Kingswood Music Theatre changed the game when it opened in 1983. It offered a massive, high-production outdoor alternative to the CNE Grandstand, and during the 80s, it hosted the biggest names in New Wave, Classic Rock, and Pop. From the venue's very first chords in '83 to the massive teen-pop explosion at the end of the decade, here is the expanded archive of the 1980s.
| Date |
Artist(s) |
Tour / Notes |
| 1983: The Launch Year |
| June 1 | The Tubes | Grand Opening Night |
| June 4 | Anne Murray | First Canadian Headliner |
| June 5 | Anne Murray | Night 2 |
| June 6 | The Beat / Bow Wow Wow | Special Beat Service Tour |
| June 21 | The Beach Boys | First Kingswood Appearance |
| June 25 | Eric Clapton | Money and Cigarettes Tour |
| July 1 | The Hollies | — |
| July 9 | Joe Cocker | — |
| July 17 | Donna Summer | Hard for the Money Tour |
| Aug 6 | Bros | Early Pop Phenomenon |
| Aug 27 | James Taylor | — |
| 1984 |
| June 2 | Howard Jones | Human's Lib Tour |
| June 21 | The Grateful Dead | Legendary Summer '84 Show |
| June 28 | The Allman Brothers Band | — |
| July 1 | Berlin | Love Life Tour |
| July 14 | Steve Miller Band | Italian X Rays Tour |
| July 20 | Santana | — |
| Aug 11 | The Beach Boys | Summer Tour |
| Aug 24 | The Kinks | Word of Mouth Tour |
| Sept 1 | The Spoons | Arias & Symphonies Era |
| 1985 |
| May 25 | Kim Mitchell | Akwitane Tour |
| June 1 | Platinum Blonde | Alien Shores Tour |
| June 15 | The Beach Boys | 25th Anniversary |
| July 6 | Barry Manilow | 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe Tour |
| July 12 | Foreigner | Agent Provocateur Tour |
| July 27 | Rick Springfield | Tao Tour |
| Aug 14 | Squeeze | Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti Tour |
| Aug 28 | Honeymoon Suite | The Big Prize Tour |
| 1986 |
| June 18 | Depeche Mode | Black Celebration Tour |
| June 21 | Starship | Knee Deep in the Hoopla |
| July 12 | The Moody Blues | The Other Side of Life |
| July 29 | Eurythmics | Revenge Tour |
| Aug 22 | The Monkees | 20th Anniversary Reunion |
| Aug 26 | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Live Alive Tour |
| 1987 |
| June 14 | The Psychedelic Furs | Midnight to Midnight |
| June 27 | The Beach Boys | — |
| July 4 | Chris de Burgh | Into the Light Tour |
| July 18 | Duran Duran | Strange Behaviour Tour |
| Aug 30 | REO Speedwagon | Life as We Know It |
| 1988 |
| June 22 | Robert Plant | Non Stop Go Tour |
| July 1 | Kim Mitchell | Levis, Jackfish & Girls Tour |
| July 15 | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Southern Rock Reunion |
| July 31 | The Beach Boys | Summer '88 |
| Aug 11 | Bros | The Push Tour |
| 1989 |
| June 17 | Crosby, Stills & Nash | Live It Up Tour |
| July 1 | Gowan | Strange Animal Era |
| July 22 | Chicago | Twenty 1 Tour |
| Aug 26 | New Kids on the Block | Hangin' Tough Tour |
Moving into the next decade? Check out the 90s Kingswood Archive here. (April 13 2026)
The latest on Kingswood Music Theatre's demolition here.
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