The 2020 Rock Comeback That Could Have Been: Top 12 Tours We Lost

  In late 2019, something interesting happened in the world of rock n’ roll…

A bunch of big bands who hadn’t been active in many years started announcing reunion tours and/or co-headlining tours with other big bands. While reunions and co-headlining treks were nothing new by this point, it certainly seemed like an unusually large amount of them were about to happen all at once. For people like me, this was a pretty huge deal! I knew deep down that the reason for it all was just because the world economy was better than ever at the time, and all of these dinosaur-aged, nostalgia-act has-beens wanted to take advantage of that. But I didn’t care! I was just happy that a bunch of bands that I admired were coming back and/or teaming up in new and unique ways.

And then of course, 2020 happened, and I think you know the rest of the story from there…

Some of these would-be rock revival tours have since been canceled, while others have been delayed indefinitely. Maybe they’ll still happen someday, or maybe not. That being said, whatever the future holds, I thought it would be fun to take some time to look at all of those 2020 rock comeback tours that could have been, and also evaluate what the future could hold for all of these different acts, and what they’re all doing in the meantime. Think of this as a sort of “what if” and “what can still be” glimpse, if you will…

Also, for what it’s worth; I know that artists of pretty much all other genres were impacted by the pandemic as well, but I’m not really as passionate about other genres in the way that I am about rock music in particular (and I don’t even listen to much music at all these days, to be fair). I have respect for all of those different styles of music, for sure, but they just don’t really “get me going” in the way that rock does (bar a few exceptions, of course). I used to be a snob about that sorta thing, but these days I try to keep more of an open mind. Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll actually like another genre more than rock n’ roll. But alas, today is not that day…

So, without further ado, here are the Top 12 rock comeback tours of 2020 that never were! Starting with…

12.Kiss Farewell Tour (For Real This Time…?)

In 1996, the original Kiss line-up reunited. Then in 2000, they embarked on a farewell tour (“The Last Kiss” Tour), saying that they “wanted to go out on a high.” Pretty much as soon as the tour was over, founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons replaced guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss with hired hands, even giving them the same makeup designs and everything! Further touring and recording resumed not too long after that, and this infamous new line-up of Kiss still continues to this very day. I suppose the 2000 tour was still a “farewell” to the original line-up, at least. Nevertheless, if Paul and Gene’s goal was to “go out on a high,” they certainly failed (and that’s coming from someone who actually likes 2012’s Monster album). The group kicked off a new farewell tour in 2019 (dubbed “The End of the Road”), and were caught lip syncing at pretty much every single show right up until the pandemic shut everything down. Currently, the Europe leg has been rescheduled to early summer, which means it’ll probably be delayed by yet another year (they’re already confirmed for Download Fest 2022 in the UK anyways). Same can probably be said for the South America leg in the fall. The late summer North America leg and the winter Oceania leg might still happen though, if I had to guess. I suppose if you’re a diehard fan and don’t mind lip syncing then it’s worth going to see the band while you still can. For the rest of us, though? Hard pass…

11.Motley Crue Reunion Tour (w/ Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)

When Motley Crue completed their 35th anniversary tour in 2015, they claimed that all four members had signed a contract promising that they would never perform live under the Motley Crue name ever again. Then their 40th anniversary came around in 2020, and it was announced that they’d be embarking on a massive trek of stadiums (simply titled “The Stadium Tour”), alongside three other household names. In short, they admitted that the whole contract thing was bullshit (but we all knew that anyway). On one hand, I think it’s shitty that they didn’t stick to their word, despite the fact that everyone saw it coming from a mile away. On the other hand, this tour intrigues me just because of it’s rather unique nature alone. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a non-festival rock tour of this magnitude. Four massive bands from the annals of rock history, touring gargantuan football stadiums across America. If you’re just looking for nothing but a good time (pun intended) and want to pretend like you’re back in 1989, I’d say it’s worth checking out. I’m probably gonna pass though, as I feel that Crue has aged rather poorly. All of the summer 2020 dates have been rescheduled to 2021, from June to September to be exact. My guess is that at least the first five or six shows might still get canceled and/or delayed again though, while the post-Fourth of July shows probably have a better chance of happening still…

10.Guns N’ Roses “Next Chapter” Tour (w/ The Smashing Pumpkins and Gary Clark Jr.)

After 23 years of estrangement (pun intended), Axl Rose and Slash buried the hatchet and embarked on their big reunion tour from early 2016 all the way until late 2019. No new music came during this time, apart from a handful of old demos that the band dusted off in mid 2018 for the 30th anniversary of Appetite for Destruction. It seemed like 2020 would finally bring about a new era for the band though, as the upcoming tour was being labeled as “the next chapter,” with slogans such as “the next chapter is about to begin” scattered all over the marketing. The band actually did the first show of the tour in Mexico, in mid March, right when the coronavirus was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Needless to say, the rest of the tour was postponed indefinitely and the band flew home right after that. Interestingly enough though, during the soundcheck right before the Mexico gig, the band rehearsed a new song called Hard School (the demo of which leaked a few months prior, along with many other unreleased songs). Even Axl took part in that rehearsal (which he rarely does). Who knows? Maybe they really were finally on the verge of something new…

As of now, the South America leg of the tour is canceled entirely, while the Europe leg is delayed to summer 2022 (after having already been delayed from summer 2020 to summer 2021). The North America and Oceania legs are still scheduled for the fall/winter of this year (after also suffering a year-long delay). Those will probably still happen. Not sure about new music, though. Wouldn’t be surprised if the band has just given up at this point, knowing them. And if that’s the case, I don’t really care anymore. If they wanna just be a nostalgia act from now on, fine by me. I got to see them when the reunion started in 2016, so I don’t really need to see them again (unless new music really does happen, or even just another boxset of old demos for the Use Your Illusion 30th anniversary). I actually had tickets to see them in 2020, but that’s only because The Smashing Pumpkins were gonna be the opening act, and I thought it’d be cool to see both bands together (even though I already saw The Pumpkins in 2018 as well). That being said, The Pumpkins have since dropped out of the tour entirely (to focus on their upcoming 33-song double album, a “sequel” to Mellon Collie and Machina), so I refunded my tickets. Not a major loss for me, so it’s whatever.

9.Hella Mega Tour (Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy)

From what I can tell, Green Day is one of the most divisive bands of all time. Some people love them, and some people absolutely loathe them. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I like their popular albums, 1994’s Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot, but don’t really care for anything else, apart from the occasional single here and there. Apparently they made their most recent main album, 2020’s Father of All Motherfuckers, a bad album on purpose, cause it was the last record they were contracted to deliver to a major label. While I admire the “statement” there, I think making bad music on purpose is still a pretty shallow thing to do, but that’s just me. They also recently released the album Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!, the sequel to 2003’s Money Money 2020, both under the pseudonym The Network (one of many pseudonyms which they use). 2020 also saw the release of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s first ever solo album, No Fun Mondays. Seems like Green Day enjoys escaping the stigma of their own name every now and then, which I can understand, though I still think Father of All was a mistake (I heard parts of it when it first came out, and it was a tough listen). Weezer is another band where I’ve only listened to a few of their records in full. That being said, I admire their persistence. They released an acoustic album earlier this year called OK Human, and are about to release a new electric album in a few weeks from now called Van Weezer (notice the theme?). I never paid attention to Fall Out Boy, so I won’t comment on them one way or the other. As far the dates go; the Asia and Oceania legs have been canceled entirely (the latter of which is surprising, cause Oceania is actually doing okay right now), while the Europe leg has been delayed to early summer 2021 (half of the shows are still missing new dates though) and the North America leg has been delayed to late summer 2021. My prediction is that the Europe shows will get delayed again, if not canceled entirely. The North America shows are probably the only ones that’ll still happen. A world tour downgraded to a domestic tour. Sad, but it is what it is…

8.My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour

I don’t actually know much about this band, other than that they have a pretty big fanbase, so I imagine a ton of people must’ve been pretty thrilled when they announced their reunion after a decade of inactivity. Sadly, they only got around to playing one show before the pandemic kicked into high gear. All of the other shows are delayed to 2022 now (after being delayed to 2021 first, of course). No sign of new music from these guys either, as far as I know, though I imagine that’s because frontman Gerard Way is busy working on the third season of Umbrella Academy, among his other writing projects.

7.The Rolling Stones Tour (Yes, They’re Still Around)

Imagine traveling back in time to 1962, when The Rolling Stones first formed, and telling them “In the year 2020, you guys will have to delay an entire tour leg due to a global plague. And yes, you guys are still around in 2020.” What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the band had already been touring consistently for a few years leading up to the pandemic. As a matter of fact, they only had one leg left to go, in North America. As of now, that leg is still in limbo. No dates have been rescheduled yet, but no cancellations have happened either. If I had to guess though, I think we’ve really seen the last of The Stones on stage this time. At their age, and with the paranoid world we live in now, I really can’t see these guys playing live ever again, apart from maybe a big 60th anniversary show in the UK next year. But as sad as that may be, the fact that they were able to tour for 57 years (with some years off here and there, of course) is nothing to balk at! Plus, they released a new covid-inspired single last year, along with some old demos that never saw a proper release until now. The band also recently hinted at a new album on their social media pages. Assuming that really does come to fruition, it’ll be their first new studio record since 2005’s A Bigger Bang (not counting the 2016 covers collection Blue & Lonesome). So at least there’s that to hopefully still look forward to!

6.Aerosmith Vegas Residency, Anniversary Show and Farewell Tour

When the pandemic hit, Aerosmith were in the middle of a series of residency shows in Las Vegas, which itself was part of their supposed farewell tour that’s been going on since 2017, but still has no real end in sight. The band was also scheduled to play a big 50th anniversary show in their hometown of Boston in the fall of 2020, but that show has since been pushed out an entire year, while the remaining Vegas shows are still in limbo, and all other shows have been pushed all the way out to summer 2022. This all happened at an interesting time for the band, as they had just patched things up with original drummer Joey Kramer, whom they had kicked out of the band a year prior after he had been with them nonstop for 49 years (I don’t know the specifics of the drama there). They also were apparently about to start work on a new album, their first since 2012’s Music from Another Dimension, but I’m not sure if that’s still happening or not. As far as touring goes; my guess is that the Vegas residency is toast now, but all of the other dates will probably still happen (though they’ll likely be Aerosmith’s last).

5.Genesis Reunion Tour

At the beginning of 2020, literally right before the world went to shit, Genesis reunited and announced a small run of UK shows for the fall. It would have been their first time touring since 2006-2007 (which itself was their first time touring since 2000). The band has since delayed all of the shows by an entire year (smart move). Frontman Phil Collins recently said that there’s no plans for new music, but added “never say never.” Collins himself hasn’t done a record with the band since 1991’s We Can’t Dance, and the only other record they’ve done without him is 1997’s lackluster Calling All Stations. New music would be interesting, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

4.Faith No More Reunion Tour (w/ Korn)

In 2009, Faith No More reunited and toured for the first time since 1998. Then in 2015, they released the album Sol Invictus (their first record since 1997’s Album of the Year). For awhile, it seemed like the band was really here to stay this time. But then in 2016, after performing a pair of small shows with original vocalist Chuck Mosely, the group faded away once again. Mosely then died in 2017, while primary vocalist Mike Patton moved on to various other projects (like he always does). Then in late 2019, the band shocked their fanbase by announcing yet another reunion tour for 2020, with Korn as their co-headlining act. Interestingly enough, around this same time, Patton also reunited with his other big band, Mr. Bungle, who have since released their first studio album since 1999 (with another album potentially on the way now too). Sadly, things haven’t worked out as well for Faith No More. The tour with Korn has been canceled entirely now (apart from two shows next month), and the string of European festival dates they have booked for this summer are likely to be canceled too (if I have to guess). The Oceania leg of their tour is scheduled for early 2022. My bet is that this is the only leg that’ll still happen (at least for now). No sign of new music either. I could be wrong, but it seems like Patton just sees Faith No More as “the touring band that pays my bills,” while Mr. Bungle serves as his true creative outlet.

3.Red Hot Chili Peppers Classic Line-Up Reunion Tour

In 2007, after the Red Hot Chili Peppers completed the tour for their 2006 double album Stadium Arcadium, classic-era guitarist John Frusciante began to drift away from the group. It wasn’t the first time, as he had already been out of the band once before, from 1992 to 1998. He confirmed his second departure in 2009, and was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, a longtime friend of Frusciante’s who had already been serving as a touring member since 2007. Apparently Frusciante saw this as a betrayal, and his friendship with Klinghoffer has been strained ever since. The band went on to make two more studio albums, I’m With You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), as well as one b-side album, I’m Beside You (2013). While all of these records were a modest success, none of them were ever able to reach the heights of the Frusciante-era stuff. So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that when Frusciante expressed interest in returning once more in late 2019, the band relieved Klinghoffer of his duties. Personally, I really liked Josh. He seemed like a nice guy in interviews, and I felt he really came into his own as a guitarist by the time the band got to The Getaway. He was apparently going to tour with Pearl Jam as a solo act, before the pandemic hit (he even collaborated with them a bit). Hopefully that still happens, once the world is back to (mostly) normal. I wish him well.

That being said, John Frusciante is fucking John Frusciante. There’s just no one else like him. He truly is one of the most unique guitarists of all time. So if there’s an opportunity for the band to bring him back so that they can make a true follow-up to Stadium Arcadium, then I say they should go for it! They’re not getting any younger, so it’s now or never! Out of all the potential future rock albums and/or tours, this is easily the one I’m most excited for, by far. The band did actually manage to play a one-off show last year (their first with Frusciante since 2007), but were then forced to cancel the string of Europe and North America festival dates they had on the books. Currently, there are no rescheduled dates on their roster, but it seems like the new album is coming along, so at least we have that to look forward to! Also, for what it’s worth: Yes, I know the Chili Peppers and Faith No More have feuded with each other often in the past. I didn’t mean to put them right next to one another on this list. That was just a coincidence.

2.Rage Against the Machine Reunion Tour (w/ Run the Jewels)

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha quit the group to work on a solo album which, believe it or not, he’s still working on to this very day. In the meantime, the remaining members went on to form Audioslave with Chris Cornell (RIP), and the short-lived, ill-fated Prophets of Rage not too long after that. RATM has actually already reunited once before, from 2007 to 2011, but they only did a handful of shows each of those years. The 2020 tour would’ve been their first “proper” tour in twenty years (hence why it’s so high on this list). Once the pandemic hit, all shows were pushed out to 2021, and now 2022. I’m sure all of the dates will still happen, eventually, as I have a feeling the only reason de la Rocha reunited with the rest of the band in the first place is because he needs the money. I doubt new music will happen though, but I’m sure the shows will still be full of energy.

1.AC/DC Classic Line-Up Reunion Tour

The album-and-touring cycle for AC/DC’s 2014 record Rock or Bust was turbulent, to say the least. First, before work on the album even started, founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young was forced to leave the band in 2013, after being diagnosed with dementia. His nephew Stevie ended up taking his place (Malcolm, sadly, succumbed to his illness and died in 2017). Then in 2014, just after the album was released, longtime drummer Phil Rudd was charged with possession of illegal drugs and attempted murder (yikes!). He was quickly replaced with Chris Slade, who had already served as the band’s drummer from 1989-1994, when Rudd was out of the group due to other drug-related issues at the time. Then in early 2016, when the Rock or Bust Tour still had two more legs to go, singer Brian Johnson blew out his eardrums after standing too close to racing vehicles without hearing protection. The smart thing for the band to do would’ve been to just cancel the rest of the tour at that point, but as lead guitarist and central member Angus Young put it: “You can’t call the album Rock or Bust, and then bust!” In an interesting turn of events, the band recruited Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to fill in on vocal duties for the remaining dates, right when the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour had just started as well! For the next few months, Rose alternated back and forth between both bands, until all of the remaining AC/DC shows were complete. Immediately after, longtime bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement, saying that the band “didn’t feel right” anymore due to all of the sudden line-up changes that had occurred from 2013-2016. 

For awhile, it seemed like the AC/DC story was over. Then in 2017, Johnson was able to get his hearing restored after meeting a doctor who had been developing new hearing technology with a group of scientists. Later that year, he appeared on stage with Muse to prove that he was back to performance-ready shape. Then in 2018, Rudd was cleared of all charges. How? I don’t know! But not too long after that, all four classic surviving members (Brian, Angus, Cliff, Phil) and Stevie were spotted entering a studio in Vancouver. Throughout all of 2019, there were rumblings of a new album on the way. The big rumor was that it would drop in early 2020, around the 40th anniversary of the legendary Back in Black album. Then, of course, the pandemic happened, and it was radio-silence for the next several months after that. Finally, towards the end of the year, the new record, titled Power Up, saw the light of day! The band confirmed shortly thereafter that they had wanted to tour in support of it, but that everything was now up in the air due to the pandemic, and they didn’t want to sit on the new music any longer. Shame about the tour, really. Hopefully they can play at least one or a few shows in their homeland of Australia. They owe it to themselves and their diehards to celebrate at least one last time, especially after such a triumphant return…

    Well, that’s all I got!

Peace!