(It always seems to take critics a little bit longer.) He can be reached at [emailprotected]. Year(s): 201617. 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. 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. Cher: Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, #20. 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. Tina Turner-- Break Every Rule World Tour (1987), The history of the music industry tells us that youre supposed to retire in your mid-40s, not make a comeback and set out on your most ambitious tour yet. Nina Corcoran, Whats bigger than god? Year(s): 2014, Afterfinishing third on "The X Factor in 2003, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne found almost unprecedented levels of success with One Direction. Nina Corcoran, 46. AC/DC- Highway to Hell Tour (1979-80), When Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning in early 1980, Brian Johnson stepped in a couple months later, and the band didnt miss a beat. Year(s): 199798. concert hall In other instances, a concerttour transcends live events and is a culturalmoment. With larger venues and gigs on the doc, the band amped up their live antics, playing into the role of frenetic antics and volume-heavy material. Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown Tour (1979), The Bee Gees are one of those groups that has more lives than a cat. A couple of years later we met at my studio in New York City. When Dylan and his backing band, The Hawks (later known as The Band), set out on their world tour in 1966, the controversy followed them. Unfortunately, the magic thats yielded some of the finest folk albums and live moments of all time has often taken a backseat to the duos clashing personal differences. Do they have fees? Jean Michel Jarre at La Dfense (1990) - 2.5 million attendees. 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. 28 of the Highest-Grossing Concert Tours of All Time - Yahoo! Nina Corcoran, 51. 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. While its true that Iggy and the Stooges failed to sell records early on, its also documented that the unpredictable outfit put on some of the most intense shows anyone had ever seen. As a blend of pop, soul, rock, and hip-hop, the album showed how versatile Mone was in creating music. New Jersey bandBon Jovi appeared on the scene in 1980 with big hair and electric smiles. 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, 61. The co-headlining tour saw Blur, Dinosaur Jr., The Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine play 11 dates in the UK. And two minutes later, it starts all over again. & 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. All three members of Run-DMC were 22 years old and all three members of Beastie Boys were between 21 and 23. Her eighth toursupporting her 11th album"Hard Candy, the "Sticky & Sweet tour was Madonnasleast controversial tour. Year(s): 201617. The complex arrangements on the new album saw her performing more nuanced, in-depth material both instrumentally and vocally. Shows played: 102 The legendary tour, of course, gets best remembered for a single storm-shortened night in Central Park. 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. The Police - Synchronicity Tour (1983-84), In 1983, just before their dissolution, The Police became the Biggest Band in the World thanks to the success of Synchronicity. Total tour attendance: 4.38 million Their first UK Tour saw the band sharing a bill with, among others, a young Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdinck. The bands Autobahn Tour configuration has gone down in history as their classic touring lineup. To borrow from Ms. Live Aid concert raises $127 million for famine relief in Africa Nine Inch Nails- Fragility (1999-00), Trent Reznor has been the most prominent face of industrial rock since the early 1990s. Nina Corcoran, 38. Nirvana would go on to play more dates the rest of the year, but it was that initial breakthrough, the turning point of fame encroaching before the mass hysteria ensued, that provided the band with a peak scenario to see them in. Journey's 1980 Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives You show off what you can do with and without a band. Many fans got to hear that robot pop sound live for the first time, not to mention see instruments like synthesizers, vocoders, and homemade electronic percussion devices stand in for standard rock and roll gear. Jawbreaker- 2018 Reunion Tour (2018), For 10 solid years, punk fans and emo kids got to soak up the earnest talent that was Jawbreaker. 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. Site Map Many of these performances would find their way onto his classic Rust Never Sleeps and Live Rust albums, with Youngs aggressive playing alongside Crazy Horse having a direct influence on both punk rock and the future alternative scene. 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. While both acts put on good sets, it was Green Day whose live show remained consistent and invigorating, whereas Blinks tour prior to this one was their tightest so far. Can you name the Highest Grossing Concert Tours of the 1980's? Total tour attendance: 6.39 million And yes, it was impossible to describe. All Rights Reserved, Accessibility Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $483,515,954 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. 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. Good golly, Miss Molly! 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. Check out our hot list of bands and singers touring in 2023. Maybe that pain fueled the music. Its a particularly impressive feat when you consider that the band, which by this time had been performing together for 30 years,had just lost a member. Year(s): 200810. 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. Matt Melis, Don't overlook the power of a comeback, though, to be fair, Patti Smith never truly faded out to merit a proper comeback. -- Matt Melis, 33. The short winter tour in intimate venues across the US ended with two nights at Bowery Ballroom mere hours before Christmas. Shows played: 156 15 Biggest Concerts of All Time (2023 List) - Guitar Lobby Iggy and the Stooges - 1970 Summer Tour (1970), Iggy Pop is another one of those rock stars who has had nine lives. Matt Melis, 47. (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. Total tour attendance: 3.65 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. For ZZ Top (which sported a much different look from the bearded act known today), the controversy added to their mystique. -- Matt Melis, The frenzy has its own name: Beatlemania. The iconic soul singer has a youthfulness to him that seems dependent upon gratitude, something Wonder has never been in short supply of. Conversely, if the same band neglects their back catalog, we can feel cheated on that account. It was a scene being born back then, and its a legendary moment now. 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). With the songs from new hit record Goodbye Yellow Brick Road at his disposal, John, already balding, sporting huge sunglasses, and dressed in one outrageous glam costume (plenty of sequins and feathers) or another, turned what couldve been polite piano recitals into full-blown rock revivals. They didnt stay a duo for long, swiftly being joined, and left, by a variety of other musicians. 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. 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. . To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into St. Vincent- Fear the Future Tour (2017-18), What do you do when youre one of the greatest guitarists of all time? -- Matt Melis, 78. It was a hint of what was to come for the genre and the group themselves. 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. 4. While on this tour, Joel has created a sort ofresidency for himself at Madison Square Garden, playing one show there a month, as long as ticket sales stay high (already six dates at MSG have been announced for 2019). Ouch. Year(s): 200809. A Tribe Called Quest- 2017 Summer Tour (2017), Though they've reunited intermittently over the years for one-off performances, it was A Tribe Called Quest's unexpected album We Got It from Here Thank You 4 Your Service -- their first LP in 18 years, during the recording of which Phife Dawg passed away -- that revitalized their music and their legend at large. Maybe not, but soon enough everyone else did. Shows played: 89 Her performance, her costumes, and the stage and multimedia setup had all been taken to new levels for this tour. And who can blame him? For close to a decade, and through several of their other tours, the "Voodoo Lounge tour was the Rolling Stones top-grossing tour. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $422,597,665 Not all iconic tours are flawless, as sometimes its their flaws that make them stand out. Nina Corcoran, 27. award winning While both bands put on legendary shows when healthy and present, that didnt happen nearly enough across the 26 dates. The Big Time shows captured those two worlds colliding. Janelle Mone- The Electric Lady Tour (2013), By the time her second album dropped, it was nearly impossible to argue Janelle Mone wouldnt become a sensation. But Cave turned a period of mourning into a universal acknowledgement of life moving on no matter what you choose to do. Tour gross (adjusted for inflation): $563,300,000 Part jest, part celebration, and part familial love, it was an unforgettable tour that was as Sufjan as it gets. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Looking back, those who caught Morissettes Cant Not Tour can safely say they saw the artist who solidified the place of women in 90s alternative rock truly coming into her own onstage. Is it legit? On top of this, the 1970 tour saw their iconic headlining set at the Isle of Wight Festival. But in 1985, that all changed when Guns N Roses hit the stage. 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. After all, the 80s was a time when rock music was at its peak. What was the best concert you attended during the 1980s? They brought the squawkish guys in Beastie Boys on tour in support of Raising Hell, only to bring them out again for Together Forever, a tour that showed not only that rap deserved to blow up, but that young rappers did, too. It was two already popular acts in the middle of a career rise, both giving it their all to audiences who were already dying to see them. Sadly, few festivals, can claim that kind of identity today. While it's hard to pick a single best year, as Warped Tour turned into an all-ages space for kids and adults alike to embrace the music they loved regardless of stereotypes that may follow, it was the festival's first year that truly would have been a sight to see. Shows played: 124 50 Cleveland concerts in the 1980s that rocked your world 8 Pink Floyd - 75,250 To this day, critics and fans alike have proclaimed that theyve yet to see anything quite touch these shows. But all the in-band tension couldnt keep Stills and Young from burying the hatchet long enough to join David Crosby and Graham Nash on a 31-gig trek in 1974. A record-setting $10.4 billion was spent in 2018 on concert tickets around the world. Paul McCartney- Out There Tour (2013-15), No musical artist appears on the average bucket list in concert form more than Paul McCartney. Though Earl Sweatshirt was still nowhere to be found, it was essentially Odd Future in full form, goofing off onstage, flexing their cadences, and occasionally incitingso-called riots. It was the first time wireless mics would ever be used onstage. Notable, but, sure, normal for McCartney's lively stamina. He proved that a pop star could outdraw the hottest bands on the planet and that a pop concert could be an elaborate stage production on a scale never before seen. 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. Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, Alec John Such, and Richie Sambora made up the original band, which had hits like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name." Elton John, Foreigner, Queen and Eric Clapton hit the road. They also went on a year-long tour, primarily playing thesongs on the compilation, but sprinkling in a handful of other band favorites. We cant say for certain. Wed be excused if thats the case with Jimi Hendrix. Tom Waits had left his drunken piano lounge act long behind him by the mid-'80s and stumbled into his alter ego of Frank O'Brien, a character he and wife Kathleen Brennan would both incorporate into his records and adapt for the stage. live music Picking out the best 80s rock bands is no easy task.