The following is a list of the most-attended concert tours in history, with at least 3.5 million tickets sold. There are also two more lists: most attended tours annually since 1997 and tours with most tickets sold in a single day.
Pollstar and Billboard provide boxscores, which are the primary data showing the commercial performance of tours, but since not all concerts are reported to them, especially before 2000, the number of tickets may rely on estimations by other sources. Tours may score large total attendances because of their number of shows, which can span multiple calendar years. The success of a tour is measured by both the number of attendances and it’s gross revenue, since it’s not necessary that the most-attended tours generate the largest profit due to ticket pricing. [1]
Coldplay was the first act to sell over 10 million tickets on the same concert run, achieving the feat with the Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–2025). [2] The band is also the only act to sell a million tickets in a single day on two different occasions. U2 is the only act to achieve highest annual tour attendance six times.
Tina Turner, Cher, Madonna, Taylor Swift and Pink are the only women with a tour attended by 3.5 million people or more. Swift holds multiple records: first solo act to reach 10 million attendance on a tour (Eras Tour between 2023 and 2024); historically highest annual tour attendance (5.21 million in 2024); sole woman to have the highest annual tour attendance, achieving it twice (2023 and 2024); most tour tickets sold in a single day (2.4 million). [3] [4]
| † | Indicates an ongoing tour |
| * | Indicates the tour had sold the most tickets up to that point |
| Rank | Tickets sold | Artist | Tour title | Year | Shows | Average attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13,138,644 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour * | 2022–2025 | 223 | 58,918 | [5] |
| 2 | 10,168,008 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | 2023–2024 | 149 | 68,242 | [3] |
| 3 | 8,908,150 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour * | 2017–2019 | 255 | 34,934 | [6] |
| 4 | 8,800,000 | Ed Sheeran | +–=÷× Tour | 2022–2025 | 169 | 52,071 | [7] |
| 5 | 7,272,046 | U2 | 360° Tour * | 2009–2011 | 110 | 66,110 | [8] |
| 6 | 7,000,000 | Guns N' Roses | Use Your Illusion Tour * | 1991–1993 | 192 | 36,458 | [9] |
| 7 | 6,400,000 | The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge Tour | 1994–1995 | 128 | 50,000 | [A] |
| 8 | 6,300,000 | Garth Brooks | The Garth Brooks World Tour 2014–2017 | 2014–2017 | 390 | 16,154 | [11] |
| 9 | 6,000,000 | The Rolling Stones | Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour * | 1989–1990 | 115 | 52,174 | [12] |
| 10 | 5,994,810 | Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 2018–2023 | 330 | 18,166 | [13] |
| 11 | 5,500,000 | Pink Floyd | The Division Bell Tour | 1994 | 110 | 50,000 | [14] |
| 12 | 5,500,000 | Garth Brooks | The Garth Brooks World Tour 1996–1998 | 1996–1998 | 220 | 25,000 | [15] |
| 13 | 5,487,713 | The Weeknd | After Hours til Dawn Tour † | 2022–2026 | 110 | 49,888 | [B] |
| 14 | 5,389,586 | Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams Tour | 2016–2017 | 114 | 47,277 | [18] |
| 15 | 5,371,891 | Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 2016–2019 | 175 | 30,697 | [19] |
| 16 | 5,300,000 | U2 | Zoo TV Tour | 1992–1993 | 157 | 33,758 | [20] |
| 17 | 5,080,000 | Joker Xue | Extraterrestrial World Tour | 2021–2025 | 145 | 35,034 | [21] |
| 18 | 5,025,129 | Rammstein | Stadium Tour | 2019–2024 | 141 | 35,639 | [22] |
| 19 | 5,000,000 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Born in the U.S.A. Tour * | 1984–1985 | 156 | 32,051 | [23] |
| 20 | 5,000,000 | Harry Styles | Love On Tour | 2021–2023 | 169 | 29,586 | [24] |
| Rank | Tickets sold | Artist | Tour title | Year | Shows | Average attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 4,900,000 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | 2023–2025 Tour | 2023–2025 | 129 | 37,984 | [25] |
| 22 | 4,900,000 | AC/DC | Black Ice World Tour | 2008–2010 | 165 | 29,697 | [26] |
| 23 | 4,800,000 | Pink | Summer Carnival | 2023–2024 | 97 | 49,485 | [27] |
| 24 | 4,800,000 | The Rolling Stones | Bridges to Babylon Tour | 1997–1998 | 108 | 44,444 | [C] |
| 25 | 4,700,000 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | 2005–2007 | 147 | 31,973 | [15] |
| 26 | 4,619,021 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 2005–2006 | 131 | 35,260 | [29] |
| 27 | 4,559,065 | Michael Jackson | Bad World Tour | 1987–1989 | 125 | 36,473 | [30] |
| 28 | 4,520,158 | Michael Jackson | HIStory World Tour | 1996–1997 | 82 | 55,124 | [31] |
| 29 | 4,500,000 | Jacky Cheung | A Classic Tour | 2016–2019 | 233 | 19,313 | [32] |
| 30 | 4,250,000 | Pink Floyd | A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | 1987–1990 | 198 | 21,465 | [33] |
| 31 | 4,198,613 | Metallica | WorldWired Tour | 2016–2019 | 159 | 26,406 | [34] |
| 32 | 4,150,000 | Mayday | Life Tour | 2017–2019 | 122 | 34,016 | [35] |
| 33 | 4,129,863 | Roger Waters | The Wall Live | 2010–2013 | 220 | 18,772 | [36] |
| 34 | 4,000,000 | Tina Turner | Break Every Rule World Tour | 1987–1988 | 218 | 18,349 | [37] |
| 35 | 3,982,657 | U2 | PopMart Tour | 1997–1998 | 93 | 42,824 | [15] |
| 36 | 3,600,000 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Wrecking Ball World Tour | 2012–2013 | 125 | 28,800 | [25] |
| 37 | 3,545,899 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 2008–2009 | 85 | 41,716 | [38] |
| 38 | 3,500,000 | Michael Jackson | Dangerous World Tour | 1992–1993 | 69 | 50,725 | [39] |
| 39 | 3,500,000 | The Rolling Stones | Licks Tour | 2003–2004 | 117 | 29,915 | [15] |
| 40 | 3,500,000 | Cher | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour | 2002–2005 | 326 | 10,736 | [40] |
| Year | Tickets sold | Artist | Tour title | Shows | Average attendance | Highest-grossing tour of the year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4,461,075 | The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge Tour | 84 | 53,108 | Yes | [41] |
| 1996 | 1,900,000 | Garth Brooks | The Garth Brooks World Tour 1996–1998 | 121 | 15,702 | No | [42] |
| 1997 | 2,981,357 | U2 | PopMart Tour | 70 | 42,591 | Yes | [43] |
| 1998 | 3,538,276 | The Rolling Stones | Bridges to Babylon Tour | 82 | 43,150 | Yes | [44] |
| 1999 | 1,800,000 | NSYNC | NSYNC in Concert | 121 | 14,876 | No | [45] |
| 2000 | 2,400,000 | Tina Turner | Twenty Four Seven Tour | 108 | 22,222 | Yes | [46] |
| 2001 | 2,061,248 | U2 | Elevation Tour | 106 | 19,446 | Yes | [47] |
| 2002 | 1,359,351 | Dave Matthews Band | 2002 Tour | 67 | 20,289 | No | [48] |
| 2003 | 3,470,945 | The Rolling Stones | Licks Tour | 115 | 30,182 | Yes | [49] |
| 2004 | 1,474,156 | Prince | Musicology Live 2004ever | 99 | 14,890 | No | [50] |
| 2005 | 3,000,000 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 90 | 33,333 | Yes | [51] |
| 2006 | 3,499,405 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | 110 | 31,813 | Yes | [52] |
| 2007 | 1,858,456 | The Police | Reunion Tour | 66 | 28,158 | Yes | [53] |
| 2008 | 2,340,000 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 58 | 40,345 | Yes | [54] |
| 2009 | 3,071,290 | U2 | 360° Tour | 44 | 69,802 | Yes | [55] |
| 2010 | 1,909,234 | Bon Jovi | The Circle Tour | 80 | 23,865 | Yes | [56] |
| 2011 | 2,887,972 | U2 | 360° Tour | 44 | 65,636 | Yes | [57] |
| 2012 | 2,286,395 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Wrecking Ball World Tour | 81 | 28,227 | No | [58] |
| 2013 | 2,657,502 | Bon Jovi | Because We Can | 102 | 26,054 | Yes | [59] |
| 2014 | 3,439,563 | One Direction | Where We Are Tour | 69 | 49,849 | Yes | [60] |
| 2015 | 2,364,390 | On the Road Again Tour | 85 | 27,816 | No | [61] | |
| 2016 | 2,670,000 | Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams Tour | 60 | 44,607 | No | [62] |
| 2017 | 2,713,136 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 | 50 | 54,263 | Yes | [63] |
| 2018 | 4,860,482 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 94 | 51,707 | Yes | [64] |
| 2019 | 2,455,718 | 51 | 48,151 | No | [65] | ||
| 2020 | 885,740 | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Christmas Eve and Other Stories Tour | 91 | 9,733 | No | [66] |
| 2021 | 669,051 | Harry Styles | Love On Tour | 39 | 17,155 | No | [67] |
| 2022 | 3,802,812 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 64 | 59,419 | Yes | [68] |
| 2023 | 4,349,363 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | 60 | 72,489 | Yes | [69] |
| 2024 | 5,210,054 | 80 | 65,126 | Yes | [4] |
Cher embarked on her three-year, 326-show Living Proof: The Farewell Tour […] Her average audience was 10,800, totaling 3.5 million attendees…