A concert tour (or simply tour ) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific tour with a particular album or product. Especially in the popular music world, such tours can become large-scale enterprises that last for several months or even years, are seen by hundreds of thousands or millions of people, and bring in millions of dollars in ticket revenues. A performer who embarks on a concert tour is called a touring artist .
22-735: The No Filter Tour was a European/North American concert tour by the Rolling Stones which began on 9 September 2017 in Hamburg , Germany. The tour was scheduled to conclude in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The tour resumed in September 2021. A few weeks after that announcement, the Stones announced that drummer Charlie Watts underwent an unspecified medical procedure and that he would likely be unable to join
44-463: A road manager whereas large concert tours are managed by a tour manager . The main challenge in concert tours is how to move the performance's logistics from one venue to another venue, especially for a transcontinental tour. Tour logistics should be very organized and everything has to happen on time and in the right order as planned. Autoweek magazine estimated 30 to 50 trucks were required by Taylor Swift 's The 1989 World Tour to bring all
66-955: A new form of theatrical entertainment, a fusion of song, performance art, innovative stage craft, and state-of-the-art technology. She managed to popularize the Las Vegas residency as a desirable way for top artists to essentially tour in place, letting their fans come to them. American singer Lady Gaga , who cancelled the 2018 European leg of her Joanne World Tour , signed for a Las Vegas residency to help manage her fibromyalgia illness, which can be exacerbated by touring. The 2015 study by charity Help Musicians found that over 60% of musicians suffered from depression or other psychological issues, with touring an issue for 71% of respondents. Performing arts presenters Performing arts presenting organizations facilitate exchanges between artists and audiences through creative, educational, and performance opportunities. The work that these artists perform
88-451: A promotional campaign to support an album release. Hence, new songs from the respective album are included on its tour's setlist . Some tours are known as "greatest hits tours" or "reunion tour" without any new material or specific album release, such as Fleetwood Mac 's 2009 Unleashed tour and No Doubt 's 2009 Summer Tour . Taylor Swift 's The Eras Tour (2023–2024) is a retrospective of her career to that point, where each act of
110-485: Is Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour , with $ 2.089 billion earned from 125 shows. In 2024, Coldplay 's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the second tour to gross $ 1 billion in revenue. In third place is Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road , with a total gross of $ 939 million from 2018–2023. On fourth place is Ed Sheeran 's ÷ Tour , with a gross of $ 776.2 million. On fifth place
132-400: Is U2 's 360° Tour , with $ 736.4 million. Global touring revenue reported to Billboard Boxscore exceeded $ 5.5 billion in 2016. Due to the collapse of record sales in the 21st century, concert tours have become a major source of income for recording artists. Besides the tickets, touring also generates money from the sales of merchandise and meet-and-greet packages. However,
154-439: Is a peculiar thing, it doesn't suit me particularly well. I'm a real homebody and I get so much joy in the small things." A concert residency concept is offered as an alternative to performers who just need to stay in one venue and the fans come to see them. The concept has been revitalized in the 21st century by Canadian superstar Céline Dion with the success of her A New Day... residency (2003–2007). Her residency introduced
176-585: Is produced outside of the presenting organization. Performing arts presenters are typically found in three varieties: Many organizations also experiment with performances of a more conceptual nature or work across genres. The Association of Performing Arts Presenters , located in Washington, D.C., is the largest organizing body of performing arts presenters in the United States. The primary international organizing body of performing arts presenters
198-807: Is the International Society for the Performing Arts. [1] Performing arts presenters as a segment of the live performance market confronted particular difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic . National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) chair, Maria Rosario Jackson was quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying, "Few areas of the U.S. economy were hit harder than the performing arts, with the value added by performing arts presenters (including festivals) to Gross Domestic Product falling by nearly 73% between 2019 and 2020." A press release from
220-399: The U Arena , Nanterre, the 22 May 2018 concert at London Stadium , London, and at the 5 August 2019 concert at MetLife Stadium , East Rutherford. These do not represent all shows throughout the tour. Concert tour Different segments of longer concert tours are known as "legs". The different legs of a tour are denoted in different ways, dependent on the artist and type of tour, but
242-460: The Stones, but they were also forced to cancel due to Stevie Nicks contracting influenza . The slot was filled by Widespread Panic . On 4 April 2019, it was announced that Jagger's procedure was successful. On 16 May, the Rolling Stones announced that No Filter Tour would resume on 21 June with the 17 postponed dates rescheduled up to the end of August. On 6 February 2020, fifteen additional North American dates were announced. On 17 March 2020,
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#1732802627389264-677: The UK. The Stones logo was redesigned for the European leg by French designer Millinsky . With an overall attendance of 1,506,259 fans grossing $ 237.8 million, the tour was one of the most commercially successful concert tours of 2017 and 2018. The North American leg of the tour was officially announced on 19 November 2018 and was set to play 17 shows across the United States and one in Canada, beginning on 20 April 2019 in Miami, Florida. On 30 March 2019, it
286-408: The concert represents one of her albums . In another case, artists embark on a concert tour to celebrate the anniversary of their past albums, such as U2 's 2017 tour to mark the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree (1987) and Janet Jackson 's 2019 tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). A farewell tour is a concert tour intended to signal
308-400: The fifteen North American dates for May–July 2020 were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic . The tour was rescheduled and resumed in September 2021, without Charlie Watts who had to undergo a medical procedure and died before the final leg of the tour. The band confirmed on 26 August that the tour will continue as planned. Steve Jordan will take his place in the lineup for the remainder of
330-459: The main stage to offer protection from weather. The main stage measures 60 metres (196.9 ft) wide. In 2017 and 2018, there was a 28-metre-long (26.2 ft) T-shaped catwalk and B-stage . For the 2019 leg of the tour, the B-stage was changed to a round design and the far ends of the main stage were extended into the crowd. These setlists were performed at the 19 October 2017 concert held at
352-486: The most common means of separating legs are dates (especially if there is a long break at some point), countries and/or continents, or different opening acts. In the largest concert tours, it has become more common for different legs to employ separate touring production crews and equipment, local to each geographical region. Concert tours are often administered on the local level by concert promoters or by performing arts presenters . Usually, small concert tours are managed by
374-406: The retirement of a singer, the disbanding of a band, or the end of a show's run. Many of the tours end up not being the last tour, with frequent regroupings, or revivals of shows. Luciano Pavarotti 's 2004 tour and Kenny Rogers 's 2015–2017 tour are examples of farewell tours which were the last to be staged before their deaths. As of October 2024, the highest-grossing concert tour of all time
396-520: The stage, sound equipment, instruments, props, and clothes. When Beyoncé visited the United Kingdom with her 2016 The Formation World Tour , it took seven Boeing 747 air freighters and a fleet of more than 70 trucks to get her stage set and other gear to the venues. The logistics phase of that tour did not include transportation of the backstage staff, musicians, performers, and the singer herself. The majority of concert tours are part of
418-425: The tour due to a lengthy recovery. Watts ultimately died on 24 August 2021. The band announced on 5 August that longtime Stones associate Steve Jordan would fill in as drummer for the 2021 dates. The No Filter Tour was announced on 9 May 2017, with fourteen shows in twelve different venues across Europe in September and October of the same year. On 26 February 2018, fourteen new dates were added throughout Europe and
440-485: The tour. The stage was designed by Stufish Entertainment Architects and built by Stageco and WIcreations. The stage consists of four LED video columns measuring 22 metres (72 ft) tall and 11 metres (36 ft) wide. Two metres (6.5 ft) below the top of the LED screens is an 8-metre (26.2 ft) wide gap to accommodate a row of nine moving spotlights with a transparent rain cover. A transparent roof structure covers
462-444: The touring business suffered in the early 2020s because of the COVID-19 pandemic . Pollstar estimated the total lost revenue for the industry in 2020 at more than $ 30 billion. The mobility of concert tours requires a lot of costs, time, and energy. It is very common for musicians to not see family members for over a year during their touring. British singer Adele expressed her unhappiness of concert tours, saying "Touring
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#1732802627389484-556: Was announced that Mick Jagger would be receiving treatment for an unspecific medical condition, which forced the Stones to postpone the 17-date North American leg of the tour. The procedure took place in April 2019 at a New York City hospital. As a result, the band's headline performance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival had to be cancelled. It was initially announced that Fleetwood Mac would headline in place of
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