WARNING: Spoiler for Eternals below. Although, the cat’s really out of the bag on this one.
In a casting coup that was unfortunately blasted all over Twitter two weeks before Eternals hit theaters, Harry Styles made his MCU debut in the film’s mid-credits scene as the classic Marvel character, Eros (a.k.a. Starfox if you want to get super nerdy), a hedonistic, yet occasionally heroic Eternal who spends his days wandering the galaxy looking for love. Oh, and also, he’s Thanos’ brother, which is why MCU fans absolutely flipped over Styles showing up in the cosmic film.
With the One Direction singer’s Marvel debut out in the open, Styles recently revealed to Dazed how he ended up playing the sibling of the MCU’s most brutal villain — for now:
Styles cautiously checks the publication date of this Dazed story before confirming his inclusion as the brother of villain Thanos. “I’m only in right at the very end,” he says humbly. “But who didn’t grow up wanting to be a superhero, you know? It was a great experience and I’m so grateful to have gotten to work with Chloé.”
According to Eternals director Chloé Zhao, she had Styles pegged for Eros from the first moment she saw him in Christoper Nolan’s Dunkirk, and that instinct was only further confirmed after meeting him. “There’s so much of Eros in him,” Zhao recently told Deadline while thanking Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige for making the casting happen.
As for what exactly Eros’ presence in the MCU means… that’s still anyone’s guess. He was never close with his genocidal brother in the comics, so there’s probably not a concern that he’ll be looking for revenge. Although, if there’s one thing the MCU has prided itself on, it’s switching things up, so maybe the Marvel Universe is about to be rocked again.
Once COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in early 2021, artists wasted no time plotting tours again. And after a largely concert-less 2020, it felt amazing to just have the option of seeing our favorite bands live onstage. Now that the year is drawing to a close, seeing bands announce tour dates feels almost normal again, with an added — and very important — caveat that fans should bring their vaccination cards if they want to attend. With fall fast approaching, we’ve rounded up 25 acts we’re excited to see live, and there are sure to be more announcements rolling out in the weeks to come.
100 Gecs
Hyperpop phenom 100 Gecs initially made waves on their 2019 debut album, 1,000 Gecs. Since then, 100 Gecs have dropped a remix album and fired off a few collaborations (including one with Charli XCX). Now, Dylan Brady and Laura Les are kicking it up a few more Gecs with the 10,000 Gecs North American tour, comprising 34 stops and kicking off in October in Oakland before coming to a close two months later in Brooklyn.
Both Adrianne Lenker AND Big Thief are headed out on the road this fall, which shouldn’t get confusing at all! (I kid.) Let’s break it down: In November, Lenker will tour a series of dates, kicking off in Burlington, Vermont, and wrapping up in Minneapolis. It’s all likely in support of her 2020 album(s), Songs and Instrumentals. Meanwhile, the wider collective are going on tour in September for a month-long journey wrapping up in early October in Philadelphia. During that trek, they’ll no doubt play both previously released singles “Certainty,” “Sparrow,” and “Little Things,” not to mention more new music the indie-folk favorites cooked up during their time spent at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Studios in the Catskills.
Check out Adrianne Lenker’s tour dates here, and check out Big Thief’s tour dates here.
Ava Max (opening for Maroon 5)
Ava Max — an Uproxx cover star — turned some heads with her 2020 debut album Heaven & Hell, including those of some of her peers in the industry. She’s worked with people like Charlie Puth, Kane Brown, and Jason Derulo, but these days she can be found on the road with Maroon 5. The longtime pop-rock outfit have been touring steadily since mid-August, with Max joining up with them in Chicago, Hersey, PA, and Boston. Come October, her last date with Maroon 5 will be in Los Angeles at Banc Of California Stadium, with the guys concluding their tour later in the month in Concord, CA.
Uproxx cover star Beabadoobee only just put out her debut album, Fake It Flowers, last year, but already she’s released a follow-up EP, Our Extended Play, which was created in collaboration with the 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel. Now comes the victory lap, with a full North American tour featuring Blackstarkids, starting in November in Washington D.C. at the 9:30 Club and concluding in mid-December in Pittsburgh.
If memory serves, Caroline Polachek contracted COVID while on tour in Europe early last year, sharing updates to her Instagram Story about how she was doing health-wise. And it was particularly frightening because we knew so little about COVID at the time. Now, two years after releasing her debut solo album, 2019’s Pang, the former Chairlift singer is staging a comeback, complete with the single “Bunny Is A Rider” and the “Heart Is Unbreaking” tour, which kicked off in August at the Greek Theatre in LA. Moving through the US, the (Covid-safe!) tour will wrap just before Christmas in Santa Cruz.
Houston’s Don Toliver has opened up for the biggest artists in the game — Travis Scott in 2019, and in 2022 he’ll be in the supporting slot for The Weeknd. In addition to showing up on a collaboration with Skrillex and Justin Bieber (“Don’t Go”) and prepping his forthcoming sophomore album L.O.A.D., the Don will be playing across the US on his Life Of A Don tour with BIA supporting, starting in Austin, Texas, and wrapping up at Day N Vegas and Rolling Loud California.
Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger have been making a low-key comeback for a couple of years now. Last year, the Chicago indie-rock torchbearers released “Down At The So And So On Somewhere,” their first new song in over a decade. Then came its B-side, “The Fortune Teller’s Revenge.” This fall, they’re hitting the road again with special guest Fred Armisen. “We’re very excited to be playing again, to get a chance to do new things with old stuff, or old things with new people,” the band said in a press release. “And we’re very happy to have Fred opening the shows.”
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their hugely influential 1996 album The Score, Fugees — aka Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel — plan to reunite this fall for a brief set of reunion tour dates. The first of them is on September 22 at a yet-to-be-announced venue. After that, they’ll pick things back up in November and December for a handful of shows in the US, as well as dates in Nigeria and Ghana. The moment carries a great deal of significance for all involved. After all, the trio, each of whom went on to have extraordinary solo careers after The Score, have a fraught history with one another, to put it mildly.
Harry Styles‘ Love On Tour was originally meant to run in 2020, which meant, of course, that it got postponed due to COVID. Since then, the former One Directioner hit the road in September with opener Jenny Lewis, with dates running through late November 2021. Lewis will accompany Styles on every date, with the exception of October 30 and 31, which will be Styles’ “Harryween” concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. (Orville Peck and Madison Cunningham will open those dates.)
Despite a pandemic, this has arguably been the most active year of Japanese Breakfast’s career. In addition to releasing a remarkable memoir, Crying In H Mart, Michelle Zauner also dropped her band’s critically beloved third album, Jubilee. Fall 2021 brings the indie-rock band’s victory lap, with Japanese Breakfast hitting the road in mid-September and touring across the US, wrapping up in Pomona, California on November 16.
Alabama-born alt-country player Jason Isbell has been one of the most vocal supporters of COVID-safe concerts, therefore supporting him as he tours through the country with The 400 Unit is probably in everybody’s best interests. Isbell, who actively maintains an entertaining Twitter presence, was unfortunately not able to tour his band’s 2020 album, Reunions, so you can definitely expect to hear some cuts from that. Even better, don’t be surprised if Isbell churns out some covers from his forthcoming Georgia Blue charity album, featuring renditions of songs by Georgia Artists, such as R.E.M. and Gladys Knight.
Back in the spring, J. Cole released his sixth studio album, The Off-Season. Not only that, but he even did some remarkable album promo by even playing pro basketball in Africa. Now comes The Off-Season Tour, which is set to feature two of the album’s guest rappers, 21 Savage and Morray. Beginning in September, the tour will hit 17 cities, kicking off in Miami and concluding in October at LA’s The Forum.
Kaytranada had a great start to 2021, winning the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album (2019’s Bubba) and Best Dance Recording (for “10%” featuring Kali Uchis). Moving forward, the Canadian DJ/producer is hitting the road now through December, where he’ll wrap up with a show in Toronto.
Texas trio Khruangbin expanded their psychedelic funk sound with their third LP Mordechai, but more recently, they released a 10-track effort called Mordechai Remixes featuring contributions from Kadhja Bonet, Ginger Root, Knxwledge, and more. In support, Khruangbin has been on tour since August, but the journey is nowhere near complete. They’re doing a series of dates through December, hitting Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, Atlanta’s The Eastern, and New York City’s Radio City, among others.
In June, Lil Baby and Lil Durk released their collaborative album, The Voice Of The Heroes. To celebrate, both Lils are hitting the road on their Back Outside Tour, which also has a supporting slot from NJ rapper Coi Leray and kicks off in September and runs through mid-October at West Palm Beach’s iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre.
Check out Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s tour dates here.
Machine Gun Kelly / KennyHoopla
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Capping off a very Machine Gun Kelly summer is the rapper-turned-pop-punker’s 2021 fall tour, starting in mid-September and featuring singer/rapper KennyHoopla. I repeat, if you haven’t seen or heard enough from MGK this year, you’re likely in for a treat. I mean, it’s not every day that a rapper pivots to pop-punk, gets matching tattoos with Travis Barker, and starts a highly public relationship with the most beautiful woman on the planet. In addition to cuts from 2020’s Tickets To My Downfall, fans will no doubt get to hear new music from MGK’s forthcoming effort Born With Horns (release date TBD).
Check out Machine Gun Kelly and KennyHoopla’s tour dates here.
The New Pornographers
It’s been a meaningful few years for the Canadian indie-pop supergroup. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of their 2000 debut, Mass Romantic. Since they couldn’t celebrate properly (because, pandemic), The New Pornos have plotted out a fall tour where they’ll play Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema (celebrating its 16th anniversary) in their entirety. Joining them will be original band members Neko Case and Destroyer‘s Dan Bejar (!), plus AC Newman, Joe Seiders, John Collins, Todd Fancey, and Kathryn Calder.
Last fall, Omar Apollo shared his long-awaited debut project, Apolonio. The Mexican-American singer-songwriter has been on the road since July for his Desvelado Tour, and he has a long way to go. He’ll be performing throughout the US all the way through mid-November, wrapping up at Boston’s Big Night Live.
Now through October, Phoebe Bridgers is touring the US in support of her critically adored 2020 album Punisher, which she mostly promoted last year via livestreams and other pandemic-safe events. Bridgers’ Reunion tour has a number of COVID safeguards in place: all previously indoor shows have been moved to outdoor venues (per an Instagram announcement), and entry will require proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test within 48 hours. In more exciting news, though, the Reunion Tour will feature special guests Muna, who recently signed to Bridgers’ Saddest Factory records and released “Silk Chiffon” with Bridgers.
It’s been a few years since Playboi Carti’s last tour. Last time the Atlanta rapper toured was his headlining jaunt in 2018 for Die Lit. Now, though, Carti is heading out to arenas on The Narcissist Tour, kicking off in mid-October in Nashville and concluding just before Christmas in Carti’s hometown. It’s all in support of his forthcoming new project of the same name, which the rapper revealed via Instagram, where he is pictured wearing a series of layered outfits.
Despite the unfortunate loss of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts earlier this year, the band’s fall 2021 tour is still scheduled to go forward as planned. The beloved classic-rock act are set to hit the road in late September and wrap up in November in Austin, Texas. Still, before Watts’ passing, it was announced that longtime Rolling Stones associate Steve Jordan would be stepping in for the revered drummer, as Watts needed to rest and recover after a medical procedure. At the time, Jordan said, “It is an absolute honor and a privilege to be Charlie’s understudy.”
The Strokes had a banner 2020, despite it being a pandemic year. Not only did they release the Rick Rubin-produced The New Abnormal, they even won Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammys. So it seems only fitting that they should do a victory lap now that it’s possible. In October, the band will hit III Points Festival in Miami, followed by Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta. Then, they’ll hit The Forum in Los Angeles and Outside Lands in San Francisco. Short and sweet.
In support of her latest album, Daddy’s Home (and perhaps also her just-released rockumentary/mockumentary The Nowhere Inn), St. Vincent (aka avant-pop powerhouse Annie Clark) heads out on the road this fall for a tour hitting all of the big venues: Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and more. Running for a little over a month, the Daddy’s Home tour will wrap up on October 22 at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta.
Even though Tame Impala released an album, The Slow Rush, in 2020, the psychedelic rock figurehead (Kevin Parker) was, like everyone else, forced to postpone touring. Now, thanks to Parker’s patented “drug” Rushium, Tame Impala is hitting the road for the band’s official The Slow Rush 2021 North American tour, kicking off in September (they were originally supposed to play Bonnaroo, but that was canceled due to weather) and closing in November in Dallas, Texas. Press materials also noted that this tour is only “Phase I” of the “Rushiam trials,” suggesting that more tour dates could be announced in the near future.
Grammy-winning R&B bassist Thundercat has already played a few sets at various festivals this summer — Maha Music Fest in Omaha, Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco, Pitchfork Fest in Chicago — and in October, he’ll hit the road again. With support from Channel Tres (plus some surprise special guests), Thundercat will start out in Orlando at The Plaza Live on October 24 and wrap up at Boise’s Knitting Factory on December 5.
