Tour Names?

Does anyone really name tours anymore?

It seemed like back in the 1980s, all big tours had names. Those names were then pressed on shirts, buttons and books.

Just for fun, I went over to Motley Crue's Wikipedia entry and looked up the names of all their tours:

• "Anywhere USA" - Northern California Tour (1981)
• Too Fast For Love Tour (1981)
• Cruesing Through Canada Tour (1981-1982)
• Shout at the Devil World Tour (1983-1984)
• Welcome To The Theatre Of Pain Tour (1985-1986)
• Girls, Girls, Girls World Tour (1987-1988)
• Dr. Feelgood World Tour '89 - '90 (1989-1990)
• Monsters Of Rock Tour 1991 (1991)
• Anywhere There's Electricity Tour (1994)
• Live Swine Listening Party Tour (1997)
• Generation Swine Tour (1997)
• Mötley Crüe Vs. The Earth Tour (1997)
• Greatest Hits Tour (1998-1999)
• Maximum Rock Tour (1999)
• Welcome To The Freekshow Tour (1999)
• New Tattoo Tour (2000)
• Japanese Tour 2000 (2000)
• Red, White & Crüe Tour (2005)
• Carnival Of Sins Tour (2005-2006)
• Route of All Evil Tour (2006)
• 2007 Tour (2007)
• Crüe Fest (2008)
• Saints Of Los Angeles Tour (2009)

Now, some of these names are better than others. Ones that stand out are "Welcome To The Freekshow Tour," "Route of All Evil Tour" and "Welcome To The Theatre Of Pain Tour."

Aerosmith has a ton of tours, too. Interestingly, the most creative tour names are from some of their more recent shows. Some of those are:

• 1999-2000: Roar of the Dragon Tour
• 2001-02: Just Push Play Tour
• 2002: Girls of Summer Tour
• 2003: Rocksimus Maximus Tour
• 2004: Honkin' on Bobo Tour
• 2005-06: Rockin' the Joint Tour
• 2006: Route of All Evil Tour
• 2007: World Tour 2007

In case you're wondering, my favorite Aerosmith tour name is the "Rocksimus Maximus Tour."

It seems like lately bands just sort of hit the road and either 1) don't name the tour or 2) just name the tour after an album. Now, I understand the concept of naming a tour after an album - after all, one of the main reasons a band hits the road is to drum up record sales. Still, sometimes a little creativity goes a long way.

I remember seeing so many people wearing tour shirts back in the late 80s and 90s. I swear, it seemed like back then everywhere you went, you could find a music fan sporting the logo of a favorite band. At that point in time it seemed like a badge of honor to wear a tour T-shirt, cities and dates proudly emblazoned on the back.

Here's a secret: when I see someone wearing a tour shirt, I always read the back. I love seeing the places bands stop - especially vintage shirts. I also get a little excited when I see a complete stranger wearing a concert shirt from a show I attended. It's like an unspoken bond between people that will never meet or otherwise have nothing else in common.

When a band picks a really creative name for a tour, it just seems to add a little punch to the whole event. The ticket is more interesting, the shirts better - even the marquee out front of the venue seems to get the special treatment.

Can you think of any unique tour names?

Comments

[crüe düde]

Dirty Penny's last tour was called The Dirty Penny Ruined My Life Tour and Mötleys tour with Ozzy was nicknamed the No Fun Tour.

[Heather]

How about the Bring Back Glam Brought Back Glam Tour? I'd buy that shirt.

[Lucas]

When Skid row opened Guns shows back in 1991...they named the tour with "Slave to th UK" and of course Guns N' Roses Tour supporting Use your Illusion..."Get in the Ring Motherfucker Tour" awesomw....
every gig I went...I buy a t-shirt....

[Christine]

One of Papa Roach's first tours was called the Master Bay Tour. I still giggle when I say it. ;)

[me]

Pink Floyd's 1987 "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour became renamed to "A Total Lapse of Sanity" tour

[Sean]

Well the Stones have named all of their tours after the albums supported I think. "Steel Wheels", "Voodoo Lounge" etc. But the most memorable I can think of is Madonna "The Sticky and Sweet Tour". EEEWWW!!

[Gene]

My1st concert was 1979..it was Kiss..and the tour was "The Return of Kiss"..which was a bit odd since they had toured in 77-78..but whatever.
..Ozzy had a tour in 94 called "No more tours tour"..since his Cd that year as called "No more tears"..and there was a sense that was going to be his last tour..of course we know better now.

[Gary]

I always got a kick out of the Ratt/Poison double bill. Provided a built in cool name along with 2 good bands...

[Bob]

One of the greatest concerts I ever saw was a double bill of Sammy Hagar and Krokus back in 1985. Hagar was touring in support of the VOA album and Krokus was supporting The Blitz. Krokus called their tour The Blitz Across America which, to my 16-year-old brain, sounded pretty bad ass. I bought shirts from both bands that night. In fact, I bought shirts at every show I went to back then. Concert shirts were pretty much all I wore in high school from '83 to '87. Like a total idiot, I got rid of all my shirts when I moved cross-country because they didn't fit anymore. I would give anything now to have all of them back.

[George]

I believe the Warrant/Trixter/Firehouse tour in 1991 was called "Blood, Sweat, & Beers" tour.

[Roadie]

Not really glam at all, but I was working with the band Orson who's 2006 run was called "The Awesome Orson Autumn Tour."

Velvet Revolver also had the "Rock n Fuckin' Roll Tour" in 2005.

[Valentine]

T.Y.R. had a "Show Us Your Panties" tour, a "We Forgot Where We Live" Tour and the infamous "Where The Fuck Are We?" Tour.

[don]

a good portion of those you mentioned were the names of the albums but.....anyway......i gave all of my old t-shirts to my nephew since they haven't fit me in over 15 years but i still get them when i see a really good band. in about 10 days i'll add ac/dc and probably the answer to my current collection. i've also heard that crooked x (14 years old each, doc mcghee manages them) will be playing and those kids are very talented. back in the day the concert tee was always in fashion, usually with a dress shirt unbuttoned and untucked and the sleeves rolled up. hey, it was out thing man.

[KixRyles]

Best tour name ever...Kix 1991 - "Whore Tour"

[Lucifer]

lol the best tour name has to be the 'where the fuck are we tour'?

Although i laughed alot when I heard about the 'master bay tour'
hehe...

ahh maturity.

[Punkie Crossbones]

The All-American Rejects launched their Tournado in 2000-something. I always thought that name was pretty creative.

[Erin]

So, this band is really out there - some of you may know them - and this post is about 2 years late (lololol). But some of the more interesting tour names I've heard are from a Japanese band known as Dir en Grey. They've had tours like:
"Tour 00 >> 01 Macabre"
"It Withers and Withers"
"Taste of Chaos" Tour
"Inward Scream" Tour
"Death over Blindness"
"Tour 08 The Rose Trims Again"
"Uroboros -Breathing-"
"Relentless Tour 09"
"Tour 09 Feast of V Senses"
"All Visible Things"
"Dorje"
"Uroboros -With the proof in the name of living-"
"The Unwavering Fact of Tomorrow Tour 2010"
"The Decomposition of the Moon"

There are other Japanese bands out there with really strange tour names as well - you'll have an interesting time looking them up! xD

[DonPechito]

Does anyone out there has ever heard about Ozzy Osbourne's " Hath Murdered Sleep '89 '90 Tour " ??
I just found a t shirt in an old box with that printing on the back, with the " No rest for the Wicked" album cover as a printing on the front and was wondering if this tour really existed....
Cheers !

[Joe Scott]

Not glam at all, but All Time Low had a tour called 'The Rise And Fall Of My Pants Tour'. I thought that was brilliant... :D

[Stephen]

Not glam but Sum 41 had a tour called 'Sum on Your Face Tour