Tour events
- The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport in New York ahead of the start of their North American tour.
- The Rolling Stones began a 20-date European tour in Malmö, Sweden.
- Led Zeppelin began their North American tour at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada, before a sold-out audience of more than 17,000 fans. Around 3,000 additional people without tickets clashed with local police outside the venue.
- The Sex Pistols began a secret British tour in Wolverhampton under the name The Spots, an abbreviation of “Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly”. The group was under intense scrutiny from the national media because of its reputation for causing trouble, which would have made it virtually impossible for them to perform in these clubs. During the six nights, they therefore performed under a different name each time: in Doncaster as Tax Exiles, in Scarborough as Special Guest, in Middlesbrough as Acne Rabble, in Plymouth as The Hamsters, and on the final night in Penzance as A Mystery Band of International Repute.
- Kiss embarked on a joint tour with the then little-known heavy metal band Iron Maiden. For the young British band, it was its first major experience of a large concert tour.
- Fleetwood Mac concluded their Tusk world tour with a major concert in Los Angeles.
- During the Victory Tour, The Jacksons surpassed 1.1 million ticket sales in just two months, breaking the record for concert ticket sales. The tour consisted of 55 shows and featured all six Jackson brothers; according to the individual sources, it attracted approximately 2 to 2.5 million spectators at 22 venues and grossed approximately $75 million. By the end of the tour in December 1984, they had surpassed the previous overall attendance record held by The Rolling Stones’ 1981 tour. Paula Abdul created the tour choreography.
- U2 began their Unforgettable Fire world tour with a concert at Christchurch Town Hall in New Zealand. It was the first of 19 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
- Sting began his first solo tour with a concert in San Diego. The tour supported the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
- The Rolling Stones began their Steel Wheels tour with a concert at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The album "Steel Wheels", released a few days earlier, brought to an end, at least temporarily, years of public disputes between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Before the official start of the tour, they had made a surprise appearance on August 12 at Toad's Place in New Haven.
- Nirvana and Sonic Youth began their joint European tour at Sir Henry's Pub in Cork, Ireland.
- Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos began their 5 1/2 Weeks Tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was sponsored by MP3.com, then a rapidly growing technology company that allowed users to download songs for free. Morissette received company stock as part of the deal.
- The remaining European tour dates for Foo Fighters were canceled after drummer Taylor Hawkins was hospitalized following a drug overdose.
- Olivia Newton-John postponed her tour so she could be in Australia with her dying 92-year-old mother.
- The Rolling Stones began their A Bigger Bang tour with a concert at Fenway Park in Boston. They had previously played a warm-up concert at a theater in Toronto on August 10. The tour lasted more than two years and grossed more than $558 million from 144 concerts, setting a record that was later surpassed by U2's 360° Tour, which ended in 2011.
- The Police began their reunion tour at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.