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. 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. With hundreds of people injured and one dying, said concert has been described as "the spiritual death of the decade". 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.
Grand Funk Railroad, which advertised itself as a "people's band" on the release of their
1969 debut album given their nationwide touring, played to about 125,000 in
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 the late 1970s to the early 1980s. of
Journey became one of the faces of arena rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bands such as
Styx,
Foreigner,
Journey,
REO Speedwagon,
Boston,
Toto,
Kansas, and
Night Ranger were popular arena rock acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arena rock's popularity, being described as "a dominant force" musically from the 1970s onward, The music of the 1970s often reflected changing philosophical interests compared to previous decades, with personal growth, private revelation, and
self-improvement gaining more emphasis compared to past interests in
collectivist social activism. The period coming to be known dismissively as the "
Me Decade", rock releases frequently celebrated a
hedonistic, self-indulgent abandonment. Multiple artists also pursued an arena rock sound based on
individual inspiration and achievement, particularly in
anthemic songs about independence. In terms of the changing trends into the 1980s and onward, the style essentially replaced
disco in terms of mass pop culture appeal. 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. 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 in the early 1990s. The website
AllMusic has opined that "old-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." Multiple artists have continued to play on to
cult followings. ==Critical perspectives==