Editing Arena rock (section)

==Development and popularity==
{{synthesis|section|date=October 2017}}

===1960s–1970s===
Despite the differences in terms of genre, [[Beatlemania]] and the gigantic, screaming crowds that greeted [[the Beatles]] as they performed in the U.S. proved influential on arena rock, particularly with artists' complex views of the connection between themselves as musicians and the primal needs of their mass audiences.{{sfn|Waksman|2009|pp=21–31}} The rise of the rock style largely signified the end of the [[hippie]]-type of idealistic 1960s culture, particularly after the disillusionment that followed the infamous [[Altamont Free Concert]] of 1969, and represented a newer form of musical expression that was still confident and strident while also being more commercial.{{sfn|Waksman|2009|pp=21–31}} With hundreds of people injured and one dying, said concert has been described as "the spiritual death of the decade".{{sfn|Browne|Browne|2001|p=29}}

In the period from the end of the 1960s to the middle of the 1970s, advances in technology allowed for the increased power of amplification and sound systems without losing sound quality, thus giving [[hard rock]] bands the opportunity to use larger and larger venues. Attributing the birth of arena rock to [[the Rolling Stones]]' 1969 US tour, ''[[The Guardian]]'' ranked the tour number 19 on their list of the 50 key events in rock music history.<ref name="Touring"/> Prior to the tour the loudest sound at big-capacity shows was often the crowd, so the Stones ensured they had lighting and sound systems that would allow them to be seen and heard in the biggest arenas, with ''The Guardian'' stating their "combination of front-of-house excellence and behind the scenes savvy took the business of touring to an entirely new level."<ref name="Touring">{{cite news|first= Michael |last= Hann |title= The birth of arena rock |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 12 June 2011 |access-date= 17 December 2017 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/12/birth-arena-rock}}</ref>

The [[Flint, Michigan]]–born [[Grand Funk Railroad]], which advertised itself as a "people's band" on the release of their [[On Time (Grand Funk Railroad album)|1969 debut album]] given their nationwide touring, played to about 125,000 in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and 180,000 in [[Texas]] within a short period of time. Although hard rock influenced [[heavy metal music]] and the arena rock style, they shared an emphasis on loudness and heavy sound that had dominated the rock mainstream from late 70s to early 80s.{{Sfn|Waksman|2009|pp=21–31}}

[[File:StevePerry.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Singer [[Steve Perry]] of [[Journey (band)|Journey]] became one of the faces of arena rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s.]]

Bands such as [[Styx (band)|Styx]], [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]], [[Journey (band)|Journey]], [[REO Speedwagon]], [[Boston (band)|Boston]], [[Toto (band)|Toto]], and [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]] were popular arena rock acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s.<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/style/arena-rock-ma0000012329 "Arena rock genre overview"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2023.</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NNVDBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA164 | title=Rock'n America: A Social and Cultural History | isbn=978-1-4426-0015-7 | last1=Weinstein | first1=Deena | date=January 2015 | publisher=University of Toronto Press }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff GilesJeff |date=2017-04-08 |title=How Toto Surprised Everyone With the Multi-Platinum 'Toto IV' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/toto-iv/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref>

Arena rock's popularity, being described as "a dominant force" musically from the 1970s onward,<ref name="Hard"/> resulted in a number of musical reactions. The [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|British pub rock movement]] arose in large part due to its emphasis on small-scale events, aimed at promoting a friendly, intimate connection between performers and audiences.{{Sfn|Bennett|2006|p=26}} The explosion of [[punk rock]] and [[punk subculture]]s in general in the 1970s directly challenged the perceived excesses of mainstream rock at the time.{{Sfn|Browne|Browne|2001|p=31}}

===1980s–1990s===
The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] states that the following decade, particularly the late 1980s, is "considered a golden era of hard rock in terms of commercial [[airplay]]".<ref name="Essential">{{cite web|title= 10 Essential Guns N' Roses Songs |publisher= [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] |date= 2 April 2012 |access-date= 18 June 2017 |url= https://www.rockhall.com/10-essential-guns-n-roses-songs}}</ref>

The music of the 1970s often reflected changing philosophical interests compared to previous decades, with personal growth, private revelation, and [[self-help|self-improvement]] gaining more emphasis compared to past interests in [[Collectivism and individualism|collectivist]] social activism. The period coming to be known dismissively as the "[[The "Me" Decade and the Third Great Awakening|Me Decade]]", rock releases frequently celebrated a [[Hedonism|hedonistic]], self-indulgent abandonment. Multiple artists also pursued an arena rock sound based on [[Artistic inspiration|individual inspiration]] and achievement, particularly in [[anthem]]ic songs about independence.{{sfn|McDonald|2009|pp=54–56, 62–65, 196–206}}{{sfn|Waksman|2009|pp=21–31}} In terms of the changing trends into the 1980s and onward, the style essentially replaced [[disco]] in terms of mass pop culture appeal.{{sfn|Donaldson|2009|p=248}}

During the 1980s, arena rock evolved in a way that was performance-driven yet far more aggressive and confrontational. Mainstream rock became dominated by these hair metal (also known as "[[glam metal]]" and "[[pop metal]]") bands, with a large emphasis still being put on both on music and visuals. Flashy clothing with elements such as heavy makeup and dramatic hairstyles became common. Prominent examples of this genre include [[Def Leppard]], [[Mötley Crüe]] and [[Poison (American band)|Poison]]. Their popularity crashed after the success of [[alternative rock]] and [[grunge]] bands who began to break through into popular consciousness with an even more abrasive sound, particularly artists influenced by the success of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] in the early 1990s.<ref name="Hair">{{cite web|title= Pop/Rock » Heavy Metal » Hair Metal |website= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= 18 June 2017 |url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/hair-metal-ma0000011902}}</ref><ref name="Pop">{{cite web|title= Pop/Rock » Heavy Metal » Pop-Metal |website= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= 18 June 2017 |url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/pop-metal-ma0000002785}}</ref>

The website [[AllMusic]] has opined that "[o]ld-fashioned hard rock became a scarce commodity in the post-alternative rock era; after grunge, many guitar bands not only adopted a self-consciously serious attitude, but also resisted the urge to write fist-pumping, arena-ready choruses."<ref name="Hard">{{cite web|title= Pop/Rock » Hard Rock » Hard Rock |website= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= 18 June 2017 |url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/hard-rock-ma0000002636}}</ref> Multiple artists have continued to play on to [[cult following]]s.<ref name="Hair"/><ref name="Pop"/> Bands [[Bon Jovi]] and [[Van Halen]] in particular achieved significant commercial success into the 1990s.{{sfn|Prown|Newquist|1997|pp=2142–15}}{{refn|group=nb|One example of a direct continuity of sound between groups is how, in 1988, the band [[Aerosmith]] gave the outfit [[Guns N' Roses]] (GnR) a touring opportunity for the latter's [[Appetite for Destruction Tour|first major set of performances]], with GnR guitarist [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] adapting and expanding their mutual, arena-friendly style.<ref name="Slash">{{cite magazine|first= Steve |last= Appleford |title= Aerosmith Get Pumped for Tour With Slash: 'It's Still Rock & Roll' |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= 10 April 2014 |access-date= 8 June 2017 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/aerosmith-get-pumped-for-tour-with-slash-its-still-rock-roll-20140410}}</ref> The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] has remarked that the nine-minute-long GnR [[Single (music)|single]] "[[November Rain]]" and its related [[music video]] "solidified the band as a group of musicians capable of lavish arena-rock level productions both on and off the stage". The band notably performed the song at the [[1992 MTV Video Music Awards]] alongside [[Elton John]],<ref name="Essential"/> a musician who rose to prominence in the arena rock movement back in the 1970s.{{sfn|Waksman|2009|pp=21–31}}}} Later in the 90s and 2000s, [[post-grunge]] acts such as [[Creed (band)|Creed]] and [[Nickelback]] released their own successful arena rock anthems.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Kyle |title=Accidental revolution: the story of grunge |date=2007 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |isbn=9780312358198 |pages=5–6 |edition=1st |quote=An entire generation of young musicians was growing up with the sort of stuff that trickled onto the radio after Kurt's death, and it didn't take them long to figure out what was working and what wasn't. They copied Pearl Jam, which is not necessarily a bad idea, but they noticed that the artier stuff didn't sell as well as the heavy arena anthems of their first album. They copied Soundgarden, a fine pursuit on its own, but they failed to take into account the intricacies of that band's songs. These young musicians went on to form bands such as Creed and Nickelback, and listeners were stuck with a whole generation of flaccid wannabes carrying the torch for mediocrity. They sold millions but were as empty as the hair-metal bands their forefathers had fought so hard to vanquish.}}</ref>