Back in the Saddle Tour explained
| Concert Tour Name: | Back in the Saddle Tour |
| Artist: | Aerosmith |
| Start Date: | June 22, 1984 |
| End Date: | January 18, 1985 |
| Number Of Legs: | 2 |
| Number Of Shows: | 65 |
| Last Tour: | Rock in a Hard Place Tour
(1982–1983) |
| This Tour: | Back in the Saddle Tour
(1984–1985) |
| Next Tour: | Done with Mirrors Tour
(1985–1986) |
The Back in the Saddle Tour was a comeback concert tour by American rock group Aerosmith, which had been relatively inactive for several years. The tour began on June 22, 1984, in Concord, New Hampshire and ended on January 18, 1985, in Columbus, Ohio.
Background
Formed in 1970, Aerosmith was on hard times by the early 1980s. Vocalist Steven Tyler had been drinking heavily, and his voice had suffered. Lead guitarist Joe Perry was addicted to heroin. The relationship between the two most prominent members of the band had deteriorated to "hostility".[1] Discussing his relationship with Perry, Tyler said "I hated his guts. I said 'I never want to fucking play on the same stage with you again'."[2]
Joe Perry quit the band in 1979 and embarked on solo career with The Joe Perry Project. Guitarist Brad Whitford also quit to work with Derek St. Holmes and later joined Perry's band.[1] Most of Aerosmith's ventures without Perry and Whitford were unsuccessful. Many fans believed that this was the end of Aerosmith.
Reunion
In 1983, the original band members "started drifting back together".[1] Perry had kicked his heroin habit, and although Tyler was still drinking, he was in somewhat better control of himself.[1] Tyler had concluded that "Time heals all wounds. Joe is nothing without me, and I'm nothing without him."[2] They faced problems, however, as the "group had no current album or record deal."[3] To jump start their career, the band decided on a tour of the United States, considering as many as 70 performances.[2] In its final form, the tour consisted of 58 performances.
Tour
Doubts were expressed as to whether Aerosmith could make a comeback. "Cynics may suggest that the reunion dubbed the Back in the Saddle Tour is all the band has going for it. Aerosmith hasn't had a new album in two years."[4]
The tour consisted of two legs with a three-month break at the midpoint. The tour "got a roar of approval from loyal fans",[1] and it was described as "a rousing success".[2] The band's tour income was "estimated as high as $3 million".[2]
Setlist
- "Rats In The Cellar"
- "Back In The Saddle"
- "Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)"
- "Big Ten Inch Record"
- "Movin' Out"
- "Last Child"
- "Let The Music Do The Talking" (On 12/31, Aerosmith performed the Joe Perry Project version)
- "Red House" "(The Jimi Hendrix Experience Cover)"
- "Dream On"
- "Sweet Emotion"
- "Same Old Song And Dance"
Encore:
- "Walk This Way"
- "Train Kept A-Rollin'"
Record contract
The success of the tour "piqued the interest" of Geffen Records[3] and "resulted in a new deal with Geffen."[5]
Legacy
The tour was "deemed a success".[3] It did "what it was meant to do. Fans welcomed them back with open arms."[6] The tour "proved to be exactly what Aerosmith needed, launching the reunion on just the right note of organized mayhem."[2]
Six of the eight tracks on the album Classics Live II were recorded at the Orpheum Theater in the band's home town of Boston on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1984 in the final weeks of the Back In The Saddle Tour. This album has been called "far more worthy than its nondescript packaging suggested".[2]
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|
| First leg |
|---|
| June 22, 1984 | | | Capitol Theater |
| June 23, 1984 |
| June 27, 1984 | | Cayuga County Fair Speedway |
| June 28, 1984 | | Saratoga Performing Arts Center |
| June 30, 1984 | | Rochester Community War Memorial |
| July 2, 1984 | | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| July 3, 1984 | | City Island |
| July 5, 1984 | | Orange County Fair Speedway |
| July 6, 1984 | | Norfolk Scope |
| July 8, 1984 | | Erie Civic Center |
| July 9, 1984 | | Canada | Kingswood Music Theatre |
| July 11, 1984 | | United States | Pine Knob Music Theater |
| July 12, 1984 | Hoffman Estates | Poplar Creek Music Theater |
| July 13, 1984 | | Prairie Capital Convention Center |
| July 14, 1984 | | Castle Farms |
| July 15, 1984 | | Rockford MetroCentre |
| July 17, 1984 | | Richfield Coliseum |
| July 18, 1984 | | Hara Arena |
| July 20, 1984 | | Wendler Arena |
| July 21, 1984 | | Navy Island |
| July 23, 1984 | | Toledo Sports Arena |
| July 24, 1984 | | Five Flags Center |
| July 27, 1984 | | Navy Island |
| July 29, 1984 | | St. Louis Arena |
| July 30, 1984 | | Starlight Theater |
| August 1, 1984 | | UTC Arena |
| August 2, 1984 | | Roanoke Civic Center |
| August 4, 1984 | | The Centrum |
| August 5, 1984 |
| August 8, 1984 | | The Spectrum |
| August 10, 1984 | | Cumberland County Civic Center |
| August 11, 1984 | | | Montreal Forum |
| August 13, 1984 | Halifax | Halifax Metro Center |
| August 14, 1984 | Bangor, Maine | United States | Bangor Auditorium |
| August 20, 1984 | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| August 22, 1984 | | Golden Hall |
| August 25, 1984 | | Greek Theatre |
| August 26, 1984 |
| August 28, 1984 | | Orange Pavilion |
| August 29, 1984 | Bakersfield | Bakersfield Civic Auditorium |
| August 31, 1984 | | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena |
| Second leg |
|---|
| December 7, 1984 | | United States | Tingley Coliseum |
| December 8, 1984 | | El Paso County Coliseum |
| December 10, 1984 | | Memorial Coliseum |
| December 11, 1984 | San Antonio | HemisFair Arena |
| December 13, 1984 | | Reunion Arena |
| December 14, 1984 | | The Summit |
| December 18, 1984 | | Sunrise Musical Theater |
| December 20, 1984 | | Orange County Convention Center |
| December 21, 1984 | | Bayfront Center |
| December 23, 1984 | Orlando | Orange County Convention Center |
| December 26, 1984 | | Glens Falls Civic Center |
| December 27, 1984 | | Providence Civic Center |
| December 29, 1984 | | New Haven Coliseum |
| December 30, 1984 | Boston | Orpheum Theater |
| December 31, 1984 |
| January 2, 1985 | | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena |
| January 3, 1985 | | Hersheypark Arena |
| January 4, 1985 | | Stabler Arena |
| January 6, 1985 | | Springfield Civic Center |
| January 7, 1985 | | Baltimore Civic Center |
| January 11, 1985 | | Star Plaza Theatre |
| January 12, 1985 | | Joe Louis Arena |
| January 13, 1985 | | L. C. Walker Arena |
| January 14, 1985 |
| January 15, 1985 | | Rupp Arena |
| January 17, 1985 | | SIU Arena |
| January 18, 1985 | | Battelle Hall | |
External links
Notes and References
- News: Welles. Robin. World of Music. Oxnard Press-Courier. Oxnard, California. January 5, 1986. April 21, 2011.
- Book: Huxley, Marti. Aerosmith: the fall and the rise of rock's greatest band. Macmillan. 1995. 128–130. 978-0-312-11737-5.
- News: Wilker. Deborah. AEROSMITH SHOOTING FOR THE TOP ONCE AGAIN. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. April 15, 1988. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106122741/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/access/88685159.html?dids=88685159:88685159&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+15,+1988&author=DEBORAH+WILKER,+Music+Writer&pub=South+Florida+Sun+-+Sentinel&desc=AEROSMITH+SHOOTING+FOR+THE+TOP+ONCE+AGAIN&pqatl=google. dead. November 6, 2012. April 21, 2011.
- News: Sharpe. Bob. THE ORIGINAL AEROSMITH IS BACK, AND IT'S NOT JUST A NOSTALGIA TRIP. The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. January 4, 1985. April 21, 2011.
- News: AEROSMITH BACK IN THE GROOVE, IT'S BEEN NO 'VACATION' FOR THIS ROCK GROUP. The State. Columbia, South Carolina. March 25, 1988. April 21, 2011.
- News: Martin. Dale. Fans haven't forgotten those 'Aerosmith years'. Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. May 2, 1993. April 21, 2011.
