# Back in the Saddle Tour

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 | Concord | United States | Capitol Theater |
| June 27, 1984 | Weedsport | United States | Cayuga County Fair Speedway |
| June 28, 1984 | Saratoga Springs | United States | Saratoga Performing Arts Center |
| June 30, 1984 | Rochester | United States | Rochester Community War Memorial |
| July 2, 1984 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| July 3, 1984 | Harrisburg | United States | City Island |
| July 5, 1984 | Middletown | United States | Orange County Fair Speedway |
| July 6, 1984 | Norfolk | United States | Norfolk Scope |
| July 8, 1984 | Erie | United States | 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 | United States | Poplar Creek Music Theater |
| July 13, 1984 | Springfield | United States | Prairie Capital Convention Center |
| July 14, 1984 | Charlevoix | United States | Castle Farms |
| July 15, 1984 | Rockford | United States | Rockford MetroCentre |
| July 17, 1984 | Richfield | United States | Richfield Coliseum |
| July 18, 1984 | Dayton | United States | Hara Arena |
| July 20, 1984 | Saginaw | United States | Wendler Arena |
| July 21, 1984 | St. Paul | United States | Navy Island |
| July 23, 1984 | Toledo | United States | Toledo Sports Arena |
| July 24, 1984 | Dubuque | United States | Five Flags Center |
| July 27, 1984 | St. Paul | United States | Navy Island |
| July 29, 1984 | St. Louis | United States | St. Louis Arena |
| July 30, 1984 | Kansas City | United States | Starlight Theater |
| August 1, 1984 | Chattanooga | United States | UTC Arena |
| August 2, 1984 | Roanoke | United States | Roanoke Civic Center |
| August 4, 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum |
| August 5, 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum |
| August 8, 1984 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum |
| August 10, 1984 | Portland | United States | Cumberland County Civic Center |
| August 11, 1984 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum |
| August 13, 1984 | Halifax | Canada | Halifax Metro Center |
| August 14, 1984 | Bangor, Maine | United States | Bangor Auditorium |
| August 20, 1984 | Phoenix, Arizona | United States | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| August 22, 1984 | San Diego | United States | Golden Hall |
| August 25, 1984 | Los Angeles | United States | Greek Theatre |
| August 26, 1984 | Los Angeles | United States | Greek Theatre |
| August 28, 1984 | San Bernardino | United States | Orange Pavilion |
| August 29, 1984 | Bakersfield | United States | Bakersfield Civic Auditorium |
| August 31, 1984 | Oakland | United States | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena |
| December 7, 1984 | Albuquerque | United States | Tingley Coliseum |
| December 8, 1984 | El Paso | United States | El Paso County Coliseum |
| December 10, 1984 | Corpus Christi | United States | Memorial Coliseum |
| December 11, 1984 | San Antonio | United States | HemisFair Arena |
| December 13, 1984 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| December 14, 1984 | Houston | United States | The Summit |
| December 18, 1984 | Ft. Lauderdale | United States | Sunrise Musical Theater |
| December 20, 1984 | Orlando | United States | Orange County Convention Center |
| December 21, 1984 | St. Petersburg | United States | Bayfront Center |
| December 23, 1984 | Orlando | United States | Orange County Convention Center |
| December 26, 1984 | Glen Falls | United States | Glens Falls Civic Center |
| December 27, 1984 | Providence | United States | Providence Civic Center |
| December 29, 1984 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum |
| December 30, 1984 | Boston | United States | Orpheum Theater |
| December 31, 1984 | Boston | United States | Orpheum Theater |
List of 1985 concerts :
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| January 2, 1985 | Binghamton | United States | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena |
| January 3, 1985 | Hershey | United States | Hersheypark Arena |
| January 4, 1985 | Bethlehem | United States | Stabler Arena |
| January 6, 1985 | Springfield | United States | Springfield Civic Center |
| January 7, 1985 | Baltimore | United States | Baltimore Civic Center |
| January 11, 1985 | Merrillville | United States | Star Plaza Theatre |
| January 12, 1985 | Detroit | United States | Joe Louis Arena |
| January 13, 1985 | Muskegon | United States | L. C. Walker Arena |
| January 14, 1985 | Muskegon | United States | L. C. Walker Arena |
| January 15, 1985 | Lexington | United States | Rupp Arena |
| January 17, 1985 | Carbondale | United States | SIU Arena |
| January 18, 1985 | Columbus | United States | Battelle Hall |