Here’s a List of Concerts Performed in Tyler That May Surprise You

In most cases these days, we have to drive to Dallas or Shreveport to catch a big concert.

We'll still get some big names in Tyler every now and then, but if you look at the Rose City's history, you might be really surprised at some of the names that performed right here in Tyler.

When I started looking back into the 1990s, then the '80s and even as far back as 1955, I was shocked at some of the bands and artists who once graced a stage here.

Here are some of the notable ones:

Dates Known

• Carl Perkins ("Blue Suede Shoes") -- Sept. 29, 1955 at unknown venue in Tyler
• Johnny Cash -- Dec. 29, 1955 at Schoolhouse
• ZZ Top -- Dec. 31, 1971 at Poncho's Mexeteria
• Johnny Cash -- Feb. 6, 1981 at Caldwell Auditorium
• Metallica -- Aug. 22, 1983 at Harvey Hall (Kill 'Em All for One Tour, opened by Raven)
• The Beach Boys -- Sept. 30, 1984 at The Oil Palace. See the setlist here.
• Kenny Rogers -- Oct. 19, 1984 at The Oil Palace
• The Judds & The Oak Ridge Boys -- March 8, 1985 at The Oil Palace
• Night Ranger -- March 2, 1986 at The Oil Palace (opened by Joe Lynn Turner)
• Ted Nugent -- June 14, 1986 at The Oil Palace
• George Strait -- July 12, 1986 at The Oil Palace
• Bon Jovi & Cinderella -- Jan. 31 1987 at The Venue
• Foghat -- May 14, 1988 at The Oil Palace
• L.A. Guns & Cheap Trick -- Sept. 9, 1988 at The Oil Palace
• Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company & Drivin' N' Cryin' -- May 16, 1993 at The Oil Palace
• Joe Walsh (with the Glenn Frey Band) -- July 3, 1993 at The Oil Palace. See the setlist here.
• Motley Crue & Type O Negative -- Aug. 20, 1994 on the 'Anywhere There's Electricity' tour.
• Hank Williams Jr. & Lynyrd Skynyrd -- March 1, 1996 at The Oil Palace
• The Beach Boys -- Oct. 8, 1996 at Rose Stadium
• Merle Haggard -- Feb. 7, 1988 at The Oil Palace
• Eddie Money & Creedence Clearwater Revisited -- April 18, 1998 at The Oil Palace
• The Marshall Tucker Band & Grand Funk Railroad -- Oct. 3, 1998 at The Oil Palace
• Blue Oyster Cult -- Nov. 21, 1998 at The Oil Palace
• Slaughter, Quiet Riot, Ted Nugent & Night Ranger -- July 24, 1999 at The Oil Palace on the 'Rock Never Stops Tour 1999'
• Willie Nelson -- March 9, 2001, Feb. 18, 2006, Dec. 11, 2010 at The Oil Palace and Oct. 10, 2012 at Caldwell Auditorium
• George Jones -- July 3, 2010 at The Oil Palace
• Miranda Lambert -- April 30, 2011 at Cause for the Paws, Downtown Tyler
• Alan Jackson -- Feb. 24, 2012 at The Oil Palace
• Steve Vai -- Oct. 26, 2013 at Click's Live
• B.B. King -- Jan. 17, 2013 at Caldwell Auditorium
• Ringo Starr -- Feb. 14, 2015 at UT Tyler's Cowan Center

Dates Unknown

• Garth Brooks at The Oil Palace
• Faith Hill at The Oil Palace
• Patty Loveless at The Oil Palace
• Reba McEntire at The Oil Palace
• Tim McGraw at The Oil Palace
• Waylon Jennings at The Oil Palace
• Randy Travis at The Oil Palace
• Chubby Checker at The Oil Palace
• Wayne Newton at The Oil Palace
• Cyndi Lauper at The Oil Palace

Did you go to any of these historical concerts? If you have a date for any of the shows we don't have dates for, let us know and we'll add them to the list!