Regardless of how listening to albums and songs has changed over the last several decades, live music remains a constant. Around this time of year, loads of artists announce their live show itineraries while festivals cue us in to other performers who are likely to be on the road. As fans, we scan these listings looking for our home city (or something within a reasonable distance), plotting out just who we get to see and when we get to see them.
As always, it’s difficult to nail down the best tours coming our way. Maybe that’s why we update this feature a few times a year. Aside from the following 25 artists, which include giant stadium tours and tiny club shows, festivals have already clued us in that the likes of Tool, Lorde, Frank Ocean, Solange, and Future Islands will also be on the road. Plus, we opted not to list artists like Bon Iver, Mitski, Angel Olsen, and Japandroids, whom we included in our previous installment. And there are sure to be surprises. Will Kanye West return to his floating stage? Will Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams, and Dirty Projectors tour widely in support of new releases? This is sure to be another great year for live shows.
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25. Noname
Black girl magic is real, and Noname wields enough to cast the entire world under her spell. Her debut LP, Telefone, is full of wisdom beyond her years and harmonies that send shivers down your spine. Everything she does has originality sewn into it — which is why Chance the Rapper and Mick Jenkins sought her out for collaborations early on in her career. As she proved during her appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Chance, her pipes sound just as moving live as they do on record, so she’s stepping into the light to flaunt them on a proper, lengthy tour with opener Ravyn Lenae. Noname’s hype is rightfully deserved and ever-growing. Case in point: Every single show on the tour is sold out. Chances are a couple ticketholders will fall ill, though, so it’s worth trying your luck showing up at doors to grab a stranger’s spare. The show will certainly be worth it. –Nina Corcoran
Noname 2017 Tour Dates:
01/14 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
02/11 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miramar Theatre
02/12 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
02/15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
02/16 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
02/18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
02/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood
02/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
02/22 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
02/24 – Iowa City, IA @ Ballroom at The University of Iowa
02/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room
02/26 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
02/28 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
03/01 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
03/02 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
03/03 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
03/05 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
03/06 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
06/08-11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
07/29 – New York, NY @ Panorama
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24. Run the Jewels
Photo by Philip Cosores
Run the Jewels have been all over the world over the past few years, and why not? El-P and Killer Mike have each made a lot of great music on their own, but they’ve never been bigger than they are as rap’s foremost tag team of the moment. It’s a testament to how good their album trilogy has been that we’re just as excited to see them tour behind the Christmas fucking miracle of Run the Jewels 3 as we were when this all got started four years ago, even after all the dates and festivals since. And even if you’ve seen them multiple times, RTJ deliver the kind of fire-breathing live performances that carry the torch for the best of live hip-hop, and there’s just no such thing as too much of a great thing. Plus, Donald Trump’s going to be the president, and it’s a reasonable assumption that RTJ will have thoughts on the matter. –Dominick Suzanne-Mayer
Run the Jewels 2016-2017 Tour Dates:
01/16 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
01/17 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
01/18 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
01/20 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
01/21 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
01/23 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theatre
01/24 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
01/25 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
01/29 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
01/30 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory
02/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall
02/02 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic Auditorium
02/03 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
02/05 – Arcata, CA @ Van Duzer Theatre
02/06 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
02/07 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
02/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
02/10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
02/11 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
02/13 – Kansas City, MO @ The Midland
02/14 – St. Paul, MN @ Myth
02/15 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater
02/17 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
02/18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
02/19 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
02/21 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
02/22 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
02/24 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
02/25 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
05/26-28 – Chillicothe, IL @ Summer Camp Music Festival
05/26-28 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling
05/31-06/04 – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
06/08-10 – Porto, Portugal @ NOS Primavera Sound
06/16-18 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
06/17-19 – Aarhus, DK @ NorthSide Festival
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23. Billy Joel
Photo by Ben Kaye
Baseball may still be America’s pastime, but considering the amount of time he’ll be spending on diamonds across the country in the upcoming year, Billy Joel may just supplant its reign. The Piano Man is set to play sports centers ranging from the New Orleans arena the Smoothie King Center to classic baseball stadiums like Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium to Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Ever the showman, the legendary singer-songwriter continues to put on crowd-pleasing performances at his residency at New York’s own iconic Madison Square Garden, a commitment he’ll continue to honor in the midst of his nation-spanning tour. Instead of a bottle of red or a bottle of white, Joel may be singing about whether the peanuts or the cracker jack are more on the menu.
Billy Joel 2017 Tour Dates:
01/11 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
01/27 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
02/10 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/22 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/03 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/24 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
04/05 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
04/14 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
04/28 – Atlanta, GA @ SunTrust Park
05/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium
05/25 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Progressive Field
07/28 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field
08/11 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
08/30 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
09/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park
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22. Ariana Grande
Don’t roll your eyes at Ariana Grande. She’s barely 23 years old and already dominating the pop world, but that’s not what makes her stand out. It’s Grande’s ability to collaborate with Stevie Wonder, her support of Black Lives Matter, and her voice’s leaps and bounds that still somehow seem underutilized despite her vocal range. If you thought her VMAs performance of “Side to Side” was ridiculous, wait until you see what she prepped for this tour. Grande’s got a flair for vocal and visual dramatics alike, which means the tour for Dangerous Woman will bring the drama from start to finish. —Nina Corcoran
Bonus: there’s no word regarding openers yet, but given this is the biggest tour she’s ever done, it’s bound to be someone good.
Ariana Grande 2017 Tour Dates:
02/02 Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
02/04 Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
02/07 Omahe, NE @ Century Link Center
02/09 Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
02/14 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
02/17 Uncasville, CT @Mohegan Sun Arena
02/19 Manchester, NH @SNHU Arena
02/21 Buffalo, NY @Key Bank Center
02/23 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
02/26 Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
02/27 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
03/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
03/03 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
03/05 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
03/06 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
03/09 Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
03/11 Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
03/12 Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
03/14 Chicago, IL @ United Center
03/16 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
03/18 Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
03/21 Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
03/23 Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
03/24 Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
03/26 Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
03/27 San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
03/30 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
03/31 Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
04/03 Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
04/06 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
04/08 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
04/09 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
04/11 New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
04/12 Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
04/14 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
04/15 Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
05/08 Stockholm, SE @ Friends Arena
05/10 Oslo, NO @ Telenor
05/12 Herning, DK @ Jyske Bank Boxen
05/14 Amsterdam-Zuidoost, NL @ Ziggo Dome
05/16 Amsterdam-Zuidoost, NL @ Ziggo Dome
05/18 Birmingham, UK @ Genting Arena
05/20 Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
05/22 Manchester, UK @ Arena
05/25 London, UK @ O2 Arena
05/26 London, UK @ The O2
05/28 Antwerp, BE @ Sportpalais
05/31 Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena
06/01 Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena
06/03 Frankfurt, DE @ Festhalle
06/05 Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion
06/07 Paris, FR @ Accorhotels Arena
06/09 Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier
06/11 Lisboa, PT @ Meo Arena
06/13 Barcelona, ES @ Palau Sant Jordi
06/15 Rome, IT @ Palalottomatica
06/17 Turin To, IT @ Pala Alpitour
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21. Chris Rock
“Is America ready for a black president?” Chris Rock asked rhetorically in a special SNL Road to the White House report back in 2007. “Why not? We just had a retarded one,” he concluded. A decade later, we might ask Rock the same about an orange president and let him do what he does best: deliver a punchline. Sure, he paid his dues on SNL in the ’90s and went on to find A-list success on television, in films, and as an Oscars host, but make no mistake about it: Chris Rock is a stand-up comedian first and foremost, and it’s been nine years since he last brought his singular, foul-mouthed worldview to stages. And given the racial and political tensions of our times, never has his perspective and ability to find humor in the bleakest of realities been more needed. –Matt Melis
Chris Rock 2017 Tour Dates:
02/14 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
02/16 – Cincinnati, OH @ Aronoff Center for the Arts
02/18 – Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
02/21 – Niagra Falls, ON @ Fallsview Casino Resort
02/22 – Niagra Falls, ON @ Fallsview Casino Resort
02/23 – Niagra Falls, ON @ Fallsview Casino Resort
02/24 – Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
02/25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
03/03 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
03/05 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
03/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
03/24 – Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Concert Hall
03/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
03/29 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
04/06 – Tulsa, OK @ River Spirit Casino Resort
04/07 – Thackerville, OK @ Global Event Center at WinStar World Casino
04/08 – St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
04/14 – Tampa, FL @ David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
04/19 – Cleveland, OH @ State Theatre
04/22 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
04/28 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
05/03 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center
05/13 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Center
05/14 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
05/17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center
05/25 – Cherokee, NC @ Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Event Center
05/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
06/03 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Event Center
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