Once Covid went mainstream in early 2020, concerts all over the world were canceled, and they stayed that way until mid-last year. This year marks the first since the 2010s where artists are touring left and right. Here are some of the biggest names stopping by the ‘burgh this year.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Absolutely the biggest name in the music industry right now (and the foreseeable future), Swift is back on tour after the release of her tenth studio album, Midnights. This is her first tour since 2018’s Reputation tour—yet she has released four studio albums (Lover, Folklore, Evermore, & Midnights) and two rerecordings of older work (Red (Taylor’s Version) & Fearless (Taylor’s Version) since that tour.
Swift’s latest tour hit the news for less fun reasons when Ticketmaster’s online storefront, the corporation in charge of all direct ticket sales for the tour, crashed, leaving thousands of people with no tickets after waiting for hours. The entire debacle resulted in a congressional hearing on the website’s mess up.
Regardless, fans can expect to hear music from throughout Swift’s career (reaching almost two decades). Many predict this tour will become the highest grossing female tour ever, pushing Madonna’s 2008 Sticky & Sweet tour ($411 million) into second place, and may even become the fifth highest selling tour ever. In fact, The Eras Tour, even has the possibility to catapult Swift into billionaire status.
Taylor Swift arrives in Pittsburgh June 17 at Acrisure Stadium.
Madonna: The Celebration Tour
Speaking of Madonna, 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the queen of pop's career, and her we can thank for the lavish, large-scale production concerts we see now. In 1990, The Blonde Ambition Tour cemented the high expectations we now have.
Announced via a video tribute to Madonna’s 1991 film Truth or Dare, the new tour, similar to Swift's, is set to be dedicated to all of Madonna’s albums, 14 to be exact, ranging from 1983-2019. Earlier in 2022, Madonna set the record for 50 number-one songs on the dance charts, and thus released a 50 song LP of remixed club versions of each song.
The Celebration tour will also be her first arena tour since her 2015 Rebel Heart Tour. In 2019, after the release of Madame X, Madge embarked on a tour set in smaller theaters with a more personal feel.
The Celebration Tour is also Madonna’s largest world tour to date—and 35 venues were sold out in mere minutes after tickets went on sale. To date, 98 percent of all tickets have been sold (600,000). The 64 year old pop icon will hit 71 arenas with her career-spanning hits starting July 15.
Madonna will perform at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh August 7.
P!NK: Summer Carnival Tour
Pink returns to North America on her second leg of the Summer Carnival Tour. The tour comes in support of her forthcoming album Trustfall, due this year. The Summer Carnival Tour will be the largest tour of the multi-decade spanning singer's career. Even singers like Pat Benatar and Brandi Carlisle will be joining her on stage at certain shows.
Audience members can also expect grand set design and production, as past performances of the singer’s have had elements like flying gear, acrobatics, and tons of choreographed dancers.
P!NK hits Pittsburgh August 5 and will perform at PNC Park.
Beyoncé: The Renaissance Tour
On the road for the first time since 2018, Beyoncé is touring in support of her critically acclaimed 2022 release, Renaissance. The Renaissance tour was announced February 1 to coincide with the start of Black History Month.
Earlier this year, Beyoncé performed in Dubai at the opening of Atlantis - The Royal Hotel, sparking rumors Beyoncé would once again return to the road. The Renaissance tour will start in Europe before finishing with the North American leg of the tour. Anticipation for the tour is already comparable to that of Taylor Swift’s, with ticket pricing soaring and sales spiking.
The tour will center around the singer's last album, an ode to black queer culture and the dance floor, so attendees should expect the concert to be very dance focused.
The Pittsburgh beehive can expect to see their Queen August 3 at Acrisure Stadium.