For those of us who make shows a regular part of our lives, the absence of that uniquely healing experience—aside from occasionally inventive approaches to livestreaming—made the grueling events of 2020 that much harder to bear.
Mercifully, we’re back in action now with a number of artists—many of whom were forced to scrap tour plans last year for pandemic safety reasons—rolling out expansive routings for this year and the next.
The Weeknd, for example, took the cautious approach with his rescheduling announcement in February. Instead of the After Hours run being bumped to 2021 as was previously expected, Abel and company moved the entire trek to 2022, complete with several new stops.
For many who work in the live music industry in a non-artist capacity, i.e. venue personnel and artist crew members, the inability to tour during 2020 resulted in dire financial consequences. In December, Variety—citing data from Pollstar—reported that the global concert industry lost an estimated $30 billion in 2020 due to the pause on large in-person gatherings.
Artists, namely those who aren’t at the arena level, were also deeply affected by the loss of income. In most instances, touring provides the greatest source of income for an artist, which meant the pandemic-spurred halt of the industry had oft-overlooked consequences for working artists worldwide.
In celebration of the return of the live music, we’ve put together a (continually updated) list of select 2021/2022 tours that are sure to help us all continue moving toward a post-pandemic reality. Peep the list below. And for a roundup of notable music festivals making their return this year, click here.
Kevin Gates
Young Nudy
Trippie Redd
Rod Wave
Lil Baby x Lil Durk
Kaytranada
Tame Impala
Jack Harlow
Machine Gun Kelly
J. Cole x 21 Savage
Moneybagg Yo
Gucci Mane, Jeezy, Rick Ross, and 2 Chainz
Russ
Bow Wow x Omarion
Benny the Butcher
Polo G
Playboi Carti
SAINt JHN
Toosii
Karol G
Baby Keem
Farruko
Givēon
D Smoke
The Weeknd
The Kid Laroi
Billie Eilish
Dua Lipa
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Snoh Aalegra
