The concert industry is as busy as ever, and fans will have plenty of metal and hard rock tours to choose from in 2024 — with many more to be announced in the coming weeks and months.
No matter your taste in heavy music, there’s something for you in terms of upcoming shows. Classic metal fans can go out and see Metallica, Judas Priest, or Pantera, while those who listened to mainstream rock radio in the late ’90s and early 2000s can catch Godsmack, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit, or a reunited Creed.
If punk rock is your thing, you’re covered with Green Day’s stadium tour or the likes of Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly. And industrial devotees can catch Ministry with support from Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly.
None of those acts extreme enough for you? Don’t worry, as Amon Amarth are heading out with Cannibal Corpse and Obituary, while Cattle Decapitation and Carnifex are teaming up for a co-headlining tour.
And if your definition of “heavy” casts a wide net, then there’s acts like Chelsea Wolfe, Sleep Token, and ††† (Crosses) to satisfy your eclectic taste in music.
Meanwhile, if you wanna end up leaving a show looking like you’ve been through a bloody battle, you can always check out a GWAR concert.
So, without further ado, below are 30 of the most anticipated metal & hard rock tours of 2024.
-Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence
A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer
Maynard James Keenan (photo by Amy Harris) and Les Claypool (photo by Johnny Perilla)
One of the year’s more stacked packages includes a triumvirate of alternative-rock luminaries A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer. Dubbed the “Sessanta” (which means “sixty” in Italian), the unprecedented tour is a celebration of Maynard James Keenan’s 60th birthday and will see all three bands playing their own sets as well as sharing the stage. Initially, the itinerary only consisted of a handful of dates in mid-to-late April. When those concerts sold out fast, additional shows in April and May were added to meet demand. – Jon Hadusek
Get A Perfect Circle Tickets Here
Amon Amarth w/ Cannibal Corpse and Obituary
Cannibal Corpse (via Metal Blade), Amon Amarth (photo by Tomas Gidén), and Obituary (photo by Rodrigo Fredes)
The vikings Amon Amarth will be flanked by two of the greatest death metal bands of all-time — Cannibal Corpse and Obituary — on this spring campaign. For many headbangers, this would be a destination show if any one of these bands were headlining. To get all three in the same night is revelatory. Some kind of extreme metal holiday should be declared in each town this tour hits. – J.H.
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold, photo by Amy Harris
Avenged Sevenfold returned in 2023 with their first new album in nearly seven years. The LP, titled Life Is But a Dream …, features singer M. Shadows and company veering into experimental, Mr. Bungle-esque territory, proving that the band is ever-evolving. That said, fans can still expect to hear older favorites like “Bat Country” and “Hail to the King” when A7X hit the road for a North American run in March with support from Poppy and Sullivan King. – Spencer Kaufman
Get Avenged Sevenfold Tickets Here
Bad Religion and Social Distortion
Bad Religion and Social Distortion, photos by Raymond Ahner
Two stalwarts of California punk are teaming up when Bad Religion and Social Distortion hit the road together for a co-headlining spring tour. The great news is that Social D frontman Mike Ness is recovering well from a battle with tonsil cancer that forced his band to postpone a summer 2023 run. In addition to the spring dates, Social D are set to make up that 2023 tour with their own headlining trek in the fall. And as a bonus, Social D will be playing their 1983 debut album Mommy’s Little Monster in full on the outing with Bad Religion. – S.K.
Get Bad Religion and Social Distortion Tickets Here
Better Lovers
Better Lovers, photo by Gabe Becerra
Fresh off earning the top spot on our 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2023 list with their killer single “30 Under 13,” the supergroup Better Lovers (featuring former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die) are set to embark on a spring North American tour, featuring support from SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Foreign Hands, and Greyhaven. Singer Greg Puciato always brings an element of danger to the stage, as evidenced by his Dillinger days, so expect a raucous show when Better Lovers hit your town. – S.K.
Bush w/ Jerry Cantrell and Candlebox
Jerry Cantrell (photo by Amy Harris), Bush (photo by Amy Harris), and Candlebox (photo by Graham Fielder)
Bush will be out in support of their new career-spanning hits compilation, and they’re celebrating the occasion with fellow ’90s heroes Jerry Cantrell (of Alice in Chains) and Candlebox. Here’s another all-star tour where the support acts demand early attendance. Cantrell has been touring regularly since releasing his latest solo album Brighten, so expect a setlist of new material and some choice AIC cuts; meanwhile, Candlebox are continuing their farewell tour in support of their final studio album, The Long Goodbye. – J.H.
Cattle Decapitation and Carnifex
Top: Cattle Decapitation (photo by Nick Van Vidler) and Bottom: Carnifex (via Nuclear Blast Records)
Two of extreme metal’s finest — Cattle Decapitation and Carnifex — are joining forces for a spring outing, each touring behind a strong 2023 album. Cattle Decapitation unleashed Terrasite in May of last year, while Carnifex unveiled Necromanteum, in October 2023. The tour kicks off April 30th in Mesa, Arizona, and wraps up May 26th in Las Vegas. -S.K.
Get Cattle Decapitation Tickets Here
Chelsea Wolfe
Chelsea Wolfe, photo by Ebru Yildiz
Chelsea Wolfe will be hitting the road in support of her new album, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (out February 9th), which has already yielded the excellent singles “Dusk” and “Whispers in the Echo Chamber.” The North American tour kicks off February 27th in San Diego and runs through a March 30th show in Los Angeles.
Get Chelsea Wolfe Tickets Here
Clutch
Clutch, photo by Amy Harris
Clutch have been bringing the rock for more than 30 years, and show no signs of slowing down. Neil Fallon and company are hitting the road with support from Blacktop Mojo and The Native Howl. The trek launches April 26th in Richmond, Virginia, and includes stops at the Welcome to Rockville festival on May 11th in Daytona Beach, Florida, and at the Sonic Temple fest on May 19th in Columbus, Ohio, which is the final date of the tour. – S.K.
Creed
Creed, photo by Chuck Brueckmann
It took more than a decade for Creed to reunite, but their timing was impeccable. After announcing last summer that they would return to headline a couple of cruises in April 2024, they became the buzz of Major League Baseball when the Texas Rangers revealed that they had been using the band’s music as a rallying cry on the way to winning a World Series. Creed then announced a full-scale summer North American tour that will feature direct support from 3 Doors Down on most dates. – S.K.
††† (Crosses)
Crosses, photo by Brian Ziff
Last year, ††† (Crosses) returned with their first full-length album in nine years, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. While the duo of Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez played a handful of shows in the fall, this Winter 2024 outing will be the band’s first full-fledged tour in a decade. The jaunt kicks off February 7th in Salt Lake City, Utah, and runs through a March 11th gig in Seattle. – S.K.
Def Leppard and Journey
Def Leppard (photo by Ross Halfin) and Journey (publicity image)
Expect hit after hit as Def Leppard and Journey bring their iconic rock anthems across North America on a co-headlining tour this summer. If that’s not enough, the support acts are just as legendary, with Steve Miller Band, Heart, and Cheap Trick taking turns opening the shows. The outing kicks off July 6th in St. Louis, and runs through a September 8th show in Denver, mostly hitting Major League Baseball stadiums along the way. – S.K.
Get Def Leppard & Journey Tickets Here
Disturbed
Disturbed, photo by Travis Shinn
Disturbed are nearing the end of their touring cycle in support of 2022’s Divisive, and are one of the first bands to hit the road in 2024. Their winter outing runs from a January 19th show in Peoria, Illinois, through a March 3rd gig in Las Vegas. Expect a few poignant onstage speeches from singer David Draiman along the way, as well as opening sets from Falling in Reverse and Plush. – S.K.
Dropkick Murphys w/ Pennywise
Dropkick Murphys (photo by Ben Kaye) and Pennywise (photo by Amy Harris)
Dropkick Murphys’ annual “St. Patrick’s Day Tour” is always a good time, and this year they’re bringing fellow punk veterans Pennywise along for the ride. The outing will kick off February 13th in San Jose, California, and, per usual, will wrap up with a multi-night stand in Boston. After playing a number of acoustic shows in support of their two Woody Guthrie-inspired albums, Dropkick will once again go full electric on this tour. – S.K.
Get Dropkick Murphys Tickets Here
Flogging Molly w/ Amigo the Devil
Flogging Molly (photo by Kevin RC Wilson) and Amigo the Devil (photo by Amy Harris)
At the same time Dropkick Murphys will be criss-crossing the country, fellow Celtic punkers Flogging Molly will be on the road, as well. The band will be joined by dark-folk troubadour Amigo the Devil on the month-long run, which will culminate in Las Vegas with Flogging Molly’s first-ever Shamrock Rebellion Festival on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th). There, the two acts will be joined by Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Buzzcocks, Face to Face, NOBRO, and more. – S.K.
