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13 Huge Concerts Every '90s Kid Was Dying to See

From girl groups to grunge rock, these tours were the hottest tickets.

Getting out to live music shows may not be possible right now, but the next best thing to rounding up your friends for a concert is looking back on the ones that were most formative to you growing up. For kids who were just developing their musical tastes during the last decade of the millennium, that means some of the biggest, most influential, and bestselling tours of all time. We've jumped into the wayback machine to round up a list of the concerts every '90s kid wanted to see. And if you're longing for more walks down memory lane, check out 100 Photos That Kids Born After 2000 Will Never Understand.

1
*NSYNC

NSYNC Concert 2001
MediaPunch Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

*NSYNC went on five headlining tours between 1997 and 2002, but 2001's "PopOdyssey" was the biggest spectacle.

And for the films you couldn't wait to see, we're Ranking Every '90s Teen Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.

2
Britney Spears

Britney Spears Performing 1999
Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

If you were a kid or a teen in the '90s, you probably begged your parents for tickets to Britney Spears' first headlining tour, of course titled "…Baby One More Time" after her first hit single. And you likely went right back to the well for the "Oops!… I Did It Again" tour not even a year later.

3
TLC

TLC 1999
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

The hugely popular girl group TLC didn't have their own world tour until their third album came out, but the 1999 "FanMail" concert was a must-see for fans who had been missing the group since the hiatus they took after their 1994 album CrazySexyCool topped the charts.

And to test your knowledge of your favorite decade, Can You Answer These Trivia Questions About the '90s?

4
Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson Velvet Rope Tour
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Even if you couldn't make it to Janet Jackson's massive third tour, "The Velvet Rope," you could watch the HBO special, The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden, when it premiered after the tour was said and done.

5
Spice Girls

Spice Girls Concert 1998
Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo

It didn't take long for Mel C, Mel B, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Adams (soon-to-be Beckham)—otherwise known as the Spice Girls—to become international teen idols. Their 1998 "Spiceworld" tour traversed the globe, though Halliwell departed the group right in the middle of it.

For more pictures that will fuel your nostalgia, check out 23 Celeb Red Carpet Photos From 2000 You Have to See to Believe.

6
Blink-182

Blink-182 Performing 2000
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Blink-182 was the rare rock group that gave teen pop acts a run for their money on MTV's TRL. The band's 2000 tour, "The Mark, Tom and Travis Show," came after their Enema of the State album, which included the massive hits "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things."

7
Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin Performing 2000
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One of the biggest crossover stars of the Latin music boom, Ricky Martin's "Livin' the Vida Loca" tour was an essential expense for anyone couldn't get "She Bangs" out of their head.

And for more stars who know how to shake it (or at least tried), here are 25 Celebrities You Won't Believe Did "Dancing With the Stars."

8
Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boys 1998
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock Photo

It wasn't their first major tour, but when the Backstreet Boys went out on the road in 1999 in support of their Billboard No. 1 hit album Millennium, it was their hottest ticket yet.

9
Brandy

Brandy 1995
Barry King/Alamy Stock Photo

Brandy broke out with her 1994 self-titled album, but by the time she went out on the "Never Say Never" tour in 1999, she also had another album and the ubiquitous duet with Monica, "The Boy is Mine," under her belt.

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10
Shania Twain

Shania Twain performing 1998
MediaPunch Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

Shania Twain may be a country artist, but she got a ton of Top 40 airplay too with songs like "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "You're Still the One" from her album Come On Over (which is still the twelfth highest-selling album of all time). So it stands to reason that the "Come On Over" tour brought together lifelong country devotees and those who never thought they'd end up at a country show.

11
Puff Daddy

Puff Daddy Performing 1999
Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

The artist formerly known as Puff Daddy was hardly the only draw of the "No Way Out" tour in 1997. The multi-act tour included performances by the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop at the time, like Lil' KimMaseJay-ZFoxy Brown, and Usher.

12
Hanson

Hanson Performing 1998
Allstar Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Three-piece brother band Hanson were just kids themselves when they released their first major studio album Middle of Nowhere in 1997. The "Live From Albertane" tour leveraged the popularity of their singles "Where's the Love?", "Weird," and—of course—"MMMBop."

13
Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam performing in 1995
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

It wasn't all about teen pop and pop-punk in the '90s. For their 1995 "Vitalogy" tour, the grunge rock band Pearl Jam famously boycotted Ticketmaster, who they accused of having a monopoly on ticket sales, and only used other ticketing sales companies.

Sage Young
Sage Young is the Deputy Entertainment Editor at Best Life, expanding and honing our coverage in this vertical by managing a team of industry-obsessed writers. Read more
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