Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams will both perform live in 2025.
Harry How/Getty Images for the Invictus Games FoundationNothing brings us back to our younger selves like a concert with bands we loved in high school. Sure the body aches in the morning will remind us of our age. But for those few hours, we get to jump in a DeLorean and transport back to the days of acid wash jeans, Aquanet teased up hair and Reebok Pumps. Here are the touring plans from some of our favorite 80s bands that are hitting the road in 2025.
'80s Bands Touring Plans for 2025
Bryan Adams
Let's forget that it's been 55 years since the Summer of '69. For 2025, Bryan's busting out the passport. He's starting 2025 with concerts in Europe and then heads down under for shows in New Zealand and Australia. At the moment, your only chance to see him in the states will be during his residency at the Encore Theater at the Wynn in Las Vegas in March. In May, he heads back to Europe for the summer.
Bon Jovi
We can't talk '80s bands without bringing up the biggest one. No Bon Jovi live performances have been announced yet for 2025. Jon said "It is my desire to do a tour next year" in a radio interview. But Jon's surgery recovery continues. Jon says he wants to be able to give 100% in a full 2 hours plus. And then, there's that ongoing question… is Bon Jovi really Bon Jovi without Richie Sambora?
Def Leppard
If you wanna rock out to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" live, you'll need to bust out the plastic and pay big bucks for one of those big music festivals. There's no Def Leppard tour per se, but the band is appearing at a bunch of festivals like Boardwalk Rock in Ocean City, Maryland, Summerfest in Milwaukee and here's an odd one… Country Thunder in Craven, Canada! My pick? Head to Mohegan Sun in the woods of Connecticut July 3. The next day you can head to Boston or New York City for the 4th of July fireworks.
Guns N Roses
Bust out the passport. GnR is touring, but you'll need to factor in airfare to the costs to see Axl bust out "Sweet Child O' Mine." The band is performing around the world from May through July. There are shows in some really fun cities to visit like Barcelona, Florence, Munich, London, Stockholm, Budapest and Vienna. Some fun special guests will be along for the ride to like the Sex Pistols and Public Enemy.
Billy Idol
I have a feeling a tour announcement is coming. For now, Billy only has one performance planned at the Forever Now Festival in Buckinghamshire, England. The lineup is sick though… might be worth the trip! Other performers include the Psychedelic Furs, The Motels, and Berlin.
Billy Joel
More stadium shows are planned for Billy in 2025 in Indianapolis, Toronto, Syracuse, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, and New York City (well, East Rutherford, NJ). He's also doing a few intimate settings like Mohegan Sun February 22 and the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL January 17.
Bruce Springsteen
To hear "Born in the USA," you'll have to leave the country. The Boss only has stadium shows lined up this summer in England, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain and Italy.
Tears for Fears
Give Ticketmaster a "Shout" if you wanna hear "Everybody Wants to Rule The World." The band recently played the finale for The Voice. I'm thinking a full tour will be announced soon. As for now, their only 2025 dates are at Fontainebleau Las Vegas January 31-February 7.
Toto
Lots of big 80s hits on this tour. Toto is hitting the road with Men At Work and Christopher Cross with stops in Tampa, Boston, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Nashville.
ZZ Top
Although Dusty is no longer with us, the band still sounds great. ZZ Top has dozens of live performances scheduled for 2025 all over the U.S and Canada, including the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa March 12.
Tour riders are often some of the most interesting parts of any artist or band's tour. They often offer an inside look into just how high-maintenance some artists can be. This is often exemplified by how specific their requests might be.
Some rock stars require specific kinds of food and drink, while others clearly want a dressing room that sets a certain mood. Some tour riders feature requests so outrageous they must be a joke. Other tour riders -- like one infamous one at the very end of our list -- feature details that are actually requests to see if you read the rider at all.
And then there are rock stars like Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, who likes to see just what he can get away with. He shared in a recent interview, " ... As the years have gone on, and we had access to more and more outrageous requests being honored, it starts to make you ask for strange things." Homme also claims that asking for strange things is a sign of having a good sense of humor, which he says, "other than injections," keeps you young.
So, what strange things have Homme asked for on his rider? Apparently, it has included chocolate-covered ants and a map of Ireland on his dressing room wall.
Homme said, "People would ask me, ‘Josh, why do you have chocolate-covered ants and a framed map of Ireland?’ and I would say, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know, mind your damn business.'"
Our list below highlights eight tour riders. The first from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made headlines back in 2023. (Make no mistake: When a tour rider is leaked, it almost always makes headlines. There are at least a few items on it that leave you asking, "Umm...really?!")
Without further ado, keep scrolling and find out which of your favorite rock stars have interesting requests on their tour riders.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Brian Ach/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff FoundationThe tour rider for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that leaked in October 2023 is a whopping 37 pages. It features a wide range of requests. For starters, did you know that The Boss' pre-show meal is chicken soup "with lots of broth"? You do now! Also, his dressing room must have two 99-cent bags of Rold Gold pretzel ("no substitutions"). Interestingly, there needs to be a manicurist on stand-by to "do a man's and a woman's acrylic nail" at every venue. Additionally, there needs to be a massage therapist on stand-by who can perform a "deep tissue/sports massage" if need be.
Mick Jagger
Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesMick Jagger has a very unique request when it comes to the mattress in his hotel. According to a report from 'The Daily Mail,' Jagger "asks for a new mattress in his room, no matter how posh the hotel. But he insists the plastic wrapping stays on while someone sleeps for one night on the mattress to break it in."
Prince
Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesSpeaking of plastic wrap, Prince had on his 2004 tour rider that “all items in dressing room must be covered by clear plastic wrap until uncovered by main artist. This is absolutely necessary.” This feels a little extra, but honestly, this request wasn't terribly shocking considering how particular the late music icon was.
Paul McCartney
Gustavo Caballero/Getty ImagesPaul McCartney's past tour riders have been lengthy, but considering his legend, they seem rather tame. Many of his requests have to do with his vegan lifestyle, so no furniture backstage made from animal skin (leather) nor is faux leather or animal prints are allowed.
Jack White
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesJack White got a lot of attention for his tour rider when he was out supporting his album 'Lazeretto,' because it included a request for a bowl of "fresh home-made guacamole" and included a very specific recipe that included directions on how to cut the avocado. (FYI: It's "3 or 4 slits down, 3 or 4 slits across.)
Iggy Pop
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesIggy Pop's 2006 tour rider was 18 pages, but it clearly wasn't taking itself too seriously. Some of his requests included "somebody dressed as Bob Hope" and "a copy of 'USA Today' that's got a story about morbidly obese people in it." What a legend!
Foo Fighters
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesFoo Fighters have taken joke tour riders to another level. In 2011, their tour rider had a coloring book theme complete with a word search and a maze. It also included a list of non-permitted items in the venue which included "light sabers" and "garden gnomes." However, maybe we're wrong. Perhaps, there was a bizarre incident at a past show involving light sabers and garden gnomes.
Van Halen
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesAh, yes...how could there be a tour rider list without mentioning Van Halen and the whole "no brown M&M's" request? Believe it or not, the band wasn't really being divas back then. The legend of the M&M's has since been cleared up. The reason why that detail was included was to see if promoters actually read the band's performance contract. David Lee Roth said in a 2012 interview, "Van Halen was the first to take 850 par lamp lights — huge lights — around the country. At the time, it was the biggest production ever. If I came backstage, having been one of the architects of this lighting and staging design, and I saw brown M&Ms on the catering table, then I guarantee the promoter had not read the contract rider, and we would have to do a serious line check."
