List of highest-grossing concert tours
The Eras Tour by Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing tour of all time.
The following is a list of concert tours that have generated the most gross income . The data and rankings come largely from reports by trade publications Billboard and Pollstar . Billboard , which launched the boxscore ranking in 1975 through its spin-off magazine Amusement Business , has featured the ranking in its own magazine since the issue date of October 3, 1981.[ 1] Pollstar began reporting box office data on November 29, 1981,[ 2] but it has relatively little information about pre-2000 tours.[ 3] In the early 21st century, tour revenue skyrocketed as record sales collapsed and musicians began relying on live shows for their income.[ 4]
The first tours to surpass $100 million in revenue, according to reports, were Michael Jackson 's Bad World Tour and Pink Floyd 's A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour , both of which ran from 1987 to 1989. In December 2023, Pollstar estimated that Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour was the first tour to collect over $1 billion in revenue,[ 5] [ 6] although Coldplay 's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the first to report $1 billion to official boxscore in August 2024.[ 7] The Eras Tour concluded in December 2024, with a gross of $2.07 billion, become the first tour to surpass $2 billion boxscore.[ 8]
While the touring industry is largely dominated by bands and male soloists of rock music ,[ 9] some of the highest-grossing tours have featured pop stars such as Swift, Ed Sheeran , Harry Styles , Beyoncé , Pink , and Madonna , as well as country singer Garth Brooks . The Rolling Stones set the all-time tour-revenue record three times (1990, 1995, and 2006); their Voodoo Lounge Tour held the record for 11 years (1995–2006), longer than any other record-holder. They are the only act to have the highest-grossing tour of the decade twice, in the 1990s and the 2000s. U2 has mounted the highest-grossing tour of the year at least eight times, more than any other act.
Highest-grossing tours
Key
†
Indicates ongoing tour
*
Indicates tour dates are split between two different calendar decades
Timeline of the highest-grossing tour
Highest-grossing tours by decade
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Highest-grossing tours by year
This list represents the top-grossing tour of each year according to either Pollstar or Billboard Boxscore (formerly Amusement Business ). The two publications may differ on their annual figures due to different total of dates reported or different year-end tracking period. For example, Pollstar listed Madonna 's Sticky & Sweet Tour as the top tour of 2008 with $281.6 million, but Billboard ranked it third on their year-end chart whose tracking period ended on November 11, 2008, thus excluding 20 shows by Madonna.[ 73] [ 74] In 2019, Billboard listed Ed Sheeran 's ÷ Tour as the top tour of the year ($223.7 million), instead of Pink 's Beautiful Trauma World Tour ($215.2 million) as reported by Pollstar . However, Billboard ' s figure included Sheeran's gross from November 2018 shows; therefore, Pollstar ' s figure is closer to accurate for the 2019 calendar year.[ 75] [ 76]
See also
Notes
^ Eagles ' Hell Freezes Over Tour grossed $79.4 million in 1994, $63.3 million in 1995, and $10.2 million in 1996.[ 45] [ 46]
^ a b U2 's 360° Tour grossed $311,637,730 in the 2000s decade (2009)[ 52] and $424,783,856 in the 2010s (2010 and 2011).[ 53] [ 54]
^ Celine Dion 's Taking Chances World Tour grossed $236.6 million in 2008 and $42.6 million in 2009.[ 55] [ 56]
^ Within the 2000s decade, AC/DC 's Black Ice World Tour grossed $37.5 million in 2008 and $226.6 million in 2009.[ 57] [ 56]
^ Cher 's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour grossed $194,683,927 from 280 reported shows according to Billboard , bringing an average gross of $695,000 per show.[ 58] Total gross for the tour's 325 dates is estimated between $200 million and $250 million.[ 59]
^ Bruno Mars ' 24K Magic World Tour grossed $200.1 million in 2017 and 167.6 million in 2018.[ 62] [ 63]
^ In August 2024, Billboard stated that the $1 billion gross threshold surpassed by Coldplay was "unprecedented in Boxscore's almost 40-year history".[ 7] [ 10] Further estimates for Swift in Pollstar and Forbes were only published afterwards.[ 64] [ 65]
^ Within the 2020s decade, Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road grossed $87.1 million in 2020,[ 68] $274 million in 2022,[ 69] and $110.3 million in 2023.[ 70]
References
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^ Waddell, Ray D.; Barnet, Rich; Berry, Jake (2007). This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring . Billboard Books . p. 56. ISBN 978-0-307-87500-6 . Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Google Books.
^ a b c Allen, Bob (March 27, 2020). "Ladies Might: Box Office Triumph By Top Female Earners" . Pollstar . Retrieved 27 March 2020 .
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^ a b c d Gensler, Andy (December 8, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sets All-Time Touring Record With $1 Billion Gross" . Pollstar . Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Atwal, Sanj (December 12, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour breaks record as highest-grossing music tour ever" . Guinness World Records . Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 .
^ a b "Coldplay Tops July Boxscore Report As Tour Surpasses $1 Billion in Grosses" . Billboard . 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024 .
^ a b c d Friedman, Vanessa (December 9, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024 .
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^ a b Frankenberg, Eric (July 13, 2023). "Elton John's Farewell Tour Comes to an End With $939 Million and 6 Million Tickets" . Billboard . Retrieved August 25, 2023 .
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^ a b Frankenberg, Eric (November 25, 2024). "P!nk Wraps 2023-2024 Touring With Almost $700 Million Grossed" . Billboard . Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024 .
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^ Rendon, Francisco (July 31, 2019). "Ed Sheeran Concludes 'Divide' Tour, Sets All-Time Touring Record At $775.6m" . Pollstar . Retrieved August 27, 2023 .
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