The Car Tour

Tour by Arctic Monkeys
Location	North America South America Europe Asia Oceania
Associated album	The Car
Start date	9 August 2022 (2022-08-09)
End date	19 October 2023 (2023-10-19)
Legs	8
No. of shows	119
Arctic Monkeys concert chronology

The Car Tour was the seventh headlining concert tour by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, launched in support of their seventh studio album, The Car (2022). The tour began on 9 August 2022 in Istanbul at Zorlu PSM, and concluded on 19 October 2023 in Dublin at 3Arena, visiting North America, South America, Oceania and Eurasia. This marks their first tour since Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Tour (2018–2019), and features the band, alongside usual touring members, Scott Gillies, Tom Rowley, Davey Latter, and Tyler Parkford.

It has been noted that with this tour, the band is "taking their most intricate – and certainly least commercially viable – material to their biggest-ever shows."^[1]

Background

Their previous tour, had significantly less dates than 2013' AM Tour, Ian McAndrew, the band's manager made that decision so the next tour [The Car] had a much bigger run of dates. The tour got pushed back three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "But even as this plan was sitting in place, the band continued to grow," he said.^[2]

In November 2021, the band announced a tour of Europe which began in August,^[3] In April and June they extended the tour into November 2022, with dates added in the United States and England, as well as Latin America.^[4][5][6] On 9 August, the band played live in Istanbul. This was the tour's opening performance, and the Arctic Monkeys' first performance since 2019.^[7] No new songs were debuted until their performance at Zürich OpenAir Festival on 23 August, where they played "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am".^[8] Other tracks debuted during their first leg of tour include "Mr. Schwartz", "Big Ideas" and "The Car", alongside singles, "There'd Better Be A Mirrorball" and "Body Paint". In June 2022 the band announced shows in Australia, with support from Australian bands, Mildlife, DMA's and The Buoys.^[9]

Their stadium tour was announced in September 2022, with dates in the UK, Ireland, North America, and Central Europe, finalizing in September 2023.^[10][11][12] Further European dates were added on December.^[13] The bands first ever tour of Asia was announced a few days later.^[14] The band also headlined several music festivals, including Sziget Festival, Lowlands, Pukkelpop, Rock en Seine, Reading and Leeds, Corona Capital, Rock Werchter, Bilbao BBK Live, NOS Alive, and different iterations of Primavera Sound and Falls Festival.^{[9][4][3][15]} In April 2023, the band announced two shows at Foro Sol in Mexico.^[16][17] For the tour, the group are joined by longtime touring members Tom Rowley, Davey Latter, and Tyler Parkford.^[18]

On June 19 the band had to cancel their show in Dublin due to Turner suffering from acute laryngitis.^[19] This marked the second time the band had to cancel shows for this reason, as Turner was also suffering from the illness during the AM Tour in 2013, which led to the postponement of three shows, on November of that year.^[20] The cancellation came ahead of the band headlining the Glastonbury Festival that weekend, leading to doubts over their ability to perform at the festival,^[21] with some media outlets even publishing informative pieces on the illness, in order to guess if Turner would be able to sing by that time.^[22][23] Hours before their set was supposed to take place, Glastonbury co-organiser, Emily Eavis, confirmed the band were ready to play that night.^[24] Two months later the band announced four shows in Ireland, to compensate for the cancelled gig in Dublin. Their show in the city on 19 October 2023 will be the last of the tour.^[25] On their first show in Ireland the band was accompanied by a string section, which appeared on all the songs from The Car, but also on the tracks "505" and "Do I Wanna Know?"^[26]

Opening acts

Inhaler and Fontaines D.C.

Inhaler was the first band announced as an opening act on the tour.^[27] They played both nights in Istanbul, and then shows at Burgas, Pula, and Prague in August 2022, while returning for select dates during the following spring leg of Europe.^[28] Inhaler found out they were supporting the band the same month it was announced.^[29] Of the opportunity, drummer Ryan McMahon said, "Every night, we just got to watch them be the greatest rock band in the world, they’re just so on it, and for a band that hadn’t toured in like three years, they really proved why they’re still at the top, and their new album is so fun to listen to. The fact we get to do it all again goes back to that imposter syndrome. We don’t feel worthy of it at all."^[30]

Interpol joined the band for three shows in South America, while Father John Misty, opened for them in Colombia.^[4][5] For their shows in Oceania they chose Australian bands Mildlife, in Melbourne and Brisbane, while, DMA's and The Buoys joined them in Sydney.^[9] The Hives and The Mysterines supported them during all their dates in England, with the former returning for select dates in the rest of the European Leg.^[31] The Hives had previously supported Arctic Monkeys for select dates in 2014 and 2019. Hives' frontman Pelle Almqvist said, "I’m really happy they wanted us back. It’s a really great tour to be on; it’s really fun. I think Arctic Monkeys are fucking amazing. They’re the only good really popular band – and that’s not easy to do."^[32][33] Willie J Healey also appeared in select dates for this leg.^[34]

Fontaines D.C. served as the opening act for the whole North American leg in 2023.^[35] Guitarist Carlos O'Connell told NME, "Arctic Monkeys are just so iconic obviously – they were so important when they came through, And I remember when we first heard Alex Turner was into the band, that felt like just insane." Also adding, "When we were younger these were things you’d never imagine".^[36] Lead singer Grian Chatten also commented, "Arctic Monkeys are playing better shows now than ever, Alex [Turner] completely owns his stage presence."^[37] For the dates in Mexico, the band was also joined by The Backseat Lovers.^[16][17] On their Ireland dates, Miles Kane was the opening act.^[25] As a solo artist Kane has opened for the band, on select dates, in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2019.^[38][39][40] He has also opened for the band in 2005, 2006, and 2007 as a member of The Rascals and The Little Flames.^[41]

Critical reception

The mirrorball was part of the set designed by Turner for the stage

NME's Thomas Smith reviewed the band's set at Reading positively, saying, "This ain’t quite Nirvana in 1992, but still cements itself as one of the festival’s biggest and busiest sets in recent memory – a reminder of the band’s cross-generational reach." Smith praised the band's ability to blend their most commercial songs with the deep cuts, but noted a lack of crowd interaction. The show only featured two songs from Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, which Smith described as "a masterpiece that doesn’t always translate at festival headline sets." Regardless, he thought the band "still happen to be the best in the game."^[42] Nacho Sánchez of El País thought their set at Cala Mijas was "solid" and noted the band's preference for AM on their setlist, Sánchez was also mindful of their mix of "teenage rock" and the slower 70's-infused sound of their latest albums. He though the maturity "looked great on the band", and that the crowd was very much enjoying the show.^[43] While reviewing one of their nights at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Sian Cain of The Guardian said, "There are few frontmen touring today who lean into the theatrics of rockstardom as effortlessly as Alex Turner". She thought that songs from The Car seemed out of place with the rest of their setlist, adding, "they sound less like Arctic Monkeys, more like Alex Turner featuring Arctic Monkeys", she also lamented the decision to play the album without strings on stage, which she felt "strips back some of its seductive opulence". Cain was more forgiving of the overall performance, describing the band and its touring members as "polished", noting "when every note sounds so spot on, who truly cares?" and thought towards the end, Turner's warmth shone, as he reveled in the applause and blew kisses to the crowd.^[44] Their show at The Domain was named "one of the defining concerts of this Sydney summer." by Shamim Razavi of The Sydney Morning Herald, in that same review they were described as "two distinctly different bands: one the spiky, cheeky Northerner purveyors of rhythm-driven perfect post-pop punch; the other a mature, measured melodic act of perfect poise," united by "keen intelligence, both lyrically and musically, and the charismatic persona of frontman Alex Turner." Nevertheless, Razavi thought the union was not as "coherent" as choosing one style over the other.^[45]

On their first show of their UK stadium leg, Huw Baines, of The Guardian noted the simplicity of their staging "It is very simple – no pyro or stadium pomp here – but the lighting and video work creates a mood in a way that no confetti cannon could." He also praised the mix between their fast songs and their new, more relaxed tracks, highlighting the response to track Sculptures of Anything Goes, "It is rapturously received, suggesting that these new songs can be muscular stadium-fillers all on their own. Yes, very good."^[46]

Recording

The group released the concert film Arctic Monkeys at Kings Theatre on their YouTube channel in October 2022. The film was directed by Chappell and Zackery Michael, and features selected footage of the band, both backstage and performing, at their show on Brooklyn's Kings Theatre.^[47][48]

Songs performed

Tour dates

Personnel

Notes

References