Five to see live: Bob Dylan, Cher lead our list
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this report gave the wrong start date for Cher's Dressed to Kill tour.
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Viva la veterans!
Teenage dreams came true this summer when Katy Perry and One Direction hit the road, but this fall's concert lineup is decidedly more grown-up. As current tours from Fleetwood Mac, Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks have shown, "we're certainly seeing the 'heritage acts' continuing to be big draws," says Billboard senior correspondent Andrew Hampp. That trend will likely continue in the months to come, as these top 40 troubadours and indelible icons saddle up for U.S. treks.
BOB DYLAN
The times they are a-changin', but the legendary folk singer has endured for more than five decades thanks to his poetic lyrics and enigmatic persona.
Setting the stage: Dylan has played the U.S. just about every year in recent memory as part of his unofficially titled "Never Ending tour," most recently teaming with Wilco and My Morning Jacket in 2013 on the joint Americanarama Festival of Music tour. The icon's 32-date theater trek begins Friday in Seattle, culminating in a five-show finish at New York's Beacon Theatre through Dec. 3.
Why it's a tour de force: "Bob is always a great ticket, because you never know what you're going to get," Hampp says. "His setlists can change every night, he obviously has a very massive catalog to pull from, and he also does bring out really great openers, so it's the full package."
Tickets: $62–$190
USHER
The charismatic singer has scaled the charts with his pop/R&B hybrid, bagging top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 such as Scream, OMG and DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love.
Setting the stage: His new album may be delayed indefinitely, but that hasn't stopped Usher from mapping out a massive world tour, sure to be as dance-heavy and spectacle-laden as his many awards-show performances. Joined by August Alsina and DJ Cassidy, the UR Experience march arrives Nov. 1 in Montreal and concludes its North American leg Dec. 14 in Tampa.
Why it's a tour de force: "Usher may have gotten plenty of recent media exposure playing festivals and radio shows, but he has not done a major arena tour since his sold-out trek in 2011," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert industry site Pollstar. "That pent-up demand should lead to great business for (not only) his upcoming North American dates, but also his European arena tour in February and March."
Tickets: $49–$207
STEVIE WONDER
The musical pioneer has shaped pop, soul and funk in his more than 50-year career, crafting beloved classics such as Superstition, I Just Called to Say I Love You and Isn't She Lovely.
Setting the stage: Although he has played numerous festivals and events in recent years, Wonder hasn't embarked on a formal U.S. tour since 2009. On his upcoming 11-city jaunt — starting Nov. 6 in New York and ending Dec. 5 in Oakland — he will perform his landmark 1976 album Songs In the Key of Life in its entirety.
Why it's a tour de force: "Stevie Wonder has done some spot dates, but he has not done a formal tour in many years," Bongiovanni says. "His tour should benefit from his scarce live schedule, and the fact that he is featuring Songs In the Key of Life should make it special for his fans."
Tickets: $49–$191
LITTLE BIG TOWN
The effervescent Alabama-based quartet — made up of Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook — is riding up the Hot 100 with single Day Drinking, off sixth album Pain Killer (out Oct. 21).
Setting the stage: In support of its new album, the country group is launching a 15-date tour this fall with Brett Eldredge and Brothers Osborne, kicking off Nov. 8 in Youngstown, Ohio, and wrapping Dec. 13 in Rockford, Ill. Aside from songs off Pain Killer, don't be surprised if Little Big Town busts out some familiar tunes — they've been known to cover everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Lady Gaga.
Why it's a tour de force: "Little Big Town (is) one of the hottest acts in country right now," Hampp says. "They've been together a long time, but ever since their last album (2012's Tornado), they've really created a name for themselves." After supporting Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert on tour in recent years, "they're having their big blockbuster moment."
Tickets: $43–$72
CHER
As the only artist to score No. 1 singles in six consecutive decades, Cher is as vibrant as ever — releasing her first album in 12 years, Closer to the Truth, last fall and embarking on another leg of her farewell tour later this fall.
Setting the stage: Earlier this year, the pop goddess set off on her first tour since ending a three-year Las Vegas residency in 2010, wrapping the first leg of her Dressed to Kill jaunt in July. She postponed a handful of fall dates because of a viral infection, with the tour now running Nov. 9 in Lubbock, Texas, through Feb. 4 in Fargo, N.D.
Why it's a tour de force: Her last tour, Living Proof: The Farewell (2002-2005), was billed as her swan song, but she "kept on extending it," Hammp says. "But now that she says (this) really is the last one, it's kind of a last-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Tickets: $19–$510