more invested than on their Fragility Tour, which just so happened to feature a then virtually unknown band called A Perfect Circle opening on the 2.0 leg of the trek. 1980s Uprising Tour was the largest in Europe that year and saw Marley playing several new countries, including Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $345,700,000 To borrow from Ms. Total tour attendance: 2.60 million A loose narrative about Frank trying to break into show business connected a series of avant-garde performances, including the pencil-mustachioed Waits singing Innocent When You Dream in a bathtub and hammering on boiler room steam pipes during 16 Shells from a 30-Ought Six. Do they have fees? The Big Time shows captured those two worlds colliding. Nina Corcoran, Whats bigger than god? Apart from the casual 250.7 million dollars it brought in or the endless thinking pieces surrounding it, the 1989 World Tour stood out because of how Taylor Swift embraced her role as an artist intent on doing it up big while still creating a faux intimacy that fans in the nosebleed seats could enjoy. The Rolling Stones: A Bigger Bang Tour, 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to critics, Best New Artist winners, ranked by popularity today, most successful musical acts of the 1970s, the greatest rock & roll band in the world, Coldplays breakthrough single, "Yellow,, marked the first time in over two decades, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1.