Iconic Musicians Who Are Back on the Road This Year

The pandemic obliterated live performances in 2020, and while many big names aren’t quite ready for life on the road again, others can’t wait to get in front of a crowd — some for farewell tours. Check out these classic acts that have been entertaining audiences for 40 years or more and see if your favorites are coming to your town. But be aware, in some cases, concertgoers can attend the show only if they can prove that they've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. And some of these schedules continue to be in flux, so check with venues before you go.

Taylor Van Arsdale also contributed to this story.

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After putting the “No Filter” tour on ice in 2020, the band is ready to return to the stage from September to November. “We want to thank you all for your patience during this very difficult and unprecedented time,” the band says on its website. New dates have been added for Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

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“The Dan” will hit the road in October for its “Absolutely Normal” tour about the time two new live albums are released — “Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!” and “The Nightfly Live,” a concert version of Donald Fagen’s solo album. The tour begins in Miami Beach on Oct. 5 and ends Nov. 20 in Boston. Look for the band to make up rescheduled “Earth After Hours” tour dates with Steve Winwood in 2022.

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The Southern Rock superstars were forced to suspend their “Last of the Street Survivors” farewell tour for 15 months. But the band returned to the road in June for 30 dates through Nov. 19, giving you at least one more chance to hear “Free Bird” played live.

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The band was in the middle of its “Hotel California” tour — featuring the 1976 album played in its entirety — when the lights dimmed in 2020. They’re scheduled to resume life in the fast lane with two nights at Madison Square Garden in August (where patrons will have to show proof of vaccination to get in) followed by more arena dates through October.

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After more than 50 years on the road, much of the Rocket Man’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour had to be rescheduled, putting it somewhere in Europe through the end of 2021. But the final U.S. leg kicks off after the holidays in New Orleans and runs through Nov. 19-20, 2022, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

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The Piano Man’s pandemic-shortened 2020 stadium tour is scheduled to get back on track this fall — though the once-postponed show in Detroit has now been pushed to 2022. His residence in the friendly confines of New York’s Madison Square Garden will resume in November.

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The band’s “End of the Road” tour took a detour in 2020, but they’ll be back in August for a string of rescheduled dates before heading to South America, Australia, and Europe. The tour originally was to end at an undisclosed location in New York on July 21, 2021. A new date has yet to be announced. Bonus: Former Van Halen frontman “Diamond” David Lee Roth is the supporting act.

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Phil Collins and his mates are back on the road for the first time since 2007 for the band’s “The Last Domino?” tour, originally scheduled to begin last November. Rolling Stone says the band is playing European dates in September and October with the U.S. leg opening Nov. 15 at Chicago’s United Center and running through Dec. 15 at Boston’s TD Garden.

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Nearly 50 years after the launch of their first album, the blue-eyed soul duo hits the road again in August for a series of rescheduled concerts that stretches into December. That’s a run that might make your dreams come true. Bonus: Squeeze is on the bill for some of these shows.

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This horn-driven, jazz-influenced rock band has a long history of touring, which will continue across the U.S. this summer and into the fall with dozens of rescheduled dates from 2020 — including a lot of outdoor venues — from California to Georgia.

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The band is back on the road this summer and fall, including a six-show limited engagement at the Venetian in Las Vegas in November. After multiple tours with Chicago, they were supposed to tour with Santana in 2020. That was pushed to this year and now won’t happen until 2022.

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It wouldn’t be summer if the Dead weren’t on the road. After a long strange trip through the pandemic, the psychedelic rockers with Bob Weir at the helm gear up again in August with dates through Halloween including a three-night stay at the Hollywood Bowl. 

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With 27 studio albums behind them, it seems like Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band are always on the road, delighting his loyal following of “Parrotheads.” Unlike last year, this summer will be no exception with dates stretching into December, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in October.

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Most of Stewart’s 2021 concert schedule consists of a limited engagement of “The Hits” show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas between Oct. 6 and 23. He does, however, have a string of rescheduled dates in 2022 with Cheap Trick. So you have that to look forward to.

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The former Police frontman has two dates at the Met in Philadelphia in September before taking up residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for eight shows in October and November. He’s currently scheduled to launch a European tour next spring before returning to the Colosseum in Las Vegas for shows in June and July.

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Ranked second on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Slowhand himself recently announced an eight-gig U.S. tour for September after his planned European tour was pushed back to next spring due to ongoing pandemic restrictions in Europe.

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The ex-Beatle and his All Starr Band have pushed a lot of shows off until next spring, including several dates that will feature the Avett Brothers. One date — in Mexico — is still on the books for Oct. 20 this year. Catch him if you can.

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Researcheduled dates for the Doobies’ 50th anniversary tour — which includes Michael McDonald — start Aug. 1 at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and run through June 30, 2022, at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, Canada.

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BOC began to venture out in late March and has been adding shows to its schedule through early 2022 before taking off for Europe next fall, touring with Deep Purple.

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Morrison is scheduled to hit the road for U.S. tour dates in California, Florida, and Nevada after kicking things off Sept. 25 at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Greenwood Village, Colorado. If you’re in the U.K., you might be able to score tickets for one of several shows there this summer as the “Moondance” crooner plays songs from his latest album “Latest Record Project, Volume 1.” Catchy, eh?

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William Royce “Boz” Scaggs has had to shuffle some of his “Out of the Blues” tour 2020 dates, getting back on the road for dates in September and October. 

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The “little ol’ band from Texas” had to reschedule the Canadian leg of its “A Celebration with ZZ Top” tour last year. But it has a steady stream of gigs this year into mid-December including five dates at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas.

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The band probably won’t have too much time on their hands with a healthy list of dates through the summer and fall to support their 17th studio album “Crash of the Crown.” That list includes three nights at the Venetian in Las Vegas in September. 

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The newly minted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — who recently released a live album from a series of shows with Joe Jackson in 2005 — gets back to banging the drum on his “The Individualist, A True Star” 29-date tour in October and November. The shows will feature one side of “A Wizard, A True Star” and a set of his hits.

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The kings of metal aren’t touring per se, but you can catch them at a handful of festivals this fall — Louder Than Life (Louisville, Kentucky), Aftershock (Sacramento, California), and Welcome to Rockville (Daytona Beach, Florida). The band regroups for a European tour next summer.

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Sweet Baby James and his all-star band — with “very special guest” Jackson Browne — are criss-crossing the U.S. and Canada this summer and fall, showering the people with songs from his “American Standard” album and a long list of his hits. The tour, which was originally scheduled for last summer, is kicking off in Chicago and ends Nov. 1 in San Diego.

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The remaining members of the made-for-TV group — Michael Nesmith and Mickey Dolenz — launch their farewell tour this fall 55 years after being cast for what some called the Prefab Four. 

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The Boss reopened his one-man show “Springsteen On Broadway” at the end of June, marking the first Broadway performance since the start of the pandemic. He’ll hold court in New York City’s St. James Theatre through Labor Day and Rolling Stone says a return to the road with the E Street Band is in the works for 2022.

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After a year off, Carlos Santana has a series of dates in August and early September at the House of Blues in Las Vegas before hitting the road this fall for the 15-date run of his “Blessings and Miracles” tour. More House of Blues dates follow in November through the end of the year.

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The sneering “White Wedding” singer is back on the road Aug. 1 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with dates being added through the fall, including a four-night engagement at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

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The band doesn't have a full-fledged tour this summer but still has a few dates on the books including an appearance July 31 at Lollapalooza in Chicago. They released a video for their new song “The Way We Used To Be” on June 24.

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The jukebox heroes announced a 13-city summer “Greatest Hits” tour this spring, but that seems to have morphed into a year-long world tour with 123 shows in 16 countries. The U.S. leg features shows in 72 cities in 42 states with more dates to be announced in November. 

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Mike Love’s version of the influential band (original members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine are not involved) always stays busy. They have gigs booked through the beginning of October somewhere across America.

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