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2018 Summer Classic Rock Tour Guide

2018 Summer Classic Rock Tour Guide---Ultimate Classic Rock

The summer of 2018 is shaping up to be a banner season to see classic 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 almost a dozen tours hitting arenas and sheds: Journey and Def Leppard, Foreigner and Whitesnake with Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, Poison and Cheap TrickJeff Beck and Paul Rodgers with Ann Wilson, 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.

Story & Image Source: Ultimate Classic Rock

Eagles

The Eagles will launch their first major tour without founder Glenn Frey, who died in January 2016. As with the Classic East, West and Northwest festivals, and six October 2017 shows, they're bringing in Frey's son Deacon and country singer Vince Gill to fill Glenn's shoes. Shows begin on March 12 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and conclude on Oct. 20 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

There is a date in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena on March 26th!

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are continuing to tour in support of last year's 'Concrete and Gold.' Their North American dates begin at the Austin360 Amphitheater in Austin on April 18 and conclude on Oct. 18 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. They also have a trio of U.K. stadium shows booked for June.

Ozzy Osbourne, No More Tours 2

Following Black Sabbath's The End tour, singer Ozzy Osbourne announced his plans to follow suit with a final solo tour before retirement. He'll start the trek on April 27 at the Welcome to Rockville festival in Jacksonville, Fla., with some familiar faces, including Zakk Wylde, who first played with him more than 30 years ago, as well as drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboardist Adam Wakeman -- both vets of The End tour -- and longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson. Osbourne will wrap things up in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Oct. 13.

Hall & Oates and Train

Two decades separate the hits of Hall & Oates and Train, but there's plenty of admiration between them to go around. Their co-headlining tour hits arenas May 1 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and ends Aug. 11 at Seattle's KeyArena.

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour

The Southern rock legends will begin the Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour on May 4 at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla. They'll conclude Sept. 1 at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta. But that won't be the end. Original member Gary Rossington said shortly after the dates were announced that the tour "will take a year or two to go all the places we’ve been and play them one more time." In addition, he said Skynyrd will "still do special shows and special guest things here and there with the whole band.”

REO Speedwagon, Styx, & Don Felder: United We Rock

Styx, REO Speedwagon and ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder will begin a summer tour dubbed "United We Rock" in June, with U.S. dates through August.

"I called up [Styx's] Tommy Shaw last summer and we were both thinking the same thing: Let's get the boys together, make some music, and have some fun," REO frontman Kevin Cronin said in a news release. "REO Speedwagon and Styx together is a head-first plunge into the fountain of youth, an unstoppable force of nature. Add the amazing Don Felder to the mix and it's a thundering slam dunk."

Headliners will rotate. 

March 17th date at Moline's TaxSlayer Center

James Taylor & Bonnie Raitt

Friends for decades, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt have performed together many times over the years, including a successful tour last year. They're reprising it in 2018, beginning with a night at Jacksonville's Veterans Memorial Arena on May 8. They'll conclude on July 1 at Buffalo's KeyBank Center, but will also open for Paul Simon during his "Farewell Performance" on July 15 in London.

Steely Dan & the Doobie Brothers, The Summer of Living Dangerously

Steely Dan's first major tour since last year's death of co-founder Walter Becker sees them on a co-headlining jaunt with their old pals the Doobie Brothers, with whom they first toured in 1974. They'll begin May 10 at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C., and wrap it up at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y. on July 14.

Paul Simon, Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour

Paul Simon revealed plans to quit the road when he announced Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour. He'll play five weeks' worth of dates in North America, starting May 16 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver and ending at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on June 20. From there, he's booked two weeks in Europe, ending at London's British Summer Time Hyde Park 2018 festival on July 15, a show that will also feature James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt. Although this is his last tour, Simon said he may still perform the occasional benefit concert.

Poison & Cheap Trick, Nothin' But a Good Time Tour

Poison's original lineup is reuniting for a summer tour for the second consecutive year, and this time they're bringing Cheap Trick out on the road with them. On May 18, they'll hit Irvine, Calif.'s Five Points Amphitheatre, and call it a day at the PPL Center in Allentown, Penn., on June 24.

Def Leppard & Journey

Def Leppard and Journey had been teasing the idea of touring together since the summer of 2017. The bands, which previously joined forces for a jaunt around the country in 2006, will hit the road on May 21 at Hartford's XL Center and keep going until they reach the Forum in Los Angeles on Oct. 6.


Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey is bringing the Who's 'Tommy' out on the road, performing the album with a local orchestra at each stop. It will begin at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y., on June 8 and conclude at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on July 8.

Steve Miller Band & Peter Frampton

In what they're calling an extension of last year's successful trek, the Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton are going out on a 10-week tour of North America. They'll begin at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., on June 12 and end with two nights at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Wash., on Aug. 25 and 26.

Chicago & REO Speedwagon

Longtime friends Chicago and REO Speedwagon will play 30 cities, beginning at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif., on June 13 and ending Aug. 12 at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Detroit. As a bonus, Chicago will play 'Chicago II," which featured the hits "25 or 6 to 4," "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World," in its entirety.

Foreigner & Whitesnake

Foreigner's annual summer tour will see them hit outdoor venues with Whitesnake and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening. They'll kick it off at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor, Maine, on June 15 and close it out at the Five Point Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif. on Aug. 1.

Rod Stewart & Cyndi Lauper

If you think he's sexy and she's so unusual, then this is the tour for you. For the second summer in a row, Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper will be playing outdoor venues together. After a June 25 show at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, they'll reconvene July 24 at another Hollywood -- the Hard Rock Event Center in Hollywood, Fla. -- and stay on the road until Sept. 1, when they play Seattle's White River Amphitheater.

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wheels of Soul

The Tedeschi Trucks Band are headlining the Wheels of Soul tour with the Drive-By Truckers and the Marcus King Band serving as the opening acts. It begins on June 29 at Daily's Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville and concludes with two nights at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colo., on July 28 and 29.

Hey...Tedeschi Trucks Band is coming to the Adler on April 17th!!!

Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers with Ann Wilson, Stars Align

One of rock's greatest guitarists is teaming up with one of rock's greatest voices. The Stars Align tour will bring together Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers for a five-week co-headlining stretch across North America that includes an opening set by Ann Wilson of Heart. It starts at the Unsana Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah, on July 18 and ends on Aug. 26 at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa.

Jeff Lynne's ELO

A version of Electric Light Orchestra led by Jeff Lynne is touring North America for the first time in more than 30 years. They'll begin at Oakland's Oracle Arena on Aug. 2 and end at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Aug. 24.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam are returning to play shows in the U.S. for the first time since 2016. But rather than embarking on a lengthy tour, they're playing seven nights in stadiums in four cities. They'll begin at Seattle's Safeco Field on Aug. 8 and end on Sept. 4 at Boston's Fenway Park. Missoula, Mont., and Chicago are the other cities.

Two dates at Wrigley Field: August 18th & 20th. Tics on sale February 21st...

Elton John

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour isn't beginning until after Labor Day -- its first night is Sept. 8 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. -- but it's extending well beyond 2018. The North American leg will end at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., on March 16, 2019. After touring the rest of the world throughout the rest of 2019 and 2020, John will make one final trek across North America in 2021 before retiring from the road for good.


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