The highest-grossing live music artists (also known as "highest-grossing touring artists") [lower-alpha 1] are reported by Billboard and Pollstar boxscores. The cumulative figures may be incomplete because not all concert dates are reported by those publications. For simplification, the figures are presented in nominal dollars without being adjusted for inflation, hence they do not reflect the real value of revenue from older concerts.
Depending on the source, U2 or The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time. As of 2024, Pollstar has U2 at number one with $2.37 billion in concert revenue followed by The Rolling Stones with $2.16 billion. Billboard has The Rolling Stones in first place with $2.6 billion and U2 with $2.46 billion. They are followed by Elton John, who also passed two-billion mark in concert revenue. The concert industry is very male-dominated, [1] and only four women have grossed more than $1 billion (as of 2024), with Madonna being the first. [2] According to Pollstar, Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing female with over $1.96 billion.
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | U2 | Ireland | $2.37 billion | 26.84 million | 2024 | [3] [4] |
2 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.16 billion | 22.13 million | 2022 | [3] |
3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $2 billion | 22 million | 2023 | [5] |
4 | Taylor Swift | United States | $1.96 billion | 13.91 million | 2023 | [3] [6] |
5 | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | United States | $1.91 billion | 24.31 million | 2023 | [3] [6] |
6 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.77 billion | 19.36 million | 2024 | [7] |
7 | Madonna | United States | $1.62 billion | 12.80 million | 2024 | [3] [8] |
8 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.59 billion | 12.12 million | 2023 | [3] [6] |
9 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $1.44 billion | 16.93 million | 2023 | [lower-alpha 2] |
10 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.35 billion | 10.90 million | 2022 | [3] |
11 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.32 billion | 17.75 million | 2022 | [3] |
12 | Eagles | United States | $1.31 billion | 10.99 million | 2022 | [3] |
13 | Metallica | United States | $1.21 billion | 19.46 million | 2022 | [3] |
14 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1.19 billion | 10.45 million | 2022 | [3] |
15 | Billy Joel | United States | $1.18 billion | 16.97 million | 2022 | [3] |
16 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.11 billion | 16.41 million | 2022 | [3] |
17 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $1.08 billion | 23.27 million | 2022 | [3] |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.6 billion | 28 million | 2022 | [11] |
2 | U2 | Ireland | $2.46 billion | 28.96 million | 2021 | [12] [13] |
3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $1.98 billion | 20.6 million | 2023 | [14] |
4 | Madonna | United States | $1.6 billion | 12.8 million | 2024 | [15] |
5 | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | United States | $1.489 billion | — | 2017 | [lower-alpha 3] |
6 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.3 billion | 11.6 million | 2023 | [18] |
7 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $1.27 billion | — | 2023 | [lower-alpha 4] |
8 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.172 billion | 17.9 million | 2023 | [21] |
9 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.115 billion | 8.8 million | 2019 | [lower-alpha 5] |
10 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.03 billion | — | 2016 | [23] |
11 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.017 billion | 12 million | 2022 | [24] |
12 | Eagles | United States | $1 billion | — | 2022 | [24] |
13 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1 billion | — | 2022 | [25] |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $869,471,325 | 8,236,586 |
2 | U2 | Ireland | $844,157,925 | 9,869,953 |
3 | Madonna | United States | $801,299,671 | 6,387,124 |
4 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $688,136,476 | 8,605,238 |
5 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $603,804,670 | 5,789,833 |
6 | Celine Dion | Canada | $536,593,262 | 4,099,963 |
7 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $505,447,901 | 11,230,696 |
8 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $477,931,760 | 9,210,288 |
9 | Bon Jovi | United States | $419,481,741 | 5,384,747 |
10 | Billy Joel | United States | $418,421,266 | 4,141,287 |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $529.1 million | 11.6 million |
2 | Celine Dion | Canada | $522.2 million | 4 million |
3 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $455.6 million | 8.6 million |
4 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $444.3 million | 5.7 million |
5 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $426.9 million | 3.2 million |
6 | U2 | Ireland | $391 million | 4.4 million |
7 | Madonna | United States | $325.3 million | 2.1 million |
8 | Eagles | United States | $313.4 million | 2.8 million |
9 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $286.4 million | 2.5 million |
10 | Jimmy Buffett | United States | $285.8 million | 4.5 million |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross |
---|---|---|---|
1 | U2 | Ireland | $1.018 billion |
2 | Taylor Swift | United States | $910.2 million |
3 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $907.6 million |
4 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $848.3 million |
5 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
6 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | Unrevealed |
7 | Beyoncé | United States | Unrevealed |
8 | Bon Jovi | United States | Unrevealed |
9 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
10 | Roger Waters | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross |
---|---|---|---|
1 | U2 | Ireland | $1,038,104,132 |
2 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $929,196,083 |
3 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $922,361,663 |
4 | Taylor Swift | United States | $899,627,048 |
5 | Bon Jovi | United States | $868,715,392 |
6 | Beyoncé | United States | $857,405,819 |
7 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $813,811,559 |
8 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $731,805,591 |
9 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $729,789,815 |
10 | Roger Waters | United Kingdom | $702,231,419 |
A concert tour is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific tour with a particular album or product. Especially in the popular music world, such tours can become large-scale enterprises that last for several months or even years, are seen by hundreds of thousands or millions of people, and bring in millions of dollars in ticket revenues. A performer who embarks on a concert tour is called a touring artist.
A concert residency is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but only performed at one location. Pollstar Awards defined residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a single venue. An artist who performs on a concert residency is called a resident performer. Concert residencies have been the staple of the Las Vegas Strip for decades, pioneered by singer-pianist Liberace in the 1940s and Frank Sinatra with the Rat Pack in the 1950s.
The x Tour was the second world concert tour by English singer-songwriter and musician, Ed Sheeran, in support of his second studio album, × (2014). The tour began in Osaka, Japan on 6 August 2014, and continued through Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Asia until 12 December 2015, where the tour ended in New Zealand. Sheeran planned 180 shows. In June 2015, the singer announced a documentary would be filmed during the tour's three sold-out dates, 10–12 July 2015, at 80,000-person capacity Wembley Stadium.
The ÷ Tour was the third world concert tour by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, in support of his third studio album, ÷ (2017). Comprising 260 shows, it officially began on 16 March 2017, in Turin, Italy and ended on 26 August 2019, in Ipswich, England. Ticket sales started on 2 February 2017. The tour set world records for the highest-grossing concert tour and the most tickets sold by a tour.
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The Man of the Woods Tour was the sixth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. Launched in support of his fifth studio album, Man of the Woods (2018), the tour began on March 13, 2018, in Toronto and concluded on April 13, 2019, in Uncasville. The Man of the Woods Tour was the sixth-highest-grossing tour of 2018. During its thirteen-month run from March 2018 to April 2019, The Man of the Woods Tour sold over 1.75 million tickets and grossed a total of over $226.3 million from 115 shows, making it Timberlake's second most successful tour to date behind only The 20/20 Experience World Tour, which grossed over $231.6 million from 134 shows, though Timberlake's per-night basis for The Man of the Woods Tour had a higher average at $1.96 million per-show than that of The 20/20 Experience World Tour, which averaged $1.81 million per-show.
Farewell Yellow Brick Road was the forty-ninth and final concert tour by English musician Elton John. It began in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US, on 8 September 2018, and ended in Stockholm, Sweden, on 8 July 2023. It consisted of 330 concerts worldwide. The tour's name and its poster reference John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
The On the Run II Tour was the second co-headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z, also known as The Carters. The all-stadium concert tour began on June 6, 2018, in Cardiff, Wales and concluded on December 2, 2018, in Johannesburg, South Africa. It followed 2014's On the Run Tour.
The Courage World Tour was the fourteenth concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion, in support of her English-language studio album Courage (2019). It was her first world tour in over a decade, since her Taking Chances World Tour. The tour began in Quebec City, Canada, on 18 September 2019 and concluded in Newark, New Jersey on 8 March 2020.
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