25 of the Coolest Tour Pairings in Rock History

Throughout history, many of rock’s biggest artists have hit the road together.

In some cases, the alignment of legendary acts was done on purpose. Def Leppard and Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica and Nine Inch Nails with Jane’s Addiction are just some of the examples of co-headlining treks from famous bands.

Still, there are plenty more examples of tours where one rock icon was already established, while the opening act was still making a name for itself. Such was the case when Van Halen took out Alice in Chains in 1991, or when the Who recruited Lynyrd Skynyrd for their 1973 trek. Could anyone who saw Kiss open for ZZ Top in 1974 have predicted both would become worldwide superstars? Probably not. Then again, that’s what makes their history together all the more fun.

While many legendary pairings went off without a hitch, others proved turbulent. Such was the case in 1978 when Van Halen opened for Journey and proceeded to steal the headliner’s spotlight. Meanwhile, Motley Crue’s tenure touring with Ozzy Osbourne is remembered more for its backstage debauchery than any of the shows.

Then there are the pairings which seem stylistically surprising. Rush playing with Kiss? Stevie Wonder opening for the Rolling Stones? In hindsight, they may seem like odd fits, but we still wish we’d been in the front row.

Below, we’ve highlighted 25 of the Coolest Tour Pairings in Rock History. For our purposes, one-off performances and festival appearances were not counted. Instead, we stuck purely to acts who hit the road together for multiple dates.