Boy, what a ride 2022 has been. Picking the best tours of 2022 was a very difficult decision.
Being the first year that it feels like the world was back in full force after COVID-19, 2022 has shown that during lockdown the music industry and its laser-sharp focus were never diverted.
The potent creatives that make up the foundation of the electronic music world locked themselves in the studio and let the time they had to reflect fuel their musical juices.
With that being said, for the past three years, the amount of life-changing music we’ve been blessed with was just what we all needed to escape the real world and dive into our universe of emotions.
We all know what new music means, our favorite artists travel around the world, touring through our cities to party with us and play the tunes that got us all through this life.
You could say that since the world went on a quick pause, we pressed play again we pressed it hard. We came back full force, hitting all the stops.
In this article, we are highlighting some of the top tours that happened in 2022, the first year back after the life-changing hiatus the world went on. Come relive some of your favorite memories dancing all your worries away, grooving through the night with us:
1. ODESZA-The Last Goodbye Tour
Harrison Millis and Clayton Knight are the two men behind the legendary Odesza project. It was an exciting time for the EDM world back in March after the announcement of Millis and Knight’s latest album, The Last Goodbye, along with the announcement of their first live show in three years.
A two-night run, July 30-31, 2022, in Seattle at the Climate Pledge Arena, which sold out in minutes. The booming response influenced Millis and Knight to add two additional nights that also sold out directly after going on sale.
They were just getting started because not even two weeks later they announced a 27-show album tour, including the Seattle shows. Ultimately selling over 450,000 tickets throughout with numerous sold-out nights, the tour highlighted famous venues like LA’s Kia Forum, and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium.
The Last Goodbye tour was your opportunity to see the album that also debuted at number two on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and received Times Square billboards in NYC from Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube.
Bass subductions, pretty harps, vocal samples that gave you chills, dragging percussion, Millis and Knight have achieved the ability to make every show feel like a cleanse, giving attendees just the energy they need.
Knowing when it’s time to dance the night away and when it’s time to go through your nostalgic emotions by getting lost in the powerful visions that come in every show.
2. Claude VonStroke- Your Dad Plays Great Music
Claude Vonstroke—the founder of the legendary house record label Dirtybird—is still currently on a 32-city adventure titled ‘Your Dad Plays Great Music’ tour.
That’s right, Barclay Crenshaw, aka Claude Vonstroke did what he does best and threw parties all across the country as he gets back to his roots. playing over five hours of everything from d&b, classic house beats, experimental drumlines, deep wompy bass elements, and more.
Each night was its own individual journey as he bounced around the country packing out whatever dark and unusual corner he could find. This kind of show energy is where it all started, not only for Crenshaw, but for all of electronic music, and this tour was his efforts of bringing dance music back to its roots.
Closing not just the tour out but also the year, Crenshaw is kicking off New Year’s Eve weekend in San Francisco on December 30th and bringing in the New Year in Los Angeles, on the 31st.
View this post on Instagram
3. Hardwell Rebels Never Die World Tour
It was sweet relief when Robbert van de Corput, better known as Hardwell, came out of his extensive hiatus and made a huge comeback this year.
Directly after his extravagant return to Ultra Music Festival, Hardwell announced his upcoming solo album Rebels Never Die and the accompanying world tour.
Not only were there some incredible European dates, including stops at Tomorrowland, Creamfields, and Ultra Europe, Hardwell returned for an immense 23-city tour including stops at the UBS Arena in New York City and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Years ago when he was just starting out, the Dutch legend discovered who he was within music through the underground, and sticking to what he knows was his approach to his resurgence into the forefront of electronic music. His current sound is evolving into a deep techno essence with the kind of progression the main stage sound needs.
