Pick a Day

Music History Events: Tours

October 2, 2000 Coldplay embark on their first headline tour, kicking it off with a show at Cambridge Junction in England.

March 23, 2000 60-year-old Tina Turner launches her Twenty Four Seven tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It takes in $80 million, making it the top-grossing tour of 2000.

August 18, 1999 Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos launch their 5 1/2 Weeks Tour in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It's sponsored by MP3.com, a hot tech company that lets users download songs for free. Morissette gets stock in the company as part of the deal.

July 13, 1999 In support of their acclaimed synth-infused album The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips embark on a "headphones tour" that combines pre-recorded material, provided to the audience through customized headsets, with the live stage show.More

April 9, 1999 Bruce Springsteen begins his first tour with the E Street Band since 1988 with a concert in Barcelona. The European leg ends in June, with the first American show in their home turf of New Jersey on July 15. The tour lasts until July 2000, a total of 132 shows.

February 28, 1999 Hole and Marilyn Manson kick off their joint Beautiful Monsters tour with a show in Spokane, Washington, but cancel it after nine dates when Hole pulls out and Manson injures his ankle on stage.

September 22, 1998 The first Family Values Tour, created by Korn and featuring Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube and Rammstein, launches with a show in Rochester, New York.

August 12, 1996 In Buffalo, New York, Radiohead start a run of 13 shows opening for Alanis Morissette. They use their time to road test songs like "No Surprises" and "Paranoid Android," which appear on their next album, OK Computer.

October 25, 1994 Hootie & the Blowfish begin their first US tour in South Bend, Indiana. They're the opening act for Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

August 1, 1994 The Rolling Stones begin their Voodoo Lounge tour with a show in Washington, D.C. Their first tour without bass player Bill Wyman, it goes for 134 shows and finishes as the top-grossing tour of all time.

May 30, 1994 Metallica start their S--t Hits the Sheds tour, with Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies and Candlebox supporting. Alice in Chains is supposed to be one of the opening acts, but has to bow out due to Layne Staley's drug problem.

August 11, 1993 Soundgarden play the Civic Auditorium in Rapid City, South Dakota, their first show on an 8-date trek with headliner Neil Young and opener Blind Melon. These dates end up being Soundgarden's only live performances of the year.

March 27, 1993 Kyuss begins a run of Australian tour dates opening for Metallica, during the latter group's tour in support of The Black Album, at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

April 1, 1992 MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit tour begins in Hampton, Virginia. By the end of the tour, two of his support acts have become more popular than he is: Boyz II Men and TLC.

December 5, 1991 In Worcester, Massachusetts, Soundgarden begin opening a string of arena shows in North America for Guns N' Roses, who are supporting their Use Your Illusion albums. The tour also includes a three-night stand at Madison Square Garden, the only time Soundgarden play the venue.

October 29, 1991 In Peoria, Illinois, Metallica launch their mammoth Wherever We May Roam tour, which runs for 224 shows, wrapping up on December 18, 1992.

June 15, 1991 MC Hammer kicks off his Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em world tour in Louisville, Kentucky. About 70 people, who perform various duties on stage, are in the entourage. Rolling Stone reports that Hammer is a taskmaster, fining dancers for missing steps and insisting that everyone go directly to their hotel rooms after shows.

June 29, 1989 Three years after landing their first hit, the Pet Shop Boys, notoriously averse to live performance, launch their first tour with a show at Hong Kong Coliseum.

October 31, 1988 Bon Jovi launch their New Jersey Syndicate tour with a show in Dublin. The tour lasts 16 months and over 200 concerts. On the North American legs, they're joined by a New-er Jersey band: Skid Row.

May 27, 1988 The Monsters of Rock tour, with a lineup of Metallica, Van Halen, Scorpions and Dokken, kicks off with a show at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin. Metallica emerge super-sized, and soon after the tour release their album ...And Justice for All. Dokken, strained from infighting and exhaustion, break up after the tour.

September 30, 1987 Fleetwood Mac open their Shake The Cage Tour in Kansas City, Missouri, but without Lindsey Buckingham, a key contributor to the album they're touring behind, Tango In The Night. Buckingham, who had a falling out with the group the previous month, is replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. He doesn't return to the group until 1997.

August 17, 1987 Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. wrap up their Together Forever tour with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Run-D.M.C. tell fans to stay in school and avoid drugs; Beastie Boys have cage dancers and beer.More

February 13, 1987 Metallica conclude their breakthrough - yet tragic - Damage Inc. tour at Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. They drew huge crowds throughout the tour but lost bass player Cliff Burton, who was killed when their tour bus slid off the road during an earlier stop in Sweden.

February 1, 1987 Journey wrap up their Raised on Radio tour with a show in Anchorage, Alaska. It's their last tour with Steve Perry, who makes one more album with the band, Trial by Fire, in 1996.

May 2, 1986 Judas Priest kick off their Fuel For Life tour with a show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's the first time lead singer Rob Halford, who went to rehab in January, has ever performed sober with the band.

March 27, 1986 In Valley Center, Kansas, Metallica join Ozzy Osbourne's Ultimate Sin tour as the opening act.

January 27, 1985 Bruce Springsteen wraps up the first leg of his Born in the U.S.A. tour with a show at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The next day, he flies to Los Angeles, rents a car, and drives to A&M Recording Studios, where he takes part in the "We Are The World" sessions.

November 4, 1984 Prince kicks off his Purple Rain tour with a show in Detroit. His opening act is Sheila E., whose Prince-penned song "The Glamorous Life" reached #7 in America the previous month.

May 15, 1984 In Tulsa, Lionel Richie launches his Can't Slow Down tour. His opening act is Tina Turner, whose comeback album, Private Dancer, is released two weeks later. During his set, Richie brings Turner on stage to duet on "Three Times A Lady" and a cover of Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs."

July 27, 1983 Metallica launch their Kill 'Em All For One tour (with co-headliners Raven) at the Royal Manor in New Brunswick, New Jersey.