Happy 40th, Tacoma Dome: a decade of iconic performers

by Nadia Naushab

The Tacoma Dome is arguably the most recognizable structure in Tacoma, Washington. As someone not from the city, seeing the massive building just off I-5 is how I know I’ve entered Tacoma. The iconic venue is one of the largest wood-domed structures in the world, and can accommodate up to 23,000 people for a variety of functions such as concerts, sporting events, rodeos, and more.

Concerts are typically what the Dome is most known for, and a variety of artists come to perform at the venue every year. Each performing artist brings different genres and styles of music, making every concert at the Tacoma Dome a memorable one.

The past 10 years alone can highlight the diversity in performers and genres at the venue. The following list represents just a few of the iconic artists that have performed at the Tacoma Dome in the past decade.

Taylor Swift

After the release of her fourth studio album, Red, on October 22, 2012, the widely famous country-pop singer, Taylor Swift, launched the “Red Tour,” which kicked off its first show in Omaha, Nebraska on March 13, 2013 and ended with its final show in Singapore on June 12, 2014. For the North American portion of her tour, Taylor invited Ed Sheeran as the opening act for all shows, with other artists, like Austin Mahone and Florida Georgia Line, joining her in select venues. Taylor performed at the Tacoma Dome on August 31, 2013 with Ed Sheeran and Casey James as the opening acts for the show. Her set list consisted of smash hits such as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “22.” Some cities during this segment of her tour even got surprise performances for songs like “Our Song” and “Teardrops on my Guitar.”

The following video shows Taylor’s performance with Ed Sheeran on their song “Everything Has Changed”:

Lady Gaga

On August 5, 2017, Lady Gaga performed at the Tacoma Dome for her first U.S stop on her “Joanne” world tour. The tour was held to commemorate the release of her fourth studio album of the same name in October of 2016. Gaga performed popular classics such as “Bad Romance” and “Telephone,” but her show was characterized more by the heartfelt yet powerful performances of songs from her new album such as “Joanne” and “Million Reasons.” Each segment of her show had different costume changes, lighting, and effects, making every performance a visual showstopper.

The video below shows Lady Gaga’s performance of her 2009 hit, “Alejandro”:

Travis Scott

Travis Scott’s “Astroworld – Wish You Were Here” tour in 2019 was a magnificent display of concert festivities. Each performance in the tour had features of a theme park to commemorate the Six Flags AstroWorld amusement park in Houston, Texas. For Travis Scott’s performance in the Tacoma Dome on January 29, 2019, the venue was set up to have two stages with a ring carnival ride and even a roller coaster that fans in the audience could ride. He performed popular hits such as “Sicko Mode” and “Stop Trying to be God.”

Harry Styles

Harry Styles came to the Tacoma Dome for his “Love On Tour” on November 7, 2021. This tour was the singer’s second tour meant to celebrate the release of his second studio album, “Fine Line,” which was released on December 13, 2019. After the release of his album, “Harry’s House,” on May 22, 2022, he started performing songs from this album during the tour as well. Styles used to be a member of the insanely famous band One Direction, before the group went on an 18-month hiatus which led to their separation.

The video below is his performance of his hit, “Falling”:

My Chemical Romance

After their initial disbandment on March 22, 2013, the members of the American rock band, My Chemical Romance, returned to the stage in 2022 with their “Reunion Tour.” The tour was originally scheduled to kick-off in 2020 after the band’s reunion was announced in 2019, but was pushed back due to the growing Covid-19 pandemic. Known for their pop-punk and emo music styles, My Chemical Romance has seen a successful career ever since their formation in September of 2001. The band performed at the Tacoma Dome on October 10th, 2022, 11 years after the band first performed in Washington state on September 1st, 2011 at the White River Amphitheatre during their 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour.

Twice

The 9-member girl group from South Korea performed at the Tacoma Dome for their “Ready to Be” world tour on June 16, 2023. Twice has grown immensely popular since their debut in October 2015, and they only continue to grow with their record breaking music and sold out concerts. The girls performed popular hits such as “Dance the Night Away” and “I Can’t Stop Me,” while also delivering powerful solo stages to American songs such as “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande (performed by Mina) and “Move” by Beyonce (performed by Momo). Unfortunately, right before the start of their show in Tacoma, it was announced that two members, Dahyun and Jeongyeon, tested positive for Covid-19 and would not be performing at the show.

Twice is the only K-pop group to have performed at the Tacoma Dome. The following video shows their performance of their English hit, “The Feels”:

This is just a short compilation of the variety of performers that have been welcomed in the city of Tacoma, but the list is sure to grow. The Tacoma Dome has become a place full of memories and legacies, and selecting just a handful of artists to include in this list proved to be a difficult task. Each musician brought their own style and flair to their performances, shaping their artistic history and bringing the Tacoma Dome along on the journey. It will be exciting to see what the future lays for the Dome and how new stories of musical adventures will start taking shape.

About the Author

Nadia Naushab prepared this article as her final project for TARTS 225: Musical History of Tacoma, taught by Kim Davenport at the University of Washington, Tacoma. At the time she took the class in Summer Quarter 2023, she was a senior pursuing a double-major in Environmental Science and Psychology.