biggest concert tours 1980s biggest concert tours 1980s

The truth is that many of the same fans who had championed Dylan, revered his songwriting, or looked to him as the voice of their generation thought of plugging in as a waste of talent and a desecration of his message. Total tour attendance: 4.85 million Shows played: 115 Total tour attendance: 4.74 million The experience turned into a masterclass for the future Fab Four, with Penniman teaching them his songs and showing a young Paul McCartney how to sing like him. Give Orange. (It always seems to take critics a little bit longer.) Mones live show on the tour was broken into parts, essentially like a Broadway play, complete with minor costume changes, narrative turns, and mood swings. Nina Corcoran, 11. Shows played: 120 (Note: NJ.com readers using Vivid Seats for the first time can get $20 off ticket orders over $200 with promo code NJ20 at the register. That year saw Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Pearl Jam, and others headline a whos who of talent across multiple stages. By the time they branched out in 1976 to play new venues in other cities, their reputation had to have proceeded them. Though their comically large beards would suggest they'd been in hiding, the Neutral Milk Hotel crew seemed just as delightfully unhinged as their music always painted them as being, from the warped singing saw solos to the slightly out-of-key reckless hollers. Year(s): 200811. The first tour in 1997 was hyped but still small, as they had yet to make it big. 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. by Madison Marx, December 05, 2022 Nina Corcoran, Whats bigger than god? Good golly, Miss Molly! Year(s): 2013. The Break Every Rule World Tour took place slap-dab in the middle of Tina Fever and saw The Queen of Rock n Roll strutting her big hair, trademark legs, and powerhouse pipes all over the world to more fans than she couldve ever imagined. If nothing else, it all sounds extremely metal maybe a little too metal, actually. Florence + the Machine- How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Tour (2015), With each passing year, Florence + the Machine seem to thrive on lifes most daunting moments, and never was it more evident than during their tour in support of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $422,597,665 Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. have never stopped since the release of 1980's Boy. Nina Corcoran, Tom Waits had left his drunken piano lounge act long behind him by the mid-80s and stumbled into his alter ego of Frank OBrien, a character he and wife Kathleen Brennan would both incorporate into his records and adapt for the stage. 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. However, in 1993, the band began to splinter. and Mastodon announced the co-headlining tour during critical points in both bands' careers, especially since it was just before Against Me! Year(s): 201013. However, the first few years were rough going. What we do know is rarely has a pop rock band sounded so good and held so many audiences in the palm of their hand. Youre almost levitating on the energy from the audience, says Keith Richards. In fact, one thing you notice about Marleys tours is that each one found him visiting places he had never played before. On the Do You Believe? 3. Live videos from the tour capture what it felt like to be there, from people's shrieking screams for the band at the start of songs to the mischievous air that hung during their stripped-down, acoustic renditions. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The tours namesake album had just gone No. Swift's sets primarily came from the "Reputation, album with only one or two classics mixed in. While 3.5 million fans were lucky enough to attend the concerts, millions more were able to watch a televised special thatwon three Emmy Awards. In the case of Mercury, they would be his final shows ever due to being diagnosed with AIDS the following year. Matt Melis, 34. Although the decade of excess came to a close over 32 years ago, many of the biggest acts that came of age during the MTV era, like Sting, Duran Duran and Blondie, are still touring in 2022. Matt Melis, Ramones spent their first two years as a band playing almost exclusively in New York City and, more often than not, at the legendary CBGB. Heres everything to know, The biggest music festivals in 2022: Dates, cities, ticket info, lineups announced, What is MegaSeats? Ils enchanent avec une tourne travers toute la France durant l'anne 1984. The legendary rock group, The Who, perform on stage during the band's final . 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. Matt Melis, 36. The run would not only feature openers like Joni Mitchell, Santana, and The Beach Boys, but would also act as a prototype for the massive stadium tours that would come to dominate subsequent decades. Paramorew/Tegan and Sara - Honda Civic Tour (2010), Though it's very much a sponsored event (and in no way tries to hide it), the annual Honda Civic Tour is a blessing for pop, rock, and punk fans, especially kids who rarely get to see big acts in suburban areas because of age restrictions. Matt Melis, 17. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $483,515,954 ), Future Past Tour by Duran Duran featuring Nile Rodgers and Chic, Against the Odds Tour by Blondie featuring The Damned, Tears for Fears Tipping Point Tour with Garbage, The B-52 Farewell Tour with KC and the Sunshine Band and The Tubes on select dates, Made of Rain Tour by Psychedelic Furs, Joy Division: A Celebration Tour by Peter Hook and The Light, Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour by Elton John, The Whos The Who fought back! It was only because his records were still selling overseas that the founding father of rock agreed to take Sam Cooke and tour Europe in 62. 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. So strange seeing Maynard in the daylight. Nina Corcoran, 50. Their biggest album, "For Those About to Rock, We Salute You, topped charts in 1983, but in 2008 they were still going strong. Year(s): 200809. Twain, yes, that impresses us much. Taylor Swift began her career as a country artist; her self-titled debut hit shelves in 2006 and was full of twangy guitar and fiddle interludes. Originally conceived by Perry Farrell as a farewell tour and victory lap for his band, Janes Addiction, the festival hasnt travelled since its one-year comeback in 2003. While it may have been unusual for its time, everyone from Depeche Mode to Bjrk have cited the band as a major influence. Total tour attendance: 3.50 million What began in August of 1991 stretched into a worldwide tour until the end of February in 1992. 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. The tour, whose set list leaned heavily on the bands most recent release "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, spurred three concert films: "Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago, "Vertigo: Live from Milan, and "U2 3D., Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $493,336,432 Year(s): 200203. Proving that we often dont know a good thing til its gone, The Polices reunion tour grossed more than any of their heyday tours. Shows played: 390 Luckily, theres plenty of footage of Marleys final performances and message, including a sold-out stadium show thats still considered to be the largest concert in Italian history. OutKasts reunion in 2014 to celebrate their 20th anniversary started off shakier than everyone, including Andr 3000 and Big Boi themselves, had hoped: technical problems sparked, the audio was too quiet, and they cut material after losing track of time. Back in 2003, the White Stripes had just released Elephant and were in the midst of defining the garage rock revival. 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. Shows played: 205 by Alyssa, July 08, 2016 The Flaming Lips- 2003 Summer Tour (2003), The Flaming Lips have been weird for a very long time and have pushed the boundaries of live spectacle as much as, if not more than, any other band of their era. 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. Although the decade of excess ended over 32 years ago, many of the biggest bands that grew up in the MTV era, like Sting, Duran Duran and Blondie, are still touring in 2022. Osbourne wasnt in the healthiest state at the time, but who could resist being the proverbial flying rodent on the wall as Ozzy legendarily bit a dead bat thrown onstage (and had to subsequently get rabies shots) or went outlaw by donning his wifes nightgown, getting smashed, and pissing on The Alamo? In a sense, they still havent found what theyre looking for, but are well ahead of schedule in their quest. Nina Corcoran, Rarely do we know at the time that were witnessing history in the making. In truth, so was his creativity as a songwriter. -- Matt Melis, 81. To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into Talking to Radiohead fans about their favorite moments in the bands career is like pouring a bucket of fresh food into a pool of piranhas. Year(s): 201417, Unlike Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks is a huge believer inplaying the old stuff. And yes, it was impossible to describe. Nina Corcoran, 05. [emailprotected]. Matt Melis, Its understandable that The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons are treated as footnotes in Michael Jacksons career. Nina Corcoran, 25. To visit!, This is not an exercise tour by Roger Waters, The Red Hot Chili Peppers 2022 World Tour featuring The Strokes, Thundercat, St. Vincent and more on select dates, REO Speedwagons Live and UnZoomed Tour with Styx and Loverboy, Violent Femmes with Deap Vally, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Bhi Bhiman and The Breeders on select dates, Pet Shop Boys Unity Tour with New Order, Daryl Halls BeforeAfter Tour with Todd Rundgren and John Oates on select dates, New Kids on the Blocks Mixtape 2022 Tour Featuring Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue and Rick Astley, Rick Springfield with Men At Work and John Waite on select dates, Iron Maidens Legacy of the Beast Tour with Trivium and Within Temptation, Mtley Cre with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, ZZ Tops Raw Whiskey Tour featuring Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar and The Circles Crazy Times Tour with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Dead Kennedys with Nekromantix and The Venomous Pinks, The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Indulgent and Misguided Vanity Tour by Weird Al with Emo Phillips, The 26 Biggest Concerts and Festivals in NJ This Summer, Is StubHub legit? More than anything else, it was a tour marked by a rigorous routine full of strenuous dance movements -- moves so intense that she developed a break and labral tear of her right hip come the end, as if we couldn't already tell Gaga gives performances her all. It was a dream combo, as the bands were touring behind the newly released Brand New Eyes and Sainthood, respectively. That set list, combined with a collection of his classic hits like "Born to Run and "Thunder Road meant that many of the showslasted upwards of three hours. Although the decade of excess ended over 32 years ago, many of the biggest bands that grew up in the MTV era, like Sting, Duran Duran and Blondie, are still touring in 2022. Known for gimmicks like hanging from a cross, the "Sticky & Sweet tour had none of that. 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. Heres everything you need to know. 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. That doesnt mean we can take you back to a harmonious time in band history, though. -- Matt Melis, Grateful Dead are one of those bands that really need to be seen and not just heard. 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. Stacker believes in making the worlds data more accessible through Her first time out in 1984, appropriately dubbed The Virgin Tour, caused near-Beatles levels of hysteria among young American females, many of whom donned the Material Girls style, which gave birth to the term Madonna wannabe. By 1987, the US was not enough, and the Whos That Girl World Tour sent a more sophisticated, but no less risque, Madonna out to conquer the world. Audiences had been waiting for an outdoor performance by Sugarland when 70 mile-per-hour wind blew through the fairground and caused the stage to collapse. The other half of the tour, she brought her full band back to bring the new material to life with a bit of edge, proving she can do it all no matter how famous she is now 15 years deep into her career. No matter how big the crowds would get or how elaborate the stage setups would one day become, theres still something utterly mesmerizing about the band, as captured forever in their Red Rocks performance on that tour. All told, the tour, to this day, remains the most successful debut tour by any recording artist. Nina Corcoran, KISS didnt invent the outrageous stage show or become the first rock band with an insanely devoted following, but they sure as hell ran with those elements. ZZ Top Concerts 1980s 1980 January 4, 1980 Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, TX (supported by Eric Johnson) January 5, 1980 Convention Center Arena, Dallas, TX January 6, 1980 Tarrant County Convention Center Arena, Ft. Worth, TX January 10, 1980 Civic Center Coliseum, Amarillo, TX Nina Corcoran, 92. However, it was a chance to see our favorite rain dog performing some of his finest material at the height of his quirky powers. Matt Melis, For her seventh tour ever, Bjrk turned her abstract, Grammy-nominated album Biophilia into a visual representation of the nature, technology, and music crossroads that it aimed to explore. Nina Corcoran, 97. Wed be excused if thats the case with Jimi Hendrix. Nina Corcoran, 70. June 10, 1982. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $326,058,136 Its funny how history tells a slightly different story, though. 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. Year(s): 198789. 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. The most infamous example might be when Youngs bus diverged from Stills while on tour, and Old Shakey sent his quitting papers to Stills via telegram. In 2010, it finally glowed bright enough for everyone to notice. by Madison Marx, 2023 Vivid Seats LLC. Well, maybe a smoother operation for starters. Equal parts fantasy and character development about an emasculated youth, the record's plot translated to the stage through a bizarre combination of grotesque costumes, hundreds of slides, and the largest drum kit ever used by Collins. 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. It tells us that reporters and fans cant take a hint, but it also reminds us that Zeppelin, for a time, were as big as any band in the world. Well, it knocked Springsteens Born in the U.S.A. out of the No. Year(s): 2018. Though they were on the road for hundreds of days, the members of Arcade Fire performed like they were bursting with passion, and the crowds felt similarly, as was evident with every audience members soaring jumps to Ready to Start and all those maxed-out sing-alongs to Wake Up. Both occurred during Queens Magic Tour. Sadly, few festivals, can claim that kind of identity today. Wonder had you fooled, though, as the shows lasted over three hours without a single dip in energy or mood. Total tour attendance: 2.66 million And their proximity to the artist doesnt seem to matter, as ticket sales are up in every venue from intimate clubs to massive stadiums. Its roster of artists, which included Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, EPMD and Slick Rick, was unparalleled in range and cultural dominance. The Rolling Stones' 1969 tour was one of the first legendary rock events. With equally beloved acts like Cursive, Planes Mistaken for Stars, and These Arms Are Snakes locked in as openers, it was a tour-de-force trip that still stands out today as the perfect storm of punk, no matter how old you would have been then. Jackson set both attendance and revenue records while performing 123 times in 15 countries, and his singular combination of distinctive singing, otherworldly dancing, and must-copy fashion made him a pop-culture icon of the highest order from then on. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, some of the best music the 20th century had to offer. Discover with Concertful the best upcoming concerts, gigs and music festivals taking place in your area. 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 more. 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 Vivid Seats and Consequence of Sound. I first photographed Bon Jovi live in 1983, when they opened for ZZ TOP at Madison Square Garden. A series of instruments were created and brought on tour to specifically illustrate the technological aspect of music. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $320,710,513 tour dates Total tour attendance: 3.30 million Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $563,300,000 Critical darlings like Grizzly Bear and Bat for Lashes were tapped as openers, and Kraftwerk opened in Latin America. The legendary tour, of course, gets best remembered for a single storm-shortened night in Central Park. Nina Corcoran, Yes, we can look back to a time before Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac. With eight digital sources acting as video streams, LED screens projected various video and lighting effects that the band could add effects to on the fly. In doing so, youre agreeing to the below guidelines. By 1995, she was touring what would become one of the biggest records of the decade, Jagged Little Pill, with the likes of fellow alt-rock stalwarts Our Lady Peace and future luminaries Radiohead opening. So big, in fact, that as of 2013, the tour holds the record for the highest-grossing tour by a solo musician, surpassing Madonna. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Matt Melis, 18. Nina Corcoran, 99. With those guidelines listed out, let's take a look at nine of the biggest concerts in American history. Matt Melis, 24. It was the opportunity to watch an artist put on a fully immersive production that was parts story, groove, and liberation, and Mones ability to do so this smoothly was a sign of what was to come. It was the tour where a swatch of die-hard fans who would follow them on tour intentionally decided to fall off, certain Radiohead could never top a tour like this again. LL Cool J, Whodini, Eric B. Luckily, nobody told that to Tina Turner, or at least she didnt pay them any attention if they did. ), 02. Follow.