Music is the universal language of mankind and has always carried a massive socio-cultural impact. The original influencer, popular culture has been shaped by the great musicians who have an extensive hold on the global audience, transcending the barriers of class, culture and race. While music streaming apps like Spotify and Amazon Music capitalise on the popularity of international and local artists, the generation today loves to flaunt their music taste in the form of customised wrap-up lists presented by these platforms. These give rise to online communities hooked on artists or bands and the natural progression from listening to your favourite tracks online is, of course, catching your favourite icons live at shows. So, let’s have a look at the biggest 2023 music tours and concerts.
The allure of a live show and its electrifying effect is indisputable. As the world is recovering from a prolonged pandemic and bleak times, watching our favourite musicians perform on stage is something we look forward to. And 2023 has an amazing lineup of concerts or music tours from renowned artists, including Taylor Swift, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beyoncé. But before getting to know how, when and where you can catch them, here is a brief background on some of the greatest tours music lovers will never forget.
Best music tours of all time
One of the concert tours of all time arguably is The Beatles’ 1965 US tour. They set a high precedent for all the upcoming artists because looking at the throngs of masses going into a tizzy to watch them perform live, John Lennon famously proclaimed in his 1996 interview that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”. One cannot mention tours or music festivals without speaking about Michael Jackson, his on-stage swagger, fashion sense and, of course, the moonwalk! Jackson has a record of performing live 123 times in 15 countries.
“Queen of Pop” Madonna caused a massive stir with her 1987 Who’s That Girl World Tour where the Japanese military was brought in to control the crowd. There were over 25,000 fans who rushed to see her at that time, it is reported.
Jimi Hendrix, too, cannot be left out when speaking about the most iconic music artists with a massive mass appeal. His first United Kingdom tour in 1967 was titled The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and it became a sensation. The magic of him playing the guitar live for an audience was both heady and unmatchable.
Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Pink Floyd and David Bowie are among other iconic artists and bands who revolutionised the concept of a concert tour with their tremendous clout and popularity around the globe.
Here are the biggest concerts of 2023: Dates and booking details
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
(Main and featured image credit: Hanny Naibaho/Unsplash)
- Beyoncé – Renaissance World Tour 2023
- Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour
- BLACKPINK – Born Pink Tour
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) – Australia Tour 2023
- Janet Jackson – Together Again
- Lizzo – The Special Tour
- Arctic Monkeys – World Tour 2023
- Elton John – Elton Farewell Tour
- Harry Styles – Love on Tour
- Metallica – M72 World Tour
- Journey: Freedom Tour
- Madonna: The Celebration Tour
- Bruce Springsteen: 2023 Tour
Queen B to her fans, Beyoncé is touring multiple cities in Europe as a part of the Renaissance World Tour 2023. This is her first solo tour in six years and the pre-sale for VIP tickets has already begun. Meanwhile, the general sale for UK cities London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Sunderland began on 7 February. She will then perform in multiple cities in North America.
Dates: 12 July-26 September
Venue: Multiple locations
Image credit: Beyoncé/Facebook
On her Eras Tour, the pop icon will pay homage to all her past hit albums, and boy there are many! Swift is known to be a terrific performer and her live shows have seen high footfalls, thanks to her global appeal and relatability with the young and old. The lineup for this tour includes Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, Haim, Girl In Red, MUNA, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and OWENN, among other guest performers.
Dates: 17 March-9 August (International dates to be announced)
Venue: US (International locations to be announced)
Image credit: Taylor Swift/Facebook
This uber-popular K-pop girl group released some of the best songs and record-breaking music videos in 2022, and they will continue on their victory run right through 2023. Their Born Pink music tour kicked off in 2022 in South Korea, North America and Europe. The band was touring through the Middle East in January and is slated to now perform in the rest of the world. They are also set to headline the Coachella 2023 music festival and entertain the masses with the greatest hits from their album, Born Pink.
Dates: 4 March – 17 June (More dates are to be announced)
Venue: Southeast Asia and Australia (Other locations to be announced)
Image credit: BLACKPINK/Facebook
Fresh from their high-octane Singapore gig on 16 February, this iconic band is heading to Japan for two shows before embarking on a massive world tour. Big names, including Post Malone, The Strokes and Iggy Pop, will join them. RHCP is known to be spectacular at live shows. Right from the lyrics to their aesthetics, the band resonates with the crowd. Their music has stood the test of time, as the group founded in 1983 is still popular. Another special aspect of this tour is the return of guitarist John Frusciante to RHCP. While the tour started in Brisbane, Australia, on 29 January, the band will continue playing its classic hits in the UK, the US and the rest of Europe for the better part of this year.
Dates: 29 March-25 May, 18 June-23 July
Venue: North America, UK and EU
Image credit: Red Hot Chilli Peppers/Facebook
This pop star promises to impress her fans yet again with smashing new music during her Together Again tour, which spans 33 dates. Ludacris is set to perform with her in one of her biggest tours, starting in Hollywood and ending at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Dates: 14 April-19 May
Venue: US and multiple locations
Image credit: Janet Jackson/Facebook
This rap artist has grown to be a major icon for body positivity after starting in 2013. She speaks about various issues, ranging from female empowerment to racial discrimination. One of the most popular hip-hop artists, here are the details of Lizzo: The Special Tour.
Dates: 17 February-2 June
Venue: Europe, UK and North America
Image credit: Lizzo/Facebook
This band has already kickstarted the new year with a bang with shows in Australia and has gigs lined up in Asia, Europe, the UK and finally the US.
This uber-popular group has recently come up with an album The Car, and one of their biggest draws is that they know how to put on a spectacular show. Grand and visually appealing, Arctic Monkeys promises to enthral its audience this year on their extensive tour.
Dates: 28 February-1 October
Venue: Asia, UK, Europe, US
Image credit: Arctic Monkeys/Facebook
This music icon needs no introduction. Elton John is one of the most celebrated pop artists in the world, and his magnetic appeal is only increasing with time. The ‘Rocket Man’ is not only one of the greatest musicians of our times but is also known to be one of the greatest showmen that the world has seen. Watching him perform live is an unforgettable experience and Elton Farewell Tour would be the last tour of this 76-year-old musician.
Dates: 23 March-8 July
Venue: Europe and UK
Image credit: Elton John/Facebook
Former member of the super popular boy band, One Direction, Harry Styles — as a personality, musician and actor — is in a league of his own. One of the most celebrated artists in the world, the Grammy winner has repeatedly broken gender stereotypes as one of the best-dressed men in the world in recent times. Besides his music, his stage presence makes his Love On Tour unmissable.
Dates: 20 February-22 July
Venue: Australia, Asia, Europe, UK
Image credit: Harry Styles/Instagram
Catching this iconic band playing live is a treat for fans of heavy metal. Metallica has inspired generations to follow this genre of music and hence, its M72 World Tour is something fans are looking forward to. They will play songs from their latest album, 72 Seasons, which is a bonus.
Dates: 27 April 2023-29 September 2024.
Venue: Europe, UK, North America
Image credit: Metallica
This popular band is on a 38-city tour of North America after launching a brand new album, Journey, in July 2022. The special attraction of this tour will be a collaboration with artist Toto. This also marks their 50-year anniversary, which is another reason fans are excited to have them back on the road.
Dates: 4 February-25 April
Venue: North America, US
Image credit: Journey: The Band
It would be a mistake to miss this iconic tour because just as the name suggests, it is the celebration of four decades of music of this legendary singer and performer. The Celebration Tour is an ode to Madonna’s musical journey with a special dedication to New York City where she began her career. A special guest for the tour is Bob the Drag Queen also known as Caldwell Tidicue.
Dates: 15 July 2023 – 8 January 2024
Venue: US and Europe
Image credit: Madonna/Facebook
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be hitting the road after six years, and they have around 31 performances lined up in the US before they head to Europe. Springsteen said in a statement, “After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I’m looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year — and beyond.”
Dates: 10 February – 23 April
Venue: US and Europe
Image credit: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: What is the biggest concert in the world 2023?
Answer: Beyoncé – Renaissance World Tour 2023, Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour, BLACKPINK’s Born Pink Tour are among the biggest tours of 2023. Additionally, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Madonna, Metallica are also performing in concerts this year.
Question: How to book tickets?
Answer: Global platforms like Ticketmaster have ticket links for most of the major concerts of 2023. You can also check the artists’ official website for more details.
an update!
You’re all set
Thank you for your subscription.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates.
You’re all set
Thank you for your subscription.