Given everything that has transformed the live music world in 2020, it’s safe to say that 2021 concerts and tours are something that the entire music community is already excited about.
The list of 2021 tours begins with 2020 tours that may actually take place in 2021 due to COVID-19 postponements.
A number of top 2021 tours are already in the works since they were originally scheduled to take place in 2020. Here are some of the top 2021 concerts that music fans can pencil in:
2020 Tours Rescheduled as 2021 Tours
- Backstreet Boys
- Beach Boys
- Chris Stapleton
- Disturbed
- Dave Matthews Band
- Elton John
- Green Day / Weezer / Fall Out Boy
- Kenny Chesney
- Maroon 5
- Michael Buble
- Motley Crue
- Phish
- Rage Against The Machine
- Rammstein
- Rufus Du Sol
- Taylor Swift
- The Avett Brothers
Additionally, other postponed tours could produce 2021 concert dates, including the following:
2020 Concert Tours That Could Happen in 2021
- BTS
- Billie Eilish
- Dead and Company
- Harry Styles
- Justin Bieber
- My Chemical Romance
- Pearl Jam
- Rolling Stones
Perhaps the most intriguing 2021 concert tours are the ones that have yet to be announced.
There are a number of top music acts that could tour in 2021. Vivid Seats breaks down the possible 2021 tours below:
2021 Concert Tours (Rumors, Predictions)
The early part of 2020 saw the rumors of an AC/DC reunion reignite across the internet, as speculation grew that singer Brian Johnson might return to join the band on tour, after stepping down in 2016 following the Rock or Bust tour. Given that the band has not been active on social media since the end of 2019, a 2021 AC/DC tour does not look promising. But there is a glimmer of hope for an AC/DC tour in 2021: Guitarist Stevie Young was spotted earlier this year at a local guitar shop, looking “tour-ready”.
Topping the list of best 2021 concert tours would be an Adele tour. The English singer has a new album dropping in September 2020, so a tour announcement could follow shortly after. That would put the timing of an Adele 2021 tour most likely in the first half of the year. An Adele tour would almost unquestionably be the biggest US and world tour of 2021—meaning Adele tickets would be one of the most sought-after live event tickets in years.
Confirmed 6/27/20: An Adele 2021 tour is happening! A report from the Mirror confirms a massive 2021 global tour for Adele. Details will certainly be coming soon. The 2021 Adele tour will be wildly popular.
Beyoncé normally tours at least every two years. Since her last tour was in 2018, co-headlining the On the Run II Tour with husband Jay-Z, 2020 seemed like a year in which Queen Bey would announce a tour. Since that hasn’t happened, it only increases the likelihood of a Beyoncé 2021 tour. As if there was any doubt about Beyoncé'’s ability to still put out top-notch music, her “Savage” remix with Megan Thee Stallion surged to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Bon Jovi was set to tour in 2020 with Bryan Adams, but the tour canceled following the pandemic. There are no public fans for a 2021 Bon Jovi tour yet, but given that the group was set to tour in 2020, a 2021 concert tour seems reasonable to expect.
There was good reason to expect a Bruce Springsteen 2021 tour. The Garden State icon has wrapped up his highly successful Springsteen on Broadway residency and was active during the pandemic, spearheading the Jersey 4 Jersey live stream virtual concert and teaming up with Dropkick Murphys to appear virtually in a Fenway Park concert. Springsteen 2021 tour rumors were only helped by the fact that E Street Band members seemed to be preparing for a 2020 tour that never panned out.
“Let’s just say I thought I was going to be busier than I am. So at the moment, 2020 seems to have opened up,” said Steven Van Zandt in February 2020.
Springsteen confirmed the rumors to Rolling Stone saying that the tour was supposed to start in Sprin 2021. Now, however, Springsteen seems to be eyeing a 2022 tour, saying, "My antenna tells me, at best, 2022."
Like many artists, globally famous pop band BTS hasn't performed a live concert in over a year and had to cancel their Map of the Soul tour. But recently, the Korean boy band annouced it would return to the stage, exciting fans around the world. BTS will kick off its Permission to Dance concerts at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this November. The group said they've been itching to reveal the LA PTD concert dates, which are Nov. 27 and 28 as well as December 1 and 2. BTS LA tickets are available now.
Charli D'Amelio
The rise of TikTok over the past few months has paved the way for a whole new wave of talented young entertainers to emerge. There’s already precedent for YouTube sensations to announce live event tours, so it won’t be along before a TikTok talent starts booking arenas in some of the country’s largest cities. With her incredible dance moves and undeniable charisma, Charli D’Amelio seems perfectly suited to be a live hit.
D’amelio is just getting started and still adjusting to her newfound fame.
“There’s no guidebook of what to do when you go viral on an app,” she told the Washington Post.
A Charli D’Amelio 2021 tour feels like the right time for the teenage sensation to cross over from virtual hit to in-person performer, especially given that her sister Dixie D'Amelio continues to flourish in her own music career..
Chloe and Halle earned praise in 2018 by serving as an opening act during Beyonce’s OTR II tour. With a new album (Ungodly Hour) out in June 2020, a 2021 Chloe x Halle tour seems like the right timing for the sisters to headline their own set of concerts. The fact that the sisters sang the national anthem before the first NFL game of the season gives a boost to their 2021 tour odds.
Christina Aguilera and Adam Lambert
In May 2020, Adam Lambert revealed on Twitter previously undisclosed plans for a 2020 tour with Christina Aguilera, saying that the tour would have featured stops in "big venues." Lambert, who also called himself an OG Christina Aguilera fan, didn't tip his hand on the possibility of a 2021 tour. Lambert may be tied up in 2021 with rescheduled Queen tour dates in the UK, but a tour with Aguilera certainly isn't out of the question.
Will Coldplay tour in 2021? That’s the question that Coldplay fans around the world are asking. Band member Chris Martin was active during quarantine, performing virtual concerts for fans—a positive sign for fans looking for optimists surrounding the prospects of a Coldplay 2021 concert tour.
If a 2021 Coldplay tour happens, it will probably look and feel very different than most tours.
"We're taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how it can be actively beneficial,” Martin told Billboard in November 2019.
Based on previous quotes about a 2021 tour and Chris Martin’s embrace of virtual concerts, a 2021 Coldplay tour seems more likely than not.
Doja Cat has had a rollercoaster 2020, rising to stardom before the pandemic thanks to her TikTok popularity before getting embroiled in some controversy shortly thereafter. Still, a Doja Cat 2021 tour seems all but a lock to take place.
The British pop star and fashion icon last toured in 2018 as part of the "Self-Titled Tour". She recently announced a 2022 Nostalgia World tour!
Following his last tour in 2019, Ed Sheeran said he needed some time off.
"I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich [in eastern England]. This is my last gig for probably 18 months,” Sheeran said in August 2019, at the close of his Divide tour.
That timeline would loosely translate into an Ed Sheeran 2021 tour in the early spring. A summer tour is also possible.
Is 2021 the year that Genesis returns to the U.S.? The group has alreay locked in a 10-concert tour for Europe. As Rolling Stone points out, it seems likely that the group will make a trip to the U.S.: "It’s hard to imagine Genesis going to all this trouble for a mere 10 concerts. They probably wouldn’t even break even since they aren’t exactly a band that uses a bare-bones live setup."
Mississippi native Heyley Williams released her first solo album (separate from her work with the band Paramore) in 2019. With Paramore on hiatus, Williams planned her first solo tour for 2020. Now, a 2021 Hayley Williams tour seems more likely.
The 2019 Arcoiris tour is the last time that J Balvin, the Colombia-born rap/Latin music star, toured in the U.S. That will change in 2022, however, after he announced his "Jose" tour, set to kick off in April.
Lady Gaga has said that she wants to perform her Las Vegas residency through 2021 before the pandemic hit, forcing the cancellation of many of her shows. During that time, Gaga rallied to lead the One World Together at Home live concert, which raised millions for pandemic relief. Weeks leader, she announced the release of her new album, Chromatica.
Gaga had planned 2020 Chromatic tour dates for Boston, Toronto, Chicago and New Jersey. A full-scale 2021 Lady Gaga concert tour, spanning most of North America, seems like a safe bet.
A Little Mix 2021 US tour? Where do we sign up? If the four-person girl group were to come to the states, it would mark one of the most anticipated tours in some time. Little Mix criss-crossed the UK at the end of 2019, as part of the LM5 tour.
When Little Mix announced its 2020 tour, the group shared its love of touring, saying, “Performing live is our favourite thing to do as a band, we love it.”
The 2020 tour did not feature US tour stops, but in 2021, it’s definitely possible that Little Mix crosses the pond for a tour in the USA.
Lorde has not toured since her 2017-18 Melodrama world tour, so fans would definitely agree that she ought to consider a 2021 tour. The mercurial New Zealand pop star has had a hot-and-cold relationship with touring, as her last U.S. tour was not as popular as she would have liked. Still, she’s an undeniable talent and recently announced in an email to fans that she’s working on new music.
With a refreshed catalog and fans hungry after several years without live music, a Lorde 2021 tour has a good shot at happening.
Following the success of his 2019 11:11 tour, Maluma will indeed head back on tour in 2021, with one of the first new, major concert tours announced post-pandemic. Maluma's 2021 Papi Juancho tour, which he announced on Instagram, will run from Sept. - Oct. and feature two dozen performances at major arenas across the US.
Maneskin is coming to North America! The Italian rock outfit will play their first ever U.S. concerts on Oct. 27 at New York City's Bowery Ballroom and Nov. 1 at the Roxy in Los Angeles.
Perhaps no female artist has been a faster riser than Megan Thee Stallion, who went from up-and-coming Houston rapper to collaborations with Beyonce. As one of the top young artists in the rap/hip hop space a 2021 Megan Thee Stallion tour is a virtual lock.
The Voice alum Morgan Wallen announced his much anticipated headling tour! The four city headlining tour begins on Oct. 23 at the Auburn Rodeo in Auburn, Alabama. A week later, on Oct. 30, the East Tennessee native heads to Bristol Motor Speedway. Wallen then heads to the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds in Rome, Georgia on Nov. 6. His final show in the series takes place at The Grounds in Mobile, Alabama on Nov. 12.
NIN has made it pretty clear they are hoping to tour in 2021. In a May 2020 Instagram post, the band shared its pandemic-time plan. “The current plan is to finish up some scoring projects, work on my limited patience skills, deep dive into new NIN material, and hopefully be playing music live for you in 2021.”
A Nine Inch Nails tour in 2021 seems to be happening, though the tour dates have yet to be announced.
With members of One Direction launching individual tours, a One Direction reunion tour in 2021 seems unlikely. However, there is reason to believe that a 1D 2021 reunion of some sort is possible.
In February 2021, Louis Tomlinson implied in an interview that getting One Direction back together was a question of “when,” not “if.”
"I'll give you the answer I give everyone else – it's inevitable but I don't know when,” he said.
The band’s 10th anniversary takes place in July 2020, so originally, speculation on a One Direction reunion focused on that timeframe. However, a 2020 reunion seems far less likely than some sort of 2020 special project to commemorate the anniversary.
The announcement of the 2022 Louis Tomlinson World Tour makes odds of a reunion even slimmer.
Toward the end of May 2020, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced on Twitter that they’d be performing at the 2021 Firenze Rocks festival in Italy. That came on the heels of the group being announced as a headliner for BottleRock 2020. Coupled with the band being active with at-home concerts during quarantine, these indicators seem to point to a Red Hot Chili Peppers 2021 concert tour that will take place in the U.S.
Helping the cause is word that the band is working on new music, possibly for a new album at the end of 2020. This tips the scale in favor of a Red Hot Chili Peppers 2021 tour actually materializing.
His last tour was in 2019, so Shawn Mendes seems like a good bet to tour in 2021. In 2017, Mendes embarked on the Illuminate world tour. That every-two-year cadence would suggest that a 2021 Shawn Mendes tour has a strong chance of happening.
A strong hint lending credence to Shawn Mendes concert tour rumors came in May 2020, when Mendes tweeted a photo from his 2019 tour, accompanied by the words “Feels like a lifetime ago.”
In September 2020, news of a new Shawn Mendes album further led fans to expect a 2021 tour announcement. The album Wonder, set for a December release, could lead perfectly into a tour announcement for 2021.
It looks like a Spice Girls 2021 tour is happening! The Sun reported recently that every member of the group, save for Victoria Beckham, will perform on a massive 2021 Spice Girls tour that will span the U.S., Europe and Australia. The group has not toured in the U.S. since 2007, so Spice Girls tickets in 2021 will be a hot item.
SZA has announced a handful of 2021 tour dates kicking off in November. She will perform six concerts across the United States, starting with a show at Warehouse Live in Houston on Nov. 3. SZA will also stop off in Austin, Dallas, Denver and Salt Lake City before wrapping her 2021 tour up at the Day N Vegas Festival on Nov. 14.
The Weeknd has locked in a tour--except it will take place in 2022. The Weeknd After Hours tour will be a massive run of shows starting in January in Vancouver and wrapping up along the West Coast in May. Following his scintillating Super Bowl LV halftime show, anticipation for The Weeknd's tour is only growing.
Though it's not exactly a tour, Usher is going to perform a series of 2021 concerts as part of his 2021 Las Vegas Residency. Starting in July 2021, Usher will perform a dozen shows at Casesars Palace.
The 2021 Zac Brown Band tour is locked in for Fall 2021. The group is calling its 23-stop traipse around the country "The Comeback Tour." It will feature stops at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena as well as Boston's Fenway Park.
Browse 2023 concert tour rumors.