1980–1984: Bigger Tours, New Demands

From 1980 to 1984, touring kept accelerating—bigger productions, tighter schedules, and crews expected to deliver consistent, powerful sound night after night. These were years when live shows were getting more complex, and the work behind the scenes had to be sharper than ever.

This section of the archive highlights Showco’s work during the early ’80s, with materials from tours by artists like Van Halen, ZZ Top, The Who, Styx, Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, and more.

I’m building this archive by hand and will keep adding photos, itineraries, stage plots, and ephemera as they’re located and digitized.

Were you on the road, in the crowd, or working with Showco between 1980 and 1984?
If you have photos, passes, documents, or stories from this era, please contact me to help expand this part of the archive.