1992 is a memorable year in the music world; a year of Hammer pants, Axl Rose vomiting on stage, Bono playing “The Fly,” and Springsteen surfing into the crowd.
Let’s take a look at these, and other interesting moments in our countdown of the top ten biggest tours of ‘92:
MC Hammer
You couldn’t touch MC Hammer back in ‘92. His Too Legit to Quit Tour coincided with his album of the same name and was a spectacle in itself. His impressive entourage dancing and singing in bright yellow choir robes nearly took away the attention from Hammer’s notorious Hammer pants. Popular songs performed included “Have You Seen Her” and “Pray,” and of course his anthem “U Can’t Touch This,” including raunchy onstage antics between male and female breakdancers.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton and celebrity guests performed at 72 sold out concerts in the United States and Europe. His guests included Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, and Curtis Stigers, and Eric’s Unplugged album was promoted along with ‘92 single releases “Runaway Train” and “It’s Probably Me.”
The Grateful Dead
There was some bad news for Grateful Dead fans back in ’92: This was the year lead vocalist Jerry Garcia fell ill and the band had to cancel an 18-date leg of their tour. Garcia, who was 50 at the time, took his exhaustion symptoms as a wake up call and vowed to live a healthier lifestyle. The Grateful Dead tour returned to Denver in December at McNichols Arena and performed songs including “Touch of Grey” from their In the Dark album.
Elton John
Elton John’s The One Tour promoted the album of the same name and included “The Last Song,” which was a single to benefit the AIDS Foundation. Fans at the Dodger stadium were treated to an appearance by George Michael when the duo performed Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me as an encore. This song has appeared high in the Billboard charts twice and is certified gold.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen released not one but two albums on the same day (Human Touch and Better Days.) Human Touch made No 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, as did the single release “Human Touch/Better Days.” The tour was met with a mixed reaction from his fans due the earlier dissolution of his backing band, E Street Band. A highlight was when Springsteen crowd surfed through “Leap of Faith.”
Genesis
The We Can’t Dance Tour was to be the band’s final full-length tour until 2007. The tour was taken from the ‘91 album of the same name and hits performed included “Land of Confusion” and Grammy-nominated “I Can’t Dance,” which reached No 7 both in the US and in the UK.
Guns ‘N’ Roses
Rather than being remembered for the songs they performed on the second leg of their Use Your Illusion tour, Guns ‘N’ Roses were not without controversy, per usual. Lead vocalist Axl Rose vomited once on stage, and on another occasion, he left the stage due to problems with his throat, causing an angry crowd to riot, set fires, and flip cars.
Metallica
Metallica’s Wherever We May Roam Tour preceded their ill-fated tour with Guns N Roses, when lead vocalist James Hetfield would suffer burns to his arms, face, hands and legs. The band chose to have no support bands and played an impressive three-hour set list, including platinum-certified “Enter Sandman.”
Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond’s impressive 36-track set list included hits “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “America,” and the hugely popular smash “Sweet Caroline.”
U2
The Zoo TV Tour was staged in support of U2’s Achtung Baby album, and the spectacle satirized TV and media saturation. Bono portrayed characters from his own songs, including “The Fly” and other hits performed included “Mysterious Ways.”