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Concert tour

Run of an artist's concerts at multiple locations

Run of an artist's concerts at multiple locations

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.

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 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 a road manager whereas large concert tours are managed by a tour manager.

Logistics

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The main challenge for concert tours is moving the show's structure from one venue to another, especially on transcontinental runs. Logistics should be significantly organized and everything has to happen on the planned time. Autoweek estimated that 30 to 50 trucks were required for Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour (2015). Her subsequent Reputation (2018) and Eras (2023–2024) tours increased that number to 80 and 90 semitrucks, including stages, equipment, props and clothes.

BBC News reported that Beyoncé used seven Boeing 747 air freighters and more than 70 trucks to bring the Formation World Tour (2016) to the United Kingdom. This phase of the logistic process did not include transportation of the backstage staff, musicians, performers and the singer herself. Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–2025), which received praise for its sustainability efforts, had about 30 trucks and 10 buses in total. The fleet consisted of electric vehicles or was fueled with biofuel whenever possible.

Themes

The majority of concert tours are part of 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 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).

Farewell tour

A farewell tour is a concert tour intended to signal 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.

Revenue

As of October 2024, the highest-grossing concert tour of all time is Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, with $2.089 billion earned from 149 shows. It was the first run to collect over $1 and $2 billion in revenue. Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour ranks at second place, being the most-attended tour in history and the first by a group to reach $1 billion. At third is Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road, with a total gross of $939 million from 2018–2023. At fourth place is Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour, with a gross of $776.2 million. On fifth place 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, 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.

Response

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 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 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.

References

References

  1. Allen, Bob. (May 11, 2012). "Hot Tours: Roger Waters, Mana, Bob Dylan".
  2. Allen, Bob. (2016-03-23). "Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist". Billboard.
  3. (Oct 14, 2014). "What is a Concert Tour?". [[TourBeat]].
  4. Pareles, Jon. (2 August 1987). "Bowie Creates a Spectacle". The New York Times.
  5. (August 2016). "Taking the Show on the Road".
  6. Justine, Luke. (28 May 2015). "How many trucks does it take to put on a Taylor Swift show?".
  7. (February 8, 2024). "How Many Trucks Does a Taylor Swift Tour Need?".
  8. Bowler, Tim. (2017-06-07). "What it takes to get Beyonce on a world tour". BBC News.
  9. (5 June 2023). "Coldplay's Music of the Spheres Tour Drastically Reduces Band's Carbon Footprint, Sets New Standards in Sustainability".
  10. (4 August 2022). "Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour".
  11. (9 January 2025). "Coldplay's Leaner and Cleaner Tour: Why Band Chose to Come to Abu Dhabi".
  12. Halloran, Mark E.. (2008). "The Musician's Business and Legal Guide". [[Pearson Prentice Hall]].
  13. Bacior, Robin. (June 1, 2020). "Releasing an Album Without the Ability to Tour".
  14. Sackllah, David. (May 2, 2017). "How Many Songs Off New Albums Should Bands Play?".
  15. Kot, Greg. (May 14, 2016). "One long joy ride".
  16. Steve, Hochman. (June 4, 2000). "What Would You Say? Dave Matthews Tours Without a New Album".
  17. Gottlieb, Jed. (March 6, 2009). "For Fleetwood Mac, the flame still burns".
  18. Michaels, Sean. (May 19, 2009). "No Doubt launch comeback without new album".
  19. Aramesh, Waiss David. (March 18, 2023). "Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour Is a 3-Hour Career-Spanning Victory Lap".
  20. Greene, Andy. (9 January 2017). "The Edge Breaks Down U2's Upcoming 'Joshua Tree' Tour".
  21. (October 23, 2019). "Boxoffice Insider: Janet Jackson To Commemorate 'Rhythm Nation' Anniversary Down Under".
  22. Krovatin, Chris. (4 March 2019). "Is There Really Such Thing As A Farewell Tour?". Wasted Talent.
  23. Greene, Andy. (Nov 18, 2019). "13 'Farewell' Tours That Didn't Stick -- From Mötley Crüe to Kiss".
  24. Maher, Natalie. (Feb 22, 2018). "A List of All the Recent Farewell Tour & Show Announcements".
  25. Holland, Bernard. (Sep 6, 2007). "Luciano Pavarotti Is Dead at 71". The New York Times.
  26. Morris, Chris. (Mar 21, 2020). "Country Music Icon Kenny Rogers Dies at 81".
  27. Friedman, Vanessa. (December 9, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion". The New York Times.
  28. Gensler, Andy. (December 8, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sets All-Time Touring Record With $1 Billion Gross".
  29. (16 December 2024). "Coldplay Sells the Most Tickets of All Time While Trying to Save the Planet".
  30. Murray, Conor. "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Is First In History To Gross Over $1 Billion, Report Says".
  31. (August 27, 2019). "Ed Sheeran Concludes 'Divide' Tour, Sets All-Time Touring Record At $775.6M".
  32. Frankenberg, Eric. (2019-08-27). "Ed Sheeran's Record-Breaking Divide Tour Posts Final Numbers: 255 Shows, $776.2 Million Grossed".
  33. Waddell, Ray. (December 8, 2011). "The Year In Touring".
  34. Waddell, Ray. (Dec 13, 2016). "How 'The Shared Live Experience' and Even Streaming Fueled the $25 Billion Concert Biz".
  35. Lawrence, Jesse. (Dec 30, 2014). "With Touring Still A Focal Point, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC And U2 Fight For Top Honors In Rock And Roll History". Forbes.
  36. (2012-08-28). "Nine Ways Musicians Actually Make Money Today". Rolling Stone.
  37. Adams, Cameron. (2012-11-14). "$1500 packages to meet rock band KISS sell out in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth ahead of Australian tour". news.com.au.
  38. Fekadu, Mesfin. (December 11, 2020). "Pollstar: Live events industry lost $30B as a result of the pandemic". [[Associated Press]].
  39. Garrido, Duarte. (29 June 2017). "'This is it': Adele hints to fans she may never tour again".
  40. Lerner, Rebecca. (Jun 14, 2017). "Meet The Celeb 100 Stars Cashing In On The Vegas Residency Boom".
  41. Frost, Caroline. (October 10, 2016). "Celine Dion Has Bittersweet Night, Marking 1000th Performance In Las Vegas".
  42. Savage, Mark. (August 7, 2018). "Lady Gaga's Las Vegas residency will comprise two separate shows". BBC News.
  43. Britton, Luke Morgan. (25 June 2015). "Insomnia, anxiety, break-ups … musicians on the dark side of touring". The Guardian.
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