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". 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'."

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. 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". Perry had kicked his heroin habit, and although Tyler was still drinking, he was in somewhat better control of himself. Tyler had concluded that "Time heals all wounds. Joe is nothing without me, and I'm nothing without him." They faced problems, however, as the "group had no current album or record deal." To jump start their career, the band decided on a tour of the United States, considering as many as 70 performances. 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."

The tour consisted of two legs with a three-month break at the midpoint. The tour "got a roar of approval from loyal fans", and it was described as "a rousing success". The band's tour income was "estimated as high as $3 million".

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 and "resulted in a new deal with Geffen."

Legacy The tour was "deemed a success". It did "what it was meant to do. Fans welcomed them back with open arms." The tour "proved to be exactly what Aerosmith needed, launching the reunion on just the right note of organized mayhem."

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".

Tour dates + List of 1984 concerts Date City Country Venue June 22, 1984 Concord United States Capitol Theater June 23, 1984 June 27, 1984 Weedsport Cayuga County Fair Speedway June 28, 1984 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 30, 1984 Rochester Rochester Community War Memorial July 2, 1984 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion July 3, 1984 Harrisburg City Island July 5, 1984 Middletown Orange County Fair Speedway July 6, 1984 Norfolk Norfolk Scope July 8, 1984 Erie Erie Civic Center July 9, 1984 Vaughan Canada Kingswood Music Theatre July 11, 1984 Clarkston United States Pine Knob Music Theater July 12, 1984 Hoffman Estates Poplar Creek Music Theater July 13, 1984 Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center July 14, 1984 Charlevoix Castle Farms July 15, 1984 Rockford Rockford MetroCentre July 17, 1984 Richfield Richfield Coliseum July 18, 1984 Dayton Hara ArenaJuly 20, 1984 Saginaw Wendler Arena July 21, 1984 St. Paul Navy Island July 23, 1984 Toledo Toledo Sports Arena July 24, 1984 Dubuque Five Flags Center July 27, 1984 St. Paul Navy Island July 29, 1984 St. Louis St. Louis Arena July 30, 1984 Kansas City Starlight Theater August 1, 1984 Chattanooga UTC Arena August 2, 1984 Roanoke Roanoke Civic Center August 4, 1984 Worcester The Centrum August 5, 1984 August 8, 1984 Philadelphia The Spectrum August 10, 1984 Portland Cumberland County Civic Center August 11, 1984 Montreal Canada Montreal ForumAugust 13, 1984HalifaxHalifax Metro CenterAugust 14, 1984 Bangor, MaineUnited StatesBangor AuditoriumAugust 20, 1984 Phoenix, ArizonaArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum August 22, 1984 San Diego Golden Hall August 25, 1984 Los Angeles Greek Theatre August 26, 1984 August 28, 1984 San Bernardino Orange PavilionAugust 29, 1984BakersfieldBakersfield Civic Auditorium August 31, 1984 Oakland Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena December 7, 1984 Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum December 8, 1984 El Paso El Paso County Coliseum December 10, 1984 Corpus Christi Memorial ColiseumDecember 11, 1984San AntonioHemisFair Arena December 13, 1984 Dallas Reunion Arena December 14, 1984 Houston The Summit December 18, 1984 Ft. Lauderdale Sunrise Musical Theater December 20, 1984 Orlando Orange County Convention Center December 21, 1984 St. Petersburg Bayfront Center December 23, 1984 Orlando Orange County Convention Center December 26, 1984 Glen Falls Glens Falls Civic Center December 27, 1984 Providence Providence Civic Center December 29, 1984 New Haven New Haven Coliseum December 30, 1984 BostonOrpheum Theater December 31, 1984

+ List of 1985 concerts Date City Country Venue January 2, 1985 Binghamton United States Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena January 3, 1985 Hershey Hersheypark Arena January 4, 1985 Bethlehem Stabler Arena January 6, 1985 Springfield Springfield Civic Center January 7, 1985 Baltimore Baltimore Civic Center January 11, 1985 Merrillville Star Plaza Theatre January 12, 1985 Detroit Joe Louis Arena January 13, 1985 Muskegon L. C. Walker Arena January 14, 1985 January 15, 1985 Lexington Rupp Arena January 17, 1985 Carbondale SIU Arena January 18, 1985 Columbus Battelle Hall

References

External links Aero Force One: Back In The Saddle Tour