Legendary Tours

The dream tour thread got me thinking - I know a number of us on HoM have seen some of the tours that are now the stuff of legends. Fortunately, thanks to the age of the internet, we can see these tours from boots (for the tours not released as DVD/Blu-Ray).

For purposes of this tread, legendary doesn't just have to include the established legendary tours (i.e. World Slavery, Highway To Hell, Led Zepplin 4, etc) but can include what is generally thought of as a tour at a band's peak. For example, Queensryche's Building Empires tour (all of Operation Mindcrime) - I caught the tour and personally I don't think Queensryche have ever topped that tour. They don't play Mindcrime anywhere near as good as they did on that tour (see Mindcrime At The Bore, I mean Moore)

What legendary tours have you seen?

Unfortunately I was a wee bit too young to go to shows yet when all the "big" bands were doing their most famous gigs (i.e. the World Slavery Tour, Priest on the S.F.V. tour, Metallica/Ozzy tour, Motley/Ozzy tour, etc.) but once I was deemed "old enough" for such shenanigans by my parents, I did my best to make up for what I'd been missing.

I remember seeing Metallica w/The Cult opening on the AND JUSTICE FOR ALL tour and that was a pretty big deal at the time. The band was on its way becoming fairly well known outside of the headbanger underground but hadn't totally "broken through" yet. So I guess you could say that when I saw that gig, it was probably the last time Metallica were considered merely "a big metal band," cuz a few years later, they had become "a big BAND," period, if you know what I mean.

I also saw the RUST IN PEACE line up of Megadeth totally blow Judas Priest off the stage when they opened the PAINKILLER tour in 1990. Would that count?

Quote :

what is generally thought of as a tour at a band's peak.

In that case, once again... Savatage. Gutter Ballet tour, with Trouble opening. Brooklyn, New York, September of 1990. (all together now) "BEST...concert... EVER!"

I also feel fortunate that I was able to see Crimson Glory live in a tiny little NYC dump 1988 when they were pimpin' the TRANSCENDENCE album, not only cuz that album has gone on to be widely considered a classic in the power/prog metal scene, but simply because the band barely played any U.S. shows outside of their home area of Florida, so I was simply in the right place at the right time.

Since I am watching Maiden on TV right now as I read Leo's post.....

Maiden, Saxon and Fastway (1983) San Berdoo, Calif

Then ya got Motorhead / Blizzard of Ozz (1982) San Berdoo, Calif

Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Molly Hatchet, Riot (1980) Salem, Oregon

Raven / Metallica (1983) San Fransisco, Calif.

The "LEGEND OF LEGENDARY" was seeing Quiet Riot w/ Randy Rhoads (1979) "I sat on a barstool at the backdoor of The Starwood due to my age. The band I'd just joined played two night with them. I was only 14. We were called Lethal Dose"

Iron Maiden-Piece of Mind tour with Quiet Riot opening

Black Sabbath-Born Again with Quiet Riot opening (again)-This concert got me grounded and my mom was horrified about the concert t shirt

Deep Purple-Perfect Strangers tour

Keith - I can relate! I did my best to catch up when I could go to shows too. I guess in some aspects I am still catching up - lol!!!!!

I caught Megadeth on that tour - but it was a Megadeth/Testament - what a gig!!!!!!!!!!

manny wrote:

Iron Maiden-Piece of Mind tour with Quiet Riot opening

Black Sabbath-Born Again with Quiet Riot opening (again)-This concert got me grounded and my mom was horrified about the concert t shirt

Deep Purple-Perfect Strangers tour

I forgot about Born Again Tour. Planned to see them in Vegas w/ Quiet Riot opening but ended up seeing them in the Bay Area w/ Heaven and Ratt opening.

thejokeriv wrote:

Keith - I can relate! I did my best to catch up when I could go to shows too. I guess in some aspects I am still catching up - lol!!!!!

I caught Megadeth on that tour - but it was a Megadeth/Testament - what a gig!!!!!!!!!!

Testament were on the Priest bill when I saw'em that night too (they were the first band onstage) and they had no chance, they got totally smoked. They were simply not an arena band, and it showed, badly.

Fat Freddy wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

Keith - I can relate! I did my best to catch up when I could go to shows too. I guess in some aspects I am still catching up - lol!!!!!

I caught Megadeth on that tour - but it was a Megadeth/Testament - what a gig!!!!!!!!!!

Testament were on the Priest bill when I saw'em that night too (they were the first band onstage) and they had no chance, they got totally smoked. They were simply not an arena band, and it showed, badly.

That explains it! I saw them at this place called The Boathouse (RIP - no longer around), and it is literally a boat house on a pier on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, VA modified to be a concert hall and held around 2000 people. Imagine a rectangle with the stage in the middle with a fence down the middle separating the beer garden from the under 21 section (yeah, guess where I was? LOL!). Testament killed that night! Chuck Billy was screaming at the security because they kept stopping the mosh pit!

I saw Boston's Third Stage tour and I was somewhat disappointed because they performed the entire Third Stage album back to back, at the time I did not care for the album.

I saw Iron Maiden on July 20, 2010 at Jiffy Lube Live (forever known to me as Nissan Pavillion) on their Final Frontier 2010 tour, with Dream Theater playing their last live show with Portnoy as the opening act. As a maniacal Iron Maiden fan, it was a smurfing magical moment for me and in 25 years you old farts will look back and understand.

I'm too young!

kmorg wrote:

I'm too young!

Would have loved to see the Stryper/Loudness/TNT tour!

I saw Stryper touring in support 'Soliders Under Command' or maybe it was 'To Hell with the Devil' in 1988, so I can't remember, I went with a Christian friend of mine, but the opening act was some band called Zeno, I wish it had been Loudness or TNT

I also caught Metallica on the And Justice for All tour. I also saw them in...I think it was 94, with Fight, Suicidal Tendencies, and Candlebox opening for them, which I'm not sure was a legendary tour but it was a hell of a show

I saw Heaven and Hell perform on their last tour, which I feel especially privileged to have done since it turned out to be Dio's final tour.

Andy wrote:

I saw Iron Maiden on July 20, 2010 at Jiffy Lube Live (forever known to me as Nissan Pavillion) on their Final Frontier 2010 tour, with Dream Theater playing their last live show with Portnoy as the opening act. As a maniacal Iron Maiden fan, it was a smurfing magical moment for me and in 25 years you old farts will look back and understand.

I was at that gig too - I forgot it was Portnoy's last with DT. A friend from England caught the very last drum stick he threw out at that gig!

I had the pleasure of seeing the Scorpions/Iron Maiden/Girlschool tour of 1982. Scorpions were touring Blackout, Maiden was on the NOTB tour, and Girlschool doing their Screaming Blue Murder tour.
Later that year saw Priest on the Screaming For Vengeance tour.