BEYOND THE NOTES
Photo by Tara Radmard
April 25, 2025 | Mia Kennedy
In today’s music landscape, purchasing a concert ticket is about as lucky as winning the lottery. And actually paying for said ticket? That might cost you an arm and a leg. With concerts being as expensive as they are nowadays, it’s no wonder why joint tours have boomed in popularity.
A joint tour features at least two artists performing together at the same venues on the same nights. For concertgoers, it’s a unique opportunity to discover new artists, expand their music tastes, and get more value for their money—two headliners for the price of one. These tours offer a more varied, unique and often more memorable concert experience.
Of course, joint tours aren’t new. They’ve existed for decades. Just look at Elton John and Billy Joel’s legendary “Face to Face” tour, which grossed over $48.45 million dollars in 1994 alone. These earlier collaborations laid the groundwork for today’s resurgence. However, it seems that joint tours are only now becoming a mainstream phenomenon in the eyes of the general public. So it begs the question: which artist pairings could follow suit — and thrive?
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are one duo who have already proved that they can find success. Their 2024 “Sweat” tour spanned 22 cities and attracted nearly 300,000 fans. The tour delivered an electrifying, club-fueled pop spectacle for loyal fans and casual listeners. As Charli XCX’s album BRAT achieved mainstream traction during the tour, further launching it into worldwide popularity, demand to see the songs performed live skyrocketed. And this newfound momentum ultimately heightened the careers of both Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.
But joint tours aren’t limited to high-energy pop; the “Grand National Tour,” a rap-centered joint tour with Kendrick Lamar and SZA, showcases a different kind of synergy. With collaborations like “luther” and “All The Stars” already on their belt, their shared emotional depth and artistry has created major buzz in spite of genre differences. Their tour kicked off April 19th in Minneapolis and is already sold out in major cities like London and San Francisco.
However, joint tours are beneficial to more than just those who are currently topping today’s charts. What about legacy acts? These artists who were once coveted no longer have the same momentum they once had, and although these artists are successful in their own rights, a joint tour might allow them to reclaim their spot in pop culture. For example, after Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s On the Run II tour, Jay-Z had a 74% spike in streams compared to the previous quarter. The shared nostalgia for artists like Mariah Carey or Janet Jackson is best utilized on a joint stage, where each of them can take center stage while encouraging a new influx of fans.
Of course, there are artists who certainly do not need a joint tour to help their popularity, but would be exciting for fans nonetheless. Imagine Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo sharing a stage together—the ticket demand would be astronomical. Or The Weeknd and Ariana Grande teaming up for a tour would echo similar success as their 2021 iHeart Radio Music Awards performance. Over the years, rumors have circulated about joint tours, ranging from the Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls in 2016 to Drake and 21 Savage in 2023. With so many artists in the spotlight today, the possibilities are endless.
At their core, joint tours reflect the ever-changing world of music. With their ability to blend different genres, sounds, and fanbases, they offer music fans a chance to come together and embrace new artists and ideas. And judging by the sold-out stadiums and viral pop culture moments, joint tours aren’t going anywhere.
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