30 Rockers Who Toured in 1984 and Are Touring Again in 2024

It’s
been
a
long
time
since
rock
and
roll
was
a
young
person’s
game.
If
you
need
proof
check
out
this
list
of
famous
musicians
who
were
on
tour
way
back
in
1984,
and
are
still
out
there
doing
their
thing
40
years
later
in
2024.
In
most
cases
we’ve
also
got
live
video
footage
from
the
1984
shows.

Ready
to
feel
inspired
and
also
very
very
old?
With
tour
statistics
from

SetList.fm,
here’s
30
Rockers
Who
Toured
in
1984
and
Are
Touring
again
in
2024.

AC/DC

Although
they
spent
most
of
1984
off
the
road,

AC/DC
joined
the
Monsters
of
Rock
festival
for
10
late
summer
dates
in
support
of
the
previous
year’s


Flick
of
the
Switch
album.
The
tour
was
the
first
to
feature
Simon
Wright
on
drums.
40
years
later,
the
band
will
return
to
Europe
for
their
first
tour
in
eight
years.
Angus
Young,
Brian
Johnson
and
Stevie
Young
will
be
joined
by
a
brand-new
rhythm
section
featuring
Chris
Chaney
on
bass
and
Matt
Laug
on
drums.

Watch
AC/DC
Perform
in
1984

 

Aerosmith

Five
years
after
Joe
Perry’s
departure
from
the
band,

Aerosmith‘s
original
lineup
reunited
for
1984’s
Back
in
the
Saddle
tour.
Although
the
group
had
floundered
without
Perry
and
fellow
guitarist
Brad
Whitford
(who
left
in
1981),
their
comeback
tour
was
a
rousing
success
and
the
first
step
in
their
remarkable

Permanent
Vacation
/

Pump
rebirth.
Nearly
four
decades
later
the
band
launched
their
Peace
Out
farewell
tour
in
September
2023
but
were
forced
off
the
road
when
Steven
Tyler
injured
his
vocal
chords
after
just
three
shows.
With
their
singer
now
recovered,
the
group
aims
to
hit
the
road
again
this
fall.

Watch
Aerosmith
Perform ‘Lightning
Strikes’
in
1984

 

The
Beach
Boys

The

Beach
Boys
were
embroiled
in
major
interpersonal
turmoil
in
the
mid-’80s,
with
Brian
Wilson
largely
living
in
exile
to
focus
on
his
health
and
addiction
issues,
and
his
brother
Dennis
drowning
after
his
own
long
substance
abuse
battle.
But
somehow
the
band
still
managed
to
perform
over
130
shows
in
1984.
40
years
later
the
group’s
touring
lineup,
led
by
Love
and
Bruce
Johnston,
has
another
busy
tour
scheduled
planned
for
2024.

Watch
the
Beach
Boys
Perform ‘Surfin’
U.S.A.’
in
1984

 

Blue
Oyster
Cult

While
touring
throughout
1984,

Blue
Oyster
Cult
were
dealing
with
internal
and
external
changes.
Longtime
drummer
Albert
Bouchard
was
fired
before
the
recording
of
1983’s

The
Revolution
by
Night,
which
found
the
band
trying
to
keep
up
with
MTV
and
the
increasingly
pop-friendly
sound
of
rock
music.
The
band
kicked
off
2024
by
releasing
their
first
new
album
in
four
years,


Ghost
Stories,
and
longtime
members
Buck
Dharma
and
Eric
Bloom
will
lead
the
band
out
on
the
road
for
the
57th
consecutive
year
in
2024.

Hear
Blue
Oyster
Cult
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Cheap
Trick

While
supporting
their
1983
album


Next
Position
Please,

Cheap
Trick
spent
much
of
1984
on
the
road,
sharing
bills
with
a
diverse
group
of
bands
including
Ratt,
.38
Special
and
Til’
Tuesday.
They’ll
spend
most
of
2024
supporting
a
reunited

Heart
on
the

Royal
Flush
tour.

Watch
Cheap
Trick
Perform ‘She’s
Tight’
in
1984

 

Eric
Clapton

Eric
Clapton
had
a
relatively
quiet
touring
year
in
1984,
finishing
up
the
11
dates
of
his
tour
in
support
of
1983’s

Money
and
Cigarettes
in
February,
then
embarking
on
a
tour
of
Australia
in
November.
He
spent
part
of
1984
recording

Behind
the
Sun
with
help
from
Phil
Collins.
The
following
year
the
album
and
its
hit
single “Forever
Man”
would
help
revive
Clapton’s
commercial
fortunes.
Clapton
has
about
two
dozen
shows
planned
for
2024,
with
a
UK
tour
kicking
off
May
9.
So
far
three
American
dates
have
been
announced
for
November,
in
San
Diego,
Palm
Desert
and
Los
Angeles’
Hollywood
Bowl.

Watch
Eric
Clapton
Perform ‘Layla’
in
1984

 

Elvis
Costello

During
his
early
1984
U.S.
tour,

Elvis
Costello
treated
fans
to
a
preview
of
upcoming
album

Goodbye
Cruel
World
by
performing
the
song “The
Only
Flame
in
Town.”
The
studio
version
of
the
song
featured
harmony
vocals
by
Hall
and
Oates
star

Daryl
Hall.
40
years
later,
Hall
and
Costello
are

teaming
up
for
a
tour
that
kicks
off
June
2
in
Troutdale,
Oregon.

Watch
Elvis
Costello
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Deep
Purple

Freshly
reunited
with
the
classic “Mark
II”
lineup
of
Jon
Lord,
Ian
Paice,
Ritchie
Blackmore,
Ian
Gillan
and
Roger
Glover,

Deep
Purple
released
the
hit
album


Perfect
Strangers
in
late
1984
and
then
launched
a
massive
and
highly
successful
tour
with
a
15-date
tour
of
Australia
and
New
Zealand.
The
tour
continued
to
the
United
States,
Europe
and
Japan
in
1985.
Paice,
Glover
and
Gillan
remain
in
the
current
lineup,
which
will
release
a
new
album
named


=1
in
July
and
launch
a

North
American
tour
with

Yes
in
August.

Watch
Deep
Purple
Perform ‘Highway
Star’
in
1984

 

Def
Leppard

After
establishing
themselves
as
superstars
with
1983’s


Pyromania,

Def
Leppard
launched
a
massive
188-date
world
tour
that
concluded
with
seven
1984
dates
in
Japan,
Australia
and
Thailand.
In
July
2024
they’ll
launch

a
stadium
tour
alongside

Journey,
with
support
on
select
dates
from
Heart,
Cheap
Trick
and
the
Steve
Miller
Band.

Watch
Def
Leppard
Perform
on
the ‘Pyromania’
Tour

 

Bob
Dylan

Bob
Dylan
spent
the
summer
of
1984
touring
Europe
alongside

Santana,
with
a
band
that
featured
ex-Rolling
Stones
guitarist
Mick
Taylor
(who
had
also
played
on
1983’s
Infidels)
and
Faces
keyboardist
Ian
McLagan.
Later
that
year,
the
live
album

Real
Live
documented
the
tour.
He’s
already
played
24
dates
so
far
this
year,
and
will
join
Willie
Nelson’s

Outlaw
Music
Festival
tour
this
summer
along
with
John
Mellencamp,
Robert
Plant
and
Alison
Krauss
and
others.

Watch
Bob
Dylan
Perform ‘Highway
61
Revisited’
in
1984

 

Sammy
Hagar

1984’s


VOA
and
more
specifically,
the
single “I
Can’t
Drive
55′
made

Sammy
Hagar
a
household
name.
He
wisely
capitalized
with
an
89-date
headline
tour
that
kicked
off
Sept.
1
in
Portland.
Soon
after
the
tour’s
completion
he
joined

Van
Halen,
a
decade-long
era
he
will
be
celebrating
with
help
from

Michael
Anthony
and

Joe
Satriani
this
summer
on
the

Best
of
All
Worlds
tour.

Hear
Sammy
Hagar
Perform ‘I
Can’t
Drive
55’
in
1984

 

Heart

Heart
entered
the ’80s
in
turmoil
and
commercial
decline,
losing
longtime
members
Steve
Fossen
and
Michael
Derosier
after
the
release
of
1982’s

Private
Audition,
which
was
the
group’s
first
album
not
to
achieve
gold
sales
status.
Neither
did
1983’s

Passionworks,
but
the
band
launched
a
75-date
tour
that
stretched
into
June
of
1984.
The
following
year
they
teamed
up
with
outside
songwriters
and
switched
to
a
keyboard-dominated
sound
for
their
five-times
platinum
self-titled
comeback
album.
In
late
2023
Ann
and
Nancy
Wilson
formed
a
new
version
of
the
band,
who
will
spend
the
summer
of
2024
on
the
Royal
Flush
tour
with
support
from
Cheap
Trick.

Hear
Heart
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Joan
Jett
and
the
Blackhearts

Neither
1983’s

Album
nor
1984’s

Glorious
Results
of
a
Misspent
Youth
reached
the
same
sales
heights
as

Joan
Jett‘s
1981
smash

I
Love
Rock ‘n
Roll.
But
she
remained
a
popular
concert
draw,
performing
70
shows
on
a
tour
that
was
split
almost
equally
between
1984
and
1985.
In
2024
she
will
join
Alanis
Morissette
and
country
singer
Morgan
Wade
on
the

Triple
Moon
Tour,
which
kicks
off
June
9
in
Phoenix.

Watch
Joan
Jett
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Billy
Joel

After
1982’s
darkly
themed


Nylon
Curtain
proved
to
be
a
(very,
very)
relative
commercial
letdown
for

Billy
Joel,
he
rebounded
spectacularly
with
1983’s


An
Innocent
Man,
a
tribute
to
the ’50s
and ’60s
music
of
his
youth.
He
performed
68
concerts
on
the
tour
in
support
of
the
seven-million
platinum
selling
album
in
1984,
concluding
with
seven
shows
at
New
York
City’s
Madison
Square
Garden.
In
addition
to
concluding
his
record-breaking
MSG
residency,
2024
will
find
Joel
sharing
the
bill
at
stadium
shows
across
the
country
with
fellow
legends

Stevie
Nicks,

Sting
and

Rod
Stewart.

Watch
Billy
Joel
Perform ‘Piano
Man’
in
1984

 

Judas
Priest

Barely
two
weeks
into
1984,

Judas
Priest
followed
up
1982’s
masterful


Screaming
for
Vengeance
with
the
almost-as-awesome


Defenders
of
the
Faith.
They
spent
the
next
nine
months
on
the
Meal
Conqueror
tour,
showcasing
future
classics
such
as “Freewheel
Burning,” “Love
Bites”
and “Some
Heads
Are
Gonna
Roll.”
40
years
later,
the
heavy
metal
legends
are
back
with
a
new
album
named


Invincible
Shield
and

another
headlining
tour.

Watch
Judas
Priest
Perform ‘Love
Bites’
in
1984

 

Kansas

Although
1983
ended
with
the
exit
of
founding
members
Kerry
Livgren
and
Dave
Hope,
and
newly
recruited
singer
and
keyboardist
John
Elefante
followed
them
out
the
door
early
the
next
year,
Kansas
managed
to
play
a
handful
of
shows
in
support
of
1983’s

Drastic
Measures
in
1984
before
radically
re-casting
their
lineup
for
1986’s

Power.
Guitarist
Rich
Williams
is
the
only
member
of
the
band’s
classic ’70s
lineups
to
remain
in
the
touring
version
of
the
band
in
2024,
although
drummer
Phil
Ehart,
who
is
recovering
from
a
recent
heart
attack,
is
still
an
official
member
of
the
group.
The
band
has

extended
last
year’s
50th
anniversary
tour
well
into
2024,
with
dates
that
are
currently
set
to
conclude
Dec.
11
in
Pittsburgh.

Hear
Kansas
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Metallica

A
year
and
two
days
after
essentially
rewriting
the
rules
of
metal
with
their
1983
debut


Kill ‘Em
All,

Metallica
displayed
a
stunning
level
of
creative
growth
with
1984’s
sophomore
effort


Ride
the
Lightning.
Still
striving
to
make
a
name
for
themselves,
the
group
performed
about
two
dozen
shows
both
before
and
after
the
album’s
June
release
date.
40
years
later
and
firmly
established
as
the
kings
of
the
genre,
Metallica
will
launch
the
second
year
of
their
ambitious “two
nights
in
every
city”
72
Seasons
tour
on
May
24th
in
Munich,
Germany.

Watch
Metallica
Perform ‘Phantom
Lord’
in
1984

 

Night
Ranger

1984
marked
the
release
of “Sister
Christian,”

Night
Ranger‘s
career-defining
smash
from
the
previous
year’s


Midnight
Madness
album.
The
band
performed
110
shows
in
support
of
the
album
that
summer,
and
will
spend
much
of
2024
on
the
road
in
an
extended
celebration
of
their
40th
year
as
a
band.

Watch
Night
Ranger
Perform ‘Sister
Christian’
on
the
Midnight
Madness
Tour

 

Robert
Plant

Four
years
and
two
solo
albums
after
the
breakup
of

Led
Zeppelin,
in
1984

Robert
Plant
played
the
last
19
shows
in
support
of
1983’s


The
Principle
of
Moments
without
performing
a
single
song
from
his
former
band.
It
was
a
streak
he
wouldn’t
break
until
1987’s
Non
Stop
Go
tour.
44
years
into
one
of
the
most
restless
and
rewarding
solo
careers
in
the
genre’s
history,
Plant
will
spend
the
summer
of
2024
touring
together
with
Alison
Krauss,
including
a
number
of
dates
on
Willie
Nelson’s
Outlaw
Music
Festival.

Hear
Robert
Plant
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Pretenders

After
losing
two
of
her
founding
bandmates
to
drug
addiction,
Chrissie
Hynde
led
a
reconfigured

Pretenders
to
new
heights
with
1984’s


Learning
to
Crawl.
Empowered
by
new
hit
singles
such
as “Back
on
the
Chain
Gang,” “2000
Miles”
and “Middle
of
the
Road,”
the
band
played
129
shows
in
1984.
They’ll
spend
much
of
2024

touring
in
support
of
their
latest
album


Relentless,
both
headlining
as
as
the
support
act
for
the

Foo
Fighters.

Watch
Pretenders
Perform ‘Thumbelina’
in
1984

 

Queen

Reportedly
angered
by
the
negative
reaction
to
their
1984
video “I
Want
to
Break
Free,”

Queen
decided
not
to
tour
America
in
support
of
their
new
album

The
Works.
But
they
played
nearly
50
shows
in
England,
Europe,
Australia
and
Japan
in
support
of
the
album.
Sadly,
it
would
be
singer
Freddie
Mercury’s
second-to-last
tour
with
the
group.
So
far
the
band’s
2024
tour
schedule
is
rather
light,
listing
only
a
five-date
tour
of
Japan
with
singer
Adam
Lambert,
who
has
fronted
the
group
since
2011.

Watch
Queen
Perform ‘I
Want
to
Break
Free’
in
1984

 

Red
Hot
Chili
Peppers

By
their
own
admission,
the

Red
Hot
Chili
Peppers‘
1984
debut
album
didn’t
do
a
great
job
of
demonstrating
the
band’s
abilities,
but
even
with
the
temporary
absence
of
founding
guitarist
Hillel
Slovak,
they
proved
themselves
to
be
a
dynamic
live
attraction,
performing
73
dates
across
the
country
that
year.
Four
decades
later
and
firmly
established
as
one
of
the
biggest
concert
draws
in
the
world,
the
band
will
kick
off
a
summer
2024
tour
on
May
28
in
Ridgefield,
Washington.

Watch
Red
Hot
Chili
Peppers
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

REO
Speedwagon

REO
Speedwagon
released
the
double-platinum


Wheels
Are
Turnin’
in
November
1984.
The
gigantic
success
of
the “Can’t
Fight
This
Feeling”
single
propelled
that
band
onto
a
143-date
tour,
with
the
first
two
dozen
dates
taking
place
in
the
winter
of
1984.
The
band
will

team
up
with
Train
for
a
summer
2024
tour
that
kicks
off
July
8
in
Somerset,
Wisconsin.
The
groups
promoted
the
tour
by

performing
a
mash-up
of
their
respective
hits “Keep
On
Loving
You”
and “Drops
of
Jupiter”
on

Jimmy
Kimmel
Live!
this
February.

Hear
REO
Speedwagon
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

Sananta

In
addition
to
the
above-mentioned
summer
European
tour
with
Bob
Dylan,
Santana
mounted
a
brief
autumn
run
of
U.S.
dates
in
1984.
He’ll
spend
most
of
May
performing
at
his
long-running
Las
Vegas
residency.
On
June
14,
he’ll
kick
off
a
summer
2024
trek
with
the
Counting
Crows.

Watch
Santana
Perform ‘Touchdown
Raiders’
in
1984

 

Scorpions

The

Scorpions’
popularity
got
a
big
boost
early
in
1984
with
the
release
of “Rock
You
Like
a
Hurricane”
and
their
first
multi-platinum
album,


Love
at
First
Sting.
They
played
160
concerts
all
over
the
world
in
support
of
the
album
that
year.
In
2024
they
are
celebrating
its
40th
birthday
with
the

Love
at
First
Sting
Las
Vegas
residency.

Watch
Scorpions
Perform ‘Rock
You
Like
a
Hurricane’
in
1984

 

Bruce
Springsteen

1984
was
a
watershed
moment
for

Bruce
Springsteen,
as
his


Born
in
the
U.S.A.
album
became
one
of
the
year’s
biggest
hits,
going
on
to
eventually
sell
over
30
million
copies.
He
celebrated
with
a
156-show
tour
that
spread
from
June
1984
to
October
1985.
Nearly
half
of
his
1986
five-album

Live
1975-85
box
set
was
recorded
on
this
tour.
After
having
to
postpone
his
current
tour
with
the
E
Street
Band
due
to
peptic
ulcer
disease,
Springsteen
is
back
on
the
road
with
dates
scheduled
through
November
2024.

Watch
Bruce
Springsteen
Perform ‘Born
to
Run’
in
1984

 

Stray
Cats

Although
1983’s “(She’s)
Sexy
+
17”
was
a
Top
10
hit,
frontman
Brian
Setzer
had
grown
bored
with
the

Stray
Cats,
and
after
performing
45
shows
in
1984,
the
group
broke
up
and
began
would
be
be
a
decades-long
cycle
of
reunions
and
hiatuses.
They’ll
be

back
on
the
road
in
2024
for
the
first
time
in
five
years,
starting
July
27
in
Woodinville,
Washington
and
concluding
Aug.
17
in
Bridgeport,
Connecticut.

Hear
Stray
Cats
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

George
Thorogood

Although
it
miraculously
somehow
never
cracked
the
singles
charts,

George
Thorogood
was
still
riding
high
off
1982’s “Bad
to
the
Bone”
in
1984.
He
spent
part
of
the
summer
recording
1985’s

Maverick
–
home
to
the
classic “I
Drink
Alone”
–
but
found
time
to
perform
a
handful
of
shows
with
his
longtime
backing
band
the
Delaware
Destroyers.
He’ll
spend
the
summer
of
2024

touring
with
John
Fogerty
on
the
Celebration
tour.

Watch
George
Thorogood
Perform ‘Who
Do
You
Love’
in
1984

 

Yes

A
newly
reunited
and
reconfigured

Yes
entered
1984
on
a
big
winning
streak,
as
their
pop-friendly
late-1983
album


90125
became
the
band’s
biggest-selling
album
thanks
to
the
hit
single “Owner
of
a
Lonely
Heart.”
They
capitalized
on
this
success
with
a
138-date
tour
which
was
documented
in
the
1985
concert
film

9012Live.

Currently
led
by
guitarist
and ’70s-era
veteran
Steve
Howe,
Yes
willl
join
Deep
Purple
for
a
summer
2024
North
American
tour
that
kicks
off
Aug.
14
in
Hollywood,
Florida.

Watch
Yes
Perform
Live
in
1984

 

ZZ
Top

A
year
after
becoming
full-fledged
superstars
and
unlikely
MTV
darlings
with
the
previous
year’s


Eliminator,

ZZ
Top
spent
the
last
two
months
of
1984
completing
a
151-date
world
tour
in
support
of
the
11-million
copy-selling
album.
They’ll
spend
much
of
2024
headlining
their
own
Elevation
tour
or
sharing
the
stage
with

Lynyrd
Skynyrd
on
the
perfectly-named
Sharp
Dressed
Simple
Man
tour.

Watch
ZZ
Top
Perform
on
the
Eliminator
Tour