2018 Summer Tour Guide
The summer of 2018 is shaping up to be a banner season to see rockers on tour. We've compiled a handy guide to who will be hitting arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters and clubs across North America below.
Package tours are becoming increasingly popular, with the idea of two (or three, in some cases) major artists going out together for extra firepower. This year will see about a dozen such tours hitting arenas and sheds: Journey and Def Leppard, Foreigner and Whitesnake with Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, Poison and Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers with Ann Wilson, Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton, Styx and Joan Jett with Tesla, Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper, Chicago and REO Speedwagon, Hall & Oates and Train, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt and Primus and Mastodon. Some of these are co-headlining tours, with the acts alternating who opens and closes each night.
The thrill of this busy concert calendar is tempered by the knowledge that some of our favorites -- Ozzy Osbourne, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon and Elton John -- have already said that this will be their last tour. That said, Skynyrd and Simon have left the door open to perform one-off shows, and John's tour will comprise 300 dates spread out over three years. As for Osbourne, he previously announced his retirement from the road more than 25 years ago, which is why his upcoming stretch of dates is called No More Tours 2.
Meanwhile, both Eagles and Steely Dan are embarking on their first major tours since the deaths of founding members (Glenn Frey and Walter Becker, respectively). Both acts proved they can still draw fans during smaller tours last year, but who know if they'll continue after these runs wrap up?
Read below to find out more about those tours and others. We've arranged them chronologically by starting date. Be sure to check the artists' websites for complete dates and ticketing information.